Raneem and Mohamed are the New Champions
Finals Day in Manchester, with two all-Egyptian (indeed, all-Alexandria) finals for the second time in a row, which saw Raneem El Welily and Mohamed ElShorbagy crowned the the 2017 World Champions.
Women’s Final:
[2] Raneem El Welily (Egy) 3-1 [1] Nour El Sherbini (Egy) 3-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-5 (43m)
Men’s Final:
[3] Mohamed Elshorbagy (Egy) 3-2 [6] Marwan ElShorbagy (Egy) 11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-6 (71m)
DRAWS & RESULTS NOW IN MANCHESTER PHOTO GALLERY
[2] Raneem El Welily (Egy) 3-2 [1] Nour El Sherbini (Egy)
3-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-5 (43m)
Raneem is the New Champion
A new name will be etched on the Women’s World Championship trophy after Raneem El Welily came from a game down to beat defending champion Nour El Sherbini in a repeat of the last Worlds final [both were playing their third world final].
Sherbini started as she had in yesterday’s semi-final, blitzing through the first 11-3, but one Welily settled she was the one controlling the play for the rest of the match.
In each of the next three games she opened up an early lead, and Sherbini couldn’t close the gap. She came closest in the second, saving two game balls before Welily levelled 12-10, but it was Welily all the way in the next two games.
Raneem El Welily:
Please bear with me, it’s not easy for me to make after match speeches…
Thanks for my husband for staying for the entire tournament, I know he is very disappointed not to win this title, I am too. I hope he would have been holding the trophy with me today, but I’m sure he will next time.
Thanks to Karim Darwish for being here, Wadi Degla Sports director, my brother who came from Alexandria the whole week to support me, thanks so much for always being there, my fitness coach Ahmed Faragalla I have been training with him since 2009 now, he dreamed it for me so many times, and it finally happened… And he is actually here to witness it.
My squash coach, Haitham Effat, since 2010 now, who is not here to celebrate today, he deserves this as much as I do, he’s been working with me so hard, he is taking care of everything about squash from A to Z for 7 years now.
My mum couldn’t be here, but I’m sure she is watching from home, with my dad, thank you so much, my entire family who is really supporting me, my best friends at home, I love you so much …
My sponsors, Wadi Degla, Harrow Sports…
I will never forget what Nour el Sherbini said about me after the final last year, I’m sorry you were at the losing end today, but I’m sure you’ll be at the other end so so many times, she did an incredible job you know…
I hope I’m not forgetting anybody, if I am, I’m really sorry…
[3] Mohamed Elshorbagy (Egy) 3-2 [6] Marwan ElShorbagy (Egy)
11-5, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6 (71m)
It’s Mohamed the Third
At the third time of asking, Mohamed ElShorbagy claimed the title of World Squash Champion as he beat his younger brother Marwan in a thrilling five-game final in Manchester.
In front of a packed, noisy and involved crowd at Manchester Central, the first four games were shared as the brother who started the better took the game – Mohamed, then Marwan, back to Mohamed, then Marwan set up the decider.
Although Mohamed started the fifth better, leading 4-2, Marwan fought back to lead 6-4. The final change of momentum saw Mohamed take the final seven points to become World Champion.
Mohamed ElShorbagy :
Yesterday, when my brother won the match, I celebrated at first, but then, a few minutes later, I was in a shock.
I was quiet in bed for hours, thinking oh my God, I actually got to beat my brother to win the world championship. It truly hit me, and I was quiet all morning. It was not a nice feeling at all.
You know, when you know that the person who can stop the other person from winning the championship is either one of us… It was so hard to have such a feeling.
That title, I waited for a lot of years to win it. To have that match against my brother, to live a moment like that, to share such a moment both of us is such a special feeling. An moments like this we are going to remember all our lives.
We really appreciate these moments, I think both of us are giving something different and unique to the sport, something everybody is going to enjoy, something that both of us will not enjoy.
This is only the beginning of a long list of great battles to come for us.
It’s great to make our family proud of us. It’s a moment we trained for, and hope it would happen one day, we just didn’t expect it to happen on his championship!
What a place for it to happen as well, we both live in England, we’ve both been living here for the past 10, 12 years. This country has been giving us so much. we came here as 15 years olds, with a scholarship from Millfield school, then we went to the University of West of England, so to play the final in the country where we live you know, it’s a dream come true for both of us. It’s a perfect place for us to play a match like that.
We are extremely grateful to this country because it’s given us so much.
And at last but not least, this title shouldn’t be mine. It belongs to two people who actually won it. My Parents.
