[2] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) 3-1 [12] Salma Hany (EGY) 9-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-6 (52m)
Well, I really thought Nour was not going to find solutions tonight. Salma was asking questions that seemed to really disturb Nour….
The nerves Nout seemed to fight (she stumbled while walking to the court at the start, 5 errors out of 10 points at the start of the match), the court conditions that seemed to disturb her more than they did Salma, she seemed like a boat lost in Alexandria’s harbour to the third game.
On the other hand, meanwhile, Salma was not playing Candy Crush! The contender impressed me today, finding some out-of-this-world counterdrops and counterattacks, with a clear vision of the game, playing a much better squash than what she did in her previous match against Melissa.
And it showed right from the start, 4/0 for Salma, 5/1. When was the last time Nour was led like that? Salma was playing superbly well. A few stoppages for cleaning the court, but Salma was in front the whole of the game, up to 9/9. Was Nour going to be able to reverse the tide. No Salma, very confident and looking relaxed, with a stroke and a perfect length backhand drive, closed the opener in 13m, 11/9.
It was not panic station yet in the Nour’s camp, but I could feel the worry coming from the El Sherbini’s seats.
Another good start for Salma, 3/1, but this time, Nour sticks to the score, take the lead, we level again 6/6, Salma now in the lead, and back to the 9/9 from the previous game. The Nour’s camp’s nerves are audible, I can hear the anguish in the support voice. Two winners, one of the back, the other one to the front, 11/9 to the 8th time world champion in 15m.
And breathe, feels the Nour’s camp.
From that moment on, Nour was back to her normal self. In control of the rallies, dispatching the shots. Only one error in the following games, while Salma still playing amazing squash, made only 2 errors the whole match. Nour in control takes the thir, 11/3 in 6M, and the fourth 11/6 in 9m.
Nour : ““Well it was definitely a tough one today.
“Salma is a fighter and such a good player. This season she has been struggling with injuries from the start of the season, and to be honest a month she was way, way back compared to how she’s playing now. It’s incredible to see her play like this.
“We grew up together, we are very good friends, and for a long time. It’s not easy to play against your friend.
“I’m definitely happy to come back from 1-0 down, and nearly 2-0 down. I’m very proud to get the win today.
“I was happy that I found a way today. I think today was the hardest conditions yet, to be honest. I’ve been playing every round here, so you still take time to adapt to the conditions. It wasn’t exactly the way I wanted to play, but winning is the main part.”
