[1] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) 3-0 Jessica Turnbull (AUS) 11-0, 11-4, 11-4 (19m)
Jess : Coming in playing Sherbini, she’s got that aura about her, she is so good and has been a top player since she was growing up as a junior. I watched her grow up, and I knew what I was up against. So yes, it is incredibly frustrating, because you try to do what you do at your own level, but I’m 60 in the world, she is number 1. The difference is quite big.
I had a team mate coming and coached me and she was saying ‘try and take your opportunities’ and I was “I’m trying!!”. I was doing my best . A bit unfortunate to get the bagel!
It’s my first world championship and I’ve been on the Tour for quite a while and to finally make it to the pinacle event is quite exciting. Positive to take out of here is I made it here. Got a bit of a rough draw, but I am one of the bottom seeds so it’s logical that I’d play one of the top.
And of course, the positive is that I got to play Nour El Sherbini, which is an incredible experience, in a nice setting, lovely glasscourt, beautiful weather…
“I’m a slow starter, but I’m really happy with my performance today. I started strong, I’ve been looking forward to this tournament and I hope I carry on playing like I did today.
“I don’t want to put any pressure on myself. It’s another tournament, another one in Egypt, so I’m going to stay motivated and take the support from the crowd.
“This is my first time ever at Palm Hills, and it’s another amazing place to be. The gym and the court are perfect for us. It’s amazing to have all the kids coming to watch us, and this is what you want for our sport.”