[2] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) 3-1 [4] Olivia Weaver (USA) 11-4, 11-5, 10-12, 19-17 (58m)
Oh my God. Nour has reached her 13th world final… and that’s a first… ever. Neither man nor woman I’m told reached that number.
It looked like an easy affair to be honest: the first two games were all about Nour, who not only dominated, but dismantled the game of the American. Olivia just couldn’t do anything against the Queen of the Courts. 11/4 in 8m, 11/5, in 8m. That’s sorted.
We thought that’s it. Easy peasy. Couldn’t we be more wrong??? No, we couldn’t.
Nour was always a little step behind in that third, maybe a bit of tiredness, and Olivia found her best squash. 3/3, 4/4, 6/4, 7/5, 7/7, 9/7, and 9/9.
Game ball for the American, 10/9, Nour saves it, but she cannot save the second one, which Olivia wins with an incredible reflex shot… 12/10 in 14m.
The 4th is a typical Nour game. Scaring the heck out of her camp throughout, 7/4 Olivia, 9/6. Nour gives it a first push and it works as Olivia is forced into 3 errors.
And it’s a first match ball. 10/9.
Making a very intense long story short, Olivia saved 4 match balls, and had 4 game balls of her own she could concretise. And finally, finally, with a crowd chanting and dancing, it’s 19/17 for Nour in 20m last game.
Never in doubt they chanted, never in doubt…
Nour : “I’m definitely happy with the win, a tough match, of course.
“You saw how Olivia fought back and we always have tough battles together. Definitely winning this match has given me a lot of positives and it’s great to be in another final.
“The belief was so important tonight. I lost it a little bit in the third game, but I wanted to have a good start in the fourth. I didn’t actually get it but I just tried to push for every single point. I thought it was really important to get that belief back, coming from behind, to have match balls.
“Amina reaching the final is so amazing for her age. She played amazingly, and she definitely deserved the win. I will definitely prepare for it and be ready for tomorrow.”
