Day FOUR : SEMI-FINALS

Welily and Sherbini win contrasting semis

Semi-Finals Day in Cairo saw three Egyptians and one Kiwi aiming to reach the Black Ball Squash Open final, two contrasting matches providing an all-Egyptian final.

First up Raneem El Welily and Nouran Gohar replayed their Nationals quarter-final of last month on this same court, and again it went to five but this time it was the world #1 who triumphed – just!

Gohar took the lead but Welily struck to take the next two games and looked the likely winner.

But Gohar came out firing in the fourth to level, and the fifth was close all the way. Gohar got match balls at 10-9 and 11-10, Welily saved them both, failed to convert chances at 12-11 and 13-12 but finally clinched the win at the third time of asking.

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The second semi saw World Champion Nour El Sherbini beat Joelle King in straight games in a, by comparison with the first, strangely low key match. Sherbini led through the first, blitzed the second then failed to take her first two match balls in the third, finishing it like Welily on the third attempt.

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