QF: [3] Nour El Tayeb 3-0 Salma Hany

[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 3-0 [6] Salma Hany (EGY)  11-9, 11-7, 11-6 (37m)

Interesting encounter that one. Different style of play, Salma having found a good balance in her training with Andrew Wagih, former PSA player, and looking more confident in herself recently I find. And it showed at the start of the match. Nour, pressure being on, was struggling to find her accuracy at the back, opening the court a bit too much to a very in-form attacking postive Salma.

Nothing between the players up to 6/6, Salma getting a couple of points ahead, but if she stopped giving points away she was offering at the start of the game, she made unforced errors at the business end, offering a game ball to her opponent. Nour, who had settled down by then, closed the opener on her first attempt, finding a lovely winner backhand volley nick, 11/9, 12m game, longest of the match.

Salma gave away 7 points in that game, and that’s a lot. 6 errors, 1 stroke. Not a single error from Nour, 2 strokes conceded.

Nour was now completely relaxed, and took the control of the second game, 4/0. Having cut most of the errors, Salma levelled up, 5/5. At that crucial time, two strokes in a row conceded by Salma, which gave a little cushion to her opponent, and it’s 11/7 for Nour, 7 winners each.

Still not a single error from Nour.

Good response from Salma at the start of the third, it’s close up to 3/3, but it’s a very high mountain to climb, and Nour strings the points quickly up to 9/4. She’ll need two match balls from 10/5, and with a drastic overrule from “no let” to “stroke”, Nour takes the match, 11/6.

Annnd not a single error from Nour….