[3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) 3-0 Farida Mohamed (EGY) 13-11, 11-8, 11-1 (35m)
From where I stand, Farida looked in complete control at the start of the match, and to be honest, I could see a possible upset coming up as the Columbia student was despatching the shots in the first part of the opener, 7/3, 8/5. A few errors started to creep in, along with giving away a few strokes, and we were back level, 8/8, Hania back in the match.
The second game saw a Farida cutting corners from the start, 3 errors, offering a lovely start to her opponent, 4/0, 5/2. A big effort from the Alexandria girl, and it’s levelled 6/6; 7/7. A big last push from Farida, solid rallies and nice attacks but Hania takes a solid advantage, 11/8 in 11m.
And in the last game, I guess both head and body were gone, and it’s a quick 6m last one for Hania, 11/1.
Just for the record, Farida gave away 7 points in the first game, and 6 in the second. That’ s a heck of a lot. So many errors, and every time, Farida was looking at Ahmed Shohayeb, hers and Nour El Sherbini’s coach. Not sure that helps much with the focus on the match….
The movement and the cross court finish 👏
Brilliant from @HaniaaElHammamy 🔥
📺 Watch on https://t.co/ZZPqYX01Pw pic.twitter.com/1KbKJz2LSW
— PSA World Tour (@PSAWorldTour) March 4, 2023
“The last tournament I played was ToC and that was a long time ago. It’s a bit tough to play the first round, you have to adjust and keep yourself mentally sharp. It was a good first round for me to get going and get sharper for the next round.
“She’s [Gilis] a very talented player, she has been rising and just won a title a week ago, her biggest to date. She must be very confident, so I will have to be focused and ready. We’ve always played great matches and hopefully tomorrow is going to be another fun match.”
