Thaindian News

Chennai, July 31 (IANS) Top seed Dipika Pallikal, the 17-year old from Chennai, stayed on course by entering the girls singles semi-finals in the 13th junior world squash championship with a 11-6, 4-11, 11-8, 11-6 win over fifth seeded Egyptian Nouran El Torky here Friday.
Dipika, hoping to become the first Indian ever to win a World title in squash, will next meet another Egyptian, No.4 Nour El Tayeb, the British Open Under-17 champion who overcame compatriot Salma Hany in straight games.

Dipika had the match under control for much of the 37 minutes it took her to subdue the 16-year old Nouran whose best moments came in the second game when she looked the more dominant.

The home girl made it difficult for herself with a series of errors in the second game before tightening up to win in a canter.

The story of the day, however, belonged to 13-year old Egyptian prodigy Nour El Sharbini who upset second seed and compatriot Heba El Torky in five games to set up a semi-final clash with Pakistan’s Maria Toor Pakay.

Nour, who had beaten Heba in a first round match at home in the Miro Classic, repeated the feat, though she had work hard for today’s success that consumed 61 minutes.

Heba tried just about everything to tame the precocious Nour who blew four match-balls in the fourth game but kept pace with her rival, matching stroke for stroke. Nour’s impressive court coverage repeatedly frustrated Heba who on the day yielded ground to an opponent who played the big points better.

An obviously shocked Heba later collapsed soon after the match and received medical treatment at the venue itself.

Meanwhile, in the boys singles, top seed and defending champion Mohamed El Shorbagy of Egypt took his appointed place in the semi-finals with a hard-fought win against Germany’s Raphael Kandra who kept the favourite on court for 44 engrossing minutes.

It took all of Shorbagy’s considerable skills to get past the Germany who kept pace with his opponent through the match, but committed mistakes at crucial stages to lose.

Up next for Shorbagy is fellow-Egyptian Andrew Wagih Shoukry, the fourth seed, who dismissed Pakistani’s Farhan Zaman in 25 minutes with a straightforward victory.

The results (quarter-finals):

Boys singles: 1-Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) beat 10-Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8 (44m); 4-Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) beat 8-Farhan Zaman (PAK) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (25m); 2-Ivan Yeun (MAS) beat 6-Amr Khaled Khalifa (EGY) 11-3, 11-8, 11-7 (39m); 27- Aurangzeb Mehmud (PAK) beat 13-Lucas Serme (FRA) 8-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8.

Girls singles: 1-Dipika Pallikal (IND) beat 5-Nouran El Torky (EGY) 11-6, 4-11, 11-8, 11-6 (37m); 4-Nour El Tayeb (EGY) beat 13-Salma Hany (EGY) 11-7, 11-6, 11-1 (21m); 8-Maria Toor Pakay (PAK) beat 14-Kanzy El Defrawy (EGY) 6-11, 11-4, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8 (47m); 15-Nour El Sharbini (EGY) beat 2-Heba El Torky (EGY) 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8 (61m)