What a week for 19-year-old sensation
By ELLIE MAWSON – Squash Mad Correspondent
Egypt’s World No.10 Hania El Hammamy defied the odds to be crowned the 2020 CIB Women’s Black Ball Squash Open champion after beating four-time World Champion Nour El Sherbini in the final in Cairo to lift her maiden Platinum title.
The 19-year-old El Hammamy had already enjoyed an impressive week on home soil, taking out three higher seeded players in France’s World No.3 Camille Serme, USA’s World No.8 Amanda Sobhy and England’s World No.7 Sarah-Jane Perry en route to the final. And the World No.10 further cemented her place at the top of the women’s game with a formidable performance against El Sherbini in a thrilling five-game battle.
El Hammamy and El Sherbini have met three times before with former World No.1 El Sherbini claiming comfortable victories each time. However, she came up against an entirely different prospect in the Black Ball Open final as El Hammamy showed how far she has come with a mature performance on one of squash’s biggest stages to hold off a resilient El Sherbini, who twice came back from a game down.
World No.10 El Hammamy took the opening game, taking advantage of a slow start from El Sherbini, before the reigning World Champion twice fought back to level the scores.
However, El Hammamy held her nerve at the crucial moment to save Championship ball from the grips of El Sherbini and then convert her own at the second time of asking on the tie-break to seal her maiden Platinum title.
The title win also means she has automatically qualified for the season-ending CIB PSA World Tour Finals, which are scheduled to take place in June.
“I’m out of words,” said El Hammamy. “I’m living a fairy tale. This morning, I was just hoping to play a good match, not like in the Worlds, after beating Camille [Serme] where I just didn’t show up. I just wanted to enjoy my first ever Platinum final, and prove to myself I’m not too far away from the top girls.
“I think I’ve played the toughest matches of my career this week. I’ve put in a lot of effort to win this title. I’m really proud of what I’ve done and hopefully I can keep going and keep making the same effort. I worked on my weaknesses, I improved my physical and squash game and I’m really pleased to be beating the top players now.
“I’ve played against Nour a few times and they were all straight-games. I kept learning from each match and playing against a four-time World Champion is not easy at all, she’s a fighter and a champion, I’m so happy to beat her today.”
El Sherbini added afterwards: “Hania showed today how much of a fighter she is and how much of a good player.
“She’s now there and has won her first Platinum event. Of course, I’m disappointed to lose, but it’s been very tough for me, playing a lot of tournaments, so I’ll try to forget this one and move onto the next one.”
The Black Ball Open is the final PSA World Tour event to take place until the end of April after the PSA announced yesterday the suspension of the PSA Tour due to COVID-19.
PSA World Tour Platinum $180,000 2020 CIB Women’s Black Ball Squash Open, Black Ball Squash Club, Cairo, Egypt.
Final:
[9] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [4] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) 3-2: 11-6, 9-11, 12-10, 8-11, 13-11 (71m)
Semi-finals:
[4] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 9-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (46m)
[9] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 11-3, 6-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6 (69m)
Quarter-finals:
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) 11-9, 9-11, 9-11, 12-10, 11-9 (72m)
[4] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Coline Aumard (FRA) 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 (27m)
[9] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [8] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 11-6, 6-11, 11-5, 11-8 (40m)
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Nada Abbas (EGY) 12-10, 11-7, 11-3 (31m)
3rd round:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [12] Yathreb Adel (EGY) w/o
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [16] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 (32m)
Coline Aumard (FRA) bt Farida Mohamed (EGY) 11-5, 13-11, 11-7 (34m)
[4] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [15] Nadine Shahin (EGY) 11-2, 11-6, 11-5 (20m)
[9] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt [3] Camille Serme (FRA) 9-11, 11-8, 13-11, 13-11 (73m)
[8] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt [13] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) 11-9, 11-2, 11-5 (30m)
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [14] Nele Gilis (BEL) 11-7, 11-5, 12-10 (38m)
Nada Abbas (EGY) bt [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) w/o
2nd round:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt Alexandra Fuller (RSA) 11-8, 7-11, 11-2, 11-4 (36m)
[12] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt Joey Chan (HKG) 7-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 (32m)
[16] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bt Donna Lobban (AUS) 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (26m)
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Tinne Gilis (BEL) 11-7, 11-2, 11-6 (29m)
Farida Mohamed (EGY) bt [6] Joelle King (NZL) 5-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-9 (49m)
Coline Aumard (FRA) bt [11] Salma Hany (EGY) 3-11, 12-10, 11-4, 9-11, 11-2 (70m)
[15] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt Hana Ramadan (EGY) 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 8-11, 12-10 (52m)
[4] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Millie Tomlinson (ENG) 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (31m)
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) bt Melissa Alves (FRA) 11-3, 11-4, 11-2 (26m)
[9] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bt Mayar Hany (EGY) 11-4, 11-7, 11-4 (25m)
[13] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) bt Sabrina Sobhy (USA) 10-12, 6-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 (58m)
[8] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt Zeina Mickawy (EGY) 11-7, 11-6, 11-2 (23m)
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 11-3, 11-7, 11-6 (26m)
[14] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt Rachael Grinham (AUS) 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 (25m)
Nada Abbas (EGY) bt [10] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 11-4, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8 (49m)
[2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Hollie Naughton (CAN) 11-7, 11-9, 6-11, 11-4 (45m)
1st round:
[1] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bye
Alexandra Fuller (RSA) bt Menna Nasser (EGY) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (28m)
Joey Chan (HKG) bt Ineta Mackevica (LAT) 11-4, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8 (39m)
[12] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bye
[16] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) bye
Donna Lobban (AUS) bt Ho Tze-Lok (HKG) 11-3, 11-9, 11-8 (23m)
Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 11-4, 11-7, 11-2 (19m)
[5] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bye
[6] Joelle King (NZL) bye
Farida Mohamed (EGY) bt Lisa Aitken (SCO) 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10, 11-3 (56m)
Coline Aumard (FRA) bt Tong Tsz-Wing (HKG) 11-6, 11-5, 11-9 (43m)
[11] Salma Hany (EGY) bye
[15] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bye
Hana Ramadan (EGY) bt Mariam Metwally (EGY) 11-8, 6-11, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5 (42m)
Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bt Rachael Chadwick (ENG) 11-7, 11-7, 4-11, 11-4 (35m)
[4] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bye
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) bye
Melissa Alves (FRA) bt Enora Villard (FRA) 11-4, 11-3, 11-1 (27m)
Mayar Hany (EGY) bt Nadia Pfister (SUI) 11-5, 6-11, 11-8, 11-5 (30m)
[9] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) bye
[13] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) bye
Sabrina Sobhy (USA) bt [WC] Salma Youssef (EGY) 11-2, 11-5, 11-2 (20m)
Zeina Mickawy (EGY) bt Rachel Arnold (MAS) 8-11, 4-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-2 (39m)
[8] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bye
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bye
Emily Whitlock (ENG) bt Jasmine Hutton (ENG) 11-8, 9-11, 13-11, 12-10 (53m)
Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [WC] Nour Khaled Aboulmakarim (EGY) 9-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-8 (67m)
[14] Nele Gilis (BEL) bye
[10] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bye
Nada Abbas (EGY) bt Lucy Turmel (ENG) 9-11, 12-10, 11-4, 11-8 (56m)
Hollie Naughton (CAN) bt Tessa ter Sluis (NED) 13-11, 16-14, 11-6 (28m)
[2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bye
Pictures courtesy of PSA