Home crowd cheer Egyptian stars
By SEAN REUTHE in Cairo
Egypt’s World No.4 Raneem El Welily claimed the inaugural 2016 Wadi Degla Open title after overcoming compatriot Nouran Gohar in the final of the PSA W50 tournament taking place in Cairo.
The duo are both representatives of the prestigious Wadi Degla Club and it was El Welily who took an early lead after coming through a nervy start and a flurry of errors to go a game ahead, only for Gohar to capitalise on some loose shots from her opponent in the second to draw level.
Gohar’s comeback was short-lived though as El Welily worked her way back into the contest, moving the younger Egyptian into all four corners of the court as she restored her lead in the third, before an unstoppable display in the fourth and final game saw her surge to victory, closing out an 11-8, 7-11, 11-4, 11-5 triumph to lift her second PSA World Tour title of the season.
“I’m absolutely happy, Nouran is such a tough opponent, she’s a great player,” said El Welily.
“It’s a pleasure playing with her in the final in front of the Wadi Degla Club and I’m really happy that I managed to win today.
“I was trying to get the ball to the back and was volleying as much as I could. I was trying to do that in the second, but then my length got short and I had to find another way to get the ball to the back. I’m really glad I found a solution there, otherwise it would have been a nightmare.”
PSA W50 Women’s Wadi Degla Open 2016, Wadi Degla Club, Cairo, Egypt.
Final:
[3] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 3-1: 11-8, 7-11, 11-4, 11-5 (42m)
Pictures courtesy of PSA