An amazing night. Thank you to everyone who came out to London Squash to watch this year’s semi-final matches.
The energy in the club was electric, and the matches were captivating.
More detail tomorrow…and 3 more great matches to come….but for now, the results.
- Darrin Manley and Sofia Navadeh officiated the matches (wait…Jason Herring also did one for the JFO).
- NASH Cup – Canada; Malaysia; and Egypt into the finals. Only 1 seeded player remains.
- Jack Fairs Open – Western’s Youssef Taha will play Abbas Nawaz
- None of the finalists have faced off before in PSA competition
Semi-Final Results
- 5pm [4] Rowan Elaraby (EGY) def Zeina Zein (CAN) 3-1 – 11-9; 11-9; 10-12; 11-5 (46m)
- 6pm Joachim Chuah (MYS) def [7] Ronald Palomino (COL) 3-0 – 11-7; 11-7; 11-8 (40m)
- 7pm Yasshmita Jadishkumar (MYS) def [2] Hollie Naughton (CAN) 3-1 – 12-10; 12-10; 3-11; 11-8 (41m)
- 8pm David Baillargeon (CAN) def Brice Nicolas (FRA) 3-0 – 11-9; 12-10; 11-3 (55m)
Jack Fairs Open
- 6pm [3] Abbas Nawaz def [6] Youssef Sarhan 3-1 – 11-8; 12-14; 11-7; 11-6 (43m)
- 7pm [2] Youssef Taha def [5] Kent Rawlins 3-0 – 11-9; 11-9; 15-13 (41m)
Saturday’s Line-Up – All LSFC court 2; All streamed to Squash TV
Oh heck…if you’ve gone down this far, we might as well give you a write up from the night….
Thank you Felix H for this excellent summary. We will include again tomorrow. Hopefully with some pictures.
Zein Falls to Elaraby in Physical NASH Cup Semifinal
From the opening knockabout, it was clear this was going to be a fascinating semifinal. Both Canada’s Zeina Zein and Egypt’s Rowan Elaraby looked confident, sharp and ready for battle. Both born in Egypt but representing different nations, the two players brought contrasting experiences to the NASH Cup court. Zein, the 2022 NASH Cup champion, was looking to return to the final, while fourth-seeded Elaraby — a former world No. 7 — arrived with considerable international experience.
Elaraby had the first serve, and we were underway.
Game 1 — Elaraby 11–9
Elaraby took the opening point as Zein was caught out of position, but the Egyptian immediately surrendered a point by finding the tin. What followed was an outstanding early rally, with both players showing excellent length and probing all four corners of the court.
Elaraby established an early 4–2 advantage, but Zein responded by exploiting some loose positioning from her opponent and winning a stroke to bring the game back to 4–4. The movement between the players was already becoming a factor, with Elaraby struggling at times to clear the ball and the referee called a let.
Zein appeared to have seized the momentum at 5–4, but Elaraby responded with a beautifully placed cross-court shot after another absorbing cat-and-mouse exchange on the left side.
Zein answered with a superb drop shot to level the game at 8–8. A controversial let call added to the tension before another intense exchange on the left saw Zein produce a delicate volley-drop.
But Elaraby held her nerve. She closed out a tight opening game 11–9.
Game 2 — Elaraby 11–5
The second game quickly became a physical and somewhat scrappy affair. Both players were finding it difficult to move around each other cleanly, and there were disagreements with several of the referee’s decisions.
Elaraby took the opening point and soon earned a stroke after threatening a volley and catching Zein out of position. The Egyptian moved into a 5–1 lead midway through the game, and Zein was struggling to reproduce the quality and confidence she had shown early in the match.
Elaraby’s experience was beginning to show. Her ability to absorb pressure, control the rallies and find the right shot at the right moment gave her the upper hand.
Two consecutive lets followed as neither player was able to clear effectively. Then came one of the shots of the game: Elaraby produced a magnificent drop on the left side that left Zein with no answer and extended the lead to 7–5.
The Egyptian continued to dictate the quality of the rallies and closed out the second game 11–5.
Two games to love. Could Zein rediscover the form that had carried her to the semifinal?
Game 3 — Zein 12–10
The answer came immediately.
Zein won the opening point off Elaraby’s serve and raced to a 4–1 advantage as the pace increased dramatically. The rallies were faster and more intense, and both players were beginning to push each other to the limits.
Elaraby handed Zein another opportunity with a back-wall nick, but what followed was an extraordinary rally. Zein eventually won the battle with a perfectly executed cross-court drop into the front of the court.
At 7–6, the Canadian had a slender advantage, but the quality of the squash was rising. There was little between the players, with longer rallies and remarkable retrievals keeping the crowd engaged.
Zein then produced a superb back-wall nick to make it 9–6.
Elaraby refused to let the game slip away. A perfectly executed boast from the left side brought her back into contention, followed by a controversial stroke in the front right. Suddenly, the game was tied at 10–10.
Zein responded with a composed boast to earn game ball at 11–10 — and this time she finished the job.
Zein takes the third 12–10.
The semifinal was alive again.
Game 4 — Elaraby 11–6
The fourth game promised more of the same physical, hard-fought squash. The question now was simple: who would tire first?
Zein served and took the opening point, but Elaraby responded immediately with a winner. A Zein unforced error followed, and the Canadian then couldn’t retrieve a ball into the front left.
Suddenly, Elaraby was in control at 6–2.
The pressure was clearly mounting on Zein, but she wasn’t finished. A beautifully disguised drop on the right side left Elaraby stranded and cut the deficit to 8–4.
Elaraby, however, continued to apply pressure. Zein hit a loose shot down the middle and the referee awarded Elaraby a stroke.
Five match ball chances….
The Egyptian needed only one.
Elaraby closed out the fourth game 11–6, taking the match 3–1 and booking her place in the NASH Cup final.
It was a physical and highly competitive semifinal, with Zein showing tremendous resilience to fight back and take the third game, but Elaraby’s consistency, experience and ability to maintain pressure ultimately proved decisive.
