Egypt Win World Junior Title In Hong Kong

Favourites Egypt cruised to victory in today's final of the Hoe Hin White Flower Ointment Women's World Junior Team Championship in Hong Kong, beating fifth seeds Malaysia 2/0 to win the biennial World Squash Federation world title for the third time since 1999.

Denied by Hong Kong in the last final two years ago in Belgium, Egypt were in confident form throughout the 2007 tournament and looked unlikely to make the same mistake twice.

Heba El Torky, the 16-year-old Egyptian No2 from Alexandria, put her side ahead after despatching Malaysia's Low Wee Nee 9-1, 9-1, 9-3 in just 17 minutes.

The climax of the tie saw the new record-equalling two-times world junior individual champion Raneem El Weleily, also from Alexandria, take on the Malaysian No1 Low Wee Wern - and the older sister of the squad's second string Wee Nee made the new world champion fight for every point.

But after 35 minutes, El Weleily clinched her 9-0, 9-4, 7-9, 9-6 victory - and the entire squad celebrated their magnificent global triumph.

The win marks a sensational achievement for Egypt, who now boast all four world junior squash titles: the women's team and women's individual, with Raneem El Weleily, and - a year ago in New Zealand - the men's team and men's individual, won by the current senior world number two Ramy Ashour.

In the bronze medal play-off for third place, third seeds New Zealand came back from a match down to beat hosts and defending champions Hong Kong 2/1.

Second seeds England claimed fifth place following a 2/0 win over France - whose sixth place marks their best ever finish in the event.

Australia beat Germany in the play-off for 11th place - but this marks the three-times former champions' lowest finish in the history of the event since 1985.

However, South Korea finished on a major high: Seeded 16 in their debut in the tournament, the newcomers fought back from behind to beat Netherlands, the 12th seeds, 2/1 to claim an impressive 13th place finish.

Final:
[1] EGYPT bt [5] MALAYSIA 2-0
Heba El Torky bt Low Wee Nee 9-1, 9-1, 9-3 (17m)
Raneem El Weleily bt Low Wee Wern 9-0, 9-4, 7-9, 9-6 (35m)
Nour Bahgat v Pushppa Devi (dead rubber - match not played)

3rd place play-off:
[3] NEW ZEALAND bt [4] HONG KONG 2-1
Kerry Wickett lost to Shin Nga Leung 3-9, 2-9, 7-9 (32m)
Joelle King bt Annie Au 9-1, 9-6, 9-4 (33m)
Lana Harrison bt Liu Tsz Ling 5-9, 9-0, 10-8, 9-7 (46m)

5th place play-off:
[2] ENGLAND bt [6] FRANCE 2-0
Victoria Lust bt Camille Serme 9-6, 9-6, 4-9, 9-6 (43m)
Victoria Bell bt Coline Aumard 9-1, 9-1, 9-2 (22m)
Kimberley Hay v Faustine Gilles (dead rubber - match not played)

7th place play-off:
[10] CANADA bt [8] USA 2-1
Jackie Moss lost to Emily Park 3-9, 6-9, 3-9 (23m)
Laura Gemmell bt Olivia Blatchford 6-9, 9-5, 9-6, 9-5 (48m)
Samantha Cornett bt Sarah Toomey 9-3, 9-2, 10-8 (25m)

9th place play-off:
[11] INDIA bt [13] SOUTH AFRICA 2-0
Anwesha Reddy bt Lizane Vlok 9-1, 9-2, 9-10, 4-9, 9-2 (41m)
Dipika Pallikal bt Milnay Louw 9-3, 9-7, 9-2 (30m)
Surbhi Misra v Alushca Botha (dead rubber - match not played)

11th place play-off:
[9] AUSTRALIA bt [7] GERMANY 2-1
Maggy Marshall bt Astrid Kern 1-9, 9-4, 7-9, 9-4, 9-0 (44m)
Melody Francis lost to Sina Wall 9-4, 0-9, 1-9, 7-9 (37m)
Kimberley Bessell bt Lisa Marie Sedlmeier 7-9, 9-5, 3-9, 9-3, 9-1 (35m)

13th place play-off:
[16] SOUTH KOREA bt [12] NETHERLANDS 2-1
Yang Youn-Soo lost to Melissa Meulenbelt 9-1, 4-9, 1-9, 0-9 (29m)
Sun-Mi Song bt Milou van der Heijden 3-9, 8-10, 9-5, 9-6, 9-5 (58m)
Lee Ji Hyun bt Ilona Lagerweij 9-6, 9-5, 9-4 (30m)

15th place play-off:
[15] JAPAN bt [14] SWITZERLAND 2-0
Ikuko Tao bt Agapi Kazamia 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 (5m)
Misaki Kobayashi bt Jasmin Ballman 7-9, 9-5, 9-6, 9-2 (23m)
Mayu Yamazaki v Caroline Bachem (dead rubber - match not played)

17th place play-off:
[17] SINGAPORE bt [18] ZIMBABWE 3-0
Kimberly Chew Lin bt Stacey Plenderleith 9-2, 9-2, 9-1
Nicole Chua bt Catherine McTaggart 9-2, 9-2, 9-5
Mao Shi Hui bt Michelle Williams 9-5, 9-6, 9-0

19th place play-off: [19] CHINA