Raneem Rallies To Alexandria Semi-Finals

In a game between two of the sport's stars of the future, 18-year-old Raneem El Weleily battled to a straight games win over 20-year-old South African Tenille Swartz in the Women's Alexandria Sporting Club Open to reach the semi-finals of the WISPA World Tour squash event at the Alexandria Sporting Club in the Egyptian city of Alexandria.

In her first senior Tour event since winning a record-equalling second World Junior Championship title in Hong Kong earlier this month, El Weleily was fully tested by sixth seed Swartz before beating the three-times South African National champion 10-8, 9-3, 9-6.

Fourth seed El Weleily, playing on her home courts in Alexandria, will now face top seed Rachael Grinham, the Cairo-based Australian who was the 1993 winner of the world junior crown. Grinham, the world No3, crushed Malaysia's fifth seed Tricia Chuah 9-1, 9-2, 9-1.

Two Alexandria Sporting Club champions will contest the other semi-final when France's defending champion Isabelle Stoehr faces the 2005 champion Engy Kheirallah.

Stoehr, the third seed from France, defeated Orla Noom, from the Netherlands, 9-0, 9-3, 9-4, while local star Kheirallah, the second seed from Alexandria, crushed Pakistan qualifier Maria Toor Pakay 9-1, 9-0, 9-0.

Quarter-finals:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [5] Tricia Chuah (MAS) 9-1, 9-2, 9-1
[4] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [6] Tenille Swartz (RSA) 10-8, 9-3, 9-6
[3] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) bt [7] Orla Noom (NED) 9-0, 9-3, 9-4
[2] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) bt [Q] Maria Toor Pakay (PAK) 9-1, 9-0, 9-0