Top Seeds On The Run In Cairo

The shock departure of both top seeds in the On The Run Heliopolis Open not only provides the first local interest in the final in the 14-year history of the event - but also guarantees an Egyptian winner of the women's $20,000 WISPA World Tour squash event at the Heliopolis Sporting Club in Cairo.

Fourth seed Engy Kheirallah served up the first semi-final upset when the 27-year-old from Cairo beat Rebecca Chiu, the No2 seed from Hong Kong, 11-6, 3-11, 11-8, 11-4.

"It's the first or second time I've played Rebecca - which is why I didn't know how to play her at the beginning - but I became more confident later and in the fourth I became aggressive and managed to take the game," said Kheirallah, celebrating her seventh WISPA final, but her first since August 2007.

"I am still fresh - and hope it will be an all Egyptian final!" added the triumphant Egyptian.

Chiu was not happy with her performance: "I didn't play well today, lots of errors and I was impatient. I am not happy," said the former Asian Games champion.

The second match was between the first seed Rachael Grinham, the world No3 from Australia who was based at the Heliopolis club for eight years, and Egyptian Raneem El Weleily, the third seed who currently plays for the host club.

Grinham won the opening game and was leading 6-3 in the second when, wrong-footed by her opponent, she fell and injured the tibialis posterior tendon in her ankle.

After a three-minute injury break, the Australian returned to the court and finished the game - won by El Weleily - before instructing the referee that she was unable to continue.

The unexpected success takes 20-year-old El Weleily into her fifth Tour final - where the world junior champion from Alexandria will be looking for her maiden title triumph.

Past winners of the Heliopolis Open, which was launched in 1995, include some of the biggest ever names in the women's game - including Michelle Martin, Leilani Joyce, Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Carol Owens.

Semi-finals:
[3] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 8-11, 13-11 ret.
[4] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) bt [2] Rebecca Chiu (HKG) 11-6, 3-11, 11-8, 11-4