El Torky Shaken By El Sherbini In World Junior Upset

Nour El Sherbini, a 13-year-old from Alexandria, produced the biggest shock in today's women's quarter-finals in the World Junior Squash Championships when she defeated second-seeded fellow countrywoman Heba El Torky in five games in the World Squash Federation event at the Indian Squash Academy in Chennai, India.

Seeded to end her run in the last sixteen, the young El Sherbini twice came from behind to overcome her 18-year-old home town compatriot 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 13-11, 11-8 in 61 minutes to claim an unlikely place in the semi-finals.

"I wasn't nervous at all at the start, there's no pressure on me to do anything - and I'd beaten her before so I knew I had a chance if I just played my game," El Sherbini told www.squashsite.co.uk/worldjuniors later.

"I did get nervous in the fourth, I knew I could win this game but I was losing so I just relaxed, got my concentration back and managed to win it, and then the fifth."

El Sherbini will now meet Pakistan's Maria Toor Pakay after the No8 seed from Islamabad conquered 9/16 seed Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy, from Egypt, 6-11, 11-4, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8.

The host country's hopes of its first ever world squash champion were kept alive when Dipika Pallikal, the 17-year-old top seed from Chennai, beat fifth-seeded Egyptian Nouran El Torky 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 11-6.

"The first was quite easy and I got overconfident," said Pallikal. "The pressure hit me in the second - I was going for too much.

"I kept telling myself to stay grounded in the third. If I hadn't won that then I think the match would have gone the other way so it was important to win that one."

Pakistan will also be represented unexpectedly in the men's semi-finals after Aurangzeb Mehmund, a 17/32 seed from Lahore, defeated Frenchman Lucas Serme, a 9/16 seed, 8-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8 in a 93-minute marathon.

The 16-year-old will now face Malaysia's No2 seed Ivan Yuen, an 11-3, 11-8, 11-7 winner over Egypt's No6 seed Amr Khaled Khalifa.

Egyptian Mohamed El Shorbagy took a step nearer his chance to become only the second player in history to successfully defend the men's title when he beat Germany's Raphael Kandra 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8.

The 18-year-old from Alexandria next meets compatriot Andrew Wagih Shoukry, the fourth seed who defeated Pakistan's Farhan Zaman 11-8, 11-7, 11-8.

Men's quarter-finals:
[1] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [9/16] Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8 (44m)
[4] Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) bt [8] Farhan Zaman (PAK) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (25m)
[17/32] Aurangzeb Mehmund (PAK) bt [9/16] Lucas Serme (FRA) 8-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8 (93m)
[2] Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt [6] Amr Khaled Khalifa (EGY) 11-3, 11-8, 11-7 (39m)

Women's quarter-finals:
[1] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [5] Nouran El Torky (EGY) 11-5, 4-11, 11-8, 11-6 (37m)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [9/16] Salma Hany (EGY) 11-7, 11-6, 11-1 (21m)
[8] Maria Toor Pakay (PAK) bt [9/16] Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) 6-11, 11-4, 11-9, 8-11, 11-8 (47m)
[9/16] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [2] Heba El Torky (EGY) 7-11, 11-8, 9-11, 13-11, 11-8 (61m)