Shabana & Ashour In Dream Hurghada Final
19 Apr 2008
The world's top two players Amr Shabana and Ramy Ashour will contest a dream all-Egyptian men's Hurghada International final after prevailing in similar four-game semi-finals in the $61,250 5-star PSA Tour squash event in Egypt's Red Sea resort of Hurghada.
Both players faced determined opposition from fellow countrymen: Shabana, the world number one and top seed from Giza, got the better of third seed Karim Darwish, beating the 26-year-old from Cairo 8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 in 49 minutes to reach the 29th Tour final of his career - and the sixth in succession since October.
Ashour, the 20-year-old world No2, conquered a fired-up fourth seed Wael El Hindi 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 in 58 minutes and will now contest his ninth PSA final in 15 months.
The men's climax will mark Shabana and Ashour's seventh Tour meeting since their first in October 2006 - and the fourth in a row in PSA event finals. Shabana currently leads the head-to-head tally 4/2.
The final of the women's $26,200 WISPA World Tour event will be the first since 2002 not to feature Rachael Grinham. The top-seeded Australian, going for her fourth title in five years, was beaten 5-9, 9-2, 5-9, 10-8, 9-5 in 84 minutes by Egyptian rival Omneya Abdel Kawy - after failing to convert two match-balls in the fourth game.
Kawy, the 22-year-old third seed from Cairo who won the title two years ago, is celebrating her 15th WISPA final.
Her opponent will be England's second seed Jenny Duncalf, who put paid to a second all-Egyptian final in Hurghada by beating Raneem El Weleily, the sixth seed from Alexandria, 9-1, 9-3, 10-9.
Duncalf, the 25-year-old world No6 from Harrogate in Yorkshire, is marking her sixth Tour final appearance - and her fifth WISPA meeting with Kawy since 2003. Omneya leads the head-to-heads 3/1.
Both finals will take place on Sunday.
Men's semi-finals:
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [3] Karim Darwish (EGY) 8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 (49m)
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [4] Wael El Hindi (EGY) 9-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 (58m)
Women's semi-finals:
[3] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 5-9, 9-2, 5-9, 10-8, 9-5 (84m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [6] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) 9-1, 9-3, 10-9 (42m)