R1: Nouran lethal 22m against Lisa

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[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 3-0 Lisa Aitken (SCO)   11-2, 11-3, 11-5 (22m)

World No.1 and defending champion Nouran Gohar was the first player to taste victory on the all-glass court in the 13th edition of the El Gouna International Squash Open as she defeated Scotland’s Lisa Aitken in straight games.

‘The Terminator’ looked sharp, stern and solid in her opening match and fired the ball into all corners of the court to constantly test the movement of Aitken who was struggling from the outset.

It wasn’t long before Gohar had established a 2-0 lead and looked certain to be heading through to the second round. That scenario was realised despite a more positive showing from Aitken as Gohar won 11-5 in the third game.

Nouran : “It’s very tricky, but I am used to every scenario, being first on, being the last match, I try to adapt as much as possible. It’s a similar court to most of the events we play on in Egypt, but even the set up is so different, even if it’s in the same place, the wind, especially if it’s outdoor the wind and temperature all play into affect. The main focus today was to try and get my targets right and to make it hopefully easier for the next rounds.

“As I said, you always need to adapt and play the game that suits the court, the day and opponent, it’s about adapting. It can be like this today but the next day very hard.

“My dad is always there, he gets tense but not like my mum, so the combo is here today, last week during my practice matches, I was like come and watch so she get use to the nerves again, believe me she gets very tense during practice matches too, even if it wont make any difference. Sometimes she’s like today so I can do it, hopefully she can keep coming for the next few rounds and it’s not too tense for her.”