SF: Hania on the mental war path executes Amina 3-0

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[1] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) 3-0 [3] Amina Orfi (EGY)  11-8, 11-7, 11-6 (66m)

To be honest, two things strike me as I try and be fair to both players/camps in my report. Not sure those two are on each other’s Christmas List. But then again, that’s sport.

Still, I was a bit surprised by Hania’s attitude at the end of the match. As she was still inside the court, she stepped in front of the Orfi side, in the front row, and made a sort of “that will keep you quiet” gesture. That is so not the Hania I’ve known for many, many years.

Same thing for her speech at the end, a bit of a boasting of testosterone there, I thought. Again, not like the Hania I know. Interesting. Maybe that’s the way for her to stay at the top… Maybe things in the background I’m not aware of…

One thing is sure – and that’s the second point I was talking about at the start: if Amina wants to win consistently against the top two girls, she’ll have got to find at least another weapon than her immaculate power to the back of the court. Unfortunately for the youngster, Hania could predict most of her shots – as they were in the back corners. With extraordinary power and accuracy, I have to stress, incredible ‘Nouran Like” shots, so much pressure, but a bit repetitive, drives/crosscourt.

Easy to say for me. I saw one or two short game attempts from the Destroyer that got severely punished, maybe she got scared to try again. But until her opponents can’t predict the zone her shots will land in, I don’t think she will be able to go to the next level. But what do I know?

The youngster was in control at the start of the game, 4/1. It took a long time for Hania to level to 7/7, 8/8. A stroke and two winners later, Hania was walking off court, 11/8. 27m game….

First game, Hania 10 winners, while giving away 5 winners (4 errors, 1 stroke). Amina, no errors, one stroke, 7 winners.

Maybe, confidence-wise, to attack more freely, Amina might have needed to take the first game? From the second game on, Hania was always just the nose in front, forcing Amina on the back foot all the time. At the business end of that game, Hania widened the gap to 8/5.

Good response from Amina, getting back as close as 7/8, but that’s the last point she was to score in the game, 11/7. 19m hard work, and nothing to show for the 18 years old.

1 error each, 1 stroke each, 9 winners for Hania, only 5  Amina.

Hania was always in the fron in the third, 3/1, 5/2, even if Amina came back to threaten the world number one, 4/5, 6/7. But like in the previous game, that was the last point for Amina, 11/6 in 16m.

O error for Amina, that makes only 2 in the whole match… She never stopped trying. But Hania was a level above today I felt.

Hania : “I’m really happy. I just wanted to come here and show her why I was World No.1 and the levels she has to produce to be at the top of the tree.

“She’s very eager to come to the top, but she will have to earn the win against me.

“I just wanted to come here, focus on my squash. I’ve worked on some things on court, and I knew that if I produced those things, I could come on court and win the match comfortably.

“I’ve done really well to execute my plan and my tactics. I’ve done so much work on my mental side and I’m really happy with it.”