SF: Nouran saves match ball to take it away from Hania

Posted on by

[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 3-2 [3] Hania El Hammamy (EGY) 9-11, 11-6, 7-11, 13-11, 11-8 (92m)

Incredible intensity tonight between Nouran and Hania, but I am happy to say without the tension, drama and anger that was in some of their previous encounters. Hania kept her calm throughout, and it seemed that the movements around the court were a bit less hieratic from Nouran, offering us a superb battle.

Hania was in charge in the first game. I wrote as a note “Hania is not a punching ball anymore”. I don’t mean that Nouran is normally hitting her opponent at all! I mean that Nouran is usually in control of the rallies at the front, while Hania takes the punches and responds, but does not initiate.

And in that opener, she was initiating. She was putting the weight in the ball when she had to, and pushing Nouran out of her comfort zone, preventing her from hitting the ball with her usual devastating power. Result was Hania 10/5, game ball, forcing 6 errors out of the Terminator!

But gradually, Nouran started to adapt to Hania’s energy and game plan, and clawed back to 9/10, with no fault from Hania, just great squash. Hania clinches it in 14m, 11/9.

Keeping the momentum, the World number one dominates the second, Hania looking a bit out of sorts at the start, going for the towel, taking a bit more time than normal to receive the serve. 5/2, 7/3 to Nouran, and 11/6 in still 15m of very hard work.

Hania, having found her second win, executes the perfect game in the third, she is in charge again, taking the initiative, and controlling the very long rallies, 6/2, 7/3, 11/6, same hard work, same score than the previous game, 15m.

The fourth – with a change of ball requested by Nouran – is the turning point. 20m of high quality squash, very, very long and gruelling rallies, both playing digging in their reserves, very few interuptions. Nouran takes a serious advantage, 10/8, game ball. Hania levels 10/10 (having served at hand out on the left), and with a stroke, gets her match ball, 11/10.

But it wasn’t to be. A nail-biting rally, Nouran finds a superb winner at the back, saves the match ball, and finally closes the 4th, 13/11, 20m of excruciating hard work from both.

The fifth is as tense, Hania, a couple of points ahead up to 7/7, but Nouran seems to play the crucial points better at that moment, 10/7 match ball, saved but Hania finally bows 11/8, another long 18m game.

Nouran :  “Even when I was down in the fourth, I was really enjoying it.

“I wanted to challenge myself and get a reaction from myself. I felt like I was playing well but I was losing points, so when I put the pressure on myself I was more stubborn.

“I’m so proud of myself, this is something that I’ve been working on with my team so with all of them we try to work on different aspects and I’m very happy with the mental side. My tactics were very solid and when I got back to them, that made the difference.

“I’m known for being a good starter but when I found myself down, my team kept saying ‘comeback, comeback’ but I was just saying ‘I want to win, it’s all about winning’.

“I love coming back to El Gouna and I’m just happy to be able to come back and play another match and hopefully win another title.”