El Weleily cool under pressure
At the very least, the audience's whispers, gasps and applause suggested the world Junior Squash Championship final between Egypt's Raneem El Weleily and France's Camille Serme was one of clever tricks and well-timed shots. But for El Weleily, who won the title 9-2, 9-4, 5-9, 9-3, the on-court experience was hardly euphoric.
'It's the match with the most pressure, the pressure to win this title is unbelievable,' El Weleily said. 'You wouldn't want to see it because it is nothing pretty, nothing but pressure and the fighting spirit.'
Although she sailed through the early rounds, El Weleily did require a bit of extra fight in yesterday's final against Serme, the second seed, who defeated Hong Kong's Annie Au Wing-chi in the semi-finals.
Although El Weleily handily won the first two games, she lost the third - the first time she had lost a game in the tournament. El Weleily said she briefly lost her concentration, but resolved to put that game aside and concentrate solely on the shot she was playing.
The intense focus worked as El Weleily played out the final game with fewer errors and, with Serme serving at 6-3 down, El Weleily managed to win a long rally that set her up for victory.
Both players, at 18 years old, compete on the senior tour with rankings of 23 (El Weleily) and 64 (Serme).
The team event begins today. Hong Kong, the champions from 2005, are seeded fourth and will play Malaysia, South Africa and the Netherlands in group play.
