Nour El Sherbini stormed back from a two-game deficit to defeat top seed Laura Massaro and become the youngest-ever women’s squash world champion on Saturday.
The 20-year-old Egyptian’s victory at the PSA World Women’s Championship in Malaysia also vaults her past Massaro into the sport’s No 1 ranking.
“I’m dreaming right now, I didn’t imagine I could win this match,” said El Sherbini.
She had looked like a champion all week.
In the quarter-finals she crushed Nicol David – the defending world champion who had dominated the sport over the past decade – ending the Malaysian’s bid for a ninth world title.
She then swatted aside her compatriot Nouran Gohar in the semi-finals to set up a rematch of the 2013 final that was won by Massaro.
Massaro seemed headed for her second world championship as El Sherbini, appearing rattled, committed several unforced errors and questioned the officials’ decisions in dropping the first two games 6-11 and 4-11.
But she recovered in the third with a series of devastating volleys and held Massaro off 11-3, 11-5, 11-8 in the last three games.
“Me and Laura’s games have always finished in five games. This time was going to be my turn and I was confident knowing that I was playing good,” El Sherbini said.
Massaro paid credit to El Sherbini after the match.
“It’s amazing for her to have come back from two games down. I will take this defeat on the chin and return stronger,” she said.
El Sherbini’s defeat of David earlier in the week left the Malaysian’s hometown fans stunned and provided further evidence that her decade-long dominance of the game may be over.
The Malaysian has a record eight world championships but has suffered a dip in form over the past year. In September she surrendered her phenomenal nine-year stranglehold on the world’s No 1 ranking.
But David expressed confidence that she could stay among the sport’s elite despite falling to a previously unthinkable world No 5, and she shot down speculation that she may consider retiring soon.
“Disappointed – but not even close to retirement,” she tweeted late Thursday after her loss.
No world championship was held in 2015 after the event was suddenly called off in December amid controversy, with its previous promoter claiming security concerns in Malaysia prevented it being staged.
Malaysian officials denied any security threat and accused the promoters of a ploy to secure more financial support.
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COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
The years Ramadan fell in May
The specs
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The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
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Company Profile:
Name: The Protein Bakeshop
Date of start: 2013
Founders: Rashi Chowdhary and Saad Umerani
Based: Dubai
Size, number of employees: 12
Funding/investors: $400,000 (2018)
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Q&A with Dash Berlin
Welcome back. What was it like to return to RAK and to play for fans out here again?
It’s an amazing feeling to be back in the passionate UAE again. Seeing the fans having a great time that is what it’s all about.
You're currently touring the globe as part of your Legends of the Feels Tour. How important is it to you to include the Middle East in the schedule?
The tour is doing really well and is extensive and intensive at the same time travelling all over the globe. My Middle Eastern fans are very dear to me, it’s good to be back.
You mix tracks that people know and love, but you also have a visually impressive set too (graphics etc). Is that the secret recipe to Dash Berlin's live gigs?
People enjoying the combination of the music and visuals are the key factor in the success of the Legends Of The Feel tour 2018.
Have you had some time to explore Ras al Khaimah too? If so, what have you been up to?
Coming fresh out of Las Vegas where I continue my 7th annual year DJ residency at Marquee, I decided it was a perfect moment to catch some sun rays and enjoy the warm hospitality of Bab Al Bahr.
The specs
Engine: 77.4kW all-wheel-drive dual motor
Power: 320bhp
Torque: 605Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh219,000
On sale: Now
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE squad
Rahul Chopra (captain), Aayan Afzal Khan, Ali Naseer, Aryansh Sharma, Basil Hameed, Dhruv Parashar, Junaid Siddique, Muhammad Farooq, Muhammad Jawadullah, Muhammad Waseem, Omid Rahman, Rahul Bhatia, Tanish Suri, Vishnu Sukumaran, Vriitya Aravind
Fixtures
Friday, November 1 – Oman v UAE
Sunday, November 3 – UAE v Netherlands
Thursday, November 7 – UAE v Oman
Saturday, November 9 – Netherlands v UAE