Squash: El-Welily beats Gohar to advance to Women World Championship final
Karim Farouk, , Thursday 31 Oct 2019
The 2017 World Champion Raneem El Welily reaches her fourth Women World Championship final


Egypt and World number 1 Raneem El-Welily came back from behind to beat compatriot and World number 5 Nouran Gohar 3-1 to reach the final of the Women World Championship on Thursday.

El-Welily was totally dominated in the first set 2-11 but upped her game to win the next three sets 11-7, 11-7 and 11-5 in 38 minutes.

I don’t really think I did anything wrong that first game,” El Welily was quoted as saying by PSA World Tour squash after the game.

“I was sharp, I was prepared, I knew what I was doing but it just wasn’t working the way I wanted. She was on fire obviously, but I’m very pleased to back it up in the second game and to manage to find a way somehow and not look back.

“She hits it hard and now she lobs as well. She’s varying the pace and mixing it up, so it’s not about the hard hitting anymore, it’s about adjusting to whatever she is firing at you.

“Her variety of shots has gotten so much better than last season, even though last season she was playing well. She’s playing well this season and I’m just pleased to be through. Thanks to preparation of my coaches, I was able to prepare well today.

“It’s a big crowd today and quite a few friends and family members [in the audience] as well,” she concluded.

The 2017 World Champion avenged her last defeat against Gohar in the quarter finals of the Allam British open in May to reach her fourth World Championship final.

The 30-year old Egyptian lost to Nicole David of Malaysia in 2014 and to compatriot Nour El-Sherbini in 2016 before finally claiming the title in Manchester 2017 against El-Sherbini.

She will face on Friday the winner between El-Sherbini, currently world number 2, and Egyptian youth World Champion Hania El-Hammamy who will play later today.

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