El Gouna International Final: Gohar Topples World No.1 El Sherbini To Defend Title

Nouran Gohar defended her El Gouna International Squash Open title with a thrilling victory over World No.1 Nour El Sherbini to win her first Platinum-level title of the season.

The World No.2, who was playing in her fifth-consecutive El Gouna International final, was in brilliant form throughout as she earned a first win over her rival since the 2023 PSA World Tour Finals.

Gohar began the match perfectly, dialling back her trademark power and controlling the court with deadly effect, overcoming her rival and a blood injury to take the opener 11-6.

Game two was a stop-start battle, with a number of traffic issues disrupting play.

Despite the difficult physical battle on court, El Sherbini was able to pull level, converting her third game ball to win 13-11.

In a gripping third game, Gohar was back to her best, looking relaxed and reading El Sherbini well as she regained her lead with another 11-6 win.

Gohar picked up where she left off in game four, continuing to move brilliantly as she looked to put a rattled El Sherbini to the sword.

At 6-6, the cut on Gohar’s left leg opened up again, forcing the former World No.1 from the court for a second time and then a third at 8-6.

Once again, the injury seemed to have little effect on Gohar.

The 26-year-old returned to court and instantly began firing in haymakers, forcing El Sherbini into a deep position before pushing on to complete a spectacular win with a 11-6 victory.

Afterwards, Gohar said: “To be honest, I always say I’m very lucky to have this rivalry with Nour. She brings the best out of me; if I don’t play my best squash I can’t beat her, for sure.

“She always works on my weaknesses and is one of the most strategic players. She knows what she’s doing on court.

“Playing against her really benefits me as a player and I’m very glad of that.

“To be honest, I came here today obviously wanting to win but I wanted to spend time with her on court. I want to really play and enjoy it. That’s the most important thing. Winning made it extra special but I’m just enjoying it and am very happy with that.

“[The breaks for blood injuries] did not help at all. Every time it happened, I was leading. I don’t like breaks in general, I like to keep up the momentum.

“I was calling my husband and mum before this and said ‘I’m going to give it everything. I’m not leaving this court without giving 100, 150 percent. I think that’s enough!

“It’s an amazing night, and having this crowd watching and cheering for both of us is a huge thing for both of us. Thank you so much for coming, I love playing in Egypt because of that.”

Result: [2] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [1] Nour ElSherbini (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 11-13, 11-6, 11-6 (81m)

For El Sherbini and Gohar, attention turns to the 2023-2024 CIB PSA World Championships, which are taking place in Cairo 9-18 May, where El Sherbini will look to defend her title.

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