Tinne Gilis progresses to first Gold final after overcoming Perry

Belgium’s Tinne Gilis came into the match after a difficult quarter final match-up against a resilient Sabrina Sobhy that lasted 71 minutes over four games. England’s Sarah-Jane Perry knocked out Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam in the quarter final to book her spot in the semi final.

The Belgian had the better head-to-head record coming into the match, winning two of the three meetings including their most recent match in round two of the El Gouna International.

Gilis earned an early lead in the first game, but Perry had a resurgence and made the World No.10 work hard to maintain her advantage. The 26-year-old stayed ahead and kept her composure to secure a one-game lead over the 33-year-old.

The two remained close, but a fore-hand volley drop at full extension from Gilis created a two-point gap to 5-3, and the Belgian marched on from there, taking the second game 11-5.

Perry looked sharper in the third game, going point-for-point with the No.4 seed up to 6-6. The resurgent Englishwoman pushed on to a two point lead, and made no mistake taking her first game ball to halve the deficit to 1-2.

The 33-year-old took an early lead in the fourth game, but Gilis quickly caught up with three quick points to take a 4-3 lead. The Belgian kept her nose ahead and won via a stroke decision to book her spot in the final where she will face her sister and No.3 seed Nele Gilis.

“At the end of the game, literally every loose shot I played, she played the perfect shot. I couldn’t even be frustrated because there was just no way I could pick it up and I just needed to keep it out of the middel and i got a bit lucky with a few unforced errors. I tried to dig deep and fight for every point and make the rallies as long as possible.

“It’s an unfortunate end. It’s not nice ending the match like that, but on the other side I’m really happy to be in my biggest final ever.

“My Mum already woke up at 5-6am this morning to watch Nele [Gilis’] match so I’m sure she’s very very happy and proud. Thank you so much Mum for watching – you’re the best. I’m happy and proud of Nele managing to reach the final. It’s going to be a sister battle tomorrow so let’s see. What happens happens, I’m going to be ready and up for a fight.”

Result: [4] Tinne Gilis (BEL) bt [8] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-1: 11-7, 11-5, 7-11, 11-8 (44m)