Story of Last Year’s Women’s World Championship

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The biggest title on the Women’s Tour will be up for grabs between April 7-14 when the Orascom Development PSA Women’s World Championship is staged in El Gouna’s New Marina.

First beginning in 1976 – when the legendary Heather McKay claimed the inaugural title – the Women’s World Championship is one of the most eagerly-anticipated tournaments on the PSA World Tour and will take place in Egypt for the second time in four years over the next week and a half.

Last year’s tournament was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and we’re taking a look back at a sensational tournament that brought about one of the most memorable moments of the 2015/16 season.

First Round Results
[1] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [Q] Samantha Teran (MEX) 3-1: 9-11, 13-11, 11-6, 11-3 (46m)
[14] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Victoria Lust (ENG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-5 (39m)
[15] Delia Arnold (MAS) bt [Q] Mariam Metwally (EGY) 3-1: 12-10, 10-12, 12-10, 11-9 (59m)
[6] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-9, 11-7 (27m)
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt [Q] Megan Craig (NZL) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-2 (23m)
[9] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [Q] Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 (24m)
[12] Joelle King (NZL) bt [WC] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (37m)
[3] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt Tesni Evans (WAL) 3-0: 11-5, 11-2, 11-6 (27m)
[4] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [Q] Joey Chan (HKG) 3-1: 11-9, 11-6, 5-11, 11-4 (41m)
[13] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [Q] Olivia Blatchford (USA) 3-0: 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 (28m)
[Q] Nadine Shahin (EGY) bt [16] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 (30m)
[8] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [Q] Coline Aumard (FRA) 3-1: 10-12, 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 (50m)
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Donna Urquhart (AUS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 (29m)
[11] Annie Au (HKG) bt Dipika Pallikal (IND) 3-2: 11-8, 11-9, 6-11, 6-11, 11-7 (63m)
[10] Alison Waters (ENG) bt Heba El Torky (EGY) 3-1: 13-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-7 (53m)
[2] Nicol David (MAS) bt Rachael Grinham (AUS) 3-2: 11-4, 8-11, 8-11, 11-1, 11-2 (46m)

Home hero Nicol David was forced into a five-game battle against 2007 Rachael Grinham that almost saw the Malaysian superstar fall at the first hurdle.

David, who beat Grinham to lift the first of eight World Championship titles in 2005, went 2-1 down after an array of incredible winners from Grinham put the Australian former World No.1 on the precipice of an unlikely victory.

But David, competing in the arena named after her, rallied in the final two games to move through to round two.

England’s Laura Massaro, the World Champion three years ago, also had to come from behind, fighting back from a game down against Mexico’s Samantha Teran.

Second Round Results
[1] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [14] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-3 (26m)
[6] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [15] Delia Arnold (MAS) 3-1: 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-8 (54m)
[7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt [9] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 3-2: 11-0, 11-7, 4-11, 7-11, 12-10 (51m)
[3] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [12] Joelle King (NZL) 3-0: 11-9, 11-5, 12-10 (31m)
[4] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [13] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (34m)
[8] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [Q] Nadine Shahin (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 (24m)
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [11] Annie Au (HKG) 3-1: 11-5, 11-6, 6-11, 11-3 (36m)
[2] Nicol David (MAS) bt [10] Alison Waters (ENG) 3-0: 11-9, 11-3, 11-5 (38m)

United States No.1 Amanda Sobhy, who will miss the upcoming instalment due to a ruptured achilles, prevailed in a huge battle against Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb to reach the quarter-finals for the first time.

Sobhy began with an indomitable display in the opener as she handed an ignominious ‘bagel’ to El Tayeb, but El Tayeb – making her return from a shoulder injury – came back to send the match to five, with Sobhy eventually prevailing in a nail-biting fifth-game tie-break.

Former World No.1 Raneem El Welily also continued her tournament with victory over New Zealand’s Joelle King, while there were also wins for Massaro, current World No.1 Nour El Sherbini and David.

Quarter-Final Results
[1] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [6] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 3-1: 11-3, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7 (46m)
[3] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [7] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 3-1: 11-5, 5-11, 12-10, 11-7 (42m)
[8] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [4] Camille Serme (FRA) 3-2: 11-7, 12-10, 7-11, 5-11, 11-8 (75m)
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [2] Nicol David (MAS) 3-1: 14-12, 4-11, 11-3, 11-7 (47m)

El Sherbini broke Malaysian hearts on quarter-finals day as she defeated David for the fourth tournament in succession.

David battled back from a game down to restore some hope, but El Sherbini was irresistible in the next two games as she closed out the victory to seal her semi-final spot.

El Sherbini’s win pitted her against fellow Egyptian Nouran Gohar for a place in the final after Gohar dispatched France’s Camille Serme in an enthralling 75-minute clash, with Massaro and El Welily being the other victors.

Semi-Final Results
[1] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [3] Raneem El Welily (EGY) 3-2: 11-2, 7-11, 11-9, 6-11, 12-10 (61m)
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [8] Nouran Gohar (EGY) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-5 (29m)

Massaro and El Sherbini had contrasting paths through to the final after Massaro came out on top in an absorbing encounter with El Welily.

The 33-year-old Lancastrian looked to have squandered her chance after throwing away four match balls in an intense fifth-game decider, but she rallied to take it 12-10, setting up a repeat of the final from two years earlier against El Sherbini.

El Sherbini was in rampant form to dispatch Gohar in straight games, less than a month after the two had contested a sensational five-game battle in the British Open.

Final Result
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [1] Laura Massaro (ENG) 3-2: 6-11, 4-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8 (63m)

El Sherbini became the youngest female World Champion of all time at the age of 20 years and five months after a stunning comeback from two games down saw her overtake the legendary Susan Devoy – whose record had stood for 31 years.

A dominant Massaro surged into a 2-0 lead and she looked to be on the cusp of claiming a second World Championship title, two years after she defeated El Sherbini to take the sport’s biggest title in Penang.

But El Sherbini mounted an incredible fightback to take the next three games without reply, becoming the first female Egyptian ever to become World Champion.

That victory also saw El Sherbini overtake Massaro at the summit of the World Rankings the following month and was the highlight in a superb year which also saw the Alexandrian lift the iconic British Open and Tournament of Champions titles.

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