CAIRO: Low Wee Wern, a heroine of Malaysia’s record-breaking run into the world team final at Niagara Falls eight days ago, made a wonderful recovery to avoid a startling let-down and a shock defeat in the women’s squash world championships on Monday.

Low, who scored a career-best win over world runner-up Nour El Sherbini in the team semi-finals, now slipped to within four points of a first round exit against Nicolette Fernandes, the world number 21 from Guyana.

At 3-7 down in the fourth game and trailing two games to one, Low appeared to have no way back to a fresher and more enterprising opponent, especially as she also appeared to be suffering with an adductor problem which was a legacy of her world team heroics.

However at the age of 24 Low has been acquiring experience, and her ability to think clearly, keep calm, and produce a well-judged response carried her gradually to a 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-2 victory.

“I was struggling with my movement,” she admitted. “And with Nicolette you know she’s going to be so fired up and dangerous.”

Low kept the ball tight to the walls, slightly increased the pace when she tried to apply cross-court pressure, and gave little away.

On the match-changing point at 3-7 down in the fourth game she insightfully read a Fernandes sidewall boast the instant it was struck, moving forward early and responding with a disguised backhand cross kill.

She followed that with a winning backhand drop to a clinging line, and with three more rallies played patiently and economically, after which the danger had mostly gone. By the end of the fourth game Fernandes no longer had the resources to run down every ball.

The seventh seeded Low’s ability to recover between matches may be seriously tested though, for her second round encounter tomorrow is against Joshana Chinappa, the in-form Indian national champion.

Results:

First round: Nour El Tayeb (EGY x8) bt Mayar Hamy Mohamed (EGY) 11-5, 15, 11-5; Alison Waters (ENG x5) bt Heba El Torky (EGY) 11-8,11-6,11-6; Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG x15) bt Joey Chan (HKG) 11-8, 7-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-5; Annie Au (HKG x9) bt Line Hansen (DEN) 9-11, 11-4, 13-11, 11-4; Emily Whitlock (ENG) bt Jenny Duncalf (ENG x13) 11-8, 11-5, 11-5; Emma Beddoes (ENG x16) bt Delia Arnold (MAS) 11-5, 11-4, 11-7; Camille Serme (FRA x6) bt Nouran El Torky (EGY) 11-2, 8-11, 11-5, 11-7; Low Wee Wern (MAS x7) bt Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) 9-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-7, 11-2; Joshana Chinappa (IND) bt Madeline Perry (IRL x12) 14-12, 11-7, 4-11, 11-7; Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY x10) bt Sarah Kippax (ENG) 11-8, 6-11, 11-9, 14-12; Rachael Grinham (AUS x11) bt Tesni Evans (WAL) 11-4, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6; Dipika Pallikal (IND x14) bt Samantha Teran (MEX) 9-11, 10-12, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7

Published in Dawn December 16th , 2014