ISLAMABAD: Joy for the Egyptians. Heartbreak for the French.
Moustafa El Sirty and 17-year-old sensation Salma El Tayab cruised past higher-ranked and more experienced opponents from France at the Mushaf Squash Complex for an Egyptian double at the Chief of Air Staff-Serena Hotels-Combaxx Sports International Squash Tournament for Men & Women on Friday.
El Tayab had the more convincing win as the third seed outclassed second-seeded Marie Stephan 11-6, 12-10, 11-4 in 18 minutes with her accuracy and speed seeing her secure a prize purse of US$15000.
El Sirty, the 20-year-old fourth seed, had a resounding come-from-behind victory over third-seeded Auguste Dussourd 9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 12-10 and won the men’s crown which carried a US$30,0000 prize.
The quartet who played the finals on Friday were among 21 foreign players from nine countries who took part at the event and were all praise for the hospitality offered by the country.
“Everything here … from the venue, organisers and people were very nice,” said El Sirty. “I would urge other players to come and play tournaments in Pakistan.”
Stephan told reporters that she was pleased with the security measures and was “looking forward to coming back next year”.
Published in Dawn, October 16th, 2021
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