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Egypt’s women’s team has been the dominant force in squash for over two decades, having reached every final since 2003 and emerged victorious in all but one. Today, they once again demonstrated their dominance by securing a straightforward 2-0 victory, dashing the hopes of the USA, who have been runners-up four times in their quest for a first championship title.
In the first match, Amina Orfi, who won a record third consecutive individual title earlier this week, once again proved to be Egypt’s top performer as she defeated US first-string player Caroline Fouts.
Orfi comfortably won the first game before facing a tougher challenge from Fouts in the second game, as the American increased the pace in a scrappy contest. However, Orfi maintained a consistent lead and doubled her advantage with an 11-6 win. She then went on to win game three with a score of 11-4, securing the victory over Fouts.
Fayrouz Aboelkheir, who was a key part of Egypt’s title win in Melbourne last year alongside Orfi, showed great form in the second match, easily defeating Riya Navani in straight games.
The 18-year-old appeared confident on the court right from the beginning, controlling the game and minimizing errors as she won the first set 11-4.
Similar to the previous match, there were signs of an American comeback in the second game, but Aboelkheir managed to withstand the brief challenge and secured the second game with a score of 11-7. She then claimed the title for Egypt with an 11-5 victory in the third game.
This win means that Egypt went through the entire tournament without dropping a single game or match in any of their six ties.
After the match, Egypt’s coach Omneya Abdel Kawy said: It feels great to get the titles in consecutive years. It’s a record for them and for me as a coach. We had the goal to do that, and thanks to God, it was mission accomplished!
In the WSF World Junior Team Championship Women’s Final, Egypt defeated the USA 2-0.
Amina Orfi beat Caroline Fouts 3-0 with scores of 11-3, 11-6, 11-4, while Fayrouz Aboelkheir defeated Riya Navani with a score of 3-0 and scores of 11-4, 11-7, 11-5. Nadien Elhammamy had to withdraw, resulting in a walkover for Samantha Jaffe.
Despite the loss, the USA had a successful two weeks of squash in Houston. The men’s team won bronze, and Caroline Fouts secured an individual bronze and a silver medal in the women’s event.
