Egypt lived up to its top billing and overcame a shaky start in the final to clinch the Squash World Cup with a 2-1 (4-1 when points for each match are taken into account) win over Malaysia at the packed Express Avenue Mall here on Saturday.
As a result, squash powerhouse Egypt not only defended the crown it had clinched 12 years ago but also became the most successful team in the tournament’s history with two titles. Up against Malaysia, seeded fourth and whose players left everything on the court, top seed Egypt had to toil for its victory.
The left-handed Xin Ying Yee provided Malaysia with a dream start as she recorded a straight-game win over Kenzy Ayman in the tie’s first match. Yee ran away with the contest even before Kenzy could settle into a rhythm and eventually emerged a 7-4, 7-5, 7-6 winner.
Yee saved three game balls in the third game and converted her first match-ball opportunity to raise hopes of an upset victory. But normal service resumed in the second match, where Aly Abou Eleinen registered a hard-fought straight-game triumph over Darren Pragasam to level the tie score for Egypt.
The scoreline of 7-3, 7-6, 7-4 does not tell the entire story – despite being ranked much lower than his rival, Pragasam gave Eleinen a run for his money with his aggressive play.
But the Egyptian was up to the task and stamped his authority, even after suffering a cut below his left eye when the scorecard read 6-6 in the second game. Taking to the court after a medical timeout, Eleinen held his nerve at sudden death to make it 2-0.
“It was an intense match. There was interference down the middle and his (Pragasam’s) racket caught my eye. I just had to recover quickly. Every game counted and I just focussed on the next point,” said Eleinen, who got the job done in the third game.
With the victory, Egypt moved ahead in the tie; the Eleinen-Pragasam match was worth two points as it was the clash between the top-ranked men’s players.
The African heavyweight then took an unassailable 4-1 lead after Fayrouz Aboelkheir defeated Aira Azman 7-4, 7-5, 6-7, 7-6 in the tight third match that was also worth two points – it was the battle between the top-ranked women’s players.
