PHOTO ALBUM
Semis
[2] Amina Orfi 3-0 [3] Rachel Arnold (MAS) 12-10, 11-9, 11-6 (45m)
[1] Youssef Soliman 3-2 [3] Youssef Ibrahim 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6 (95m)
No.2 seed Amina Orfi claimed her place in the ACE Malaysia Squash Cup final with a win over home favourite and No.3 seed Rachel Arnold.
The Malaysian got off to an incredible start against the No.2 seed. Arnold’s shots into the front left corner were pin-point accurate, and cheered on by a packed crowd in Kuala Lumpur, including squash legend Nicol David, she earned herself three game balls.
The Egyptian fought back viciously, adding pace into the rallies, and trying to put Arnold on the back foot to great effect. Orfi earned five straight points to take the game from the Malaysian’s grasp in a devastating mental blow.
A battled ensued in the second game, with Orfi forcing the Malaysian into the back corner, while Arnold focusing on shot-making. It was Arnold’s error count creeping up that seemed to make the difference as Orfi took the game 11-9 to take a 2-0 advantage.
Orfi looked sharper as the third game began, rattling of six quick-fire unanswered points. While the Malaysian did begin to pick up points, she couldn’t catch up to the Egyptian as she stormed to an 11-6 third-game win to secure her semi-final spot.
Amina Orfi will take on top seed and home favourite Sivasangari Subramaniam tomorrow’s Malaysia Squash Cup final.
“I felt the first game was the key to the match,” said Orfi after the match. “Last few times I lost the first game to her when I was leading, so for a change I won the game when she was leading so I’m happy that I won it.
On Arnold’s third-game fightback after Orfi’s early lead, she said, “I just told myself, I have five more points to win the match and so… …I just took it point by point.
“Well I’m excited to play [Sivasangari Subramaniam]. Last time we played in a final was actually around this time last year and she won. The time before that I won so hopefully I can win tomorrow.”
In the first men’s semi-final, top seed Youssef Soliman came on top of a long, energy-sapping encounter with Egyptian compatriot Youssef Ibrahim to earn a place in the 2024 ACE Malaysia Squash Cup final.
The first half of the game saw a lot of decisions, and reviews, dramatically affecting the pace of the the game. While the interruptions wore on, it was Soliman who slowly built up a lead, and he managed to hold on to despite energetic fightback from the ‘Gunslinger’ to take game one 11-8.
The decisions continued throughout the second game as traffic issues persisted, with both Egyptians losing their decisions, but the softening ball seemed to favour Ibrahim, who found the composure to take accurate volley drops around the front which helped him edge game two 11-8 and level the match.
Soliman took game three 11-9 in an equally cagey manner. The top seed managed to contain Ibrahim’s shot-making well throughout, and despite the No.3 seed managing to fire off some incredible winners, he couldn’t get enough of a grasp on the match to catch Soliman on the scoreline.
A drop off in form from Soliman at the start of the fourth game allowed the No.3 seed to quickly accumulate a lead in the match. The World No.11 managed to keep himself in contention, but Ibrahim maintained his early lead enough to claim the game 11-8 and take the match to a decider.
The fifth game was played in a similar vein to the rest of the match with short rallies often ending in decisions, but an incident mid-game saw Ibrahim collide with the side of the court, and while he returned to court after an injury break, it seemed to have taken the wind out of his sails as Soliman finished off the game 11-6 to claim his spot in the match after a brutal 95 minutes.
“It was a hell of a battle,” said Soliman after the match. “He controlled, I controlled, He’s adjusting, I’m adjusting and that’s how we want to play the game of squash.”
“I know Youssef [Ibrahim] with confidence is a nightmare. I’m just very happy to stay with him, stay with him, and I had to believe in my game plan because sometimes it’s not working, and it’s out of your hands. But how I fought, how I stayed with him, I’m very proud of myself.”
