Amina El Rihany (Egy) 3-2 Nour Heikal (Egy) 11-9, 11-2, 9-11, 9-11, 11-8 (59m)
What a finish to this encounter!
After coming through tense opening game and doubling her advantage by an 11-2 scoreline, Amina El Rihany looked in the box seat for a comprehensive three-game victory over Egyptian compatriot Nour Heikal.
But all credit to the 23-year-old, who steadied the ship early in the third game before holding off a late charge from El Rihany to send the match to a fourth game.
After Heikal forced a decider and flew off to a quick-fire 6-2 lead in the fifth, it looked like the second-round was beckoning for the 23-year-old.
However, out of nowhere, El Rihany somehow claws her way back into the contest, squeezing out a trio of errors from Heikal’s racket and re-assuming a lead on the scoreboard.
According to Amina’s coach, she was very focused and played extremely well in the first games, and then lost concentration for the next two. In the fifth, she looked down and out, 7/2 down but the tables turned again when Nour started to make a few errors. Maybe a bit of the hard work produced by Amina paying off, or just Nour trying to close the match too quickly…
But it’s 7 points in a row for Amina, back in charge, then match ball 10/7. The second will be the one, and the upset comes from Amina’s racquet, ousting her compatriot in 5 games, finally!
“It’s my first time playing the Egyptian Open – I’m just so happy to even just be playing it.”
