Nada Abbas (EGY) 3-1 Sana Ibrahim (EGY) 11-9, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4 (61m)
Fram’s Thoughts
I feel that Sana was a bit overwhelmed by the whole thing when she started the match. Nada, on the other hand, was pretty relaxed, she had been there before, Mash’Allah.
Very close between those through out, 1/1, 3/3, 4/4, 5/5, Sana her little nose in front, 7/5, 9/7, but the experience of the big events talks for Nada, and she score the following 4 points, quick rallies.
In the second, we have a little accident, Nada hits completely involuntarily Sana’s left fingers. 15m injury break as they feared the finger could be broken. Sana is not the same when she comes back. It’s like fighting spirit has left her body. Nada is flying in the second to 11/4.
Same difference for the 4rd, 4/0. And something weird happens, at 1/4, Sana plays through tough interference in a gigantic rally, not asking for let twice, and shouts YALLLLLLLLLLLLLLA as she clinches the point. Sana is back.
From 1/4 and 2/6, she levels 6/6, 7/7, 9/7, and reduces the game deficit on her second game ball, 11/9. 13m game. The longest of the match.
The fourth sees Nada in complete control again, 11/4 in 8m, Nada a bit flat again – both emotionally and physically. But it’s a baptism of fire for the young Nada Ibrahim. She will be more and more confronted to those events…
PSA report
Unseeded Nada Abbas’ spectacular CIB Egyptian Open campaign continued as the World No.17 reached the semi-finals of a major event for the first time after beating compatriot Sana Ibrahim.
Roared on by family, friends and fans, here in numbers with Abbas’ home club located just a 15-minute drive from Club O West, the Cairo-native clinched the opener 11-9 to give herself a platform.
In the second game, interrupted by a lengthy injury to Ibrahim’s left hand, Abbas doubled her lead with an 11-4 win.
The 24-year-old looked to have one foot in the semi-final when she took a 6-2 lead in game three, only for Ibrahim to rally, digging in to take eight of the next nine points and earn three game balls at 10-7. Abbas saved two, but could not save the last, with Ibrahim finishing with aplomb at the front to take the match into a fourth game.Despite the setback, Abbas returned to court a composed figure, resuming her best squash as she took a 7-2 lead before finishing things 11-4.
Nada
“The past 2 years have been a nightmare for me. I've been struggling with so many things because of squash, it's a really nice reward to to feel that everything is paying off and I'm actually winning!” 🥹
Nada Abbas on her milestone win 👇#EgyptianOpen pic.twitter.com/ZvAtDi7U2p
— PSA Squash Tour (@PSASquashTour) September 4, 2024
I’m out of words, I’m speechless.
I mean I’ve worked really hard to be in this stage of a major tournament I mean me and Sana deserve to be in this position
We both beat the higher-seeded players
So I mean the past 2 years have been nightmare for me I’ve been struggling from so many things because of squash I’ve been struggling from depression and anxiety and insomnia because of squash so it’s it’s a really nice reward to to feel that everything is paying off and I’m actually winning and reaching very far in big tournaments and prestigious tournaments like this
At 6-2 I started to feel the finish line I also had a flashback of how I turned my match against Siva so I was a bit overthinking about other things rather than focusing on what to do during the next few points. She was able to stay in the match and take it point by point and she played the third game better than me but in the 4th I just tried to forget about everything and take it step by step point by point and I’m really happy to finish it in 4th
