[3] Nour ElSherbini (Egy) 3-1 [14] Marina Stefanoni (Usa) 11-8, 7-11, 11-3, 11-9 (37m)
Third seed Nour ElSherbini gets the job done in four games. She was pushed all the way by USA’s Marina Stefanoni, especially in a tight fourth game.
However ElSherbini did what she does best, producing her best squash in the pressure moments and booking her spot in the quarter-finals.
It’s not easy. On this court it’s totally different from the other traditional one on which I practiced, and they changed it at the last minute. I thought the courts were all the same, but apparently this one is slower, which is not good for me. It definitely suits Marina’s game, I think, because she likes to play a lot to the front, and whenever she has the chance, she goes for it. So I was doing more of the work than her today.
It was definitely a tough one for me, but I’m happy it ended like this.
No babies in view, Fram! Once the babies are here, no more squash. Squash and babies, no way. I know I don’t have a lot of years left, so I’m trying to get the maximum out of myself and do the best I can over these couple of years, if there are a couple of years. But I’m still hungry, I’m still motivated, and I think I’m only just starting my season now.
Qatar was a bad decision for me. I wasn’t ready, I had an injury, and sometimes you take decisions and regret them afterwards. But it’s fine. I went back home and trained for a good three or four weeks, and I’m feeling much better now than before. I’m very excited for this one. I
’m very excited to have won these two matches in this way in those conditions. I’ve made it to the quarters and now I’m going to the Pyramids, so it’s getting more exciting.
