CHENNAI “Egypt are Egypt for a reason,” India men’s No. 1 Abhay Singh had said ahead of the Squash World Cup semifinal. On Saturday, the defending champions, who opted to send a lower-string team, stretched India for a major part of the tie but the hosts did enough to seal a 3-0 win and a place in the title decider.In the summit clash on Sunday, India will face top seeds Hong Kong, who eked out a victory on game difference following a 2-2 draw with Japan in the other semifinal. At a packed Express Avenue Mall, the weekend crowd was enthralled by top-quality action, loud roars, slippery falls and chest-thumping celebrations during the India-Egypt tie. Velavan Senthilkumar started off without fuss and sealed a straight-game win (7-1, 7-3, 7-6) over Ibrahim Elkabbani.India women’s No. 1 Anahat Singh and Egyptian youngster Nour Heikal then served up a high-octane encounter, with the former eventually emerging victorious 3-2 (6-7, 7-5, 7-3, 3-7, 7-3). Anahat began by dropping a game for the first time in the World Cup, courtesy Nour’s punishing strokes. But the Indian teenager quickly got back into the groove as she generated pace and precision in her shots to keep her opponent on the back foot. She went on to win the next two games and lead 2-1, only for the energetic Nour to mount a superb fightback and level the match. In a tense fifth game, Anahat injured her left hand but showed her mettle by battling through the fiercely aggressive contest and earned a rapturous applause from the crowd. In the third match between Abhay Singh and Adam Hawal, the players were locked in a gruelling, near-hour-long battle, with the Indian winning it 3-1 (7-5, 6-7, 7-5, 7-6). Adam slipped occasionally and took an injury timeout, but the rallies remained long, and the players stood toe-to-toe. With the score level at 6-6 in the fourth game, Abhay produced a stunning backhand drop to seal the victory. The Chennai lad let out an exultant cry as he tossed his racquet and the squash ball into the crowd in celebration. Results: Semifinals: India bt Egypt 3-0; Hong Kong drew with Japan 2-2 (Hong Kong won on game difference).
