QF : El Hammamy 3-1 Serme

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QF : [6] Hania El Hammamy (Egy) 3-1 [3] Camille Serme (Fra) 11-2, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7 (59m)

Match Impressions from CIB’s Hussein Abaza

Key word? Movement. Every single rally, you could see especially in the first two games, Hania being just a bit faster on the ball than Camille, a little bit on top. At the end, I think Camille was maybe running out of ideas.

Let me say that Camille is my favourite non Egyptian player, and that this is probably the most beautiful women’s match I’ve seen since Raneem retired. And that means A LOT for me. Camille played wonderfully, she behaved with dignity, a great champ.

The third, Camille took it very quickly to game ball, but Hania nearly came back from 10/6 down but stopped at 9, so Camille takes it 11/9.

Again in the fourth, I felt that Hania was just a bit quicker to get on the ball, a little bit hitting harder, maybe Camille at the end was a bit short physically. But what a match, thanks Ladies.

 

Hania : “It was a long time before we got in, so I made sure I warmed up really well.

“I wanted to get the first and try to be as sharp as I could from the start because it wasn’t really very good for us with the conditions and waiting outside. I think it took me by surprise that I was 2-0 up because every time I play Camille it goes to a fifth.

“Normally if I take the first, she takes the second, and it’s always really tight from the start. Maybe I was a little bit relieved and I ran out of my plan and lost my focus a little bit. At 10-4 down [in the third] I tried to get back to my game plan and I managed to, but it was a bit too late.

“I’m really looking forward to it [the match with El Sherbini]. I’m so happy to be in the semis for the first time in El Gouna. Since I was a kid I definitely loved this tournament and I always wanted to be a semi-finalist and finalist, so I’m looking forward to it and hopefully I can make it to the final.”