Presentations Gallery

Finals:

G13: Nour El Sherbeny (Egy) bt Nour Ibrahim (Egy)
          9/4, 9/1, 9/2 (20m)

G15: Nour El Tayeb (Egy) bt Menat Aller Nasser (Egy)
          10/8, 9/0, 9/3 (31m)

B13: Osama Khalid Khalifa (Egy) bt Shehab Essam (Egy)
          9/5, 9/0, 9/7 (27m)

B15: Karim Ali Fathi (Egy) bt Nasir Iqbal (Pak)
          9/2, 9/6, 9/1 (30m)

G17: Dipika Pallikal (Ind) bt Heba El Torky (Egy)
           9/6, 5/9, 9/6, 1/9, 9/5 (48m)

B17: Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) bt Amr Khalid Khalifa (Egy)
           10/8, 9/7, 9/7 (54m)

G19: Camille Serme (Fra) bt Annie Au (Hkg)
           7/9, 2/9, 9/3, 9/3, 9/7 (69m)

B19: Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt Gregoire Marche (Fra)
           9/6, 9/7, 9/1 (50m)

FINALS Gallery & Slideshow (119)

The Presentations

B19: Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt Gregoire Marche (Fra)
           9/6, 9/7, 9/1 (50m)

Three in a row for Shorbagy

Having won the U15 and U17 titles in the last two years, Mohamed El Shorbagy was favourite to make it a hat-trick this year, and despite the best efforts of France's surprise finalist Gregoire Marche, he duly fulfilled those expectations.

The Frenchman led 6/4 in the first but was never ahead again, but threatened in the second when he pulled back from 7/2 to 8/7. The Egyptian put a crosscourt wide of his opponent to double his lead, and in the third treated the crowd to the full range of his explosive shot-making.

Three titles already, and he's not seventeen until next week - not many would bet against another two miniature Drysdale cups making their way to the Shorbagy household ...
  

G19: Camille Serme (Fra) bt Annie Au (Hkg)
           7/9, 2/9, 9/3, 9/3, 9/7 (69m)

Comeback Queen Camille

At two games to love and 0/3 down it looked for all the world as though Camille Serme was heading for her second successive U19 final defeat, with Annie Au firmly in command of the match.

Camille seemed reluctant to play the ball short, which is Annie's strength, and while Annie was content to play Camille's game for the most part, her long drops and deceptive boasts were racking up the points, and when it did go short it was usually the Hong Kong girl that came off best.

But at 3/0 in the third it all changed around. Suddenly Camille started forcing the pace, looking comfortable in her game at last, and Annie was struggling to keep her game going, those drops all too high now.

Camille took the next 13 points, pulling a game back and gong 4/0 up in the fourth. It was enough, and it was soon two games all.

The European champion carried her momentum into the fifth to go 5/0 up this time. The Asian champion wasn't finished as she clawed her way back into the game, but Camille reached 8/3 match ball with some determined play.

She almost threw it away, with some careless tins as Annie pulled back to 7/8, but on the fourth match ball Camille's innocuous-looking drive rolled out of the side wall nick and the comeback was complete ...
  

G17: Dipika Pallikal (Ind) bt Heba El Torky (Egy)
           9/6, 5/9, 9/6, 1/9, 9/5 (48m)

Fifth time lucky for Dipika

"I've been coming for five years and never got past the quarter-finals, so to win the title is just unbelievable," said the new champion after a dramatic Girls U17 final. The fact that she beat an Egyptian bidding for her fifth successive title made it even better.

It wasn't a flowing game, with two players equally intent on attack trading points in short, sharp rallies, but my, it was dramatic, with both players pumping themselves up and the packed crowd getting heavily involved.

They traded the first four games - whoever got the first few points wen thent on to take the game - and it was the Indian's turn to streak ahead in the decider. 5/0 became 8/5 ... one match ball was saved by Heba ... Dipika tinned an easy winner on the second ... but it was third time lucky for Dipika as she delightedly claimed the title ...

"I knew my seeding wouldn't be very good (5/8), but if you want to win you have to beat everybody anyway, so that didn't matter.

"I was so nervous going onto court, and I couldn't believe it when I was 2/1 up. I just tried to finish the match in the fourth, I was thinking about how I'd collect the trophy rather than the match.

"In the fifth I started to hit the ball deep again, like I had done in the first. I was confident I would win by then, I just knew it was my day ..."

  

B17: Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) bt Amr Khalid Khalifa (Egy)
           10/8, 9/7, 9/7 (54m)

First one for Gawad

Karim Abdel Gawad claimed Egypt's fifth title of the day, but his first, getting the better of three close games against compatriot Am Khalid Khalifa.

Gawad recovered from 2/5 down in the first to take the lead, held sway throughout the second, and led 7/4 in the third, looking good for the title.

Khalifa fought back to level at 7-all, but it was a delighted Gawad who took the last two points and the title ...
 

B13: Osama Khalid Khalifa (Egy) bt Shehab Essam (Egy)
          9/5, 9/0, 9/7 (27m)
B15: Karim Ali Fathi (Egy) bt Nasir Iqbal (Pak)
          9/2, 9/6, 9/1 (30m)

The second batch of finals made it Egypt 4 Rest of the World 0, as Osama Khalid Khalifa claimed the U13 title - he'll be hoping his big brother can make it a double in the U17 final - and Karim Ali Fathi proved too strong for Nasir Iqbal.

Iqbal succeeded Fathi as U13 champion last year, and the Egyptian had a distinct physical advantage over the much smaller Pakistani - not that that stops Iqbal from hitting the ball extremely hard.

Fathi was generally in charge of the rallies, and too many errors from Iqbal in the first didn't help his cause. The Pakistani fared better in the second, recovering from 8/1 down, but couldn't fully close the gap, and a quick 5/0 start for the Egyptian in the third all but sealed the title.
 

G13: Nour El Sherbeny (Egy) bt Nour Ibrahim (Egy)
          9/4, 9/1, 9/2 (20m)
G15: Nour El Tayeb (Egy) bt Menat Aller Nasser (Egy)
          10/8, 9/0, 9/3 (31m)

Finals day started with two all-Egyptian finals and two repeat titles for Nours ...

Nour El Sherbeny swept to victory to retain her U13 title, while Nour El Tayeb added the U15 crown to the U13 title she won in 2004.

El Tayeb fought back from 8/5 down in the first, literally diving all over the court as she pulled it back to take the game 10/8.

She took a quick start in the second, and when Nasser tinned an easy winner to go 4/0 down she seemed to lose heart. A few tins, a few uncontested winners and El Tayeb was 2/0 up.

The third was better contested, but the result was never in doubt as Nour claimed her second BJO title.
  

Ibrahim and El Sherbeny

Nour El Tayeb and fan club ...

Boys U15 3rd/4th: Murray bt Ashoush 9/7, 10/8, 10/8

Girls U13 13th/14th - Beecroft bt Lake 3/2