Junior world champions Amina Orfi and Mohamad Zakaria cemented their status as one of squash’s finest players by winning the championship title at the Karachi Open on Sunday in front of a packed court that cheered the two Egyptian teenagers on their path to victory.
World number three Orfi faced Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam, whom she demolished 3-0 to claim an expected victory with a score of 11-8, 11-2, 11-7.
“The final is never an easy match,” said the 18-year-old after her 38-minute match which allowed her to win her fourth title of the season.
“Me and Siva have played several times this season, I know how dangerous it is; I just have to prepare very well in this sport.
“Thank you to the fans for supporting us, they created the atmosphere and it made me happy to see the crowd here today cheering for both of us,” Orfi said.
His compatriots remained loyal to saving the best for last as Zakaria and Aly Abou Eleinen put on a show for the crowd in a dazzling 100-minute match.
The first match saw Eleinen win 11-9 after a series of exchanges lasting several minutes during which both men sweated.
Zakaria trailed Eleinen 7-3 in the second match, but eventually found his rhythm and won 11-9 against his 26-year-old opponent, despite having to stop play due to a cut on his knee which was treated by on-court doctors.
Victory also belonged to Zakaria in the third match – or so he thought. He removed his protective glasses and left the field, but Eleinen had already requested an examination of the player which was inconclusive. The two men were neck and neck in a long match that lasted 27 minutes before Eleinen shifted gears and won 14-12 in a brutal, high-quality exchange that delighted the crowd on Sunday evening.
Both players looked tired by the time the fourth game rolled around, but Zakaria won the match 11-7 to tie the score 2-2.
Eleinen was cramping in the fifth game which saw Zakaria take the lead, but not before making three costly errors. He nevertheless finished strong to seal his 11-7 victory, not once, but twice. Another player review from Eleinen in the final point saw the referee silence the crowd who were cheering for Zakaria’s championship victory.
The seconds passed, Zakaria had already dropped his racket and glasses to the ground and was waiting for the verdict when the referee confirmed his decision which allowed Zakaria to win the biggest title of his career so far.
“I reached the fifth game and I wasn’t tired, so I’m very impressed with my physical side this time because I worked very hard on it,” Zakaria said after the match.
“I just won my first gold-level event at 18, so I’m over the moon,” the red-haired teenager said to applause from the crowd.
“I grew up playing with Aly in Alexandria, so it was a proud moment for us to play in a major final together,” Zakaria said.
Talk to Dawn after the finale, Eleinen echoed the same sentiment of Zakaria, “whom I consider my little brother.
“I’m eight years older, but we grew up together and it’s amazing to see him doing so well,” Eleinen said of the teenager, who achieved a career-best ranking of 11 last month.
“We’ve always dreamed of playing major finals together, and today we hope will be a good step towards more battles that people can enjoy, and I’m sure people back home are proud of us.”
