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March 24, 2014

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Massaro crowned new world champion

WORLD No. 2 Laura Massaro was crowned the new world women’s squash champion yesterday after edging Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini in a suspenseful final.

Massaro downed Sherbini 11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9 in front of a full house in the Malaysian island of Penang.

Massaro, 30, made an electric start to the first game, using every speck of the court to her advantage to gain the upper hand at 11-7. But Sherbini, who had produced the shock of the championship by claiming the scalp of top seed Nicol David, was no pushover and her excellent front-court play brought her level after the second game at 1-1. The third game saw both players trade points until 9-9, but Massaro held her nerve to win and take the lead for the second time.

The pendulum swung in Sherbini’s favor in the fourth game, the 18-year-old racking up seven consecutive points to win 11-5 and tie the scores at 2-2.

The deciding fifth game was as close as it got, but Massaro again showed nerves of steel to win 11-9 and claim the game’s biggest prize.

Massaro, who banished the memory of her loss in the 2012 World Open final, attributed her victory to her never-say-die attitude, especially in the face of adversity.

“It was an emotional battle for me today. I felt really nervous, but I feel this whole tournament has been based around being mentally strong and being gritty when it counts, and that’s what I’m most proud of,” she said.




 

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