World junior champions Amina Orfi and Mohamed Zakaria cemented their status as one of the best squash players as they clinched the championship title at the Karachi Open on Sunday in front of a packed court that cheered on the two Egyptian teenagers on their path to victory. World number three Orfi was up against Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam, who she demolished 3-0 to take an expected victory with a scoreline of 11-8, 11-2, 11-7.
“The final is never an easy match,” the 18-year-old said after her 38-minute match that saw her win her fourth title of the season. “Me and Siva have played several times this season, I know how dangerous she is; I just have to prepare in this sport very well. “Thanks to the fans for supporting us, they’ve built the atmosphere and it made me happy to see the crowd here today cheering for both of us,” Orfi said.
Her compatriots stayed true 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 game saw Eleinen prevail 11-9 after a series of minutes-long rallies that saw the two slipping on their own sweat.
Zakaria was trailing Eleinen 7-3 in the second game but finally found his rhythm and won 11-9 against his 26-year-old opponent, despite a break in play for a cut on his knee to be attended to by courtside medics.
Victory belonged to Zakaria in the third game as well – or so he thought. He had removed his protective eyewear and exited the court but Eleinen had already called for a player review that proved inconclusive. The two were neck-and-neck in the lengthy game that lasted 27 minutes before Eleinen switched gears and won 14-12 in a brutal, high-quality rally that delighted the crowd on Sunday evening.
Both players seemed tired by the time the fourth game rolled around, but Zakaria took the game 11-7 to level the score 2-2. Eleinen was cramping up in the fifth game that saw Zakaria pull ahead, but not before hitting three costly errors. He nevertheless finished strong to seal his victory 11-7, not once, but twice. Another player review from Eleinen at the final point saw the referee shushing the crowd that cheered for Zakaria’s championship win.
The seconds ticked by, Zakaria had already dropped his racket and glasses to the floor and was waiting for a verdict when the referee upheld his decision that saw Zakaria win the biggest title of his career so far. “I made it to the fifth game and I wasn’t tired, so I’m most impressed with my physical side this time because I’ve worked really 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 ginger-haired teenager said to applause from the crowd. “I grew up playing with Aly in Alexandria, so this was a proud moment for us to be playing a major final together,” Zakaria said. Speaking to media after the final, Eleinen echoed the same sentiment of Zakaria, “who I consider my younger 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 his career-best ranking of 11 just last month. “We always dreamed of playing major finals together, and today is hopefully a good step towards more battles that people can enjoy, and I’m sure people back home are proud of us.”