Underdogs bow out as stars shine in Brooklyn
By LINDA ELRIANI – Squash Mad Correspondent

The top four seeds, Nouran Gohar, Nour El Tayeb, Camille Serme and Joelle King, won through to the semi-finals of the Carol Weymuller Open at Heights Casino in Brooklyn.

Number one seed Nouran Gohar ended the superb run of world No.47 Donna Lobban from Australia. Nouran and Donna had never played before so it was going to be interesting to see if Nouran’s great power would overcome Donna’s great volleys and variation in the pace. Donna has recently returned from knee surgery, but is clearly back on track having already beaten the world #18 and #13 to reach the quarter finals.

Nouran started the match fast and ferociously not giving Donna a chance to settle and find her rhythm. Nouran’s boast was going in particularly well and she was so sharp and fast off the spot. Nouran’s punishing pace enabled her to take the first game 11-3.

In the second Nouran kept her foot on the gas and kept applying the pressure, but at 4-0 up Donna managed to find her groove a little and elongate the rallies and make Nouran work harder to win her points. Donna was making every effort to volley and not be bullied back into the corners by the heavy lengths that Nouran was delivering her way. It was not enough though and Nouran took the second 11-8.

Donna started the third well and got her first small lead at 3-1, but in a flash Nouran caught up and got the lead back again and advanced to 6-3. The constant pressure was too much for Donna today and Nouran went on to win the third and final game 11-6 to take her into the quarter finals.

Nouran said: “I’m feeling well on court.I was looking forward to moving and play a good match.I think it helps to have this in your mind. The tournament is cosy, it’s the complete opposite from NYC, they’re both great but a different atmosphere. The court, the crowd, the families, it’s really nice here! Everyone is playing well.”

ToC champion and world No.55 Camille Serme from France overcame world No.14 and last year’s semi-finalist Salma Hany from Egypt.

Camille was just that bit steadier. The cross courts were wider and she was just that bit cleaner in her shots. Camille’s movement was very smooth and balanced and allowed her some amazing shot choices even under pressure. Camille won the first and second games 11-5.

In the third game Camille was ahead playing tactically so astutely, but her opponent dug in and managed to push Camille right down to the wire, with Camille not being able to capitalise on her first match ball as 10-9 and the game carried on with some amazing displays of shot making and movement.

Camille finally inched out her opponent 15-13 in the third to book a semi-final clash with Nouran Gohar.

Camille said: “I’m really happy. Salma has beaten me in the past. She is a tricky player and she can attack from anywhere, but I felt like I was moving well and reading her game well. I was happy with my accuracy and just a bit tense at the end, but came through. I’m really happy to be in the semis. I feel very positive winning these two matches 3-0, so whatever happens tomorrow it’s a bonus.”

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The third match of the evening was between Joelle King from New Zealand, who is world #6 and Mariam Metwally the world #30 from Egypt.

Joelle, who had two stitches in her lip from a collision the previous day, had recovered and was ready for the battle ahead.

Joelle played very precisely from the word go and did not let Mariam settle and use her great short shots to the maximum. It was only at 10-5 down that Mariam managed to get some traction in the match and nearly evened up the score before Joelle snatched it back at 11-8.

In the second and third games Joelle exposed Mariam’s movement and the fact that she was probably tired from yesterday’s long match. Mariam picked up some points from outright winners, but Joelle overall took command of the match and started to put some ‘hold’ on the ball to make the movement even harder for Mariam. When Mariam did manage to apply some pressure Joelle would throw up an amazing lob to reset the rally.

Joelle went through in straight games and said: “I felt good. With a lot happening yesterday, I didn’t sleep well, I think the adrenalin was going. So today I was trying to stay calm, and just play good squash and hoping for no interruptions. Mariam has a good win last night but it was a tough match so I tried to make it really hard from the beginning to the end.”

Egypt’s world No.4 Nour El Tayeb faced Malaysia’s Low Wee Wern, who took out No.5 seed Amanda Sobhy 13-11 in the fifth in an epic match.

At 6-6, Nour seemed to find her groove and started feeling incredibly comfortable with her attacking shots and volleys. She took the first 11-8.

In the second Nour was basically on fire! She looked like she was having so much fun out there, moving Wee Wern around the court and then chopping it into the front with ease. Wee Wern did not do anything particularly wrong; Nour just did so much right. This is how squash is meant to be played and Nour truly got in the zone and took the second 11-3.

The third game was similar to the first. It stayed even through to the middle of the game with Wee Wern hanging in and trying to move Nour away from the middle. But Nour had a solid plan that she was not diverting from and she took the third game 11-8 to clinch her semi-final place against Joelle King.

A relaxed and happy Nour said afterwards: “I think I played the best squash I’ve played in a while. I felt very comfortable and enjoyed getting tired and running on the court. It’s hard to enjoy every match but this is definitely one I enjoyed. It’s always a nice reminder that I enjoyed competition. It sometimes gets boring or hard to be motivated so it is great when everything comes together.” 

PSA $51,250 Women’s Carol Weymuller Open 2020, Heights Casino, Brooklyn, New York, USA.

Quarter-finals:
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt Donna Lobban (AUS) 11-3, 11-8, 11-6 (26m)
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [8] Salma Hany (EGY) 11-5, 11-5, 15-13 (39m)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) bt [9/16] Mariam Metwally (EGY) 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 (30m)
[2] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [9/16] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-8, 11-3, 11-7 (33m) 

Semi-finals:
[1] Nouran Gohar (EGY) v [3] Camille Serme (FRA)
[2] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) v [4] Joelle King (NZL)

Pictures courtesy of JEAN ERVASTI

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – As the Rolex 24 reached the halfway mark at Daytona Int’l Speedway, a new team has moved to the front of the field.

The No. 5 Mustang Sampling/JDC-Miller MotorSports Cadillac DPi shared by Joao Barbosa, Sebastien Bourdais and Loic Duval moved to the lead during the 11th hour when the race leading the No. 77 Team Joest Mazda was hit with a drive-through penalty for passing during a caution period.

That penalty dropped the No. 77 entry, shared by Oliver Jarvis, Olivier Pla and Tristan Nunez, to outside the top-five in the overall and DPi class rankings. By the halfway point in the race the No. 77 was back in fifth and continuing to charge back up the running order.

Wayne Taylor Racing’s No. 10 Cadillac DPi sits second in the standings, followed by the Action Express Racing Whelen Engineering No. 31 Cadillac DPi in third.

The BMW Team RLL No. 24 BMW M8 GTE shared by John Edwards, Augusto Farfus, Chaz Mostert and Jesse Krohn continues to lead in GT Le Mans. Edwards was at the wheel of the No. 24 at the halfway mark, but he had the No. 912 Porsche driven by Laurens Vanthoor right behind him and within striking distance.

The biggest news in the GT Le Mans class was the drama that struck the new mid-engine Corvette. A major oil leak sidelined the No. 4 C8.R, leaving just one Corvette Racing entry in contention for the race win.

Paul Miller Racing’s No. 48 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 shared by Madison Snow, Bryan Sellers, Corey Lewis and Andrea Caldarelli remained steadfast at the top of the GT Daytona standings. Behind them a new challenger has emerged, as the No. 88 WRT Speedstar Audi Sport Audi R8 LMS GT3 has moved into second in the class.

In LMP2, PR1 Mathiasen Motorsports was back at the top of the rankings after giving up the lead for periods to the No. 81 DragonSpeed USA entry. Driving the No. 52 ORECA LMP2 07 for PR1 Mathiasen, Ben Keating, Simon Trummer, Nick Boulle and Gabriel Aubry held a nearly full lap lead on the DragonSpeed entry at the 12-hour mark.

The third caution flag of the race waved during the 11th hour of the race when the No. 19 GEAR Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 came to a stop on the track with a fuel pump problem, resulting in a caution flag to retrieve the stranded car.

TRANMERE, Birkenhead -- It was 11.20 p.m. on Thursday evening. League One side Tranmere Rovers had just beaten Premier League Watford 2-1 in the FA Cup and there were six men with pitchforks on the playing surface at Prenton Park. The mist was floating in off the River Mersey and the clock was ticking. In less than 72 hours, Tranmere will host Manchester United (live on ESPN+ on Sunday, 10 a.m. ET) in the next round on the same stretch of turf -- although the vast swaths of mud and sand had obliterated most of the grass.

"Listen: everyone complains about it, but we've got to play on it as well," Tranmere manager Micky Mellon said after his side came through their third round replay to secure a fourth round clash against Manchester United. "We have tried everything. A lot of hard work has gone into it, and that's what a lot of people forget."

Tranmere are painfully aware of the state of their pitch. As the final seconds of extra-time passed against Watford, the stadium announcer pleaded with fans to "stay off the pitch at the end of the game or you risk damaging it for Sunday." Those who ignored the appeal were forced to sheepishly walk home with footwear ruined by their sprint through what looked something like a mixture of quicksand and wet cement. But sometimes football can make common sense fly out of the window.

View this post on Instagram

The view from the away dugout at Prenton Park, Tranmere. One for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer to contemplate before Manchester United visit on Sunday. #tranmere #manchesterunited #facup

A post shared by Mark Ogden (@markogden_) on Jan 23, 2020 at 2:29pm PST

Two years ago this week, Tranmere hosted Maidenhead United in the National League -- English football's fifth tier -- but now, they're preparing to tackle Manchester United in a tie that embodies the romance of the FA Cup. If that isn't worth a run onto the pitch, what is?

The two clubs have met just once previously, with United beating Tranmere 5-0 in a League Cup tie at Old Trafford in September 1976, so there is genuine excitement about the prospect of one of the biggest clubs in the world visiting Prenton Park for the first time. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and his United players are unlikely to be as excited as those Tranmere supporters who lined up for tickets for the game until midnight on Thursday, however. Struggling for form in the Premier League, United have everything to lose and nothing, with the exception of a place in round five, to gain from their trip to Birkenhead. The pitch is bare, bumpy and unpredictable as a result of the damaging effects of Storm Brendan earlier this month, and the visitors' dressing room will be a tight squeeze with a queue for the postmatch showers.

Mellon has managed against United before in this competition, though, when his Shrewsbury Town team lost a fifth-round tie at the New Meadow in February 2016, and he expects Solskjaer's players to take Prenton Park in their stride.

"They are a fantastic football club and will come here and be very professional," Mellon said. "When I was at Shrewsbury, they came like robots, did the job and got out of town. I know that is the threat they possess.

"They are an unbelievable football club, and we are a League One side, at the bottom end of League One, but we are going to give it everything we've got. My players will run their socks off again, so who knows? But what we do know is that we will be up against a formidable outfit. To pull Manchester United out of the bag and have them at Tranmere is massive."

As well as boosting Tranmere's bank account to the tune of around £500,000 due to ticket sales and broadcasting revenue, United's visit will also have the unique effect of unifying the city of Liverpool. Although Birkenhead is on the Wirral Peninsula, on the opposite side of the River Mersey to Liverpool, it takes just 20 minutes (and a £1.80 toll fee through the Queensway Tunnel) to drive the six miles from Prenton Park to Anfield or Goodison Park.

Liverpool is a city with two football clubs and two cathedrals, but regardless of faith or allegiance, everybody across the river has a soft spot for Tranmere, and Rovers have thrived in the past by offering a second chance to many young players who have failed to make the grade at Liverpool or Everton. Paul Mullin, whose extra-time goal sealed the 2-1 win against Watford, was released by Liverpool in 2011 to since become the latest in a long line of Scousers to turn out for Tranmere.

"I was at Liverpool until I was 16 but if you can't make it there, you still want to be a footballer," he said. "So to be playing here, 20 minutes from home, is a fantastic feeling, with your family there to support you every week.

"When you're a kid, it's your dream to be a professional footballer and you think your whole world has fallen apart if you are let go. But now I've been given a career as a footballer -- only myself, Raheem Sterling [Manchester City] and Jak McCourt [Macclesfield Town] from our group at Liverpool are still playing professionally -- and to get the chance to play against Manchester United, one of the biggest teams in the world, is a great feeling."

For Tranmere, though, there is now a frantic dash to ensure that everything goes to plan on Sunday, both on and off the pitch. Over 15,000 tickets were printed for the United game even before the Watford replay in an effort to give the club the best possible chance of selling them before Sunday. Had Tranmere lost against Watford, they would have been pulped, along with the match programmes already made up for the United clash.

Catering for up to 500 corporate guests must be also arranged in the space of 48 hours, on a weekend when Tranmere had been expecting to play a League One game away to Blackpool rather than welcoming Manchester United. As for the pitch, it will be a case of touching it up, rolling it out and hoping that the rain that forecast for Sunday holds off until after the game.

And Mellon's players will also need plenty of care, especially those who hobbled around with cramp in the closing stages against Watford.

"New Brighton beach is beautiful, it's lovely," Mellon said. "We might take the lads on a wander down there. But we will get them prepared. We don't look for any excuses because two days will be enough for us.

"We're used to playing a lot of games and we're playing Man United. Come on, if you can't find any extra energy reserves for that, then we are in trouble, aren't we?"

Bangladesh will host Zimbabwe for a one-off Test as well as three ODIs and two T20Is starting February 22. This will be the first time the two sides play a Test series that doesn't have at least two Tests.

The Test will be played at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur, less than two weeks after Bangladesh play the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi from February 7.

The ODI series against Zimbabwe will run from March 1 to 6 in Chattogram, while the two T20Is - on March 9 and 11 - will be held in Mirpur. A week later, the same venue will host the World XI v Asia XI matches as part of the 100th birth anniversary celebrations of 'Bangabandhu' Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of the nation.

Zimbabwe will also play a two-day practice match ahead of the Test, but the venue for that hasn't been announced.

The two sides last played a Test series in 2018, also in Bangladesh, which ended in a 1-1 draw.

Big picture

Pakistan's dip in T20I form was a cause for concern, but they have shown signs of being dominant again with back-to-back wins over Bangladesh at home, the wins giving them an unbeatable 2-0 lead in the three-match series. The final game could be an opportunity to try out some new faces, but they would certainly want to make a statement with a series sweep.

Not much has gone wrong for the home side in this series. They restricted Bangladesh to scores of 141 and 136 in the two matches, and then chased the targets down comfortably enough. The Lahore pitch hasn't allowed for much flamboyance so far, but that shouldn't bother a side that had lost eight out of their last ten T20Is before this series.

Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez have made an impact with one good innings each, while Babar Azam led from the front in the second game. Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Hasnain bowled well in both games, while Shadab Khan has mostly been on the mark. Newcomers Ahsan Ali and Haris Rauf have shown glimpses of their ability too.

Bangladesh, though, look unsure of how to go about handling Pakistan's bowling attack. It's not so much a lack of skills, but with roles not being defined clearly enough - there are six opening batsmen in the squad - it hasn't been straightforward for captain Mahmudullah and coach Russell Domingo.

Their bowling, too, hasn't come to the party, with senior quick Mustafizur Rahman guilty of erring in lines and lengths in the first two games. Their lack of a genuine spinner has also added to the lack of balance, as Bangladesh are a team that has always banked on spinners to do a lot of the work, even in T20Is.

Form guide

Last five completed matches, most recent first

Pakistan WWLLL

Bangladesh LLLLW

In the spotlight

Babar Azam is the No. 1 T20I batsman in the world, and bounced back from a duck in the first game with an an unbeaten 66 in the second. Pakistan would want him to have another good game as they look for the whitewash.

Mustafizur Rahman has taken just one wicket for 69 runs in the seven overs he has bowled in the two matches. His areas have been off on a slow pitch that the ball has at times gripped on, exactly where he is expected to be most effective. He needs to get it right in the final game.

Team news

There's a strong chance that Amad Butt and Usman Qadir will get their international debuts.

Pakistan (possible): 1 Ahsan Ali, 2 Babar Azam (capt), 3 Mohammad Hafeez, 4 Shoaib Malik, 5 Iftikhar Ahmed, 6 Imad Wasim/Amad Butt, 7 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 8 Shadab Khan, 9 Haris Rauf/Usman Qadir, 10 Shaheen Afridi 11 Mohammad Hasnain

Domingo has said that Bangladesh will find space to field Najmul Hossain Shanto, Rubel Hossain and newcomer Hasan Mahmud.

Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Liton Das (wk), 3 Mahedi Hasan, 4 Najmul Hossain Shanto, 5 Afif Hossain, 6 Mahmudullah (capt), 7 Soumya Sarkar, 8 Aminul Islam, 9 Shafiul Islam/Rubel Hossain, 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Al-Amin Hossain/Hasan Mahmud

Pitch and conditions

The Gaddafi Stadium pitch has been difficult to score quickly on, though Pakistan did go past Bangladesh's 136 for 6 with 20 balls to spare in the second game. The weather forecast isn't great, as there's a chance of rain.

Stats and trivia

• With the late Abdul Qadir's son Usman likely to make his debut in the third T20I, we will have an addition to the list of fathers and sons playing international cricket for Pakistan

• In the last five years, Mahmudullah is the only Bangladesh batsman to have hit more than ten sixes in the last five overs of their innings in T20Is

Quotes

"I need to give everyone opportunity. We are 2-0 down in the series. The three boys who haven't played will definitely come in and have a game, so that we can look at a few more options."

Russell Domingo on the playing XI in the third T20I

Mohammad Hafeez, who marked his comeback at the age of 39, was excited with his match-winning contribution against Bangladesh in the second T20I and emphasized on the importance of carrying experience with the team. He also suggested that he has learnt over the years that 'survival' in the team isn't possible without performance.

Hafeez, alongside Shoaib Malik, returned to the side after a lengthy gap - during which Pakistan have had a string of poor results. Since January 2018, they hadn't won a T20I for nearly a year, with their last win before this series coming in February 2019 against South Africa. They lost eight of their nine completed games in the format last year. Their remarkable record - that kept them sitting tightly on top of the rankings - was drawn between January and November 2018, in which they won 17 out of their 18 T20Is.

Hafeez and Malik have both played match-winning knocks this series, and their experience was evident in Pakistan's balance in batting. There was a severe lack of consensus about bringing back both players, as there was apparently a directive to move on from seniors and invest in younger players.

"It was a superb opportunity for me to represent Pakistan again and contribute in getting Pakistan a winning momentum," said Hafeez after his unbeaten 67 off 49 balls in the second T20I. "There was one required missing part in the team and that is exactly what I am trying to cover. I am really happy the way Shoaib Malik played a magnificent inning on a difficult situation and pitch and won a game for Pakistan, and that was something to learn from. So today with my innings, I am more than happy to be able to help Pakistan win a game.

"When you make a come back there is a pressure of expectations," he said. "[...] for 8-9 months I didn't play international cricket and I didn't play domestic, because I wanted to let youngsters to play. I quit Test cricket, so there was no point playing four-day cricket. I was focusing more on white-ball cricket. There was a lot going in mind but I kept on backing my experience and my preparations and waiting for the opportunity. I was positive all the way and during the time never let my thought process go negative."

Before this series, Hafeez last played T20Is in November 2018. Since then, he has featured in various T20 competitions at home and abroad, and his record in that period has been modest: 509 runs in 26 matches at an average of 21.20 and a strike rate of 107.38, and 16 wickets at 33.75, and an economy rate of 7.28. He was left out but he refused to fade away and kept his hope alive for another comeback. He didn't make a perfect start in the first game, scoring 17 off 16 balls, but his second innings not only gave him the confidence but also gave captain Babar Azam enough to justify his faith in the senior players.

Hafeez suggested that there should be a policy to communicate with the players about their future rather than leaving them out in the wilderness.

"If there is any policy then it should be talked about. I had tried speaking to the higher officials directly, asking if they need me or otherwise," he said. "I told them that I am happy with my career and satisfied from my services for Pakistan. But if they think that I am no longer required or there isn't a place for me, then I should distance myself from international circuit and focus on international leagues. But I never got a reply so I was hbeing patient and open and was happy to serve Pakistan again when required.

"My return is being painted as a comeback, which for me was an opportunity to come with a more focused mindset. To me, performances are what help your team to win and I am more excited than ever that my contribution has played a key part, as a match-winning innings similar to Malik the other day. I think communication is very important and if a player is communicated in time then it's a lot easier [for player to plan his future]."

Banking on his experience, Hafeez talked about the importance of having a player with 17 years in the circuit. His T20 international average 25.21, however, isn't something Pakistan can rely on. But he is the second leading run-scorer for Pakistan in T20s with 1992 runs.

When asked if this opportunity is was easier for him, playing at home, Hafeez responded sternly: "It's important to look at the stats. In the last 10 years, I haven't played in Pakistan. Out of 12,000 International runs, 11,000 were scored outside Pakistan so I never got Pakistani conditions. So I am happy that I have scored in very difficult situations for Pakistan and had a winning contribution, which is nothing less than a proud moment or memory for me."

"You always take experience alongside. Even when I got out in the first innings with a mistake, sitting outside watching Malik's innings with the youngsters, I was telling them to observe the winning process, how Malik is playing and his control. You have to learn it and apply it. We have great talent in our country, but there is there is a need for more work on the development of the game. Making players learn that performance for the winning cause is so important - the finishing touch and how to absorb the pressure at international level.

"It does take time. Even we took time to learn. I had shared a dressing room with an example in front of me in Inzamam ul Haq - who scored over 10,000 runs, [Mohammed[ Yousuf, who was scoring a hundred every second or third innings, and Shoaib Akhtar. So we learnt from them and understood that you won't survive in the team if you don't produce match-winning contributions."