Egypt too good for India in U-21 Squash World Cup

Chennai -  Top seeded Egypt expectedly overcame No.4 ranked India 3-0 in the preliminary league of the WSF Under-21 World Cup team championship here on Thursday.

The powerful Egypt team, spearheaded by World junior champion and top ranked Marwan El Shorbagy, carried too much firepower for a reshuffled Indian team that rested their star player Dipika Pallikal and brought in teenager Anaka Alankamony.

The 18-year-old Shorbagy won the first singles in four games against an inspired Ravi Dixit. Though the outcome was never in doubt, Shorbagy had to stretch every sinew to get past Dixit, who managed to snatch the second game.

In the second singles, Nour El Sherbini put out the higher ranked Alankamony in three games. Alankamony, the Asian junior champion, is No.2 while Sherbini is at ranked fourth, but the numbers were irrelevant as the Egyptian was in a different league altogether.

With the tie decided, Karim Abdel Gawad survived a tentative start to rout Karan Malik in four games to give Egypt a 3-0 victory, their second in as many outings.

Elsewhere, second seeded England edged past No.3 France 2-1 as also Australia who lost the opening singles before scrambling to a 2-1 win against lower ranked Germany.

The results:

Pool A: 1-Egypt bt 4-India 3-0 (Marwan El Shorbagy bt Ravi Dixit 11-7, 6-11, 11-4, 12-10; Nour El Sherbini bt Anaka Alankamony 11-6, 11-3, 11-7; Karim Abdel Gawad bt Karan Malik 3-11, 11-9, 11-0, 11-3).

5-Australia bt 8-Germany 2-1 (Jamie McErvalie lost to Rudi Rohrmuller 10-12, 12-10, 3-11, 8-11; Sarah Cardwell bt Annika Wiese 11-6, 11-7, 11-4; Walter Kofeka bt Sven Lammermann 13-11, 11-9, 11-0).

Pool B: 2-England bt 3-France 2-1 (Charles Sharpes lost to Lucas Serme 8-11, 5-11, 4-11; Emily Whitlock bt Cyrielle Peltier 11-4, 11-1, 11-9; Ben Coleman bt Geoffrey Demont 11-8, 11-8, 11-8).

6-Hong Kong bt 7-Malaysia 2-1 (Yueng Ho Wai bt Affeeq Aeefeen 11-5, 6-11, 11-9, 11-4; Tong Tsz-Wing bt Tan Yan Xin 11-6, 6-11, 11-8, 11-4; Wong Chi Him lost to Sanjay Singh 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, 10-12, 6-11).