EGYPT beat India 2-1 in the final of the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) U-21 World Cup to deny the hosts a historic first world title in the inaugural World Squash Federation event in Chennai. The World Cup, held from 1-5 February, was staged initially at the Indian Squash Academy, leading to t`he final rounds being played on an ASB all-glass show court erected at the Express Avenue Mall, the largest shopping complex in southern India. This was the second time in India that squash was played in a shopping mall but for the first time the show court had a glass floor. The anti-slip floor had LED lights below giving a different feel to the court. The countries participating were England, France, Germany, Egypt, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Australia and India. The largest shopping complex in southern India attracted a near record crowd of over 75,000 on the day that India was playing in the first world squash final in the country's history. It was a tall order for the hosts in the opening match where team number one Ravi Dixit, ranked 183 in the world, faced Egypt's world No 33 Marwan El-Shorbagi, the highest-ranked man in the tournament. El-Shorbagi, still only 18, stamped his authority and beat Dixit 11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7 in 58 minutes and put the favourites into the lead. But the match of the championship then followed, in which the star of Indian squash Dipika Pallikal, the highest-ranked woman in the event, faced Egyptian rival Nour El-Sherbini. The head-to-head record between the pair was one-all but 20-year-old Pallikal is currently ranked 14 in the world, nine places above the 16-year-old former world junior champion from Alexandria. Pallikal took the opening game, but to the dismay of the crowd, El-Sherbini won the next two to move ahead. The Egyptian maintained her control of the match to march on to match-ball at 10-6. But Pallikal was not about to concede and, urged on by the exuberant crowd, clawed her way back into the game saving four match balls to draw level. The crowd was shouting and screaming more than ever before and it was some time before the local heroine was able to resume play. Twice more El-Sherbini moved to within a single point of the title and twice Pallikal fought back before finally converting her own first game ball �ê" having saved six match balls �ê" to win the game 14-12. With crowd scenes and screams rarely witnessed before at a squash event, Pallikal returned to the court inspired. After losing two points from 8-3 up, she returned the next serve into the nick, delivered a delicate back hand drop shot again into the nick before winning the third on a no let to claim a sensational 11-7, 4-11, 8-11, 14-12, 11-5 victory after 74 long minutes. Karim Abdel-Gawad, world No 42, beat Indian Ramit Tandon 12-10, 11-4, 6-11, 11-8 after 67 minutes to earn the title for Egypt. Earlier, second seeds England avenged their earlier shock pool defeat to France by beating the third seeds 2-1 in the Bronze medal play-off. England's world No 96 Charles Sharpes made up for his previous loss to Lucas Serme by fighting back from 2-1 down to overcome the Frenchman 14-12, 7-11, 5-11, 11-6, 11-5 in 76 minutes, the longest match of the tournament. The pair came through junior ranks together, but Sharpes had not previously beaten the 19-year-old from Paris since 2009. England's world No 33 Emily Whitlock, the 17-year-old who pulled off the biggest win of her life 24 hours earlier when she beat Egypt's world junior champion Nour El-Tayeb for the first time, faced France's Cyrielle Peltier. The English teenager maintained her blistering form in Chennai to put away 19-year-old Peltier 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 in 31 minutes to clinch victory for the jubilant England team.
