By Ghada Abdel-Kader Warm up THE INTERNATIONAL Junior Championships in Casablanca, Morocco, is helping Egyptians prepare for the African Junior Championships, also to be staged in the North African country. The event allows African players to adapt to Moroccan conditions in preparation for the all-important African Junior Championships. Feed-in consolation events will be organised so that players have the opportunity to play a singles match every day, giving them vital match- play exposure in anticipation of their continent's most prestigious junior tennis event. The tournament staged matches in three age categories -- 18 & under, 16 & under, and 14 & under -- and attracted entries from 96 boys and 96 girls from 34 nations. The 18 & under events form part of the ITF Junior Circuit, giving players the opportunity to gain valuable ranking points in what was a very competitive week. In the 16 & under and 14 & under age categories, players qualified through playing in one of three zonal championships which took place in January in West & Central Africa, Southern Africa and East Africa. Both events are being hosted for the first time by the Federation Royale Marocaine de Tennis, in collaboration with the ITF and the Confederation of African Tennis (CAT). In the girls U14 event, Egyptian Mayar Sherif seeded No 8, reached the semi-finals after beating South African Kay Leigh 7-5 and 2-5. Sherif will meet Moroccan Intissar Rassif, seeded No 2, in the final. In the girls U16, Yamine Ebada seeded No 1and Mora Ishaq seeded No 2, reached the semi-finals. In the U16 for boys, Karim Hossam and Ahmed El-Bitar managed to reach the final. In boys' doubles competitions, Egyptian players U14 are trying to reach the quarter-finals. Marina Albert and Mayar Sherif, seeded No 2, are into the quarter-final of the U14 doubles event. Fascinating finish EGYPT came in first place in the 3rd Qatar International Squash Championship. At the Khalifa Intentional Tennis and Squash Complex from 5-10 April, Egypt finished with 156 points from nine wins and a balance of 14 points. It finished ahead of England with a 26 point difference and Germany third with 21 points. The participating countries were Egypt, England, Germany, Malaysia, India, Hong Kong and Qatar, the host country. The championship included categories for U-13, U-15, U-17 and an open for men. Each country was represented by two players in each category. Qatar fielded four players in the Under-13 category while competing with two players in the other three. It was the first time the event had added a men's open while the earlier two editions of the championship were restricted to age group players. In a surprising open men's singles event, unseeded Egyptian Ahmed Swaifi stunned second-seeded Oliver Pett of England 3-2. Trailing behind two games 7-11, 10-12, Swaifi came back strong to take the remaining three games 11- 4, 11-5, 12-10 and the match. In Under 13, the second seed Omar El-Atmas of Egypt shocked top seed Kush Kumar of India 11-6, 13-15, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8. Sayed Azam of Qatar finished 13th, beating teammate Umar Zaman in the playoffs. The only other country that proved successful in the individual category was Malaysia, when second seed Darren Subramaniam beat top seed Oliver Holland of England in the Under 15 title clash. The Malaysian won in straight sets 11-8, 11-7, 11-6. The second seed Egyptian Mohamed El-Sherbini clinched the U17 title when he overpowered another top seed James Earles of England 11-9, 13-11, 11-9. Qatar's inform Ahmed Al-Tamimi could not conjure up his magic in his hometown. Finishing ninth was not something he expected in the U-17 even after beating Hong Kong's King Yat Wong. Tango of two EGYPT'S world junior squash champion Raneem El-Weleili celebrated her long-awaited maiden tour title success in stunning style at the On The Run Heliopolis Open when she beat compatriot Engi Kheirallah in the final of the women's $20,000 WISPA World Tour event at the Heliopolis Sporting Club in Cairo. The 20-year-old third seed from Alexandria, who studies in Cairo, is based at the host club, so the gallery was packed with fans eager to see the first ever final in the 14-year history of the event featuring two Egyptians. The more experienced Kheirallah, a former world No 12, took the opening game and, at 10-all, was poised to move into a two-game lead. But the local club star drew level and then began to take control of the match until, after exactly one hour, she clinched her breakthrough title in a 7-11, 12- 10, 11-6, 11-5 score line.
