CHRISTCHURCH, New Zealand — Rising Egyptian squash star Amina Orfi secured the New Zealand Squash Open title with a dominant performance against Japanese player Satomi Watanabe, avenging past disappointment in emphatic fashion.
“To be honest, I still can’t believe it,” Orfi admitted.
“I thought about [the defeat in Squash in the Land] coming into this tournament, even when I was back home.
“But I just tried to forget it because it was a tough match and it could have gone either way, so I just made sure I didn’t really focus on that,” Orfi added.
Just two months ago, Watanabe edged out Orfi in a grueling 77-minute, five-game semi-final at Squash in the Land in Cleveland, sealing the win in a decisive tiebreak. However, their latest encounter was a different story, as the young Egyptian asserted her dominance from the outset.
Orfi set the tone early, securing the first game 11-5. Watanabe responded in the second, recovering from a 0-4 deficit to lead 8-6. Yet, displaying remarkable composure, Orfi regained control to claim the game 11-8 and extend her lead.
Brimming with confidence, Orfi maintained her intensity in the third, surging to a 9-4 advantage. Though Watanabe briefly threatened a comeback, Orfi’s precision proved unrelenting, sealing the match with another 11-5 win to capture her third title of the season.
Watanabe hit her lengths better in game two, recovering from 0-4 down to take an 8-6 lead. Orfi, though, is one of the Tour’s coolest customers, and the Egyptian was completely unfazed as she calmly went about her business to chalk off Watanabe’s lead and then take a 2-0 lead with an 11-8 win.
Flowing with confidence, Orfi never let her energy or commitment drop, and she took a huge lead at 9-4 in the third game.
Watanabe took the next point to briefly threaten a comeback, but was no match for Orfi’s unnerving accuracy, and the teenager won her third title of the season with an 11-5 victory.
In the men’s final, Paul Coll has been crowned the New Zealand Open champion after the New Zealand player overcame Marwan el-Shorbagy of Egypt.
No.2 seed El-Shorbagy went into the final with revenge on his mind after losing out to Coll in the final of the last edition of the New Zealand Open, in Tauranga in December 2023.
Top seed Coll quickly set the tone, though, with a morale-sapping start to the match as the 32-year-old – who in 2022 became the first ever Kiwi squash player to reach World No.1 – tore into El-Shorbagy, giving himself a perfect platform with an 11-5 win.
El-Shorbagy found the perfect response in game two, with the Englishman looking fired up and at his explosive attacking best as he hit back 11-8 to set nerves fluttering inside the Isaac Theatre Royal.
Game three was a brutal affair for both men, with Coll and El-Shorbagy putting a number of lengthy rallies into each other’s legs.
Unfortunately for El-Shorbagy, such games are Coll’s bread and butter, and the Kiwi’s impeccable fitness was on full display as he moved away from 5-5 to regain his lead with an 11-6 win.
El-Shorbagy appeared to be feeling the effects of game three at the beginning of the fourth, as Coll – a local hero in Christchurch after studying and playing his junior squash here – stormed into a 5-1 lead.
