Egypt, England to lock horns in team event final

In two semi-finals that had little of the drama which the quarter-finals had thrown up, Egypt powered its way past Czech Republic while England, steeped in tradition, outplayed the United States, both by an identical 3-0 margin. 

The final will bring forth the power and stamina that Egypt players possess in great measure against the calm and elegance of the English boys, that is why the title-match promises to be a rich fare for a great finale. For England, there is a special reason to feel elated for it was here in 2002 that it had last entered the title round. 

After the gift that the United States received from Canada in the quarters it was a different experience all together against the well-grounded English boys. Be it number one player Nicholas Wall or James Wyatt or Samuel Todd, each had a style that brought out the richness of the sport. The power-filled drives were equally mixed with the soft touches in the forecourt and there were the variations in lengths that added to the refreshing variety. The US players coped with them all up to a level but slowly withered. Except for the redundant third singles, the tie turned out to be straightforward victory for England with everything ending in quick time. 

Earlier, the inspiring journey of Czech Republic ended but the team should feel satisfied that the defeat had to be at the hands of the all-powerful Egypt. Like in earlier matches, the Egyptians boys meant business right from the word go and finished off the task in hand at the earliest. Marwan did not take long to find the rhythm. The first game held on level terms for a while with rallies replete but Marwan was soon presented with points without his pressing for them.

Such was Viktor’s misfortune. If anything Marwan played even more tighter in the second game and quickly wrapped that off. Viktor did not really fight from there on. Similar was Mostafa Assal’s grip over the bearded Ondrej Vorlicek. Flashy drives mixed with clever and delicate drops ensured that the Czech was stretched and unsettled as Assal ran through. With the winning margin attained, the third singles over best of three games went through rapidly with Omar El Torkey signalling the win and taking Egypt majestically to the title round.

Results:Semi-finals: Egypt beat Czech Republic 3-0 (Marwan Tarek bt Viktor Byrtus 11-8, 11-5, 11-4; Mostafa Assal bt Ondrej Vorlicek 11-8,11-4, 11-2; Omar El Torkey bt Marek Panacek 11-7, 11-7); England beat United States 3-0 (Nicholas Wall bt Daelum Mawji 11-5, 11-8, 11-5; James Wyatt bt Thomas Rosini 11-4, 11-8, 11-7; Samuel Todd bt Ayush Menon 5-11, 11-3, 11-2)