Credit / Squash TV (Twitter)
Ngāti Porou squash player Joelle King has been beaten in the semifinals of the world tour finals in Cairo, Egypt in dramatic fashion.
The 32-year-old lost to fifth-seeded 20-year-old Hania El Hammamy (Egypt) 18-20, 11-8, 11-2 in 56 minutes in a match featuring numerous lengthy rallies.
A marathon first set, which went all the way to 20-18 in King’s favour, saw both players continuously exchange game balls before the Kiwi was able to convert, letting out a huge roar before making her way off court.
This is just sensational from @Joelle_King & @HaniaaElHammamy!! 👏👏
— PSA World Tour (@PSAWorldTour) October 2, 2020
16-16! What a tie-break this is! 😱#SquashIsBack #WorldTourFinals pic.twitter.com/oAArlV7eVz
However, El Hammamy regrouped well and was able to work her way into the match in the second set and start to cause problems for King as she found her length and accuracy to draw level, this time making no mistake when she was set-ball up and converting on her first attempt.
In the third set, it appeared that fatigue may have got the better of world No.8 King as she struggled to cope with El Hammamy who looked like she had moved up a few gears.
The next tournament for King and fellow New Zealander Paul Coll is the Egyptian Open Platinum tournament in just over a week.