WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: Women's Carcassone City Squash Open, Carcassone, France

Final:
Ellen Petersen (DEN) bt [3] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) 9-4, 9-10, 7-9, 9-6, 9-1

Petersen Captures Carcassone Title

Unseeded Dane Ellen Petersen pulled off her fourth upset in a row in the Women's Carcassone City Squash Open when she fought back from 1/2 down to beat Egypt's third seed Raneem El Weleily in the final to lift the WISPA World Tour title in the French city of Carcassone.

It was a magnificent triumph for the 30-year-old from Odense whose last WISPA Tour success was in August 2001 when she won the Indian Open and celebrated a career-high world No19 ranking.  Since then, whilst retaining her membership of WISPA, Petersen has been pursuing a full-time career as a doctor, fitting her squash activity into her holiday entitlement.

By contrast, Petersen's opponent Raneem El Weleily is in the early stage of her career.  The 16-year-old from Alexandria, voted by the WISPA members as 'Young Player of the Year' last year, was in sparkling form in the opening encounters - taking the first four points before making so many mistakes that the Dane took the first game 9-4 after just ten minutes.

After leading 7-3 in the second, El Weleily lost five points in a row to give Ellen a game ball for a 2/0 lead.  However, after saving a further game ball, the Egyptian finally took the game to level the match.  After a stunning third game, it is the Egyptian who forges a 2/1 lead.

In the fourth, Raneem pulled back to five-all after Petersen established an early lead, but the Dane hit a flurry of winners to take the game and force the match into a fifth game decider.

By now it is the teenager who is the more tired of the two players, and Petersen maintains the pressure to ease to a 9-4 9-10 7-9 9-6 9-1 victory - and her fifth WISPA title.