RESULTS: Hurghada International, Hurghada, Egypt
Quarter-finals (lower half of draw):
[3] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) bt [Q] Heba El Torky (EGY) 11-9, 19-17, 11-6 (53m)
[2] Camille Serme (FRA) bt Nour El Sherbini (EGY) 11-9, 9-11, 11-3, 12-10 (48m)
Rising French star Camille Serme became the only non-Egyptian to claim a place in the last four of the Women's Hurghada International in Egypt - but the new world No10 had to be at her best to hold off the challenge of Egypt's 14-year-old World Junior Champion Nour El Sherbini in the quarter-finals of the $26,200 WISPA World Tour squash event staged on an all-glass court sited on the Promenade in the Red Sea resort of Hurghada.
The prodigiously-talented El Sherbini exudes a composure that belies her years. The teenager, who became the sport's youngest ever world champion in India last year, walks around the court with a joyful exuberance, but purposely too.
But Serme, voted by her fellow WISPA members as 'Most Improved Player for 2009', has also enjoyed a steady rise - and earlier this month celebrated reaching the WISPA top ten. But the 21-year-old from Paris was finding the Alexandrian hard to handle, especially with the packed crowd cheering on the local girl.
They traded the first two games, with the precocious Egyptian pouncing on anything less than a good length from her opponent. But then Serme surged. The pressure from her solid driving and slotted volleying took her to an easy game and the likelihood that she would wrap up the match swiftly.
But the fourth reverted to the earlier pattern with both players chasing the rallies - and El Sherbini reaching game ball at 10-8 as the crowd reached a crescendo. A traffic stroke saved it for the Parisian and a drop saved the second. Serme then reeled off the two points required to ensure that the top four seeds had survived.
"I was very nervous to start with and I didn't know why so I became even more nervous," said Serme after her 11-9, 9-11, 11-3, 12-10 victory in 48 minutes. "I had to find a good length as she has some very good shots."
El Sherbini, who now has to return to school exams before training for the World Juniors in Germany next month, was not unhappy with her performance: "I am happy because I played better than last time I played her. She is better than me; she is a professional and it is not easy to play on the glass court, but I played okay."
Serme will face Engy Kheirallah, the third seed from Cairo who beat the highly-talented and mobile Heba El Torky, also an Egyptian, 11-9, 19-17, 11-6 in 53 minutes.
"I didn't think my length was the best and she played some really nice shots and was relaxed," said Alexandria-born Kheirallah, supported in the match by husband Karim Darwish, the former world number one.
"On this court, if your length is not good and your opponent's shots go in you can be in trouble. I was really happy to get away with the second."
Semi-final line-up:
[1] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) v [4] Raneem El Weleily (EGY)
[2] Camille Serme (FRA) v [3] Engy Kheirallah (EGY)