Kiwi Joelle King has produced a massive upset at the squash world tour finals, beating world No.1 Nouran Gohar from Egypt to book a spot in the semi-finals.
King, ranked eighth in the world, prevailed in a straight shootout to decide who would make the final four, with the world leader missing out. World champion Nour El Sherbini, who beat King in her opening match, claimed the other qualifying spot from the group.
Coming into the contest, both players had one win to their name in the group stages, but King was able to claim the important victory, 12-10 11-7, in 28 minutes.
A slow start from the Kiwi saw her down four game balls in the opening set, but she fought back, as she began pushing Gohar deep into the back corners of the court and taking the pace off the ball to break up her opponents' rhythm.
After saving the four game balls, King converted at her first attempt.
“I just tried to play each point as it came and I was lucky to scrape the first,” King says. “I was pleased with the mental side and I need to trust the work that I’ve done.
"I just wanted to see how well I could play and I’m pretty happy with that,” says the Waikato player, who has been ranked as high as No.3 in the world.
The 32-year-old, who celebrated her birthday on Thursday, maintained her focus in the second to nullify the attacking intent of Gohar.
“I just tried to think that I was in the middle of a practice match with one of the guys back in Bristol and just relax,” King says. “I felt like I was playing some good squash in patches, but not long enough.
"Nouran is such an amazing player and mentally tough, so I knew I had to do something more.”
King's semi-final opponent will come Group B, where Egyptians Nouran El Tayeb and Hania El Hammamy, and Frenchwoman Camille Serme can still finish in a three-way tie.
