Nour El Sherbini

Nour El Sherbini (Arabic: نور الشربيني‎; born 1 November 1995) is an Egyptian professional squash player. She is a four times World champion and became the youngest woman to win the Women's World Championship (2015). In 2016, she retained her title and in 2019 won her third World Championship equalling the feat of Michelle Martin and rising to equal fourth in the all time list of world championships won. She is the 2nd best player in the world.

Nour El Sherbini

Nour El Sherbini
Full name	Nour Atef Ahmed Zaki El Sherbini
Nickname(s)	The Warrior Princess
Country	Egypt
Residence	Alexandria, Egypt
Born	(1995-11-01) 1 November 1995 Alexandria, Egypt
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Turned Pro	2009
Plays	Right Handed
Coached by	Omar el Sherbini , Roushdy Mabrouk
Racquet used	Tecnifibre
Website	www.nourelsherbini.com
Women's singles
Highest ranking	No. 1 (May, 2016)
Current ranking	No. 4 (March 2020)
Title(s)	21
Tour final(s)	38
World Open	W (2015, 2016, 2018–19, 2019–20)
Medal record Women's squash Representing  Egypt World Championships 2015 Kuala Lumpur Singles 2016 El Gouna Singles 2018–19 Chicago Singles 2019–20 Cairo Singles 2013 Penang Singles 2017 Manchester Singles World Team Championships 2012 Nîmes Team 2016 Issy-les-Moulineaux Team 2018 Dalian Team 2014 Niagara-on-the-Lake Team

Early life

Nour was born and has been raised in Alexandria, Egypt. She started playing squash when she was 6 years old, and was already participating in tournaments before she was 8. She has devoted her entire life to squash, and has made a successful living off of it.

Her brother Omar el Sherbini kept her interested in squash as she would spend time watching him and learning from his sessions. She confirmed that sports run in her family: "My father used to be a football player and a good swimmer. Also my mum was a good athlete".[1]

Early career

She won the British Junior Open Under-13 category in 2007 and 2008. On 28 November 2009, Sherbini was awarded the 2009 Young WISPA Squash Player of the Year. As she explains: "By time I gained more confidence and become more steady that made me able to win most of the titles of the local tournaments in Egypt, till reaching the British open and my first international titles. My first BJO title was such a push for more titles starting from under 13 years old till under 15, titles in a row".[2]

A few months after her 13th birthday, she joined WISPA in early 2009, and in April she announced her arrival by losing to world top liner Engy Kheirallah in a tight 3/1 at the Heliopolis Open. After having reached the final of the ATCO Miro event in June, also in Cairo, Sherbini was stopped by Kheirallah in her bid for her first WISPA Tour title. On August 2, 2009, at 13, Sherbini became the youngest world champion in the history of the sport when she won the women's title at the World Junior squash Championships (U-19). As she explained: "Reaching the most important moment of my life, I was chosen to represent Egypt in the world open junior championship taking place in Chennai, India. To win the title was a dream, but to take it and feel the taste of victory was a dream came true. Adding the World Team title made it looks extraordinary".[3]

2012: Entering the top 10

In four years on the WSA World Tour, Nour El Sherbini rose 208 places in the women’s rankings to occupy the world No. 7 spot at the age of 16.

Her first professional competition came in the Heliopolis Open as a qualifier, and she made it to the first round. The following January she won the British Junior Under-19 Open at the age of 14, at which point she had already broken into the world’s top 50. She returned to Heliopolis in 2010 to claim her first WSA title. The following year, still climbing the rankings and sitting at No. 36, she won the Alexandria International Open as 5th seed and finished the year by reaching round two of the World Open as a qualifier.[4]

In 2012 Sherbini made semi-final appearances in the Tournament of Champions in New York, as well as in the KL Open in Malaysia. These results tipped Sherbini into the world top 20, and she reached the final of the WSA World Series Platinum Allam British Open event at the O2 Arena, where she lost to Nicol David.[4]

On 19 May 2012, Sherbini defeated Raneem El Weleily to become the youngest-ever British Open women’s finalist.[5] She reached a world ranking of No. 1 in April 2016.[6][7]

World Squash Championships

Finals: 6 (4 titles, 2 runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Location	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2013	Penang, Malaysia	Laura Massaro	11–7, 6–11, 11–9, 5–11, 11–9
Winner	2015	Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia	Laura Massaro	6–11, 4–11, 11–3, 11–5, 11–8
Winner	2016	El Gouna, Egypt	Raneem El Weleily	11–8, 11–9, 11–9
Runner-up	2017	Manchester, England	Raneem El Weleily	3–11, 12–10, 11–7, 11–5
Winner	2018–19	Chicago, USA	Nour El Tayeb	11–6, 11–5, 10–12, 15–13
Winner	2019–20	Cairo, Egypt	Raneem El Weleily	11–4, 9–11, 11–5, 11–6

Major World Series final appearances

British Open: 3 finals (2 title, 1 runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2012	Nicol David	11–6, 11–6, 11–6
Winner	2016	Nouran Gohar	11–7, 9–11, 7–11, 11–6, 11–8
Winner	2018	Raneem El Weleily	11–6, 11–9, 14–12

Qatar Classic: 1 final (0 title, 1 runner-up)

Outcome	Year	Opponent in the final	Score in the final
Runner-up	2015	Laura Massaro	11–8, 12–14, 11–9, 8–11, 11–9

Awards and achievements

Nour El Sherbini at the World Junior Squash Championships in Doha, 2012

• British Junior Open Champion GU13 2007[8]
• British Junior Open Champion GU13 2008[9]
• British Junior Open Champion GU15 2009[10]
• Atco Miro No.1 WISPA Runner-up 2009[11]
• World Junior Champion 2009[12]
• Young WISPA Player of the Year 2009[13]
• Young Female Player of the Year 2009
• British Junior Open Champion GU19 2010[14]
• Heliopolis Open WISPA Champion 2010[15]
• High WISPA Ranking of 25 October 2010[16]
• World Junior Runner-up 2011[17]
• Alexandria International Open WISPA Champion 2011[18]
• British Junior Open Champion GU19 2012[19]
• High WSA Ranking of 7 June 2012[20]
• Youngest ever to reach the final of the British open in 2012[21]
• The first Egyptian to reach the final of the British Open in 2012[21]
• Youngest ever to be in the top ten on the world reaching No. 7 in June 2012[22]
• World Junior Champion 2012[23]
• The first Egyptian to win the British Open (in 2016)
• PSA Player of The Year 2017/18[24]

References

1. "Athlete of the Month April 2017". theworldgames.org. World Games. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
2. "Alexandria International Squash Open - Players". squashsite.co.uk. Squashsite. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
3. "Nour El Sherbini: The Warrior Princess". emys.gov.eg. Egyptian Ministry of Youth and Sports. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
4. Nour El Sherbini. psaworldtour.com
5. "Nour El Sherbini". britishopensquash.net.
6. Squash Info. "Squash Info – Nour El Sherbini – Squash". squashinfo.com.
7. El Sherbini Becomes Youngest Ever Women’s World Champion. psaworldtour.com (30 April 2016)
8. Finals 2007. Squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved on 17 June 2016.
9. Finals 2008. Squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved on 17 June 2016.
10. Today. Squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved on 17 June 2016.
11. "ATCO Junior Open Squash Championships, Cairo". atcosquash.com.
12. FINALS. Squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved on 17 June 2016.
13. WSA 2009. Squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved on 17 June 2016.
14. Today 2010. Squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved on 17 June 2016.
15. Heliopolis2010. Squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved on 17 June 2016.
16. WISPA World Rankings. March 2013. wispa.net
17. "Individual Final: El Tayeb takes the Title – World Junior Squash Championships 2011". worldsquash.org.
18. "Alexandria WISPA Sept 2011". sitesquash.com.
19. British Junior Open Squash – Today. Squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved on 17 June 2016.
20. Players. wsaworldtour.com
21. "Allam British Open Semi-Finals". Allam British Open Squash Championships – Official Site.
22. June 2012 World Rankings. Squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved on 17 June 2016.
23. "Today: Day Six, the FINALS". worldsquash.org.
24. "Egypt Take Top Honours At PSA Awards - Professional Squash Association". psaworldtour.com. Retrieved 5 June 2018.

External links

• Nour El Sherbini at WISPA (archived)
• Nour El Sherbini at WSA (archived)
• Nour El Sherbini at Squash Info

Sporting positions
Preceded by Laura Massaro	World No. 1 May 2016 – November 2018	Succeeded by Raneem El Weleily
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Annie Au	WISPA Young Player of the Year 2009	Succeeded by Nour El Tayeb
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Nour El Tayeb	WSA Breakthrough Player of the Year 2012	Succeeded by Sarah-Jane Perry