Raneem El Weleily

Raneem Mohamed Yasser Saad El Din El Welily (Arabic: رنيم محمد ياسر سعد الدين الوليلي; born 1 January 1989, in Alexandria, Egypt) is a former professional squash player from Egypt.[1] She has reached a career-high world ranking of No. 1 in September 2015. She is a three-time finalist at the World Open, in 2014, 2016, and 2019/2020. She became the World Champion in 2017, after defeating Nour El Sherbini in the finals.

Raneem El Welily
CountryEgypt
Born
Raneem Mohamed Yasser Saad El Din El Walily

(1989-01-01) 1 January 1989
Alexandria, Egypt
Height5 ft 3 in (160 cm)
Turned Pro2003
Retired2020
PlaysRight Handed
Coached byHaitham Effat, Ahmed Faragallah
Racquet usedHarrow
Women's singles
Highest rankingNo. 1 (September, 2015)
Title(s)23
Tour final(s)35
World OpenW (2017)
Medal record
Women's squash
Representing  Egypt
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2017 Manchester Singles
Silver medal – second place 2014 Cairo Singles
Silver medal – second place 2016 El Gouna Singles
Silver medal – second place 2019–20 Cairo Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2012 Grand Cayman Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2013 Penang Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Kuala Lumpur Singles
Bronze medal – third place 2018–19 Chicago Singles
World Team Championships
Gold medal – first place 2008 Cairo Team
Gold medal – first place 2012 Nîmes Team
Gold medal – first place 2016 Paris Team
Gold medal – first place 2018 Dalian Team
Silver medal – second place 2006 Edmonton Team
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Niagara-on-the-Lake Team
Last updated: March, 2017.

Career

Junior career

Alexandria-born El Welily has emerged as one of the most skillful players on the PSA Women's World Tour since she turned professional in 2002. Raneem followed her brother into squash at the age of six and first played for Egypt in the World Juniors 2001 in Penang, Malaysia, then aged ten.

Two years later when the event was played in Cairo she was part of the Egyptian winning squad, and in 2004 she represented the senior team that came fourth in the World Teams in Amsterdam.

The highlight of El Welily's junior career was when she became the world junior champion in Herentals, Belgium in 2005. Then she was voted WISPA Young Player of the Year for 2005 for the second time after winning it in 2004. She lifted the World Junior Championship twice, in 2005 and 2007. Raneem also is a 6-time British Junior Open Winner.[2]

Professional career

El Welily won her first senior Tour title in 2009 when she triumphed at the Heliopolis Open in Egypt.[3]

That win helped catapult her into the world's top twenty and, after making the semi-finals of the Malaysian Open despite being a qualifier, she promptly rose into the top ten. The Egyptian shot-maker doubled her Tour title tally in 2011 and four months later won the biggest event of her career so far, by topping then-World No.2 Jenny Duncalf to lift the prestigious Carol Weymuller Open.[4]

2012 saw El Welily reach World No.2 for the first time and in September of that year she won her first World Series title by defeating World No.1 Nicol David in the final in the CIMB Malaysian Open. Also in 2012, she was part of the team that regained the world team title after winning a gold medal at the 2012 Women's World Team Squash Championships; this was her second world team title success.[5]

She beat David again in the 2013 Cleveland Classic final to lift another crown. El Welily amassed three runner-up spots in the remainder of 2013, with David winning all three, before she won her second Malaysian Open title in 2014, beating Nour El Tayeb in the final.[6]

In 2014, she was part of the Egyptian team that won the bronze medal at the 2014 Women's World Team Squash Championships.[7]

She reached the final of the World Championship in December 2014 but David proved to be a stumbling block once more as she denied El Welily squash's biggest crown. Undeterred, El Welily had a terrific opening to 2015 as she won the Tournament of Champions, the Windy City Open and the Alexandria International to close the gap on David's hold on the World No.1 ranking. In May 2015 she was named as the PSA Women's Player of the year for the 2014/15 season.[8] In September 2015, Raneem surpassed David to clinch the World No.1 ranking in the PSA Women's World Ranking.[9]

In 2016, she won her third world team title as part of the Egyptian team that won the gold medal at the 2016 Women's World Team Squash Championships.[10] In 2018, she was part of the Egyptian team that won the 2018 Women's World Team Squash Championships, It was her fourth world team title.[11]

El Welily announced her retirement from professional competition in June 2020.

Personal life

El Welily was born and raised in Alexandria. She is married to Tarek Momen, a professional squash player.[12] She graduated from the German School in Alexandria and between training sessions she also finds time to indulge her interests of music, jigsaw puzzles, and sudoku.[13]

Titles (24)
Outcome Year Tournament Location Opponent in the final Score in the final
Winner2009Heliopolis OpenCairo, EgyptEgypt Engy Kheirallah7–11, 12–10, 11–6, 11–5
Winner2011Carol Weymuller OpenBrooklyn, United StatesEngland Jenny Duncalf11–7, 15–13, 11–4
Winner2011Hurghada InternationalHurghada, EgyptEgypt Omneya Abdel Kawy11–5, 12–10, 11–9
Winner2012Malaysian Open Squash ChampionshipsKuala Lumpur, MalaysiaMalaysia Nicol David12–10, 11–13, 11–6, 11–2
Winner2012Greenwich OpenNew York City, United StatesNew Zealand Joelle King11–8, 11–8, 6–11, 11–4
Winner2013Cleveland ClassicCleveland, United StatesMalaysia Nicol David3–11, 11–5, 9–11, 11–5, 11–9
Winner2014Malaysian Open Squash ChampionshipsKuala Lumpur, MalaysiaEgypt Nour El Tayeb7–11, 11–3, 12–10, 2–11, 11–7
Winner2015Tournament of ChampionsNew York City, United StatesEngland Alison Waters9–11, 12–10, 11–4, 11–4
Winner2015Metro Squash Windy City OpenChicago, United StatesMalaysia Nicol David12–14, 12–10, 11–7, 11–7
Winner2015Alexandria InternationalAlexandria, EgyptEgypt Omneya Abdel Kawy11–6, 11–5, 11–9
Winner2015China OpenShanghai, ChinaEgypt Nouran Gohar13–11, 11–7, 11–7
Winner2016Metro Squash Windy City OpenChicago, United StatesEgypt Nour El Sherbini9–11, 11–6, 11–3, 11–6
Winner2016Al-Ahram InternationalCairo, EgyptEgypt Nour El Sherbini11–5, 11–9, 9–11, 9–11, 11–7
Winner2016Wadi Degla OpenCairo, EgyptEgypt Nouran Gohar11–8, 7–11, 11–4, 11–5
Winner2017Metro Squash Windy City OpenChicago, United StatesEgypt Nour El Sherbini10–12, 11–7, 11–7, 11–7
Winner2017World OpenManchester, EnglandEgypt Nour El Sherbini3–11, 12–10, 11–7, 11–5
Winner2018El Gouna InternationalEl Gouna, EgyptEgypt Nour El Sherbini5–11, 11–8, 11–3, 14-12
Winner2018China Squash OpenShanghai, ChinaFrance Camille Serme11–5, 8–11, 11–6, 11–5
Winner2018United States Open (squash)Philadelphia, United StatesEgypt Nour El Sherbini11–6, 11–9, 11–8
Winner2019Black Ball Squash OpenCairo, EgyptEgypt Nour El Sherbini9–11, 11–2, 6–11, 11–1, 11-5
Winner2019DPD Open (squash)Eindhoven, NetherlandsEgypt Nour El Sherbini10–12, 9–11, 11–8, 11–8, 11–8
Winner2019El Gouna InternationalEl Gouna, EgyptEgypt Nouran Gohar11–8, 7–11, 12–10, 11-6
Winner2019PSA World Tour FinalsCairo, EgyptFrance Camille Serme3–11, 8–11, 11–7, 11–4, 11–6
Winner2019Netsuite OpenSan Francisco, United StatesEgypt Nour El Tayeb11–5, 11–5, 11–5

World Open

Finals: 4 (1 title, 3 runners-up)
Outcome Year Location Opponent in the final Score in the final
Runner-up2014Cairo, EgyptMalaysia Nicol David11–5, 8–11, 11–7, 12–14, 5–11
Runner-up2016El Gouna, EgyptEgypt Nour El Sherbini8–11, 9–11, 9–11
Winner2017Manchester, EnglandEgypt Nour El Sherbini3–11, 12–10, 11–7, 11–5
Runner-up2019–20Cairo, EgyptEgypt Nour El Sherbini11–4, 9–11, 11–5, 11–6

See also

References
  1. Info, Squash. "Squash Info | Raneem El Welily | Squash". www.squashinfo.com. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  2. "Raneem El Welily Harrow Squash Interview". www.squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  3. "Raneem El Welily – Professional Squash Association". psaworldtour.com. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  4. "Raneem El Welily – Professional Squash Association". psaworldtour.com. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  5. "Women's WSF World Team Championship 2012, La Parnasse Arena, Nimes, France". Squash info. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  6. "Raneem El Welily – Professional Squash Association". psaworldtour.com. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  7. "England Reclaim Women's World Team Championship Title". Squash info. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  8. "Raneem El Welily – Professional Squash Association". psaworldtour.com. Retrieved 2015-09-11.
  9. "Q&A: Egyptian squash champion Raneem El-Weleily speaks about being world number one - Omni Sports - Sports - Ahram Online". english.ahram.org.eg. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
  10. "Egypt Beats England, Winning Women's World Team Squash Championship". Cairo Scene. Retrieved 20 December 2022.
  11. "Women's World Team Championship squash: Egypt beat England to retain title". BBC Sport. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  12. "Raneem and Tarek tie the Knot". SquashSite TODAY. Retrieved 2018-04-16.
  13. "Catching Up With…Raneem El Welily". U.S. Open Squash. 2014-08-28. Retrieved 2018-10-02.
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