Dina Meshref of Egypt broke the previous record for the number of female African players to reach the semifinals of the WTT Contender in Doha. She attributed her success to her team’s hard work and support.
Meshref defeated Hana Matelova of the Czech Republic 3-0 after beginning her career in the main draw (round of 32) (11-9, 11-7, 11-5). In the round of 16, she was paired with Suthasini Sawettabut of Thailand. Determined Meshref defeated the Thailand star 3-1 (11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9) to go to the quarterfinal of a WTT Series tournament for the second time in her career.
Meshref defeated Kim Nayeong of South Korea 3-2 to maintain her strong form. The African star was at her best in the clash against the Korean, having to come back from a 2-1 deficit to win the match 3-2 (11-8, 8-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-9).
Despite putting up a strong fight, Meshref lost 3-1 (7-11, 9-11, 12-10, 9-11) against South Korea’s national champion and world number nine Shin Yubin in the semi-final match, advancing to the round of four.
