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24-Jul,
Finals:
Draws & results
Bronze: Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) bt Alison Waters (Gbr)
8/11, 11/7, 6/11, 11/8, 12/10 (51m)
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [2] Natalie Grinham (Ned)
11/6, 11/8, 11/6 (38m)
[1] Nick Matthew (Gbr) bt [2] James Willstrop (Gbr)
11/8, 11/6, 11/5 (42m)
 Going for Gold ...
First up on the final day of squash action in Kaoshiung was
the women's Bronze Medal playoff (the men's is taken by
Azlan Iskandar as Stewart Boswell is injured).
Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy took the gong, edging out
Alison Waters in a see-saw match. The first four games were
shared but the Egyptian maintained a slender advantage
through the fifth, taking it on her second match ball to
consign Waters to a second consecutive 3-2 defeat.
 The women's final featured two players no strangers to each
other, or to gold medals. Nicol David is the
defending champion, and has Asian Games gold medals in her
collection. Natalie Grinham has three Commonwealth
Games golds, the singles won after beating Nicol in the
semi-finals in Melbourne.
Since then Nicol has won all but one of 14 meetings, was
considered a strong favourite, and so it proved as she
maintained her run of 3-0 victories to retain the title.
The all-British men's final saw Nick Matthew and
James Willstrop both aiming to improve on the bronze
medals they won four years ago in Germany. Matthew held the
upper hand in recent meetings, and continued that run as he
took the final in straight games.
Photos from Colin Hero White |
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Nicol grabs Gold
KOC-CNA story by Wu Shye-chang
When asked earlier in the tournament about her chances in a
possible encounter with top seed Nicol David, second-seeded
Natalie Grinham believed she would have a chance.
But in the finals of the World Games women's squash event,
David, the world No. 1 in the sport for the past three
years, proved once again Friday that she is clearly the best
in the game.
Grinham, who needed a gutsy comeback from two sets down in
the semifinal against Great Britain's Alison Waters Thursday
just to reach the gold medal match, scored more points
against the Malaysian than any of her other victims this
week, but David still triumphed in straight sets 11-6, 11-8,
11-6 in 35 minutes.
David never trailed in the match and did not drop a set in
the entire tournament.
The 31-year-old Grinham of the Netherlands had lost eight
consecutive times to David on the squash tour, but had hoped
to draw inspiration from the last time they met in a
non-tour event, the 2006 Commonwealth Games, when she
defeated David in five sets.
In the women's bronze-medal match, David's semifinal victim
Omneya Abdel Kawy dealt fourth seeded Waters her second
consecutive five-set defeat.
The fifth-seeded Egyptian rallied from a two sets to one
deficit and delivered when it mattered after the final set
went to deuce to beat Waters 8-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 12-10
in 51 minutes and capture the bronze.
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23-Jul,
Semi-Finals:
Draws & results
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt
[5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy)
11/4, 11/3,
11/6 (25m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt [4] Alison Waters (Gbr)
8/11, 0/11,
11/4, 11/9, 11/6 (61m)
[1] Nick Matthew (Gbr) bt [3] Azlan Iskandar (Mas)
7/11, 6/11,
11/6, 11/7, 13/11 (90m)
[2] James Willstrop (Gbr) bt Stewart Boswell (Aus)
5/7 rtd (10m)
Grinham & Matthew mount
comebacks to reach final
 Top
seed, defending champion and world number one Nicol David
reached the World Games squash final with another
commanding performance against Omneya Abdel Kawy in today's
first semi-final - the world number one has yet to concede
more than seven points in any of twelve games played ...
Her opponent will be the expected one, second seed
Natalie Grinham, but the Dutchwoman had to come from two
games down against Briton Alison Waters, losing the second
to a rare 11/0 scoreline before mounting a fightback of epic
proportions.
 Waters
was close to victory at 9-all in the fourth, but Grinham
closed out that game and went on to complete the comeback on
the hour mark.
David will start the final as favourite, having won the
pair's last eight encounters, but Grinham brings more recent
major games experience, holding three golds from the last
Commonwealth Games where David went home empty-handed.
Unlike last time out when both losing semi-finalists were
awarded Bronze medals, this year sees Kawy and Waters facing
a 3rd/4th playoff match for a medal.
 All-British
men's final
The first men's semi-final saw another comeback victory, as
Nick Matthew came from two games down to dash hopes
of a Malaysian upset.
 Azlan
Iskandar took the first
two games, and held match-ball at 10-9 in the fifth, but the
Briton held his nerve to complete the comeback in an hour
and a half of tense action, the longest match of the
tournament.
Gold and Silver medals for Great Britain was guaranteed when
second seed James Willstrop benefited from an early
retirement by Stewart Boswell with a back injury.
The
Australian will not be able to play in the Bronze medal
match, so at least Azlan gets some reward for so nearly
reaching the final.
 "I
blew the chance to reach the final. I held match point twice
at 10-9 and 11-10 but just could not finish him off.
However, the match was a good learning experience for me.
"I will get the bronze medal by default. I am happy to get
on the podium in my first World Games."
to the Malaysian Star
Willstrop and Matthew both won Bronze in the World Games
four years ago in Duisburg, losing out in the semi-finals,
so are guaranteed better this time around.
Matthew has won the pair's last three meetings though, and
leads 12-9 overall. |
"I was expecting her to play an array of attacking shots
that comes so naturally for her. This made me stay more
focus on what I had to do to keep her going during the
rallies.
"Throughout the first and second game, my movement and shots
were coming in well while she made a few unforced errors to
give me more of a lead in both games. In the third however,
she kept onto the rallies better and made it clear she's not
letting this match go just yet.
"I worked harder to keep her out of her zone and got back to
my own game again in the last few points.
"Very excited to beat her in three games and to get to the
finals here."
Nicol on SquashStars
Nicol on Twitter
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Previews
& News
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22-Jul,
Quarter-Finals:
Draws & results
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt
Joey Chan (Hkg)
11/2, 11/3, 11/3 (20m)
[5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) bt [3] Jenny Duncalf (Gbr)
6/11, 13/11, 14/12, 11/8 (46m)
[4] Alison Waters (Gbr) bt [11] Samantha Teran (Mex)
7/11, 11/9, 11/7, 11/7 (36m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt [9[ Kasey Brown (Aus)
11/8, 11/7, 11/4 (25m)
[1] Nick Matthew (Gbr) bt [8] Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
11/4, 11/13, 11/9, 11/6 (61m)
[3] Azlan Iskandar (Mas) bt [6] Cameron Pilley (Aus)
11/8, 11/7, 11/5 (44m)
[5] Stewart Boswell (Aus) bt [13] Julien Balbo (Fra)
11/9, 11/6, 11/4 (43m)
[2] James Willstrop (Gbr) bt [7] Omar Mossad (Egy)
11/6, 12/10, 4/11, 12/10 (54m)
Kawy comeback
foils Duncalf
Defending champion Nicol David went through to the
semi-finals with a comfortable enough win over unseeded Joey
Chan in the first match of quarter-finals day, but Egypt's
Omneya Abdel Kawy created a seeding upset as she
ousted Great Britain's third seed Jenny Duncalf.
Duncalf, the British National Champion, looked to be in
control as she took the first game and established a 10-3
lead in the second. But the Egyptian, who went into the
match with an 8-1 lead in matches between the pair - fought
back, taking seven points in a row to force extra points,
and saving one more game ball before levelling the match.
Duncalf had chances in the third, leading 10-8 and 12-11,
but Kawy took that game too, carried her momentum into the
fourth, establishing an 8-1 lead. Duncalf pulled it back to
9-7, but once again Kawy closed out the game to record a
seventh successive win over Duncalf and advance to the
semis.
There will be British interest in the semi-finals though,
with fourth seed Alison Waters coming from a game
down to beat Mexican Samantha Teran, and will meet Holland's
Natalie Grinham. Grinham, holder of three
Commonwealth Games gold medals, beat Australia's Kasey Brown
in straight games.
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Top seeds progress to semis
KOC-CNA story
by Chen Chun-yen
Three of the top four seeds in the World Games women's
squash tournament advanced to the semifinals Wednesday, with
Britain's Jenny Duncalf, seeded third, the only casualty
after stumbling against fifth-seed Omneya Abdel Kawy of
Egypt.
Top seed Nicol David of Malaysia, who celebrated her third
complete year as world No. 1 this month, coasted past Joey Chan
of Hong Kong 11-2, 11-3, 11-3, and seems destined to defend
her World Games title.
"A steady quarter with Joey" - Nicol blogs
But Australian-born Natalie Grinham of the Netherlands, the
tournament's second seed, who reached the semifinals with an
11-8, 11-7, 11-4 win over Australia's Kasey Brown, was not
conceding anything though she refused to look ahead.
“I don't really predict stuff,” she said when asked about a
possible gold medal confrontation with David. “All the
players here are really good.”
Grinham believes anything can happen, even against the world
No. 1, but she was more focused on her upcoming semi-final
match against
fourth-seeded Alison Waters of Great Britain, who reached
the semis by defeating Samantha Teran of Mexico
7-11, 11-9, 11-7,
11-7.
In the other semi-final, David will face Abdel Kawy, who won
a tight 6-11, 13-11, 14-12, 11-8 match against the third
seed.
Unlike the men's draw, most of the highest ranked women's
squash players are at the World Games, with the only notable
absence world No. two Natalie Grainger. The American, who had
to pull out with a foot injury just before the games, was
the last player to beat David.
Grinham says that with the calibre of players participating,
the World Games tournament has every bit the feel of a tour
event, with one big difference - “Here I'm representing
Holland,” she said, and described the World Games as being “as
significant as other major tournaments.”
In the men's tournament, top seed and world No. 5 Nick
Matthew of Great Britain fought past Saurav Ghosal of India
11-4, 11-13, 11-9, 11-6 in the first of four quarterfinals.
Third seed Azlan Iskandar also advanced to the semis
with an 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 win over Cameron Pilley of
Australia.
In the other quarterfinals, Stewart Boswell of Australia
topped Julien Bembo of France and while second seed James
Willstrop of Great Britain survived a tough encounter
with Omar Mosaad of Egypt.
Though many top-ranked players stayed away, world No. 13
Iskandar said he felt the World Games tournament offered
more than the typical tour event:
"The big difference is that you can see many different
sports being played here,” he said. He was not at all
disheartened by the absence of some of the sport's top
players.
"It is still a major world event after all.”
|
21-Jul, Day One:
Top seeds through to quarters
but no shortage of upsets ...
KOC-CNA story by Chen Chun-yen
The top four women's seeds all won impressively in the first
two rounds of the World Games squash tournament at Chung
Cheng Martial Arts Stadium in Kaohsiung Tuesday, while the
higher-seeded men faced far stiffer challenges to advance.
In the high-calibre women's tournament, which has drawn most
of the world's top-ranked players, the top seeds all scored
convincing victories.
 World No. 1 and defending World Games champion Nicol
David of Malaysia reached the quarterfinals with two
convincing straight-set victories, sweeping past Helga Kecse-Nagy
of Hungary in the opening round and Joshna Chinappa of India
in the round of 16. She meets surprise package Joey Chan
of Hong Kong - the only unseeded player to make the last
eights - for a place in the semis.
Nicol's update on SquashStars
World No. 3 Natalie Grinham of the Netherlands, who
is seeded second in Kaohsiung after world No. 2 Natalie
Grainger of the United States withdrew prior to the
tournament with a foot injury, crushed Chinese Taipei's Pan
Kuei-yeh 11-1, 11-1, 11-1 in the opening round.
The three times Commonwealth Games gold medalist who became
a Dutch national last year then advanced to the final eight
with another straight games win over Miranda Ranieri of
Canada, and meets 9th seed Kasey Brown, who came from
two games and match-ball down in the third to upset trans-tasman
rival Shelley Kitchen.
Third seed Jenny Duncalf of Great Britain dropped a
game to Hong Kong's Rebecca Chiu in her round of 16 win
before advancing to the quarterfinals, while compatriot
Alison Waters swept both Raneem El Weleily of Egypt and
Siyoli Lusaseni of South Africa. They meet Samantha Teran,
who ousted 8th seed Vanessa Atkinson, and Omneya Abdel Kawy,
respectively.
Both the men's and women's singles tournaments in Kaohsiung
have 32-player draws, up from 16 at the last World Games.
The men's draw is not as packed with the world's top-ranked
players as the women's, perhaps explaining the top seeds'
struggles in the first two rounds.
Only top seed and defending champion, world No. 5 Nick
Mathew, had an easy time Tuesday, cruising into the
final eight with straight game wins over Joe Chapman of the
British Virgin Islands and Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan of
Malaysia.His opponent will be India's Saurav Ghosal.
Second-seeded James Willstrop of Great Britain,
ranked 12th in the world, easily disposed of Chinese
Taipei's Huang Cheng-yao in the first round 11-4, 11-5, 11-7
but had to come back from a two games to one deficit to
defeat Simon Roesner of German to reach the final eight, to
set up a meeting with Egypt's Omar Mosaad.
Malaysian third seed Azlan Iskandar also struggled in
his round of 16 match before defeating Australian Aaron
Frankcomb 11-7, 8-11, 12-10, 11-4 to book his place in the
quarterfinals - where he meets another Aussie in Cameron
Pilley - but fourth seed Ong Beng Hee wasn't as lucky.
One was upset by 13th-seeded Frenchman Julien Balbo
12-10, 11-7, 12-10 in the round of 16 to become the highest
seeded casualty in either of the two singles tournaments so
far. Balbo now faces newly-crowned Australian Open champion
Stewart Boswell, the fifth seed.
 |
Results direct from Kaohsiung
Balbo beats Ritwik Well,
it's a shame SquashSite is not there to live the event as it
happens, but next time! [at the Olympics ???]
We'd be delighted to hear from any of the players, coaches,
or anyone else out there though ...
wg@squashsite.co.uk
More on the event
Mossad v Clarke
Elegant Opening
The day began
with a simple yet elegant opening ceremony for Squash, which
was held at the centre court. All participants marched in,
accompanied by local girls in colourful dresses.
Mr Huang
Chao Hui, Director General of Civil Affairs Bureau,
Kaohsiung City Government, welcomed all participants.
Nicol
David
took the oath on behalf of the athletes and Munir
Shah for the
referees, before WSF Vice President Heather
Deayton declared
the championships open. |
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World Games 2009 -
Men's Draw |
Round One
21 Jul |
Round Two
21 Jul |
Quarters
22 Jul |
Semis
23 Jul |
Final
24 Jul |
[1]
Nick Matthew (Gbr)
11/3, 11/2, 11/1 (22m)
Joe Chapman (Ivb) |
[1] Nick Matthew
11/4, 11/2, 11/4 (25m)
[15] Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan |
[1] Nick Matthew
11/4, 11/13, 11/9, 11/6
[8] Saurav Ghosal |
[1] Nick Matthew
7/11, 6/11, 11/6, 11/7, 13/11
(90m)
[3] Azlan Iskandar |
[1] Nick Matthew
11/8, 11/6, 11/5 (42m)
[2] James Willstrop |
[15]
Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas)
11/9, 6/11, 11/9, 11/9 (53m)
Scott Arnold (Aus) |
[9]
Renan Lavigne (Fra)
11/5, 13/11, 7/11, 5/11, 11/8 (81m)
Max Lee (Hkg) |
[9] Renan Lavigne
11/7, 11/3, 11/5 (36m)
[8] Saurav Ghosal |
[8]
Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
bye |
[6]
Cameron Pilley (Aus)
11/6, 11/3, 11/7 (22m)
Italo Bonatti (Gua) |
[6] Cameron Pilley
11/3, 14/12, 11/6 (37m)
[12] Mark Krajcsak |
[6] Cameron Pilley
11/8, 11/7, 11/5 (44m)
[3] Azlan Iskandar |
[12] Mark Krajcsak (Hun)
11/7, 11/7, 11/7 (41m)
Dick Lau (Hkg) |
[11]
Aaron Frankcomb (Aus)
12/10, 11/4, 11/7 (46m)
Chris Gordon (Usa) |
[11] Aaron Frankcomb
11/7, 8/11, 12/10, 11/4 (71m)
[3] Azlan Iskandar |
[3] Azlan
Iskandar (Mas)
11/1, 11/1, 11/5 (20m)
Alexei Severinov (Rus) |
[4] Ong
Beng Hee (Mas)
7/11, 11/8, 13/11, 11/2 (40m)
Yuta Fukui (Jpn) |
[4] Ong
Beng Hee (Mas)
12/10, 11/7, 12/10 (48m)
[13]
Julien Balbo |
[13] Julien Balbo
11/9, 11/6, 11/4 (43m)
[5]
Stewart Boswell |
[5]
Stewart Boswell
5/7 rtd (10m)
[2] James Willstrop |
[13]
Julien Balbo (Fra)
11/2, 23/21, 11/6 (49m)
Ritwik Bhattacharya (Ind) |
[10]
Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy)
bye |
[10] Omar Abdel Aziz
11/4, 11/3, 11/5 (32m)
[5]
Stewart Boswell |
[5]
Stewart Boswell (Aus)
11/5, 11/3, 11/8 (26m)
Nyeon-Ho Lee (Kor) |
[7] Omar
Mosaad (Egy)
13/11, 4/11, 11/3, 11/1 (35m)
Robin Clarke (Can) |
[7] Omar
Mosaad
11/9, 11/6, 15/13 (35m)
Steve
Coppinger |
[7] Omar
Mosaad
11/6, 12/10, 4/11, 12/10 (54m)
[2] James Willstrop |
Steve
Coppinger (Rsa)
11/5, 11/7, 11/3 (33m)
Jens Schoor (Ger) |
[14]
Simon Rosner (Ger)
bye |
[14] Simon Rosner
8/11, 11/6, 8/11, 11/5, 11/3 (48m)
[2] James Willstrop |
[2] James
Willstrop (Gbr)
11/4, 11/5, 11/7 (24m)
Cheng Yao Huang (Tpe) |
|
World Games 2009 -
Women's Draw |
Round One
21 Jul |
Round Two
21 Jul |
Quarters
22 Jul |
Semis
23 Jul |
Final
24 Jul |
[1]
Nicol David (Mas)
11/2, 11/5, 11/4 (19m)
Helga Kecse-Nagy (Hun) |
[1] Nicol David
11/2, 11/7, 11/3 (19m)
Joshna Chinappa |
[1] Nicol David
11/2, 11/3, 11/3 (20m)
Joey Chan |
[1] Nicol David
11/4, 11/3, 11/6 (25m)
[5] Omneya Abdel Kawy |
[1] Nicol David
11/6, 11/8, 11/6 (38m)
[2] Natalie Grinham |
[15]
Sharon Wee (Mas)
13/15, 15/13, 11/13, 11/3, 11/6 (44m)
Joshna Chinappa (Ind) |
[16]
Aisling Blake (Irl)
11/7, 11/8, 13/11 (30m)
Joey Chan (Hkg) |
Joey Chan
11/5, 10/12, 6/11, 12/10, 11/9 (43m)
Amelia Pittock |
[6]
Isabelle Stoehr (Fra)
8/11, 11/6, 11/8, 7/11, 11/7 (33m)
Amelia Pittock (Aus) |
[5]
Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy)
11/3, 11/4, 11/1 (10m)
Birgit Coufal (Aut) |
[5] Omneya Abdel Kawy
11/8, 11/8, 11/7 (36m)
[12] Jaclyn Hawkes |
[5] Omneya Abdel Kawy
6/11, 13/11, 14/12, 11/8 (46m)
[3] Jenny Duncalf |
[12]
Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl)
8/11, 11/2, 9/11, 11/5, 11/7 (44m)
Donna Urquhart (Aus) |
[10]
Rebecca Chiu (Hkg)
11/8, 13/11, 6/11, 11/9 (34m)
Lisa Camilleri (Aus) |
[10] Rebecca Chiu
11/6, 11/8, 11/13, 11/9 (33m)
[3] Jenny Duncalf |
[3]
Jenny Duncalf (Gbr)
11/8, 11/4, 11/5 (27m)
Pamela Hathway (Ger) |
[4]
Alison Waters (Eng)
11/6, 11/5, 11/0 (23m)
Siyoli Lusaseni (Rsa) |
[4] Alison Waters
11/5, 11/3, 11/5 (18m)
[13] Raneem El Weleily |
[4] Alison Waters
7/11, 11/9, 11/7, 11/7 (36m)
[11] Samantha Teran |
[4] Alison Waters
8/11, 0/11, 11/4, 11/9, 11/6
(61m)
[2] Natalie Grinham |
[13]
Raneem El Weleily (Egy)
bye |
[11]
Samantha Teran (Mex)
11/6, 11/7, 15/13 (41m)
Low Wee Wern (Mas) |
[11] Samantha Teran
9/11, 11/9, 11/7, 11/7 (38m)
[8] Vanessa Atkinson |
[8]
Vanessa Atkinson (Ned)
11/5, 11/7, 8/11, 11/7 (35m)
Chinatsu Matsui (Jpn) |
[7]
Shelley Kitchen (Nzl)
11/9, 11/6, 11/7 (27m)
Song Sun-Mi (Kor) |
[7] Shelley Kitchen
1/11, 8/11, 16/14, 11/6, 11/2 (54m)
[9] Kasey Brown |
[9] Kasey Brown
11/8, 11/7, 11/4 (25m)
[2] Natalie Grinham |
[9]
Kasey Brown (Aus)
12/10, 11/6, 6/11, 11/8 (49m)
Camille Serme (Fra) |
[14] Delia
Arnold (Mas)
11/6, 11/7, 7/11, 10/12, 11/4 (44m)
Miranda Ranieri (Can) |
Miranda Ranieri
11/4, 11/7, 11/4 (15m)
[2] Natalie Grinham |
[2]
Natalie Grinham (Ned)
11/1, 11/1, 11/1 (13m)
Pan Kuei Yeh (Tpe) |
16-Jul:
Under way in Kaohsiung
Story & Photos courtesy of KOC-CNA
story by CNA reporter Cheng Chi-feng
Under
a firework-lit sky, the World Games 2009 Kaohsiung opened
Thursday at the main stadium in Kaohsiung City, southern
Taiwan, in a ceremony featuring a series of performances
that integrated technology and the arts to highlight the
multiple aspects of Taiwan's technological expertise and its
traditional culture.
As a warm up for the opening ceremony, local children
stepped onto the stage shouting "World Games Kaohsiung
welcomes you " and then performed "Ode to Joy" along with a
group of German children.
Next, a Taiwanese boy displayed the World Games flag after
receiving it from two German brothers during a ceremonial
exchange.
 Amid
a brilliant fireworks display, the long-anticipated ceremony
started with a performance by 100 dancers led by 84-year-old
local dancer Lee Tsai-er, who danced to the sound of waves
among 100 giant spheres, designed to symbolize the passage
from one generation to the next.
It was followed by a dance featuring images of butterflies,
as well as eagle kites that hovered over the stadium, lit
from below.
The show was designed to highlight Taiwan's reputation as a
"butterfly kingdom" and to highlight the richness and
variety of ocean life around its shores.
 This
was followed by an explosive performance by aboriginal Dawu
and Amis people. The Dawu tribesmen carried their
traditional canoes onto the stage, while the Amis people
depicted a scene of chanting and shouting whilst cutting
timber for their houses.
Heralded by the sound of firecrackers, the second part of
the ceremony, with a theme of "temple fairs, " began as a
number of figures dressed as deities filled the stage from
all directions under a screen of smoke.
A show staged by more than 200 members of the Pili Puppet
Theater also attracted great interest, taking the audience
back to the glorious era of puppet shows with special
effects produced by LED lighting technology.
 The
third part of the ceremony, themed "vigorous Taiwan, "
featured Taiwanese ultra-marathon runner Lin Yi-chieh, who
jogged toward the center of the stadium leading a 40-strong
team of cyclists on Giant bicycles which circled the stadium
in various formations.
The ceremony ended with the launch of more than 3,000
fireworks in a three-minute display that gave the audience
the feeling of being right in the middle of the display.
More than 4,000 people were involved in the ceremony,
including New Zealand singer Hayley Westenra, the ceremony's
lead performer, along with many internationally and
domestically renowned artists.
The Kaohsiung city government spent an estimated US$4
million on the ceremony to promote the 11-day sporting
extravaganza -- the biggest sporting event the nation has
ever hosted.
01-Jul:
24 Nations to compete in
World Games Squash
Players from 24 nations - more than ever before - will
compete in the Squash championships in this month's World
Games, the multi-sport event which is being staged in the
Chinese Taipei city of Kaohsiung under the patronage of the
International Olympic Committee.
The Squash events, which will be held in the Chung Cheng
Martial Arts Stadium in Kaohsiung from 21-24 July, have
attracted world-class fields - led by Malaysia's world
number one Nicol David, the top seed in the women's
event, and Great Britain's world No5 Nick Matthew,
who is favourite in the men's championship.
Over 4,000 athletes, competing in more than 30 sports, will
take part in the 2009 Kaohsiung World Games, the eighth
edition of the multi-sport event featuring sports not
currently on the programme of the Olympic Games.
Squash made its debut in the 1997 World Games in Lahti,
Finland. Britain's former world number one Peter Nicol won
the men's gold medal in the last event in 2005 in Duisburg,
Germany, while Nicol David will have the opportunity to
become the first player to successfully defend a World Games
squash title after winning the women's trophy four years
ago.
David, who celebrates her third complete year as world
number one this month, will be competing in Kaohsiung in her
first championship since taking part in Squash's
presentation to the IOC in the sport's bid to join the
programme for the 2016 Olympic Games.
World Squash Federation President N Ramachandran
looks forward to the sport's latest appearance in this major
multi-sport event: "I am particularly pleased that we have
extended this year from 16 to 32 draws, with top world-class
players in both and so many countries represented.
"This demonstrates the commitment of Squash and our leading
players to the World Games - and is a very important facet
of the message in our recent presentation to the IOC
Executive Board for inclusion in the ultimate dream for us,
the Olympic Games themselves," added the WSF President, who
will be attending the Kaohsiung World Games.
After a nine-month layoff following shoulder surgery,
Matthew has returned to form in stunning style by
re-establishing himself in the PSA world rankings at No5 –
the career-high ranking he first achieved in October 2004.
Winner of the prestigious British Open title in 2006, the
28-year-old from Sheffield is expected to meet England
team-mate and fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop in
the final.
Willstrop, a former world number two who has dropped to 12
since taking time off for ankle surgery, will be making his
competitive comeback in Kaohsiung. The 25-year-old from
Leeds faces local player Cheng Yao Huang in the
opening round – while Matthew's first round opponent will be
Joe Chapman, an 18-year-old from the British Virgin
Islands who is ranked more than 350 positions below the
Englishman!
But the British pair will have strong Asian competition in
the men's event, led by Malaysians Azlan Iskandar and
Ong Beng Hee. Iskandar, the third seed, is expected to
face a semi-final showdown with Matthew, while fourth seed
Ong Beng Hee is scheduled to meet Willstrop in the other
semi.
David is the in-form player on the women's tour: The
25-year-old from Penang set out on an incredible journey in
October 2005 when she won the British Open for the first
time – and went on to reach the finals in all but two of 37
WISPA World Tour events until the present day, winning 30 of
them!
Dutch number one Natalie Grinham, holder of three
Gold medals from the 2006 Commonwealth Games, is seeded to
meet the reigning World Open champion in the final
[following the withdrawal of Natalie Grainger due to a foot
injury].
Britons Jenny Duncalf and Alison Waters are
expected to provide the two top seeds' final opposition
before the finale.
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2005 Event |
Aussies
choose strong
World Games team
Andrew Dent reports
Squash
Australia has named a strong national team for the eighth
World Games to be held in Kaohsiung, Taiwan from July 16-26.
The men’s team will be led by Canberra’s Stewart Boswell
and also features Cameron Pilley (Yamba, NSW),
Aaron Frankcomb (Hobart) and Scott Arnold
(Sydney).
World number 13 Kasey Brown, from Taree in NSW, heads
the women’s team, where she will be joined by Donna
Urquhart (Yamba, NSW), Lisa Camilleri (Tully, Qld)
and Amelia Pittock (Dromana, Vic).
The team manager/coach will be Australian squash great
Sarah Fitz-Gerald, who won the World Games Gold Medal in
Lahti, Finland in 1997.
The World Games is a multi-sport event comprising sports
that are not part of the Olympic program. They are held in
the year following the Olympics and have grown from 18
sports and 1265 athletes in 1981 to an estimated 4500
athletes taking part in 31 sports this year.
Squash Australia CEO Gary O’Donnell said it was
important that Australia had a strong presence at the World
Games as squash ramps up its bid for inclusion in the 2016
Olympic Games.
Squash is vying for one of two places in the 2016 Olympics,
along with karate, golf, roller sports, rugby 7s, softball
and baseball. A decision will be made in October. Five of
the candidate sports are on the program for the 2009 World
Games, with only baseball and golf not represented in
Taiwan.
“Squash is played in every major multi-sports event in the
world apart from the Olympics,” O’Donnell said. “The
World Games provide an ideal opportunity to show IOC
delegates that squash is a natural fit for the Olympics. The
sport is played on every continent and by both men and women
equally – the world men’s number one is Egyptian and the top
women’s player comes from Malaysia.
“Most of our team is under 25, so if squash does claim its
rightful place at the Olympics, then these players would be
hopeful of being part of the first ever Australian team.”
The World Games are also an important part of the build-up
to the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games and Squash
Australia would like to acknowledge the support of the
Australian Sports Commission and the Australian Commonwealth
Games Association.
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