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|
 10-Dec,
SEMI-FINALS:
Alex Wan reports
from Kuala Lumpur
ATKINSON DOES IT AGAIN… MORE CONVINCINGLY !
 To
beat the world number one is an achievement for anyone at all, a big
one that is. But to totally outplay one and complete the rout in 22
minutes, is somewhat unbelievable.
That, ladies and gentlemen, is exactly what Vanessa Atkinson
did tonight. She played nearly flawless squash to equal their
head-to-head record this year at three matches each, having won the
last two encounters.
The first game finished in lightning quick time, with Grinham never
allowed to settle at all. In the second, Grinham served from the left
after failing to win any points on the right in the first game. It
seemed to work when she collected two consecutive points, but that was
all she got.
Near flawless squash once again! Grinham is known for her deception
and each time, Atkinson seems to know her so well, she knew exactly
what was coming and I really do not recall a single time that Vanessa
was wrong footed tonight.
 The
third was again a somewhat positive start for the Australian world
number one when she took the first two points. But once again, and I
have to emphasise this, flawless squash was on display tonight.
Atkinson made everything look too easy and to a certain extent, even
disappointed the photographers on the front wall as opportunities for
snaps were rare – everything just ended too quickly!
The win sends Atkinson to her third consecutive final on this centre
court of the National Squash Centre.
 |
How was the match?
“This is probably the best I have played in a long time. Rachael
has such an unorthodox game and I know what I need to do, it’s
just doing what I know I need to that's the hard part.
But tonight, things worked out for me. I kept volleying and kept
her off the T. I had to be conservative and not go for shots I
would normally go for against other players to keep her off the
T. Rachael is not dangerous in the back, it’s only when you
allow her to be in front of you can she do damage. It was
definitely easier than I had expected.”
What about the Court?
“I really like this court.
It suits my game very much. It’s slightly bouncy and the ball
comes off the front wall really quick.”
And now the final?
“Based on past records, I’d much rather be playing Nicol. But of
course, she would have the whole nation against me. I did win
the last two times I played her here but those were small
tournaments, this is the World Open. I hope they will have a
tough 5 setter tonight, whoever it may be!”
Vanessa Atkinson
Sorry
Vanessa, I wished it was Nicol too but you have Natalie, though
your second wish did come true, Alex |
VIP Audience
A familiar face was seen right in front of the back wall. This
man was no other than Jahangir Khan, the legendary 10
times world champion and currently President of the World Squash
Federation. He was accompanied by his wise A. Sani Karim
and Antony Lee, son of the late Alex Lee, who was the
President of the Malaysian SRA.
 |
 “We’re
both known for our court coverage and movement so it’s no
surprise this was a running game.
“Tomorrow will be my first Grand Prix final and I am absolutely
happy. In the end of the fourth and beginning of the fifth, I
was staying back a lot, probably to save energy. It’s not
something I planned for, just something that I did, which I
think is stupid.
“Coming into the fifth, I had blisters at the front of my toes
but I had to play through the pain.
We’re pretty good friends, we sometimes train together so this
was a very clean match.”
Natalie Grinham
Totally
agreed, both players had tremendous respect for each other and
both were honest about bad pickups. There was no arguing with
the referee, even from the “uptight” girl from Toowoomba.
Alex |
The Crowd
Unlike yesterday, there were no loud phone rings or flash
photography. Today, I am proud of my country and the crowd as
well!
 |
New World Champ
Tomorrow, we will see a new World Champion. Both players have
never won before, nor reached the final of one.
Whoever wins, she’ll be over the moon about the achievement. The
loser, however, will have nothing to lose and can claim their
best World Open performance so far.
In fact, this World Open is so wide open that many, many people
have reached a personal best of reaching a certain stage here. |
|
NATALIE GRINHAM
BEATS MALAYSIA
 Yes,
great squash it was!!! And Natalie Grinham not only played
against Nicol David tonight, but the entire nation that was
behind the Duracell Bunny – and if Nicol is the Duracell Bunny,
Natalie must be the Energizer version!
As if to make up for the short first tie, these girls served us all a
whopping 87 minutes of great squash (yes it was that great!). Both
players entered the court in style to the tune of J.Lo’s “Let’s Get
Loud”, the same one which greeted David in the final of the 2001 World
Junior Championships, where she won it the second time.
Starting off well, David led 2-0, much to the delight of the strong
crowd tonight. Grinham soon settled down and once she did, David had
trouble outrunning her. Both are runners, but Grinham seemed to have a
better touch. Dropping just another point, Grinham went one up.
The 90 seconds break must have been good for David, who was coached by
Raymond Arnold, the Malaysian national women’s coach. She came
back strongly to open up a 3-0 lead, then 4-2 and 7-4. After winning
back serve, Grinham let out a loud “come on!” to herself, which seemed
to work like magic. She finished the game from 4-7 down in a single
hand!
 By
now, many Malaysians in the crowd had thought all was gone, especially
when Grinham went to 2-0 up in the third. A flick off a Grinham drop
won David her first point, and the younger Grinham began to make
mistakes.
David seem to just kept the ball going and moving Grinham all over to
force those mistakes. A backhand volley into the tin saw David go 6-2
up. At 8-2, David hit a boast which looked down but the marker had
called good, though it was reversed by the referee, after which many
confused faces were seen in the crowd. David did finish the game off
eventually of course!
The fourth and fifth games were just amazing, both players were moving
well all over the court. It leaves me in amazement at how much
strength they had in their bodies to keep them moving at such long
moments, what more such speed! It was close all the way, though
Grinham had a chance to close it out in the fourth. Though David
employed the same tactic to move the Australian around, she seemed to
have a problem with the front left corner – three volleys into the
tin!
 The
fifth started off really well for David, but she let slip a 4-0 lead.
Grinham then took charge and went ahead before some magic was produced
by David to make a mild comeback again.
The last few rallies – simply watching them play made my legs tired.
Both were all over the court, moving extremely well and retrieving
everything they had to throw at each other from near impossible
corners.
Grinham goes to the final, a warm and sincere hug exchanged between
the two good friends and everyone called it a night.
The crowd was gutted, so was David, who was close to tears while
speaking to the press. However, two consecutive semi final appearances
(when not seeded to!) is a remarkable achievement by any standards.
|
 “Of
course I am disappointed, I really wanted this! She was
controlling a bit more than me. At this stage and in a game like
this, anything can happen. In the end, I also went into a
defensive mode. Though there were attacking shots, I basically
played an attack with a defensive mind, so they weren’t whole
hearted.”
“Had I won the match, I wouldn’t be here talking to you. I would
be jumping over and over that front wall now.”
Nicol Ann David |
|
09-Dec, Quarter-Finals:
[1] Rachael Grinham (Aus) bt
[10] Jenny Tranfield (Eng) 9/1, 9/1, 9/7 (41m)
[3] Vanessa Atkinson (Ned) bt
[5] Linda Elriani (Eng) 7/9, 9/1, 9/3, rtd (35m)
[4] Natalie Grinham (Aus) bt
[8] Rebecca Macree (Eng) 9/6, 9/3, 9/0 (32m)
[6] Nicol David (Mas) bt
[12] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) 9/7, 9/3, 9/4 (28m)
 Grinhams
romp into World Semis ...
Top seed Rachael Grinham and sister Natalie reached the
World Open semi-finals in Kuala Lumpur, with straight games victories
over Jenny Tranfield and Rebecca Macree respectively, setting up the
prospect of an all-Australian final on Saturday.
It was a miserable day for the English, as their 10-strong
representation in the last sixteen was decimated, leaving them without
a semi-finalist for only the second time in 21 events.
 Rachael
faces third seed Vanessa Atkinson in the semis, who once again
found an opponent retiring on her.
Natalie will find herself up against a whole nation in her semi-final,
where she faces local heroine Nicol David - the "Duracell
Bunny" beat Shelley Kitchen to reach her second successive World Open
semi-final. And on home turf, anything can happen ...
|
09-Dec,
QUARTERS:
Alex Wan reports
from Kuala Lumpur
ANOTHER INCOMPLETE
ONE FOR ATKINSON
World number three Vanessa Atkinson today had a quick-ish match
yet again, when her quarter final opponent Linda Elriani
retired after the third game. At the Qatar Classic last week, Atkinson
already had two opponents walking out on her.
 Atkinson
had a brilliant start and raced to a 5-1 lead after some lengthy
rallies. However, Elriani came back to draw level at 5 a piece. Lead
changed hands 6-5 in Elriani’s favour before two consecutive points
had the lead change hands again. Some patient play from Elriani saw
her grab a 1-0 lead and I thought I could be making a wrong prediction
on this one! (I had predicted a straightforward 3-0 for Atkinson).
After the 90 seconds, Elriani came back into court with a liking for
hitting balls out of court through the left hand side – 3 cross court
and a straight volley lobs, plus a serve flew out to be precise.
Atkinson didn’t play exceptionally well in this game compared to the
first, but this was pretty much handed to her from Elriani's many
mistakes.
In the second, the same seem to be happening after Elriani hit a
forehand volley out of court at 0-1 down. The match was competitive,
but only up to 3-3, after which Elriani just couldn’t last anymore.
1-2 games down and Elriani decided to call it quits. |
“Coming in
here, I was already feeling ill and was down with the flu.”
Linda Elriani |
|
Playing
Vanessa?
“She’s had the upper hand over me the last few times we’ve
played (2004 record - Rachael lost Brunei and Qatar, but won in
the Texas, Bahrain and British Open) and in fact, she should’ve
beaten me at the British Open. I don’t know, it’s going to be
close.”
World Champion?
“At this stage, it’s anyone’s game. We’ve had a long 6 weeks
(British, Shanghai, Qatar, KL) and everyone's bodies are giving
in. We’ll just have to see who cracks first.”
You v Natalie?
“Well, I’m nicer! Seriously, I think I am more easy going than
her and I’m sure you can see that in the court. She gets uptight
rather easily.”
The Court?
“Yeah this court’s good. It bounces naturally and not awkwardly
like some of the courts do.”
Rachael Grinham |
 The
Match?
“It was definitely easier than I had expected, but it was easier
because I played well. My lengths were great and I hit some
really tight ones too. That stopped her from blocking me like
how she does normally against all the other players.”
All-Grinham Final?
“I’m definitely not looking that far yet. It’s anyone’s game
here.”
The Court?
“Oh yeah the court is great. I love glass courts, but wherever
it may be, it does take some time getting used to. This one is
actually faster than most of the other ones.”
Natalie Grinham |
My lovely country…
 Nicol
David’s match got a wonderful start when a flash was fired
just as she was serving! After the first rally, a cell phone
rang so loud from the crowd behind the back wall, I could
hear it from the front! Then there was the national TV cameraman
with his headphones on and his phone rang so loud, he
didn’t know it was ringing after a long while and it happened
3 times! All through the championships, people were just
walking in and out, along the side, front and back wall
while a rally was in progress – utterly annoying! All these may
be little things, but the root of it all simply boils down to
the attitude of the people – it’s a sad thing!
|
 “Everything
came together today. I played my game, kept the rallies going
and I’m very pleased with myself. This must’ve been the best
match I played all week!
“Shelley started off well and I was playing to her pace. I knew
I had to slow it down and mix the pace, so I did just that. My
focus was also very good today. I just love playing here, I’m
used to the court and the crowd was magnificent.
“Anything can happen now and I hope the crowd will continue to
spur me on.”
Nicol Ann David
“She played really well today! But
this is my best world open so far.”
Shelley Kitchen |
|
JUST TOO GOOD TODAY
 Jenny
Tranfield today played her second World Open quarter final, having
lost to Carol Owens at the same stage in 2002. However, she faced an
extraordinary player hailing from Toowoomba, Australia, world number
one Rachael Grinham. Grinham is a player I haven’t had the
luxury watching since the Malaysian Open 2002. Then, she was ranked 11
and today, she is at the top of the world. Tranfield was totally
outplayed today by the remarkable Australian.
Though the match started rather slowly with service changing hands six
times at 0-0, once Grinham had the rhythm, she got to 3-0 in lightning
quick speed. The trend continued and it was up to 5-0 before Tranfield
collected a point. The second was even quicker!
Tranfield finally got into the groove in the third game, dropping only
three points before collecting her first! She even led twice in this
game – at 4-3 and 6-5. She saved a match ball and collected a further
point to 7-8, Grinham won the serve back and ended the match with a
short forehand boast that again Tranfield never expected. Grinham’s
holding and flicking way of driving the ball makes it extremely hard
for anyone to know what she is going to hit and Tranfield today was
just scattering all over to retrieve. |
LAST ENGLISH HOPE SQUASHED
 The
younger Grinham (or maybe more uptight as claimed by Rachael), next
took to court against Rebecca Macree, who had the
responsibility of keeping the England flag flying. On the other hand,
Natalie Grinham had the opportunity to put two sisters in the
semi finals of the World Open, something I do not believe has happened
before.
Unlike the last two days, Grinham started very well today and raced to
a 4-0 lead before a boast into the tin ended her run of points. The
next rally then was a funny one – Grinham moving back to the T and
slips just as Macree was about to move to the ball. Falling back, she
landed in front of Macree and went through her legs – the crowd was
amused, press photographers were happy and Alex was happily watching
from the side.
Grinham slips again at the same spot and gets a little irritated but
still continued to dominate the game, stretching her lead to 6-2. A
quick comeback by Macree to 6-6 but Grinham closes it out eventually
without dropping another point.
The second and third were totally dominated by Grinham, who today
played very good squash, hitting nice and tight lengths that forced
Macree to the back of the court most of the time. The score line of
9-3, 9-0 reflects it all.
  
FANTASTIC ACTION
SEQUENCE FROM FRITZ BORCHERT |
THE DURACELL BUNNY
DOES IT AGAIN!
Nicol Ann David, double world junior champion, world number 6
and just 21 years of age. The pint sized local hero today totally
outplayed Shelley Kitchen, the conqueror of Cassie Jackman, in
the shortest match of the evening – 28 minutes.
 Kitchen
started at a very fast pace, which David followed. Playing at
Kitchen’s pace can be very dangerous, as Jackman found out yesterday.
Having easily given away the first point, Kitchen went from 0-1 to
lead 2-1. A wall hugging forehand drop, a forehand volley into the
nick and another tight forehand drive kicked her into a 5-1 lead.
The huge local crowd was worried! But with the Duracell Bunny,
anything is possible and she proved it yet again today, drawing level
at 6-6 in no time and then a drive that died in the back gave her the
lead and she never dropped another point. All David did here was to
keep the ball going and move Kitchen around. This she did by playing
simple squash – driving tight to the back and the volley boast alone
must’ve won her 4 or 5 points
 An
ace from the ball dying in the back gave her the lead and in the next,
another one was totally missed to give David a virtually effortless
2-0 lead. Things never quite took a turn for Kitchen who eventually
was down 1-7 and then gained just another 2 points.
The third was competitive in the beginning, though David did race to
4-0 before Kitchen broke the duck. Not competitive in the end though,
as it ended with a 9-3 score.
David makes her second consecutive World Open semi final! Kitchen, on
the other hand goes home with her best ever World Open finish – her
maiden quarter final appearance, after reaching the last 16 the past 2
years. |
08-Dec, Round Two:
[1] Rachael Grinham (Aus)
bt [16] Madeline Perry (Irl) 9-1, 9-0, 7-9, 9-5 (50m)
[10] Jenny Tranfield (Eng) bt Tania Bailey (Eng) 7/9, 9/2,
9/3, 9/6 (42m)
[3] Vanessa Atkinson (Ned) bt
[11] Vicky Botwright (Eng) 9/6, 9/6, 2/9, 10/8 (55m)
[5] Linda Elriani (Eng) bt
[13] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) 9/5, 9/7, 8/10, 9/2 (79m)
[8] Rebecca Macree (Eng) bt Laura Lengthorn (Eng) 9/5, 9/7, 9/5
(45m)
[4] Natalie Grinham (Aus) bt
[15] Stephanie Brind (Eng) 9/7, 9/4, 9/1 (39m)
[6] Nicol David (Mas) bt Alison Waters (Eng) 10/8, 7/9,
9/2, 10/8 (50m)
[12] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) bt
[2] Cassie Jackman (Eng) 9/5, 9/4, 9/7 (40m)
Kitchen shocks Cassie in KL
 The second round of the Women's World Open produced a major shock as
England's second seed Cassie Jackman, the only former winner in the
draw, tumbled out in straight games to New Zealand's Shelley Kitchen.
Jackman reported suffering numbness in her left leg during the match,
but Kitchen took her opportunity, and now meets Malaysia's own Nicol David, who was hard pushed
before edging past England's Alison Waters.
Elsewhere the matches went with seeding, with England's ten-strong
entry in the first round whittled down to just three for the
quarter-finals.
|
08-Dec,
Round TWO:
Alex Wan reports
from Kuala Lumpur
KITCHEN SHOCKER!
25-year old Shelley Kitchen
today claimed her biggest scalp of her career when she took out world
number two Cassie Jackman in the second round here. It was only
October when the pair met in Monte Carlo, with Jackman running away
the winner with a 3-1 score. Kitchen today bettered that result by
winning 3-0, in just over 43 minutes.
 Kitchen
started strongly by racing to a 3-0 lead before Jackman caught up at
3-2. Three straight points later, Jackman volleyed off a serve into
the tin to allow Kitchen to stretch hear lead. She dropped just two
more points before going one up.
In the second, the same was to happen again as Kitchen built a 5-1
lead before the Norfolk-based Jackman closed the gap to 4-6. At 4-8,
Jackman had a stroke against her to give Kitchen her third game ball
which she used to go two up.
The situation reversed in the third when it was Jackman who quickly
gained a 4-0 advantage, but that’s all she was going to get. Kitchen
books her berth against the local favourite Nicol David tomorrow.
 Jackman
reported suffering numbness in her left leg during the match, similar
symptomes which forced her to pull out of last week's semi-final in
Doha. After a hospital visit the world number two decided to play in
KL.
"Maybe that wasn't the right decision," Jackman told Reuters. "I now
know there is something going on and I'm going home immediately to
find out what it is." |
 “I
knew I had a good chance. We’ve played each other a couple of
times before but each time, the matches were all very close. I
think it helped that I’ve played her the few times, it helps me
learn her game more. Plus, I always do well here - this court
brings me luck and I love it!”
Shelley Kitchen
The tall and exotic looking New Zealander faces Nicol David
tomorrow. The whole nation will be going against her and she
will be all out to gain revenge, having lost here at the
semi-final of the Malaysian Open, having won the first two games
... |
 “She
realised she had to play the shots as she was behind. There were
also lapses on concentration on my part and tomorrow, I will
have to focus more on the match itself. “
“In the fourth, I relaxed a little and she penalised me. She
just went for the shots and they were all too good for me to do
anything. I was also playing too defensively in the fourth.”
Nicol David |
 “I
should’ve had it in the first!” and “Yeah I am frustrated but I
was exhausted in there!”
Alison Waters
referring to the 8-4 lead and losing the game and also the
fourth game, where came back from 1-8 down to draw level at 8-8.
This has been, by far, Waters best ever Women’s World Open. Last
year, she was ousted in the first round. She only had a target
of making it to the main draw, which she got to rather easily
after Natalie Grainger pulled out.
She is definitely not complaining at all, having come back from
0-2 down to dismiss Egyptian World Junior Champion, Omneya Abdel
Kawy and stretched Nicol David to the limit today. Alison shared
that in 2005, she is hoping to get into the top 16 of the WISPA
rankings. Well, she has just another three months to go.
|
|
DURACELL BUNNY
TAMES WALTERS
 Mr
and Mrs David had travelled all the way from Penang to witness their
daughter tonight and they did get some rather exciting times.
Alison Waters, the 20 year old world ranked 27, blew away an 8-4
lead in the first as she allowed David to catch up to 8 a-piece, the
final point coming from an unusual backhand flick from the petite
double World Junior Champion. A forehand drop that stuck to the side
wall and a perfect drive that died in the back later, David was one
up, much to the relief of the strong home crowd.
The second saw David step up the tempo and went 6-0 up, at which local
fans thought she would’ve wrapped the match up easily from there on.
But Waters slowly crept back into the game, 4-6, then 5-7 and 4
straight points to draw level at one game each.
Rallies were competitive and David’s retrieving skills were
unbelievable, chasing down every single thing Waters threw at her.
From 5-1, David raced to game ball in what must’ve been like a minute!
Waters got another point before David closed it out. The fourth was
the most intensive of them all, with David having led 7-0 then 8-1,
but Walers' backhand volley drops were deadly. Added to her backhand
flicks that won her three points and some unusual mistakes like
driving into the tin from David, the score was now 8-8.
However, David was in no mood to lose in front of her home crowd today
and Waters had to settle for just a last sixteen appearance, her best
ever World Open result.
WISPA man Andrew Shelley added, “She plays in my club at North
London and I’m so happy to see her do so well.” Despite the loss,
Walters was all smiles and even spoke of her future plans (see
sidebar). |
TOP SEEDS TESTED
With Jackman ousted, the Grinhams (Rachael and Natalie)and
Vanessa Atkinson are now favourites for the world title. All three
faced some challenge today, with the younger Grinham escaping with the
lightest punishment.
Just like yesterday, she took a while to settle down into the match.
Stephanie Brind had played some simple and effective squash to
bring her to 7-2 up, which Grinham cancelled out after some great
court coverage display. Losing 7-9 having led 7-2 is frustrating to
anyone and in this case, yes, Brind was very frustrated!
Having settled into the match, Grinham then had not much problems in
the next 2 games, winning comfortable 9-4 and 9-1.
 The
famous thong-wearing [EX-thong-wearing, Ed] squash player
Vicky Botwright played well above her standard today and caused
some anxiety to the in-form Atkinson, who won the last two
championships held here (KL Open in Feb and Malaysian Open in Aug).
Having lost the first two competitive games, Botwright came back
strongly to take the third, at the expense of just two points. The
fourth was a very close affair, which Atkinson sneaked away with 10-8.
In
the last match of the evening, Madeline Perry gave world number
one Rachael Grinham a good run for her money. Only last month did she
very nearly upset Natalie Grainger in
 Shanghai, China. The Ireland
number one came back with a vengeance in the third, having been
thrashed 9-1 and 9-0 in the opening games. She went on to win the
closely fought third game, which was a point for point affair.
The fourth was also a close one and a 5-5, referee Azan Yaacob had
called a no let decision, only for Grinham to argue her point, with
the referee actually changing his mind. This definitely irked Perry
and Grinham seized the opportunity to finish it off - of course she
did! |
ENGLISH INVASION SHRUNK
 All
three English girls who won today had played against their own team
mates. Jenny Tranfield took 47 minutes to oust the frizzy
haired Tania Bailey. Jenny Duncalf, meanwhile fell to the much more
experienced Linda Elriani, in a game where there were far too
many mistakes from the younger star. Rebecca Macree must’ve
fully recovered from yesterday’s very physical match against Carla
Khan. She had minimal trouble disposing of Laura Lengthorn in
straight games.
|
07-Dec, Round One:
ENGLAND DOMINATES THE
WOMEN’S WORLD OPEN
Alex Wan reports from Kuala Lumpur
 England
dominates the last 16 of the Women’s World Open, contributing a total
of 10 players!
The only English players to lose today are birthday girl Fiona Geaves
and Dominic Lloyd-Walter, both losing to their English compatriots.
England is also guaranteed a minimum of three players in the
quarter-finals, as six of them play each other tomorrow – Bailey v
Tranfield, Elriani v Duncalf and Lengthorn v Macree.
 |
“She played
very well today. There were far too many mistakes from me. There
was nothing really wrong, just that my strokes were very
inconsistent today.
“It wasn’t the weather or anything, I’m not even tired at all!
I’m obviously disappointed but this break from the tour now will
be good for me. She just played better than me today, that’s
all.”
Isabelle Stoehr |
|
 ENGLISH
SUCCESS
Tania Bailey ousted birthday
girl Fiona Geaves in straight games and while the score might
indicate a thrashing, it certainly wasn’t the case. Geaves, a
quarter-finalist last year and twice semi-finalist in 1994 and 1995
couldn’t outlast the in-form Bailey. Only two weeks ago Bailey
stretched world number 1 to five games in Shanghai, so her presence
here is not to be taken lightly. Bailey next faces Jenny Tranfield,
the 29-year old from Sheffield who had not much problems putting out
Australian junior Kasey Brown in just under 30 minutes.
 Linda
Elriani plays her World Women’s Team England team mate Jenny
Duncalf tomorrow. Elriani ended all Egyptian challenge in the
championships after she disposed of Engy Kheirallah in 33
minutes, who has somewhat a big (male!) fan base here in KL. Duncalf
too had a relatively easy time against USA’s second ranked player,
Latasha Khan.
As expected, Rebecca Macree had a very physical and nasty match
with Pakistan’s Carla Khan. In a hotly contested affair, both the
players seem to be more interested in blocking their opponent’s path
than actually clearing.
As Fritz Borchert put it, “this match makes good photographs
but that’s all”.
The scoreline of 9-7, 9-3, 7-9, 9-7 simply shows how close the match
was and the time of 83 minutes it took to complete either means the
rallies were long or there were too many disputes, and in this case
it’s the latter.
Vicky Botwright and Stephanie Brind both had to slog for
a place in the second round tomorrow. Both were ranked to win their
matches today but their opponents certainly didn’t make it easy for
them. Brind was down 1-2 to the hardworking Canadian Runa Reta
after 3 games, but managed to come back to sneak the match 3-2 after
67 minutes of play. Botwright meanwhile, needed 4 games to overcome
New Zealand champion Tamsyn Leevey. The tough 26 year old gave
her opponent, ranked 10 places above her, a good run for her money
tonight.
The last English player on court - Cassie Jackman. Despite
playing her first competitive game since being forced to retire in her
semi final match at Qatar, was far too good for her younger English
opponent Dominique Lloyd-Walter. There were however some
frustrating moments from Jackman when she made silly errors. |
ENGLISH YOUNGSTERS SHINE
Highlight in the English camp was definitely the heroic displays by 2
of their younger players. Alison Waters, just 20 years of age
today claimed the biggest scalp of her career when she put out the
hard hitting World Junior Champion Omneya Abdel Kawy. The world
number 27 from London came back from 0-2 down to win the match,
dropping just 12 points in the process. It was only in July that she
beat another top 20 player, Pamela Nimmo, also coming back from 0-2
down!
Ranked just 4 places higher than Waters, Laura Lengthorn beat
Isabelle Stoehr 3-1 to advance to the next round. The French
number 1 was clearly a dejected figure as she hurriedly went to book a
flight home tonight. Lengthorn played some simple but effective squash
to force mistake after mistake from Stoehr. |
21 MINUTES
 World
number 1 Rachael Grinham and local favourite Nicol David
both had the quickest matches of the day – 21 minutes. We now know why
Melissa Martin was so delighted when she drew Grinham for
today! Martin never really got into the first game and seemed far too
overwhelmed by Grinham’s punishing pace. The beginning of the second
game was a little closer but once Grinham stepped up the pace, the
result was just as expected – 3-0 to Grinham!
Nicol, having reached the final in the last two (three if you include
the Asian Championships) tournaments held here, bids for a hat-trick
of finals this time round. On both occasions, she lost out to Vanessa
Atkinson. Perhaps she may want to change that this time round…..though
she did indicate to the local press that there is a huge difference
between the last two tournaments and this one!
When she drew Tegwen Malik last night, many were worried.
Today, she made us all feel stupid when she mercilessly outran the
Welsh girl. Her retrieving, especially in the second game, was sight
to behold! After two consecutive days of long matches, the centre
court was today finally given a rest, - the matches held there
completed way before the side courts. |
BUSINESS AS USUAL
 Natalie
Grinham and Madeline Perry both walked through their
matches without much trouble. The younger Grinham faced some
resistance in the first game and was game ball down. She was somewhat
irritated by the refereeing and to a certain extent, herself. After
sneaking in the first game, she managed to find her rhythm and close
out the match rather comfortably against the flame haired Annelize
Naude.
My hopes for an upset from Rebecca Chiu were dashed today when
Madeline Perry, though ranked just a spot higher than Chiu, was
a class above today. Chiu fought, very hard indeed and was spurred on
by her Hong Kong entourage (amongst them the very friendly Tony Choi),
but it just wasn’t her day – far too many mistakes and Perry played
well. Though Perry dropped just 11 points in total, it took a whopping
44 minutes! |
CLOSE SHAVES
 I
had expected world number 3 Vanessa Atkinson to have a rather
easy time against the tall Scot - Pam Nimmo. However, things
turned out otherwise with Pam playing above expectations. I didn’t
manage to catch the match until the final game, which was rather close
but Atkinson, who’s had a great run recently (save for the British
Open), knew how to finish a match here. She has, after all, won the
last two WISPA events staged in this court.
Amelia Pittock, the Australian number 3 was last on court
against Shelley Kitchen. The tall Kiwi looked more commanding
on court but Pittock was a determined player tonight. After Pittock
cancelled out Kitchen’s lead in the first game, she ran out of steam
and Kitchen easily walked away with the third 9-1. The fourth was
heading the same direction and Kitchen held match ball at 8-1.
Pittock, spurred on by her Aussie team mates suddenly turned the game
around and took 4 points in a row, surprising Kitchen. A quick check
from Kitchen brought the night to a close to 9pm. |
|
06-Dec, Qualifying Finals:
Aussie Hat-Trick in
KL Qualifying
The Australian representation in tomorrow's first round of the
Women's KL World Open Championship in Malaysia was boosted to five
following the success of Melissa Martin, Kasey Brown and
Amelia Pittock in today's qualifying finals at the National
Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil on the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur.
Weird
match with
important audience
Alex Wan reports, and looks at prospects for round one ...
The centre court today, once again, hosted a gruelling 5 games between
English youngster Rebecca Botwright against the experienced
Aussie Melissa Martin - playing to a full house that included
the IOC representative.
 It
was rather a weird match as each player seemed to dominate a
particular time frame. First, it was Botwright who pulled away before
Martin drew level only to lose 8-10 eventually. The second was a quick
affair as Martin raced to 8-0 without relative difficulty. However,
once hands were changed, Botwright then returned the favour and
finished the game 10-8 without dropping another point.
The third and fourth saw
Martin’s excellent drops working to perfection that caught Botwright
off guard many times. Fatigue took
its toll on Botwright in the earlier parts of the fifth, and though
she managed to make a brief comeback, it was just Martin’s day –
though she was treated to a date with Rachael Grinham tomorrow, at
which she reacted by letting out a very loud “YES” when her number was
drawn.
Just as expected…
 As
I had predicted and somewhat expected, Engy Kheirallah,
Tamsyn Leevey and Amelia Pittock didn’t have much problems
booking their places in the main draw. Their opponents, with all due
respect, were just a few steps behind. Though Raneem El Weleily’s deft
touches did trouble Leevey on some occasions. Leevey faces Vicky
Botwright tomorrow, while the “million-dollar smile” girl from
Alexandria faces Linda Elriani. Pittock meanwhile, plays the
lanky Shelley Kitchen of New Zealand.
Fernandes Falls Short (just)
 Nicolette
Fernandes who yesterday pulled off an upset today very nearly did it
again today against Kasey Brown. In a match lasting 73 long
minutes, the petite Manchester-based player was again constantly
encouraging herself. At 6-5 up in the fourth game, she tinned a simple
backhand drop and let out a loud scream in frustration, catching
everyone’s attention in the process. Brown will play veteran Jenny
Tranfield tomorrow.
Chances for upsets
Canadian Runa Reta had a rather easy time disposing off Heidi
Mather in straight games and plays Stephanie Brind next. The
world number 19 lost to Reta earlier in the year and has also dipped
to her lowest ranking since September 1998. There could be a
possibility of an upset here indeed. Dominique Lloyd-Walter
beat her compatriot Lauren Briggs in 3 close games for a date with
second seed Cassie Jackman. Given Jackman’s injury, anything
can possibly happen here.
More danger for Malaysia
Local darling Nicol David has Tegwen Malik for company
tomorrow. The Welsh world number 26 beat Karen Kronemeyer in 4 games
today. While her entourage was not present today, perhaps we’ll see
some Malaysians supporting against a Malaysian (I like to call them
traitors!) tomorrow? The last time the two played here (KL Open),
Malik was on song and nearly eliminated David.
Interesting ties to catch tomorrow
Perry v Chiu
Madeline Perry is having a rather good run, but KL is as good as home
to Chiu. Ever since she was 15, I’ve seen her here on a (very!)
regular basis. She knows this place far too well than anyone else in
the main draw, save for David. I foresee a close match unless Chiu has
an off day.
Geaves v Bailey
Bailey’s still got injuries bugging her while Geaves hasn’t been
in-form for a while. In a youth v experience match, this is one I’d
want to definitely watch.
Khan v Macree
The battle of two of the most physical female players! Expect lots of
contact, arguments and….I’ll let you know tomorrow what happened! |
All
the Australians in KL (+1)
for the official reception
IOC
impressed ... we hope
Encouragement from Vicky ...
.com
Birthday Girls
Fiona Geaves and Engy Kheirallah celebrated their
birthdays today and yesterday respectively. Fi turns 37 today
while the Egyptian celebrates her 23rd. A small surprise was in
store for both girls at the reception tonight! |
Tamsyn Leevey
Top Pixmen Around
In a country like Malaysia, where big squash events are such a
rarity (though the trend seems to be positively changing these
days!), it is very unusual to find two of the most dedicated
squash photographers to be present here. Steve Line and
Fritz Brochert, welcome to Malaysia! |
Malik marches past Kronemeyer
Championship Hotel
Having just come in from a place like Qatar, I'm not sure what
some of the players might think about the choice of official
hotel ... we'll find out tomorrow ... |
Melissa pleased to play Rachael
the official reception
|
|
05-Dec,
Qualifying R1:
End of the road
for the Asians
Alex Wan reports ...
All six Asians crashed out of the qualifying today, leaving Nicol
David and Rebecca Chiu on their own in the main draw.
Malaysians Delia Arnold, Sally Looi and Yoke Wah Lim
gave a good account of themselves, matching their more illustrious
opponents but lacked the experience to last the pace. Arnold fought back
from 2-6 down in the first game to draw level against Dianne Desira,
after which she slammed two volleys into the tin. Looi meanwhile,
matched Runa Reta point for point until 4-4, only to lose 5
points in a single hand to the pint sized Canadian.
 Tricia
Chuah, the other Malaysian, was bundled out by Australia’s
Amelia Pittock. Chuah actually played some good squash to match
Pittock, a member of Australia’s World Women’s Team Championships
winning team. However, there were far too many mistakes from the gifted
player from Kuala Lumpur.
Her good friend, Nicol David gave pointers in between games but it
just wasn’t enough. Each game, she gave Pittock a huge lead before she
got into the game.
Singapore's Nur Adawiyah and Hong Kong’s
Elise Ng were beaten 3-0 by Heidi Mather and Tamsyn
Leevey, both in identical 20 minutes.
 |
.com
|
|
Good day for the
English
 It
was a good day for the English team as 5 of 6 of their players in the
qualifying are in the finals tomorrow. Sarah Kippax was the
only one to falter today, having squandered a 2-0 lead against her
Egyptian opponent. Raneem El Weleily had nothing near the
fitness nor court coverage of Kippax, but her deft touches sent Kippax
to all four corners of the court and on many occasions, wrong footed
her as well. In the fifth, El Weleily was simply making shots from
every possible angle and after 51 minutes, Kippax walked out a very
dejected lady.
Things were not so great for El Weleily’s team mates as both Amnah
El Trabolsy, the world junior runner-up and Eman El Amir
were bundled out. El Trabolsy was totally outplayed by Australia’s
Kasey Brown while Guyana’s Nicolette Fernandes showed El
Amir the exit, in a very “interesting” match.
While Fernandes was psyching herself up all through the match -
clenching fists and inspirational shouts at times, El Amir was
literally cursing herself throughout the match. At the end of the
second game, the tudung (scarf) clad Egyptian hurled her racket across
the court in frustration, much to my surprise, given her conservative
dress code.
 |
Match of the Day
 The
match of the day has to be Suzie Pierrepont vs Line Hansen.
Both players were just so equally matched it was hard to guess whose
game it was right from the first rally.
Being the first match of the championships, the crowd at the centre
court was given 74 solid minutes of close rallies, a great start to
the event. Pierrepont edged home the first game 10-8 and in the
second, it was Hansen who got it.
Things took a turn in the third, at 1-0 up, Hansen hit a backhand
drive straight into Pierrepont’s back that clearly took her
concentration off, as she seemed to be hitting the ball very hard out
of frustration. A stroke was awarded and Hansen went on to win 7
consecutive points, about 3 through penalty strokes awarded by the
Egyptian referee.
A quick word from the English contingent during the break turned
things around as she came back to force a decider, dropping just 4
points. The decider was again close, but Hansen held the edge, leading
6-3, but after the hand out, she lost 6 very quick consecutive points
to hand the match to Pierrepont, and a date with Engy Kheirallah, the
Egyptian with the million dollar smile who broke Malaysian hearts at
the World Women’s Team championship.
 |
|
PREVIEWS
04-Dec:
Grainger withdraws
Fourth seed Natalie Grainger has withdrawn from the KL Women's
World Open, with a minor redraw
being made as the other seeds move up one place.
Grainger, who was forced to retire in the quarter-finals of the
Qatar Classic with exhaustion and
stomach problems after two five-game early rounds, had only recently
made a successful comeback to the women's circuit after an eight-month
layoff.
Chicken Pox blues for Wee, Qualifying looks bleak for
Malaysians ...
Alex Wan reports on the eve of the KL World Open
 Sharon
Wee, the Malaysian number two, was today dealt a terrible blow
when she was diagnosed with chicken pox. The Antwerp-based world
ranked 25 was dejected, especially with the championships being held
in her home country.
The hardworking girl from Malacca has had a rather good year, having
reached the individual final of the Asian Squash Championships in June
and beating world number 8 Fiona Geaves at the British Open.
A clearly dejected Sharon said, “It’s quite sad especially since it’s
in KL, but things happen.”
Sharon is the second casualty of this star-studded event after fourth
seeded Natalie Grainger pulled out. Sharon’s exclusion means
that save for Nicol David, additional local representation will
fall on the shoulders of Tricia Chuah (WR72), Delia Arnold
(WR84), Sally Looi (WR98) and Lim Yoke Wah (WR108).
 Chuah,
the 2000 Scottish Junior Open champion who beat Jenny Duncalf and
Louisa Hall en route to the title and was once ranked in the top 40,
faces Amelia Pittock, the world number 30 from Mornington. Given
Chuah’s recent unimpressive form, it will be a tough order for her.
Assuming Chuah pulls off an upset, she faces the possibility of yet
another Australian in the next round in Dianne Desira, whom she lost
to at the 2003 KL Open. Desira first has Delia Arnold to deal with, a
player she most recently beat at the Central Open in June.
Arnold had most recently made her debut at the World Women’s Team in
Amsterdam, where Malaysia finished an all-time high of fifth.
Sally Looi and Yoke Wah Lim play Runa Reta and Melissa
Martin. Both the young and petite Malaysians are expected to have a
losing debut in the World Open, but having said that, that’s what
happens to most players anyway!
Interesting…
In the lower half of the qualifying draw, two names attract my
attention – Manuella Manetta of Italy and Guyana's
Nicolette Fernandes. These players were previously alien to me
(maybe I have just been ignorant!) and as they do not come from big
squash countries, I find it very encouraging to see new names.
The trio of young English players in Becky Botwright, Suzie
Pierrepont and Dominique Lloyd-Walter will also be given
special attention. Having heard about them for a while now, I had
never really watched them in action, save for Lloyd-Walter who has
been here a few times since 2001.
Another crunch match to anticipate would be Australia’s Kasey Brown
against Egyptian Amnah El Trabolsy. Both these fine ladies have
had an illustrious junior career, with Brown runner up at the British
Juniors 2003 and El Trabolsy runner up at the World Juniors, both
players playing second fiddle to Omneya Abdel Kawy.
|
More from MalaysiaSquash.com
Cassie OK for KL
After a health scare that forced
her to pull out in the Qatar Classic semis, England's Cassie
Jackman has been released from hospital and is on her way to
KL.
Jackman was rushed to hospital after retiring from the match,
unable to breathe properly and suffering severe pains under her
right ribs.
Jackman was released with a clean sheet after being kept in
overnight for deep vein thrombosis tests and other examinations.
"It is a relief to get the all-clear, especially on the blood
clot possibility," Jackman told the Norfolk Evening News.
"I think I will go on to Kuala Lumpur and see how things are
when I get on court there. Right now I just feel sleepy. I
didn't get much sleep in hospital."
With 2003 Champion Carol Owens now retired, there in no
defending champion for the event, and Jackman, champion in 1999,
is the only former winner in the draw.
|
Nicol David carries home hopes
Carol Owens, 2003 Champion |
|
KL Women's
World
Open 2004
