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The first match featured the peerless Vicky Botwright; seven in the world, top seed here and continuing in cruise control. Having dropped three points in each of the first two matches her smiling approachable nature even just before starting belied her steely determination not to let down her defences. In the morning Alana Miller had managed three points and now Jaclyn Hawkes was on the receiving end. The Kiwi, wearing the almost obligatory NZ black, was being turned on the skewer of attack exactly as she herself had done to Sharon Wee in the quarters.

Hawkes did better than the earlier round losers, but only by one point! She gamely tried to counter Botwright's volleying and placement but her giantkilling spree was over after two seeds being upset in earlier rounds. She was deservedly upbeat about the week though.

"I hadn't expected to do so well so the semis are a bonus" she said. "I have been working hard with Dave Clarke [NZ National coach] and my mum this year and it is paying off". There was a rider added though, "But less with mum now that she has moved close to a golf course!" said with a chuckle.

The wins were only the second and third triumphs of the day for the English girl. The first was being reunited with her shoes which she had mislaid at the club the previous day. Somewhat outside the norm for the overseas players, the Cote-a-Cote Club has a rule that disallows outside shoes to be worn in the courts area so shoes are left in all manner of places in favour of trainers.

Botwright couldn't remember where she had changed hers and scouring the building didn't turn them up, so it wasn't until the morning that staff politely enquired whether the overnighters were hers! Her smile became wider and bowing thanks very effusive!

Chiu takes her Chance

So who would get through to meet the Mean Botwright Machine? Second seed Madeline Perry and third rated Rebecca Chiu are similar in many ways. Both are slight in build but big in heart. Both hustle and try to control the court. Both wanted the win.

The Hong Kong number one, with coach Faheem Khan in her corner, started the crisper. Volleying and driving crisply she took the first game. The pattern was much the same in the second...but with roles reversed. Now, the Irish player was finding her range and inducing errors.

Rallies were extended, the full tiers totally engaged with the quality of the action. In the last third of the game though Chiu reduced her error ratio and reached game ball at 8/3, but Perry was hanging in, saved two game balls, and found a couple of rasping cross court drives to take her up to setting and game ball. This was converted with a drop and she was surprisingly on level terms.

The tide seeming to turn the Celtic way but yet again the ascendancy was given away once more to allow Chiu somewhat comfortably to forge a 2/1 lead centred around pinning Perry back.

In the fourth she was ahead again at 7/3but the fight was continued, and with Perry benefiting from a few tins the scores were levelled. Had Chiu relaxed too early again? A loose Chiu drive gained Perry a let where she thought a stroke was merited, but the next rally saw another misplaced drive leading to a stroke in Perry's favour to take her to game ball.

It was saved then Chiu went to 9/8 match ball with a stretched error only to see a superb attacking boast from Perry. Three times Perry served for the game, three times Chiu for the match. The deadlock only being broken by a tight drop executed by Chiu 10/9 in he fourth and she was in the final.

Unusually for the Irish loser, she looked tired. The reason became clear later when she explained:

"I have had a couple of niggling injuries for the last couple of weeks and not trained at all. First it was my knee, then other pulled muscles. Still, I probably should have taken the fourth and then hoped for a second wind in the last even though I was tired at that stage".

The winner was thinking back to the lost second game.

"In the fourth I reminded myself not to do it again. I knew it was important as if she got it her confidence would return. I really like the court, it is suitable for my game and I hope I will give Vicky a hard match on it tomorrow"

Seeding and form book give Botwright a clear edge, but so many seeds in Yokohama have found out already that results can overturn the factors. Chiu hopes that the trend continues in the Traders United final.
 

Vicky  Jaclyn being fanned by a sensu held by organising team member Miyuki Adachi
 

TRADERS WHO ??? During the course of the week the players were heard to enquire who Traders United are and what they do? The answer was somewhat unexpected as they are not a company at all; but instead the umbrella title of an informal group by which financial trader Ben Harding and his wife Fumiko spearheaded the sponsorship of the championship. The reason was that playing squash had changed their lives. "We wanted to give something back to squash in Japan for everything that it has done for us," said Ben. Certainly the Japanese players and spectators as well as the visitors were delighted that they did.

Chiu with Faheem Khan

DRAW & RESULTS

Rebecca Chiu

9/3, 8/10, 9/3, 10/9 (61m)

Madeline Perry

Qualifying:
Chinatsu Matsui (Jpn) bt Sachiko Shinta (Jpn)    9/5, 9/6, 9/2 (35m)
Amanda Hopps (Aus) bt Miyuki Adachi (Jpn)      9/0, 9/0, 9/0 (18m)
Eun Chan Ahn (Kor) bt Yuko Asano (Jpn)          9/0, 7/9, 9/6, 9/6 (32m)
Eun Ok Park (Kor) bt Kozue Onizawa (Jpn)       9/3, 5/9, 9/4, 9/4 (39m)

DRAW & RESULTS

Even these early matches played during the working day attracted a large crowd of enthusiasts. Cote-a-Cote with nine courts is by far the largest centre in a country that has not seen higher ranked players since the heady days of JSM Supersquash a decade ago, a couple of years of which were played at Cote-a-Cote.

29-Sep:
Japanese bow out
in Qualifying

The two Korean players in the qualification disappointed the home crowd at the Cote-a-Cote Club in Yokohama when they both beat Japanese players to gain main draw places for the Traders United Yokohama Open.

Nineteen year old Eun Chan Ahn was however made to fight her way back into the fourth having been 3/7 down at one point. Meanwhile, Amanda Hopps beat veteran local player Miyuki Adachi, once as high as 24 in the rankings, and Japanese team member, left handed Chinatsu Matsui, saw off the challenge of Nagoya based Sachiko Shinta in straight games.