[7] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [Q] Elise Ng
(HKG)
9-2, 9-3, 9-1 (20m)
[8] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) bt
[Q] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) 9-3, 9-1, 10-8
[6] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [Q] Emma
Beddoes (ENG)
9-4, 9-3, 9-1
Qualifiers Quashed In Seoul
After the unusual experience of playing
in the rain on the first day of action of the Women's Seoul Open,
the competitors on the second day of first round action in
the $60,000 WISPA World Tour squash event in the South Korean
capital Seoul enjoyed better conditions, albeit cloudy and
overcast.
In addition to a canopy over the
all-glass court in the open air at Seoul Plaza, the
central square of Seoul city, additional protective covering had
been installed for invited VIPs and TV cameras - but, in fact, the
rain abated and play continued without interruption.
English qualifier Emma Beddoes
was celebrating her maiden experience in a WISPA Gold event - and
facing experienced Vanessa Atkinson, the former world
champion from the Netherlands.
Entering the court to begin the third
game, the 22-year-old underdog from Nottingham bizarrely managed to
close the court door on her own finger! Ice was called for, the
digit examined, and play duly continued.
The incident did little to improve the
debutante's performance and sixth seed Atkinson romped to a 9-4,
9-3, 9-1 victory - and a place in the quarter-finals.
"How embarrassing for me to do that on
TV - typical of me to do something really silly," said Beddoes
afterwards. "But I was always on the back foot against Vanessa -
she hits such a good length and whenever I got it back loosely she
made me pay. I have to get used to playing a match at that sort of
pace and accuracy."
Earlier, event favourite Nicol David
cruised into the last eight with a 9-2, 9-3, 9-1 win over New
Zealand qualifier Jaclyn Hawkes. The 24-year-old world
number one from Penang is expected to reach the Seoul final for the
second year - and pick up her fourth Tour title of the year.
English players claimed the other two
quarter-final places on offer in the session. Alison Waters,
the seventh seed from London, beat Hong Kong qualifier Elise Ng
9-2, 9-3, 9-1 while new world number nine Laura Lengthorn-Massaro,
the No8 seed from Lancashire, defeated Egyptian qualifier Raneem
El Weleily 9-3, 9-1, 10-8.
Quarter-final
line-up:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) v [5] Jenny
Duncalf (ENG)
Kasey Brown (AUS) v [7] Alison Waters
(ENG)
Madeline Perry (IRL) v [8] Laura
Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG)
[2] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v [6] Vanessa
Atkinson (NED)
1st round (part):
[5] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt Engy
Kheirallah (EGY)
10-8, 9-5, 9-4 (43m)
Kasey Brown (AUS) bt [4] Shelley
Kitchen (NZL)
7-9, 9-1, 9-10, 9-5, 9-6 (89m)
Madeline Perry (IRL) bt [3] Omneya
Abdel Kawy (EGY) 6-9, 9-2, 9-5, 9-0 (41m)
[2] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Rebecca
Chiu (HKG) 10-8,
4-9, 9-1, 9-6 (47m)
Qualifying finals:
Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bt Park Eun Ok (KOR)
9-1, 9-1, 9-2 (24m)
Emma Beddoes (ENG) bt Song Sun-Mi (KOR)
9-6, 9-6, 9-3 (38m)
Elise Ng (HKG) bt Ahn Eun Chan (KOR)
9-7, 9-6, 8-10, 7-9, 9-2 (79m)
Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt Mami Nishio
(JPN)
10-8, 9-7, 9-6 (34m)
Seeds Slump As Perry & Brown Succeed In Seoul
Ireland's
Madeline Perry and Australian Kasey Brown - both unseeded
- pulled off significant upsets in the first round of the Women's
Seoul Open to claim unexpected places in the quarter-finals of
the $60,000 WISPA World Tour squash event in its second year
in the South Korean capital Seoul.
After
qualifying finals earlier in the day at the Lemilleur Club, first
round action was set to be played on an all-glass court in the open
air at Seoul Plaza, the central square of Seoul city -
uncharacteristically awash with heavy rain!
Whilst the court itself was covered with a canopy - which only
extended a few feet out from the court glass walls - the seating was
uncovered. The court itself was dry, and after a cover was hastily
erected to protect the match officials, it was decided that play
would commence!
First on were Kasey Brown and New
Zealander Shelley Kitchen - who were uncertain about the
court conditions, but willing to 'give it a go'.
"As
it turned out, there were no problems for them as they alone were in
the only really dry area," explained WISPA Chief Executive Andrew
Shelley. "Rain was pelting down feet from their feet!"
Kitchen had been in a rich vein of form
and raced to a 7-2 lead in the first before Brown found her rhythm,
and although the fourth-seeded Kiwi edged home, it had taken 23
minutes. The dynamics were reversed in the second with Brown
rampant - but Kitchen won the third after saving a nine-all game
ball.
But from that point the New Zealander
was always being stretched. Brown was purposeful, hunting the ball
and always just ahead in the last two games before claiming her 7-9,
9-1, 9-10, 9-5, 9-6 upset in 89 minutes.
"I have never played in the rain, this
was a first," said the jubilant Brown afterwards. "But though it
was a little weird at first, the court was fine and I blocked things
out pretty quickly. Once I hit some good length and took the ball a
little earlier it was better – especially as I haven’t got a very
good record on glass," added the 22-year-old from New South Wales.
The second upset of the session
followed when Madeline Perry, the world No16 from Belfast,
despatched Egypt's third seed Omneya Abdel Kawy. The
22-year-old from Cairo started brightly enough - but her game slowly
subsided as Perry became crisper and romped to a 6-9, 9-2, 9-5, 9-0
victory in 41 minutes.
Perry was understandably delighted to
have got the scalp of the seed, and professed to have been playing
well recently so thought that she had a chance.
Abdel Kawy, put her downfall down to a
wedding - that of her brother’s, of which she was chief organiser!
"I have only trained for four days. He is my brother and I had to
help him. I hoped that I would play better than this but she played
well. I just wasn’t comfortable," concluded Abdel Kawy.
Malaysia's
Nicol David triumphed in straight games over her great rival
Rachael Grinham in the final of the Women's Seoul Open
to win the $60,000 squash event in its second year in the
South Korean capital Seoul in glorious style.
The
Cairo-based 31-year-old from Queensland had been undergoing intense
physiotherapy treatment for a back problem since arriving in Seoul:
"I definitely cannot complain, as I played much better than I
expected at the beginning of the week," added Grinham. "I am happy
to have had an okay game against Nicol. And the crowd helps as they
get really excited."
David,
the 24-year-old top seed from Malaysia, battled to a 10-8, 9-7, 9-5
win in 44 minutes over England's Alison Waters, the No7
seed. 
Second
seed Grinham, the Cairo-based World Open champion from Australia,
took out another English opponent - but the 31-year-old needed four
games and 61 minutes to defeat eighth seed Laura
Lengthorn-Massaro 6-9, 9-6, 9-4, 9-5.
England
team-mates Alison Waters and Laura Lengthorn-Massaro
claimed unexpected places in the semi-finals of the Women's Seoul
Open - but it was at the expense of unseeded opponents in the
quarter-finals of the $60,000 WISPA World Tour squash event
in the South Korean capital Seoul.
"I
had a game plan and when I stuck to it, it worked well - but I was a
bit patchy," explained the 24-year-old from Lancashire. "In the
second and third when I was down, I was pretty pleased to come
back. I stopped going short too soon to try and finish rallies.
Against Madeline I knew I should keep her back, wait for my
opportunities and not hit the ball too hard as that is how she likes
it."