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Nicol David Wins Apawamis Title
Howard Harding reports |
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RESULTS: Women's Marsh Apawamis Squash Open, Apawamis Club, Rye, NY,
USA
Final:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [2] Natalie Grinham (AUS) 9-1, 9-6, 6-6 ret. (45m)
The latest display in the long-standing rivalry between the world's top two
women squash players provided a victory for world number one Nicol David
- but it was a disappointing climax to the Women's Marsh Apawamis Open
when world number two Natalie Grinham was forced to retire injured in
the third game of the final of the first WISPA World Tour Gold event of
the year at the Apawamis Club in Rye in the US state of New
York.
Malaysian David, competing in her first event of the New Year, was keen to
carry on where she left off in 2007, when she won her final two events, the
Qatar Classic and the Hong Kong Open.
And the 24-year-old from Penang soon built up a two-game lead in the Rye
final.
But Grinham, the 29-year-old Australian keen to reduce the gap in the pair's
10-6 head-to-head record, forced her way back into the match in the third.
But at six-all, Grinham Natalie slipped over and injured her right foot.
After attempting to play on for a few minutes, the Queenslander was forced to
retire and concede the match to the favourite.
The win takes David's career WISPA World Tour title tally to 25 - and
strengthens her grip on the coveted world number one ranking. |
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Kawy
Continues Giant-Killing Run In Rye
Howard Harding reports |
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RESULTS: Women's Marsh Apawamis Squash Open, Apawamis Club, Rye, NY,
USA
Quarter-finals:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) 3-9, 9-7, 9-4, 9-5
(68m)
[4] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt [8] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) 7-9, 2-9, 9-1, 9-6,
9-6 (53m)
Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 4-9, 9-3, 10-8, 9-6
(46m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt [5] Tania Bailey (ENG) 9-6, 9-5, 9-2 (35m)
Egypt's unseeded Omneya
Abdel Kawy continued her giant-killing run in the Women's Marsh
Apawamis Open by upsetting Australia's world champion Rachael Grinham
in the quarter-finals of the first WISPA World Tour Gold squash event
of the year at the Apawamis Club in Rye in the US state of
New York.
Just 24 hours after despatching seventh seed Jenny Duncalf in the first
round, the 22-year-old from Cairo recovered from a game down to overcome
fellow Cairo-based Grinham, the No3 seed, 4-9, 9-3, 10-8, 9-6 in 46 minutes.
Kawy now goes on to face her opponent's younger sister Natalie Grinham,
the second seed who defeated England's fifth seed Tania Bailey 9-6,
9-5, 9-2.
England's unseeded Laura
Lengthorn-Massaro, who also pulled off a first round upset to reach the
quarter-finals, took the first game against event favourite Nicol David
- but the world number one from Malaysia came back strongly to win 3-9, 9-7,
9-4, 9-5.
David will now face US champion Natalie Grainger for a place in the
final. The fourth seed squandered two games against Dutch opponent Vanessa
Atkinson before coming back to beat the former world champion 7-9, 2-9,
9-1, 9-6, 9-6.
Semi-final line-up:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) v [4] Natalie Grainger (USA)
[2] Natalie Grinham (AUS) v Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
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Qualifiers
Survive Marathons To Strike Gold In Rye
Howard Harding reports
Photos courtesy:
www.squashsite.co.uk
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RESULTS: Women's Marsh Apawamis Squash Open, Apawamis Club,
Rye, NY, USA
Qualifying finals:
Kasey Brown (AUS) bt Annelize Naude (NED) 9-4, 8-10, 9-4, 9-2 (68m)
Latasha Khan (USA) bt Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 6-9, 8-10, 9-2, 9-3, 9-6 (77m)
Samantha Teran (MEX) bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) 5-9, 6-9, 9-5, 9-2, 9-0
(70m)
Engy Kheirallah (EGY) bt Raneem El Weleily (EGY) 5-9, 9-3, 9-3, 10-9 (53m)
 Efforts
to qualify for the first
WISPA
World Tour Gold
squash event of the year produced four marathon clashes in the qualifying
finals of the Women's Marsh Apawamis Open at the Apawamis Club
in Rye
in the US state of
New York.
Latasha Khan,
the seven times US national champion from Seattle, battled back from two
games down to beat New Zealander Jaclyn Hawkes 6-9, 8-10, 9-2, 9-3,
9-6 in 77 minutes. The reward for Khan's endeavours is a first round meeting
with second seed Natalie Grinham, the world No2 from Australia.
 It
took 70 minutes for Samantha Teran to earn her right to face eighth
seed Vanessa Atkinson in the main draw. The highest-ranked Mexican
also had to recover from a two-game deficit before beating England's
Dominique Lloyd-Walter
5-9, 6-9, 9-5,
9-2, 9-0.
An all-Egyptian battle resulted in Engy Kheirallah beating Raneem
El Weleily 5-9, 9-3, 9-3, 10-9 in 53 minutes - the winner going on to
face Nicol David, the world No1 from Malaysia who is beginning her
2008 campaign in Rye.
A 68-minute workout saw the demise of Dutch player Annelize Naude as
Australian Kasey Brown prevailed in a 9-4, 8-10, 9-4, 9-2 scoreline to
line-up against
Tania Bailey, the
fifth seed from England, in the first round.
1st round line-up:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) v [Q] Engy Kheirallah (EGY)
[6] Vicky Botwright (ENG) v Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG)
[4] Natalie Grainger (USA) v Madeline Perry (IRL)
[8] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) v [Q] Samantha Teran (MEX)
[7] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
[3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v Shelley Kitchen (NZL)
[5] Tania Bailey (ENG) v [Q] Kasey Brown (AUS)
[2] Natalie Grinham (AUS) v [Q] Latasha Khan (USA)
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