This year, the CIMB Singapore Masters, now in it’s fourth year, will feature an all-glass court for the first time at Kallang Leisure Park after a 12-year absence. According to sources, it is a necessity that has forced the Singapore Squash Rackets Association (SSRA) to invest some $300,000 in a lease-to-buy arrangement for the equipment. Round 1 & 2 of the qualifying rounds will be held at the Kallang Squash Centre, starting today—the 26th of July.

The court is already up at Kallang Leisure Park.

Nicol Set to Capture Singapore title, too.

Raneem El Weleily vs Nicol David will prove to be an interesting match.

Fresh from her recent victory at the CIMB Malaysian Open last weekend against WISPA No. 2 Jenny Duncalf—Nicol David is now set to defend her title in Singapore. She will be meeting young Egyptian, Raneem El Weleily in the first round which starts this Wednesday, the 28th of July. Raneem recently stunned two top seeded players, Rachael Grinham and Laura Massaro at the Malaysian Open, only to be stopped by Jenny Duncalf in the semi final. Jenny Duncalf will be missed from this event, opening opportunities to other seeded players to make it through to the finals.

Besides the heavyweights, another player to watch for will be the recently crowned American World Junior Champion, Amanda Sobhy who will be playing another talented junior, Joey Chan of Hong Kong in the first qualifying round.

The tops seeds are:

(1) Nicol David (MAS)
(2) Rachael Grinham (AUS)
(3) Alison Waters (ENG)
(4) Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
*(5) Natalie Grainger (USA)
(6) Madeline Perry (IRE)
(7) Kasey Brown (AUS)
(8) Camille Serme (FRA)

*Pegged ranking.

Click here to view the full draw.

SquashStars.com will only officially start live coverage and reports for this tournament, starting Round 1 of the main draw. Reports on Qualifiers can be found here!

Battle of the Sexes is back!

Right after the Singapore Masters will be the Battle of the Sexes! Here are the details:

Match #1 : Low Wee Wern (World No.26) vs Timothy Soh (Singapore National Junior)

Match #2 : Nicol David (World No.1) vs Udai Singh (Battle of The Sexes Part 1 Winner)

Event Details
Venue: Kallang Leisure Park Atrium
Date: 1st August 2010 (Sunday)
Time: 2.30pm – Meet the Fans & Autograph Signing Sessions
3.00pm - Match #1
3.45pm – Match #2
4.30pm – Prize Presentation

Seats: FREE*

*Confirm your seats to avoid disappointment, book seats in advance at S$15 each.
Email ultimatesquasher@yahoo.com or call 9455 9707 for payment details.

Tournament article archive:
• Cream of the Crop at Malaysian Open 2010
• The Online Contest — Make your Predictions!
• Highlights from Qualifiers, Round 1
• Highlights from the Qualifiers, Round 2
• Highlights from the Quarter Final
• Semi Final Live Blog
• Semi Final Highlights

Click to join in the conversation!

View full draw here.

Malaysian TV, Astro Arena will be airing the tournament live on Channel 801.

Click below to join in the conversation now!

View full draw here.

Malaysian TV, Astro Arena will be airing the tournament live on Channel 801.

CIMB Malaysian Open 2010: Quarter final highlights

Jenny proved too good for Malaysian rising star.

English Dominated Semi-Finals tomorrow. Can they be stopped?

It’s impressive how the English have dominated squash. With a total of 4 players in the main draw; 3 being the top seeds in the tournament—2 managed to fight their way up to the semi final of this tournament! It is safe to say that they are looking at hoarding a pile of medals in the upcoming Commonwealth Games, October this year. How many English girls did you predict would make it through to the semi final, here?

Jenny Duncalf bt. Low Wee Wern 11/5, 11/6, 11/3 (36 mins)
Jenny Duncalf stamped her mark of authority on court today. She definitely looked more comfortable on the court from the beginning of the match, leading 6-0 in the first set. The second set saw Wee Wern equalizing it at 5-5 but Jenny carried a good momentum right through the match. It’s definitely a great experience for Wee Wern being on the glass court and the quarter final of a tournament for the first time. Jenny faces, Raneem El Weleily, tomorrow.

Omneya, looking fitter but not playing her usual game.

Alison Waters bt. Omneya Abdel Kawy  11/4, 11/3, 3/11, 11/4 (38 mins)
Omneya seemed a little out of sorts today, possibly a little shaky from her 5-setter game yesterday—looking to find her rhythm in the first and second sets. Alison was consistent and was leading strongly throughout with Omneya making some unforced errors.

The third set saw a more familiar Omneya Abdel Kawy on court—taking charge from the first point to the last and sealing it with a beautiful backhand drop shot to the front corner. Then came the fourth set where Alison stepped up 2-notches. She was just too fast and it was already too late for Omneya as Alison took a strong lead at 6-3, dropping only 1 point before calling it a day at 11-4. A very convincing win, for Alison.

That's 2 in a week for Raneem, will Jenny be next?

Raneem’s at it again!

Raneem El Weleily bt. Laura Massaro  11/6, 7/11, 7/11, 11/4, 13/11 (51 mins)
The first surprise of the day came from Raneem El Weleily who performed superbly against a higher seeded, Laura Massaro. Despite Laura’s best efforts in the 2nd and 3rd sets, the fourth set saw Raneem racing ahead and winning it with a breathtaking dropshot to the front. The fifth game was a nail biter where Raneem seemed to be taking more risks and playing winning shots every chance she got. At 5-5, Laura made a costly mistake which allowed Raneem to lead ahead, 8-5 before she fought back. At 11-11, Raneem was scrambling up and down the court—winning rallies and finishing the game at 13-11 as Laura hit the last point into the tin. It was a wonderful game of squash, where the better player came out on top.

A jubilated Raneem spoke personally to SquashStars later, “I’m really happy to have won today. It’s my first time to make it to the semis in a big tournament. I’ve played Laura 3 times this year. Two of it was 3-2, very close. This was a tough match even mentally. Once you get to the point of winning you start thinking if you’re going to win, and lose focus, then you have to reboot all over again. Really close today but I made it.”

Congratulations, Raneem!

The Flexible French: Camille awed the crowd with her long reach.

Nicol for the home stretch

Nicol David bt. Camille Serme  11/4, 11/4, 11/8 (29m)
The last game of the day started at 9.20pm with Nicol literally stretching the new WISPA top 10 entrant—Camille Serme—to the hilt. The first set saw Nicol taking an early lead with relentless assaults while Camille tried to find her rhythm. Camille then led the second set with a fantastic (and long) rally, taking a short lead at 3-4 when Nicol tinned it. However, an undeterred Nicol, picked it up without dropping anymore points to finish it at 11/4…again!

The third set saw a very determined Camille leading the scoreboard with some of those wonderful long lunges of hers. It was quite an even play, up till 6-6 when Nicol took charge to finish the game. A very happy Nicol commented, “Was fired up to play on the glass court and felt focussed throughout the match. It’s her first time playing the quarters in Malaysia and I knew she’d go for it if she had a chance. Glad to win it in 3 games, but it wasn’t easy.”

No it wasn’t, Nicol—but the challenge from Camille really showcased some beautiful squash to complete the quarter final! Till tomorrow—await our LIVE BLOG!

Malaysian TV, Astro Arena will be airing the tournament live on Channel 801.

CIMB Malaysian Open 2010: Round 1 Highlights

The junior faces of women’s squash are definitely rising up to the challenge this Malaysian Open. If you have participated in our Online Contest—predicting the outcome of this tournament, you would be kicking yourself now due to some shocking defeats witnessed here this afternoon at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil. Click here for a full view of the draw.

Wee Wern delivered the first shock of the day!

Shock #1: Low Wee Wern bt Natalie Grainger  9/11, 11/8, 11/7, 12/14, 11/7 (52 mins)
Round 1 started off with an upset by local talent Low Wee Wern who tamed former World No.1, Natalie Grainger in 5 games to progress to the quarter final of the tournament. Kudos to Wee Wern for a match well played—a little unfortunate for Natalie who is trying to make a comeback after a long hiatus plagued with injuries. A very ecstatic Wee Wern, spoke to SquashStars.com after her match, “Just really happy with the result because I didn’t really expect to win. I knew I had a chance, but didn’t really expect myself to win it. I will be playing Jenny Duncalf tomorrow—lost to her in the HK Open last year 3-0, but I’m playing well now so I will give my best and see what happens!”

Raneem's first victory over former World No. 1, Rachael Grinham.

Shock #2: Raneem El Weleily bt. Rachael Grinham  12/10, 14/16, 11/9, 12/10 (49 mins)
Raneem created the second major upset in the women’s draw as she sent squash veteran, Rachael Grinham packing. The Egyptian had to endure three games with extra points against a more seasoned Rachael but did well to progress with a 3-1 win. “I’ve never beaten Rachael before. Played her six to seven times. We always have close matches. She has great technique. Usually I get frustrated after the first few games. This time round, I tried to change that and tried not to get stuck in her pace. Glad it worked out and happy to win it!” Raneem meets Laura Massaro in the next round—let’s hope she has a strategy to work Laura too!

Camille going for the shot!

Shock #3: Camille Serme bt Madeline Perry 11/2, 5/11, 11/6, 11/5 (44 mins)
The third and final upset of the day was pulled off by Frenchwoman Camille Serme as she eliminated higher seed Madeline Perry with a 3-1 victory.  The first game was fully controlled by Camille with Madeline struggling to get her footing right. However, Madeline came back strong to take the second game. Camille’s long-reaching stretches proved too good as she took the 3^rd and 4^th games.

And then, there were some close calls:

Laura and Dipika, both fighting for every ball.

Laura Massaro bt Dipika Pallikal 9/11, 11/9, 9/11, 11/8, 11/9 (61 mins)
Laura was challenged by the upcoming Indian junior with a close scoreline in all 5 games—making this the longest match for Round 1. Laura’s calm demeanor served as a stark contrast against young Dipika’s mounting frustration on court. India’s rising star played well to make it this far and is definitely the player to watch in future professional circuits. Ironically, this is Laura’s first tournament after her ankle injury earlier this year against Jenny Duncalf in the KL Open quarter final round. She is now scheduled to meet another up and coming squash talent, Raneem El Weleily in the next round.

Omneya Abdel Kawy bt Kasey Brown 8/11, 11/8, 7/11, 11/9, 11/3 (55 mins)
This game was a close battle between the world number 6 and 9—the match was pretty even over 5 games with Omneya finishing on top. Sweet victory indeed for Omneya as she lost in the same round, at the same tournament last year to Kasey Brown with a 3-0 scoreline!

Alison Waters bt Tania Bailey 10/12, 11/5, 12/10, 11/6 (50 mins)
Alison took the lead in this great English battle against the Captain of the English Women’s Team with a 3-1 victory. “The last time I played Tania… has been a while now, probably 2 years ago here in Malaysia and it was a 3-2 and Tania won it. It (This) was a tight match. Two of the games were 12-10, she got tired at the end which was good for me. Been having a good couple of months off… has been good. Glad to be back on court, really.”

Business as usual:

Jenny Duncalf bt Jaclyn Hawkes 11/6, 11/3, 11/6 (30 mins)
This match went according to seeding with Jenny having a seemingly good match over Jaclyn with a 3-0 win. Jenny is looking very dangerous and in good shape—and is predicted to make her way to the final showdown. But first, she has to overcome a very confident, Low Wee Wern tomorrow.

Nicol David: The Smiling Assassin

Nicol David bt Joelle King 11/7, 11/5, 11/4 (31 mins)
Nicol’s speed was definitely put to test today as Joelle moved the ball well all around the court, making Nicol work hard for her points. The first game started off pretty evenly with Nicol doing most of the running but by midway, Nicol was hitting well and pulled away.

The next two matches saw many tins from the Kiwi. Shortly into the second game, Joelle’s left ankle seemed to have given way as she dropped to the ground briefly. She was up on her feet soon enough and continued play but Nicol upped her level to make quick work of Joelle in 31 minutes. Satisfied with her own performance, Nicol commented, “Was well eager to play today especially not playing tournaments the last 2 months. Playing Joelle for the first time was new to me. First game, we had some close, hard rallies­—the other two games, I worked hard to keep the ball moving and felt better on the ball. Very happy with this first round match.”

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So far 6 out of the 10 questions have been answered after Round 1 today! They are:

How many 3-0 in the Quarter final: 2
Madeline Perry vs Camiller Serme: Camille Serme 3-1
Low Wee Wern vs Natalie Grainger: Low Wee Wern 3-2
Tania Bailey vs Alison Waters: Alison Waters
How many seeded players will continue to the quarter finals? 5
Who will go further in this tournament, Alison or Rachael: Alison

CIMB MALAYSIAN OPEN 2010: Highlights from the Qualifiers

This year’s qualifiers has been one of the most exciting yet, with all the top juniors showcasing their skills.

Watch out for Joelle King, Nicol!

Despite her spirited fight against up and coming New Zealander Joelle King, talented Joey Chan saw an early exit in the first round. Joelle has been performing really well, even beating top seed Rachael Grinham to win the Texas Open Championship earlier this year! From the back, she could be easily mistaken for Shelley Kitchen as she too displays the same hard hitting style and lanky physique. This Kiwi is definitely going to give defending champion Nicol David a good fight in Round 1 of the main draw.

This one is a hard worker. We overheard Raneem ask for a ball to practice right after one of her matches.

Another impressive qualifier is Egyptian, Raneem El Weleily who fought off both Malaysian veteran, Sharon Wee and 14-year old compatriot, Nour El Sherbini to claim a spot in the main draw. She will be going up against the very tricksy Australian—Rachael Grinham, in the first round. We predict, Raneem is going to give Rachael a good run for her money tomorrow.

Besides her Bollywood good looks, Dipika Pallikal plays a mean game of squash.

India’s Dipika Pallikal also played some impressive squash especially in the first round of qualifiers against an experienced Aisling Blake of Ireland. Dipika showed nerves of steel when she saved 5 match balls in the fourth set and frustrated Aisling out of the qualifiers in the 5th. In the second round, her skilled court play at the front earned her a spot in the main draw. Kudos to her Malaysian opponent Siti Munirah Jusoh who outplayed a very experienced Rebecca Chiu in the first round, only to be thwarted by Dipika in the second. Dipika will meet 8th seed, Laura Massaro in the main draw.

Tania after her hip arthroscopy, last year. Congratulations on your recovery, Tania!

Lastly, England’s Captain, Tania Bailey beat local favorite Delia Arnold and the fiesty Donna Urquhart of Australia with very convincing scorelines. Tania is showing good form despite having just recovered from a hip surgery last year! We look forward to seeing Tania hold her ground against her higher seeded compatriot, Alison Waters, tomorrow.

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Other Malaysian Open 2010 articles here:
• Cream of the Crop at Malaysian Open 2010
• Highlights from the Qualifiers: Now It’s on to the Main Draw!
• SquashSite’s Coverage: Click here for the predictions to help you with our online contest!

In this week’s StarGazer Interview:
Alana Miller, Canada

Alana Miller, Squash Stars Ambassador & Canada's top female player.

STARGAZER : How was training, building up to your first tournament?
ALANA : My training was great, leading up to the Greenwich Open, and the Burning River in Cleveland. In the past I usually take ten days away from squash around Christmas but this year I chose to continue to train through the holidays so that I would feel strong, fit and confident for my tournaments in January. In the Greenwich Open I played well and fought hard in the second round of qualifying before going down to Aisling Blake in five games. Unfortunately in the next days, when taking advantage of the many training partners in Greenwich, I strained my piriformis muscle—a muscle around my butt. A few days later, I travelled to Cleveland with the intention of competing but pulled out once my strain was diagnosed by a doctor.

Although I was disappointed to miss one of the best tournaments on the calendar, my decision to pass on the competition was a good one because I was able to be home to receive treatment. My athletic therapist is a miracle worker when it comes to healing injuries because with only two and a half weeks of massage and electric therapy, I was ready to compete in the Dayton Open. I would have liked more match play before the tournament but I played well to push Kasey Brown to four close games in the quarter final.

Now I have a few weeks left to train before my next tournament and I am working on my speed to the front of the court.

STARGAZER : Did you enjoy the event?
ALANA : My first event of 2010 was the Harrow Greenwich Open and I loved the event. I was billeted with a great family who took great care of me. And once the tournament was over, a few players and I spent a night in New York City where I saw my first Broadway show—Memphis, and enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner.

STARGAZER : Are your matches getting more competitive at the moment amongst your peers?
ALANA : Yes my matches are getting more competitive. I feel like the level on the WISPA tour is improving and more players are playing at a high level. The matches are closer and longer. Personally, I feeling like I am closing in on players ranked higher than me but am being pushed by those ranked below me. The competitive matches make the tournaments interesting as the seeded players are not always coming out on top.

STARGAZER : What was your toughest match so far in your career?
ALANA : I have had many tough matches but the toughest match I have ever played was at the Canadian Nationals in 2004. I played Runa Reta in the final and since we grew up playing juniors together, we had a well established rivalry. This match was the first final for both of us at the senior level so we battled nerves and each other on the court. I pushed my hardest mentally and physically that day. I realized after that match, the tough training that was needed to compete at the senior level.

2004 Canadian Champions Graham Ryding ( Men's Champion) Peter Ward (President Squash Canada) and Alana Miller (Women's Champion)

STARGAZER : Can you give us some insights of your routine at a tournament.
ALANA : My routine at tournaments varies slightly but generally on match day, it involves a morning practice, a long stretch, an afternoon of relaxing and then an evening match. In the afternoon I like to sleep or read or socialize.

STARGAZER : Any new year’s resolution?
ALANA : Yes, always a new year’s resolution. In 2010, I vow to book my flights early to take advantage of the advanced booking prices.

STARGAZER FACT FILE:

Name : Alana Martha Miller
Age : 29
Nationality : Canadian
Home State/Town/City : Winnipeg, MB
Current World Ranking : 38
Coach : Trevor Borland
Racquet : Black Knight
Favorite Squash Player of All Time : Nicol David because of her outstanding skill and grace on court and for her modesty off court.
Proudest Achievement : Winning a gold medal in the team event at the 2007 Pan Am Games.
Favorite Tournament : I have many but I love the tournaments when I am billeted with a lovely family with kids who are excited about squash. In terms of location, I love warm weather. I am looking forward to going to Texas and Cayman Islands.
Favorite Food : Chocolate
Favorite Holiday Destination : Florida
Favorite Color : Pink

Follow Alana on her Facebook FanPage, here!

The Semi Finals showdown has resulted in 3 Egyptian finalist with 1 lone Malaysian survivor. Don’t have the live telecast? Join us in our Live Blog for the Finals, TOMORROW (Saturday, 20th March 2010)!

Results from the Semis:

Women’s:

Omneya Abdel Kawy beat Jenny Duncalf 11/3, 11/8, 11/9

Nicol David beat Alison Waters 11/3, 11/7, 11/5

Men’s:

Karim Darwish beat Azlan Iskandar 11/6, 11/6, 11/7

Ramy Ashour beat Ong Beng Hee 11/5, 8/11, 11/6, 11/7

Finals:

3PM (Malaysian Time): Karim Darwish vs. Ramy Ashour

4PM(Malaysian Time): Nicol David vs. Omneya Abdel Kawy