WISPA welcomes the addition of three new Board members to its team as it moves into an exciting new phase.

Familiar faces on squash’s women’s professional tour, Ireland’s Aisling Blake, England’s Emma Beddoes and Australia’s Melody Francis were all voted onto the Board by the players at the WISPA AGM in Rotterdam.

Beddoes commented, “Having already helped WISPA in a number of unofficial roles in the past, I feel like I’d now like to use this experience in an official capacity on our board. I understand how tough it can be to raise sponsorship for events and to secure media coverage in a competitive market place but more than that I’m incredibly passionate about growing our game and really want to help make a difference in women’s squash.”

Blake was equally enthusiastic about her election, “For some time now I have thought about becoming part of the WISPA Board, as I feel I could add value to the current Board as voice acting on behalf of all players’ best interests. WISPA is approaching an exciting new era: a change to our name, a rebranding of our image, new tournaments to add to the calendar and growing prize money. I feel very proud of WISPA and our Tour and with that in mind I look forward to the opportunity to add what I can to the WISPA Board.”

Francis added, “After some years’ experience with the WISPA Tour, I feel I am fully equipped with a comprehensive understanding of the players’ needs and desires and can balance those with the demands placed on an international professional tour. I also feel that a continued focus on the development of our younger players and the expansion of the WISPA Tour is imperative. Since Squash Australia’s heightened commitment to the development of WISPA tournaments in Australia, I believe it is important to have a board member in Australia to ensure that WISPA’s presence is heightened in the region. The continued commitment and further expansion of the tour in Australia and its surrounding area needs to be secured and being able to personally interact with a board member would undoubtedly stabilise the process.”

The three players will join current Board members, Ingrid Lofdahl-Bentzer, Peter Goodman, Anthony Lee, new President Jaclyn Hawkes and Jenny Denyer (Tranfield), who stays co-opted.  Hawkes took over as Acting President following Natalie Grainger’s decision to step down earlier this year. Jaclyn was unchallenged in her election as President and has already shown great leadership qualities and insight.

Line Hansen decided to step down from the Board after serving for two years, as did Suzie Pierrepont. However, Suzie has been co-opted onto the Board because her position in the US is vital to WISPA’s efforts to further enhance the Tour in North America.

REPORT BY STEVE CUBS |

Selby was also satisfied: “I thought I did alright, considering the matches I’ve had so far this week. Rachael’s not the easiest to play when you have heavy legs, she holds the ball so well and you have to stop and start and turn so often. But I’m pleased with my tournament, I thought I did credit to myself and I got my laundry done!!”

Teran was happy too: “I’m happy to get started, and to have a tough game to get me ready for the next round, Tesni played well. It’s normally hard to adjust after the travel from Mexico, but I’ve been here a couple of days already and I feel quite comfortable, I’m in good rhythm and playing well.

There was a huge upset in the second batch of women’s matches as teenage Egyptian qualifier Kanzy El Dafrawy ousted eighth-seeded compatriot Omneya Abdel Kawy in three delicately poised games, 12/10, 11/9, 12/10.

“I can’t believe it,” said a delighted Kanzy, “I’ve never even taken a game off her before. But I was playing well, even if she isn’t at her best at the moment, but when I was 10/6 down in the third I told myself I mustn’t let an opportunity like this slip.”

Another upset followed when Dipika Pallikal, who has just moved into the world’s top twenty, took out 14th-seeded Kiwi Jaclyn Hawkes in four games.

“I started well then made too many errors in the second,” said the Indian number one. “In the third and fourth I was trying to be more steady and I thought I did that well. I played Jackie in Malaysia in July so I knew what to expect, you have to be prepared to run and run like she does. “Really happy to get through, it should be a good game against Kanzy …”

There were no further upsets in the afternoon session women’s matches, as Jenny Duncalf, Annie Au, Laura Massaro and Joelle King all progressed never looking in serious danger. King found Swiss qualifier Gaby Huber a bit of a handful: “I’d never really seen her play, so it came as a bit of a surprise to find she hits the ball as hard as I do, which I’m not really used to,” admitted the Kiwi commonwealth gold medallist, who won 11/7, 11/6, 11/6. “It’s good to get started though and I’m very happy to win that one three-nil.” King now meets second seed Duncalf, who had just as tough a time of it against Line Hansen, coming through 11/9, 12/10, 11/7 in just over half an hour.

Meanwhile Duncalf’s English team-mate Massaro managed to quell the lively young Egyptian Yathreb Adel 11/9, 11/7, 11/6 and she’ll meet Annie Au, who won her all-Hong Kong match with Joey Chan in four games. “We play each other so often, it feels strange to come all the way over here just to play each other again,” chuckled Au.
 
The ladies got their first outing on Victoria’s showcourt as locals Orla Noom and Natalie Grinham started their campaigns. Noom, who won the qualifying competition for the wilcard spot, performed well enough but Australia’s Kasey Brown was a tough opponent, and the sixth seed came through in straight games despite Noom’s best efforts and a noisy partisan crowd.”It’s never easy playing the crowd’s home favourite,” admitted Brown, “and they were definitely against me and pretty loud too, but I thought I coped with it well and played pretty well too.”

The following match, featuring four-time finalist Grinham against her qualifier training partner Aisling Blake, was one the crowd had altogether different expectations of, and they weren’t disappointed as the former Aussie who has just returned to the world’s top ten came through in straight games in front of her watching husband and son.

Two contrasting women’s matches followed. France’s seventh seed Camille Serme, having lost to one young Egyptian (El Weleily) in Qatar was in no mood to lose to another today as she took a close first game against Nour El Tayeb, doubled her lead with more ease in the second and gratefully accepted the world junior champion’s retirement with an ankle injury at 2/1 in the third.

Fourth seed Madeline Perry went two games up as well, but her opponent, Emma Beddoes, far from conceding stormed back to take the next two games. It was fairly comfortable for the Northern Irishwoman in the decider, who after an tough hour long match will be grateful for a day’s rest before she takes on Natalie Grinham at the Luxor Theatre on Thursday.

Low Wee Wern had to work hard to secure a three-nil win over US veteran Latasha Khan, while five-time and defending champion Nicol David started off her defence on an outside court against compatriot Delia Arnold. “Delia was struggling with the bounce on the court,” said Nicol after her 11/3, 11/5, 11/6 win, “but I was too to start with, it took a little time to get comfortable on there. I had to remind myself it was the first round of the World Open and not let her get into it, she can be very dangerous if she does.”

That left Donna Urquhart and Nour El Sherbini, who were by now into their fifth game too, Sherbini having taken the lead 2/1 after saving game balls in what proved to be a crucial third game. The fifth was a relative canter, the young Egyptian finally able to celebrate her 16th birthday with an 11/2 decider.

Full reports with quotes and photos available on TODAY on the World Open site here!

The pair had previously met in July’s Women’s Junior World’s Final in Boston, where Tayeb won the final in 4 games; this time however it was Sherbini who emerged victorious in 4 games.

The 15 year old had not played a WISPA event all year due to a serious knee operation and it was remarkable in itself that she managed to return at the World Junior’s in July and make the final!

Sherbini started strongly in the first round beating Salma Hany in straight games. There were also straight game wins for Tayeb over Emily Whitlock, 2nd seed Aisling Blake over Nouran Ahmed Gohar and 3rd seed Line Hansen over German no.1 Sina Wall. The last seed to make it through to the quarter finals was Kanzy El Dafrawy. The 6th seed survived a marathon match, beating compatriot Farah Abdel Meguid 11/9 in the 5th.

The remaining 3 matches all featured upsets. Lauren Briggs eased passed 7th seed Lucie Fialova. Nouran El Torky won a tight opener against 8th seed Gaby Huber before coming through in straight games. Nouran’s elder sister, Heba El Torky wasn’t so fortunate. The 4th seed was stunned in 4 games by 15 year old Yathreb Adel.

Sherbini continued to perform strongly in the quarter finals. The first 2 games were close with Blake but the 2nd seed couldn’t live with the pace of Sherbini in the third and her resistance faded. Top seed Tayeb had to come through a battle to reach the semi finals. She found herself 2-1 down against Briggs, a former top 20 player, but managed to come through in the 5th after some incredibly long and hard fought rallies. The last two quarter finals were won in straight games but both could have gone either way. Hansen had to win 3 tie breaks to beat Nouran El Torky while El Dafrawy had to save game balls in both the 1st and 3rd games against Adel.

Tayeb had the easier time of it in her semi final. After her tough previous round match Tayeb had too much variety for Hansen and won comfortably in straight games. It was Sherbini and Dafrawy’s first meeting on the WISPA tour and there was nothing between them in the first 3 games, but it was Sherbini who found herself 2-1 up. As she did against Blake, Sherbini increased the pace in the 4th and she broke away to move into the final.

The final between the World’s two top juniors was set and their previous records against each other meant that the match could go either way. This time thought it was Sherbini who had the upper hand. Despite Tayeb taking the 3rd game, Sherbini was in control for the most part of the match and managed to gain revenge for her World Junior final defeat by Tayeb.

It is a welcome return to the tour for Sherbini, who will no doubt move up the rankings in the next few months.

Final:
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 11/5 11/8 7/11 11/7

Semi Finals:
[1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [3] Line Hansen (DEN) 11/8 11/5 11/6
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [6] Kanzy El Dafrawy (EGY) 11/8 7/11 11/9 11/3

Quarter Finals:
[1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Lauren Briggs (ENG) 12/10 7/11 7/11 11/5 11/5
[3] Line Hansen (DEN) bt Nouran El Torky (EGY) 13/11 13/11 12/10
[6] Kanzy El Dafrawy (EGY) bt [Q] Yathreb Adel (EGY) 12/10 11/7 15/13
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [2] Aisling Blake (IRL) 11/8 11/8 11/3

1st Round:
[1] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 11/5 11/8 11/8
Lauren Briggs (ENG) bt [7] Lucie Fialova (CZE) 11/5 11/5 11/5
[3] Line Hansen (DEN) bt Sina Wall (GER) 11/8 11/8 11/7
Nouran El Torky (EGY) bt [8] Gaby Huber (SWI) 16/14 11/6 11/6
[6] Kanzy El Dafrawy (EGY) bt [Q] Farah Abdel Meguid (EGY) 9/11 11/7 11/2 9/11 11/9
[Q] Yathreb Adel (EGY) bt [4] Heba El Torky (EGY) 11/4 7/11 11/6 11/7
[5] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt [Q] Salma Hany (EGY) 11/2 11/6 11/8
[2] Aisling Blake (IRL) bt [Q] Nouran Ahmed Gohar (EGY) 11/9 11/6 11/9

Whitlock finished third at the recent World Junior Championships and showed no fear against her illustrious opponent, jumping out to a 9-6 lead in the first game. However, David stepped up a gear and won five points straight to win the first game and was never headed thereafter.

Emily put up a good challenge against Nicol in Round 2 of the Australian Open.

“She certainly got everything going for her at the start,” David said. “She didn’t make any mistakes and at the end, I knew I just had to tighten up a little bit more and feel the ball better, and she started to make a few more errors. It’s nice to see a 17-year-old play like that – I’d heard about her and I was expecting a challenge today. It’s good that it was three-love. It was close in the first game and with this scoring, you cannot let your guard down; every point is important.”

Au never looked as comfortable against Hansen, with the Dane unlucky not to win a tight first game. Hansen had her chances throughout but was undone by some errors at crucial moments to hand the match to the Au, who won the title in 2008. Au has faced David seven times on tour and at the Asian Games and is yet to notch a victory, but she said she would go in with nothing to lose.

“I think I will just try my best, relax and play all my shots,” she said. “I can learn a lot from her and hopefully I can get closer to her – everybody’s got a chance.”

Annie makes it through in four.

Australian teammates Rachael Grinham and Donna Urquhart will meet in the quarter-finals after both won tough second round matches. Grinham downed Malaysian Low Wee Wern 11-8, 8-11, 11-4, 11-3 before Urquhart saw off India’s Dipika Pallikal 11-6, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8. Urquhart and Grinham were part of the Australian team that won the world teams title last December and have become training partners since Grinham returned to live in Australia at the start of July.

“It’s an advantage for me because I train with her now,” Urquhart said, “but I guess it could be an advantage to her as well. It’s good that there won’t be too many surprises, we know each other’s games pretty well and it’s been really good to train together.”

Urquhart was in dynamic form at the beginning of her match against Pallikal, showing why she has risen to number 13 in the world over the past few months. But after starting brilliantly, she lost concentration in the second and allowed the Indian back into the contest. However, she regrouped to regain control and move comfortably into the final eight.

“I didn’t get my length right in the second and she was all over me,” Urquhart said. “I knew I had to get back in front of her and control the game again if I wanted to win. Today, it was all about getting the right position and slowing it down, not giving her any pace on the ball.”

Grinham’s match followed a similar pattern to Urquhart as she won the first game easily, then dropped the second before regaining control and easing away. “I made it a bit tough for myself when I lost the second game, but I settled down and started hitting some good length, rather than panicking and trying to do too much,” Grinham, the 2005 champion, said.

Second round results:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt Emily Whitlock (ENG) 11-9, 11-7, 11-5
[6] Annie Au (HKG) bt [14] Line Hansen (DEN) 14-12, 11-4, 9-11, 11-9
[3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [9] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-8, 8-11, 11-4, 11-3
[7] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [13] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 11-6, 7-11, 11-6, 11-8

Joelle moves on with ease.

Being the top seed among the qualifiers, Joelle’s match was straight forward with a 3-setter win against Malaysian junior Pushppa Devi. Joelle’s drop shots were flawless and she outclassed the young wallbasher. Joelle however, humble in victory, commended Pushppa on her performance and on her potential to become a better squash player.

Samantha Teran (MEX) bt Line Hansen (DEN) 10/12, 11/2, 11/4, 11/3 (36m)

Line vs Sam

The first set was close with Line playing some good shots while Sam kept it going. In the next few games, Sam took control by stepping up her game, leaving Line frustrated with unforced errors.

There was more than just a squash ball flying around the court in this match. Line’s temperament got the worse of her and we witnessed a flying racquet at some point. Sam stayed focused and kept a good pace, one that Line couldn’t keep up with. Sam now faces Joelle in what is expected to be a tough battle.

Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt Zulhijjah Azan (MAS) 9/11, 11/6, 11/7, 11/5 (30m)

Zulhijjah vs Sarah

Zulhijjah did well to take a set off the very experienced Sarah Kippax. Quickly recovering from shock, Sarah stepped up her game as Zulhijjah went down fighting in four sets. Sarah now faces teammate Emma Beddoes for a place in the main draw.

Emma Beddoes (ENG) bt Rachel Arnold (MAS) 11/5, 11/6, 11/6 (25m)
In a rare appearance in Malaysia, Emma Beddoes seems to have acclimatized well as she took on Delia’s little sister Rachel in straight sets. All three games were close but Emma managed to pull away from midway to seal victory.

Joey Chan (HKG) bt Lisa Camilleri (AUS) 9/11, 11/2, 9/11, 11/6, 11/3 (41m)
The Hong Kong No. 2, Joey Chan, came into the game with confidence and displayed quality squash with a high level of accuracy in her drop shots. Lisa tried to come back many times in the game but unforced errors on her part left the Australian at the losing end of this 5-setter.

Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt Siti Munirah Jusoh (MAS) 11/8, 11/3, 11/6 (33m)

Dipika wins in straight sets.

In the absence of teammate Joshna Chinappa, Dipika ensured that Indian interests are kept intact as she swept aside Siti Munirah to advance to the qualifying finals. Having met numerous times on the junior circuit, Dipika said it was good to meet Siti at the senior level. Having trained over the ast few months with squash legend Sarah Fitz-Gerald, Dipika is looking forward to see the seeds of her training bear fruit this season.

Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bt Aisling Blake 12/10, 8/11, 12/10, 7/11, 11/7 (78m)

Jaclyn beat Aisling in a 78-minute marathon match.

On paper, one would have thought that Jaclyn would run away with this game but boy, was she proven wrong! A fit looking Aisling was not prepared to give this up until the very end. A very close match indeed with the Kiwi prevailing in a marathon 5-setter.

Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Latasha Khan (USA) 11/6, 11/4, 11/7 (36m)

Wee Wern keeps home hopes alive.

Wee Wern kept home hopes alive by being the only Malaysian in the qualifiers to stay in the running to the main draw. Looking in good form, the Malaysian No. 2 forged ahead with ease with a straight set victory over American veteran, Latasha Khan.

Head down to the National Squash Centre, Bukit Jalil today for more exciting matches!

French star Camille Serme collected her sixth WISPA title on home turf this week at the Silver 20 WISPA des Pyramides tournament in Le Port Marly.

The popular stop on the tour, which is just on the outskirts of Paris, saw some incredibly high level of squash all week and the fans were treated to some great matches. The main draw featured sixteen players from eleven different nations, a real international flavour to the tournament.

Serme, 22, was making her return after being a semi finalist back in 2009. She had the pressure of the home fans on her but she started the tournament well, easing past Canadian qualifier Stephanie Edmison. The rest of the top eight seeds all made it through to the quarters without too many problems, although it took Line Hansen over seventy minutes to see off local girl Coline Aumard, recovering from 2-1 down.

Onto the quarter finals and Serme continued to delight the home fans by dispatching Lucie Fialova without any problems. Former champion and number two seed Natalie Grinham ran past Hansen in straight games and this was closely followed by Indian number one Dipika Pallikal who dismantled Tenille Swartz. However, Aisling Blake couldn’t complete the semi final line for the top seeds as she was upset by Joshna Chinappa in four closely fought games.

The semi finals showcased two matches with contrasting styles in both. Serme and Grinham, with their athletic and solid games up against Indian stars Pallikal and Chinappa, two of the best attackers in the game. It was the consistency and retrieving of the top two seeds that won out in both matches with Serme and Grinham both coming through in straight games to set up a mouth watering final.

Grinham, the former world number two , was making her 34th showing in a tour final and a second appearance in a final in two weeks after losing out to Samantha Teran in Mexico last week. Serme was featuring in her first final since losing out at home to Nour El Tayeb in the Open International Feminin de Creteil in February 2010. Their head to heads were tied at one each, although Serme’s victory came as the result of a walkover.

Serme started the final superbly controlling the first two games. Grinham hit back to steal the third. The pressure was on the home player now as the fourth game became very tight, in the end though she held her nerve and closed the match out 11-9 in one hour of gruelling squash. For Grinham it was a second final loss to the home favourite in consecutive tournaments. For Serme it was sweet revenge as she lost out in the semi final here two years ago to Grinham. It was also her first title in over two years.

A wonderful tournament in it’s fifth addition. I am sure we will see it back next year, even bigger than before!

Final:
[1] C Serme (FRA) bt [2] N Grinham (NED) 11-4 11-4 6-11 11-9 (60m)

Semi Final:
[1] C Serme (FRA) bt [3] D Pallikal (IND) 11-6 11-4 11-9 (42m)
[2] N Grinham (NED) bt [6] J Chinappa (IND) 12-10 11-4 11-2 (29m)

Quarter Final:
[1] C Serme (FRA) bt [7] L Fialova (CZE) 11-2 11-2 11-8 (27m)
[3] D Pallikal (IND) bt [8] T Swartz (RSA) 11-9 11-3 11-9 (18m)
[6] J Chinappa (IND) bt [4] A Blake (IRL) 11-9 11-7 9-11 11-3 (47m)
[2] N Grinham (NED) bt [5] L Hansen (DEN) 11-9 11-7 11-8 (30m)

1st Round:
[1] C Serme (FRA) bt [Q] S Edmison (CAN) 11-8 11-4 11-3 (28m)
[7] L Fialova (CZE) bt S Wall (GER) 13-11 2-11 11-7 11-6 (37m)
[3] D Pallikal (IND) bt D Lloyd-Water (ENG) 11-2 15-13 11-2 (45m)
[8] T Swartz (RSA) bt [Q] L Eriksen (NOR) 11-3 11-0 11-2 (20m)
[6] J Chinappa (IND) bt E Whitlock (ENG) 4-11 11-4 11-5 11-8 (41m)
[4] A Blake (IRL) bt [Q] C Allamargot (FRA) 11-9 11-4 11-8 (33m)
[5] L Hansen (DEN) bt [Q] C Aumard (FRA) 11-9 8-11 11-13 11-9 11-5 (74m)
[2] N Grinham (NED) bt A Weir-Nunan (RSA) 11-6 11-4 11-3 (19m)

The promo video:

Women’s quarter-finals (top half of draw):
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [7] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) 11-4, 11-5, 11-13, 11-8 (43m)
[4] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [6] Line Hansen (DEN) 11-8, 11-4, 11-6 (25m)

Men’s quarter-finals (top half of draw):
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 17-15, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6 (78m)
[3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) 11-5, 11-4, 11-1 (38m)

Photo by Hossam Diab

Raneem El Weleily provided local success in the quarter-finals of the women’s WISPA World Tour Silver 20 event after triumphing in straight games against Dane Line Hansen.

It was nip and tuck in the opening game which reached eight-all before fourth seed El Weleily, the world No12 from Alexandria, moved ahead to take the game.

It took just 25 minutes for the Egyptian to book her place in the semi-finals, winning 11-8, 11-4, 11-6 to set up a clash with three-time former champion Rachael Grinham.

The top-seeded Australian, who was based for many years in Egypt, took on Egyptian rival Engy Kheirallah, the No7 seed from Cairo currently ranked 33 in the world.

Grinham, ranked three in the world, took control of the opening exchanges and soon built up a two-game lead.

“Rachael was controlling the pace and using the forehand boast and volley boast very well,” said respected Egyptian coach Hesham El Attar. “Apart from two errors, she dominated and looked the stronger of the two when attacked.”

But Kheirallah, a former world No11, came back in the third – and finally clinched her fourth game ball to reduce the deficit.

The fourth game was again close – but it was Grinham who ultimately prevailed, winning 11-4, 11-5, 11-13, 11-8 after 43 minutes to earn her eighth appearance in the event’s last four.

In the men’s draw, Egypt’s top-ranked squash player Ramy Ashour remains on course to win his fourth successive Hurghada International title–but the world No2 from Cairo was stretched for 78 minutes before overcoming fellow countryman Omar Mosaad in the quarter-finals of the men’s PSA Tour International 70 event in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

Unseeded Mosaad, the world No16 from Cairo, took full advantage of a series of errors from the top seed and had four game balls to open up a first game lead.

But Ashour held off the challenge, ultimately clinching the opener 17-15 before going on to recover from dropping the third game to win 17-15, 11-4, 8-11, 11-6.

Ashour’s next opponent will be career-long French rival Gregory Gaultier, also a former world number one. The third seed from Aix-en-Provence, ranked six in the world, brushed aside Egyptian opponent Mohd Ali Anwar Reda, beating the world No27 11-5, 11-4, 11-1 in 38 minutes.

Dane Line Hansen justified her top billing in the Women’s Racquet Club Invitational when she brushed aside England’s Victoria Lust in the final of the WISPA World Tour 8 squash event at The Racquet Club in St Louis, USA.

While the world No30 from Odense reached the final after beating local star Olivia Blatchford, the fourth seed from New York, in four games, third seed Lust battled to a five-game upset over second seed Latasha Khan to claim her unexpected place in the climax.

But the toil of the semi had clearly taken its toll on the 21-year-old world No38 from Cheltenham as Hansen romped to an 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 victory to win the inaugural Tour title in the second-largest city in the US state of Missouri.

The title triumph marks Hansen’s first Tour success of the year – but the ninth of the 27-year-old’s career.

Semi-finals:
[1] Line Hansen (DEN) bt [4] Olivia Blatchford (USA) 11-6, 6-11, 11-2, 11-8
[3] Victoria Lust (ENG) bt [2] Latasha Khan (USA) 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 5-11, 11-5

England’s Victoria Lust put paid to US interest in the final of the Women’s Racquet Club Invitational when she upset second seed Latasha Khan in the semi-finals of the WISPA World Tour 8 squash event at The Racquet Club in St Louis, USA.

Third seed Lust, the 21-year-old world No38 from Cheltenham, stemmed a fightback by Khan to beat the 38-year-old world No31 from Seattle 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 5-11, 11-5.

And top-seeded Dane Line Hansen doubled the US disappointment in the climax of the inaugural WISPA event at the Racquet Club when she defeated New York-based fourth seed Olivia Blatchford 11-6, 6-11, 11-2, 11-8 in the other semi.

Lust is celebrating her 11th Tour final appearance, while Hansen, the 27-year-old world No30 from Odense, is marking her 14th WISPA final.

[8] Manuela Manetta (ITA) bt. Orla Noom (NED) 7/11, 11/6, 11/7, 11/7 (38 mins)
[3] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bt.[Q] Lauren Siddall (ENG) 11/6, 11/3, 11/7 (24 mins)
[7] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) bt.[Q] Heba El Torky (EGY) 11/4, 11/13, 4/11, 13/11, 12/10 (78 mins)
[1] Madeline Perry (IRE) bt. Line Hansen (DEN) 11/3, 12/10, 11/4 (28 mins)
[Q] Tenille Swartz (RSA) bt. [5] Emma Beddoes (ENG) 11/9, 11/4, 6/11, 6/11, 11/4 (55 mins)
[6] Aisling Blake (IRE) bt. Kylie Lindsay (NZL) 11/7, 11/4, 11/6 (26 mins)
[4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt. Victoria Lust (ENG) 11/5, 11/2, 11/3 (20 mins)
[2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt. [Q] Lisa Aitken (SCO) 11/2, 15/13, 11/9 (25 mins)

*Squash Stars Ambassadors

Manu and Jaclyn Sail Through to the Quarters

Jac & Lauren

First on the women’s court today were two fairly experienced players, Squash Stars Ambassador Manuela Manetta from Italy and Orla Noom from the Netherlands, promising a good start to the day. Orla took an early 2/0 lead, Manuela then led 3/2, Orla then moved into a 5/3 lead and gradually moved up to lead 10/6, game ball. Manuela saved the first game ball but Orla won the next point to take the game 11/7. Manuela then moved up a gear and although Orla stayed close, Manuela took the next three games 11/6, 11/7, 11/7.

Next on the women’s court was No 3 seed Jaclyn Hawkes from New Zealand, now living in Halifax, Yorkshire, playing Yorkshire girl Lauren Siddall, at present living in South Africa, who won through qualifying yesterday. As expected, Lauren played with true Yorkshire grit but found it a step too far against the silky smooth play of Jaclyn, and although she fought to the end, saving two match balls in the third, went down in three games 11/6, 11/3 and 11/7.

The 78-Minute Squashathon!

Third match on the women’s court, young Egyptian star Heba El Torky, who has just got up to #35 in the rankings, and come through qualifying, was matched against No 7 seed Dominique Lloyd-Walter, the experienced English player who had recently dropped down the rankings to #44 due to along injury lay off late last year. Dominique showed from the start that she has now got over her injury problem, her movement around the court was back to the best I have seen her for some time, and she whizzed through the first game to win 11/4. The youngster Heba then started to get to the pace of the game, and the score moved steadily up to 4/4, , then Dominique led 7/4 and 8/5, however Heba went on a good run of points to lead 9/8, was level at 10/10, then served out to take the game 13/11. Dominique seemed to start to tire a little in the third and Heba stepped on the gas to win the game 11/4.

Heba carried on in the same way in the fourth, stretching out to a 7/2 lead, but then Dominique showed her experience in keeping a cool head whilst Heba was getting very upset with some of the referee’s calls, and she pulled back to level at 8/8. Heba however got to match ball at 10/8, but again due to getting herself upset, allowed Dominique to get to game ball at 11/10, Heba levelled at 11/11, but once again Dominique showed her experience and maturity, kept her head and took the game 13/11, to level the match  2 – 2.

The final game was cut and thrust, both players making great use of the court and playing some lovely shots. Dom went 3/3 up, Heba led 5/3, Dom levelled at 5/5 then they went point for point up to 9/9 – still either one’s match. Dominique got the first match ball, 10/9, Heba levelled at 10/10, Dominique got another match ball at 11/10, then with a no let call going against Heba, Dominique took the game 12/10 and the match 12/10. A great match for the spectators, though I don’t think the players would agree.

The Line Stops Here for Line* (*pronounced as LI-NA)

Final match in the first half for the women saw Ireland’s favourite Madeline Perry, just recently raised to the dizzy heights of No 3 in the world rankings, and No 1 seed and outright favourite to win this tournament, against the experienced Dane Line Hansen, ranked #30. Madeline showed why she has risen so high by storming through the first game, winning 11/3. Line showed us then how well she can play, staying level all the way through the second game and in fact taking the first game ball at 10/9, however Madeline then let us all know why she is at #3 by taking three straight points to win the game 12/10. Line looked as though she had put everything into that second game, as Madeline raced into a 5/2 lead, then 9/3, Line stopped the spell with 1 point but then just could not stop Madeline from winning the game 11/4 and the match 3 games to nil.

Tenille Outwits Emma

The second half started immediately, matches running slightly behind schedule, and this next match did not help matters, taking 55 minutes before a decision was made. Qualifier Tenille Swartz from South Africa, ranked #47, was playing Emma Beddoes from England, ranked #24 and seeded No 5 for this tournament, and Tenille caused the biggest upset of the day. In the first game Tenille took an early lead 6/2, then 8/5, and got first game ball at 10/7. Emma saved two match points but Tenille took the last point to win 11/9. Emma seemed really out of sorts in the second and Tenille eased her way to an 11/4 win. Emma came right back into the match in the third, taking a 3/1 lead then moving up to 8/4. Tenille then took the next two points but Emma served out to win the game 11/6. Emma fought really strongly again in the next, taking a good 7/3 lead, getting game ball at 10/4, lost the next two points but eventually served out to win 11/6, and a deciding game to come. Again in the final game Emma seemed out of sorts and Tenille 7/3 lead, Emma could only get one more point before Tenille took the game 11/4 and the match 3 – 2. Splendid match giving us the first big upset of the day.

Business as Usual for Aisling, Nour and Vanessa

Our witty Ambassador, Aisling Blake is crowd favourite.

No6 seed and WR #26, the local club favourite Aisling Blake now came on court with lots of interest from the crowd, and she was playing Kylie Lindsay from New Zealand. Kylie led early on 3/0, Aisling then got into her stride and took a 9/5 lead, Kylie took two points but Aisling got the next two to win 11/7. From 2/2 in the second, Aisling showed her strength to move to 8/2 in the lead, Kylie got another two points but that was it, Aisling served out brilliantly to win 11/4. Similar pattern in the third with Aisling taking a 3/0 lead, Kylie pulling back to 3/4, but then Aisling hung in to go 8/3 up, Kylie took a couple, Aisling got two more to go10/5 game ball, Kylie saved one but Aisling served out to win 11/6and the match 3 – 0 in 26 minutes. A good win for the local lass who is such a crowd favourite here at Fitzwilliam.

No 4 seed Nour El Tayeb from Egypt, No 4 seed and ranked #20 faced English girl Victoria Lust, ranked #38, and just back from a fine victory in the British Under 23 Championship. Despite that victory, Vicky battled bravely as she always does but found the 18 year old Nour much too strong for her and went down 11/5, 11/2 and 11/3.

The final match on the women’s court was the qualifier Lisa Aitken from Scotland, who had played ever so well during qualifying, up against No 2 seed and former World No 1 Vanessa Atkinson, the Dutch player now based in Leeds with the wonderful James Willstrop. Lisa unfortunately was so outplayed in the first game and Vanessa took the game comfortably 11/2. The second game was much better from Lisa’s view, she stayed close with Vanessa throughout the game and only lost out 15/13 in the end. Again in the third Lisa stayed with the score up to 9/9, but then Vanessa showed her experience and served out for 11/9 and a 3 – 0 match score.

That was eventually the end of a great day of squash, and there will be lots more tomorrow.

Reporting from Dublin, Arthur Curran

Post-match games

Tomorrow in the Quarter finals:
14:00 [1] Madeline Perry (IRL) v [8] Manuela Manetta (ITA)
16:00 [3] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) v [7] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG)
18:00 [Q] Tenille Swartz (RSA) v [4] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
20:00 [6] Aisling Blake (IRL) v [2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED)