Just above El Weleily, England’s Laura Massaro has once again leapt above Ireland’s Madeline Perry to equal her highest ranking to date of no.3.

The two remain unchanged with Nicol David extending her reign at no.1 to 67 months whilst Jenny Duncalf stays at no.2 for her 23rd month in a row.

Natalie Grinham moves up a single place to no.7, her highest position since August 2010. Grinham won her 17th WSA tour title in January at the prestigious Tournament of Champions, a tournament making its return to the WSA tour after a couple of years. In the final she beat Indian star Dipika Pallikal, who this month has more reason to celebrate as she makes further history in her country by reaching a career high ranking of 14. As well as reaching the final at TOC, she also reached the semi finals at the Greenwich Open. Mexico’s Samantha Teran, a fellow Greenwich Open semi finalist, moves up 1 spot to 11 to equal her highest ranking to date.

Just outside the top 20, 16 year old Egyptian star Nour El Sherbini rises to 23 after reaching the semi finals of the Tournament of Champions.

There were further players who recorded significant career highs in the top 100 for:
NSC Series no.2 Champion Siti Munirah Jusoh at 39
Hong Kong’s Liu Tsz-Ling - a two time runner-up in January at 50
Australia Day Champion Sarah Cardwell at 55
Edinburgh semi-finalist Zephanie Curgenven at 83
Pakistan’s Liberty Bell Champion Maria Toor Pakay up a massive 73 places to 89

In last week’s first ever all-English final of the prestigious PSA World Series Tournament of Champions at Grand Central Station, Sheffield-based Matthew – who topped the world rankings throughout 2011 before Willstrop replaced him in January – reclaimed pole position after overcoming his Leeds rival in a dramatic 85-minute climax.

The 2012 British National Squash Championships, from 7-12 February (following qualifying the previous two days), will be celebrating its 16th successive year in Manchester and its tenth appearance at the National Squash Centre, the unique venue which was built for the 2002 Commonwealth Games and boasts a permanently-sited all-glass court.

In the draws revealed today, both Willstrop and Matthew face qualifiers in the first round en-route to the predicted men’s final which would be the first in the event’s 38-year history to feature the top two players in the world.

Willstrop, twice winner of the title, is the event’s the top seed. The 28-year-old, who surprisingly crashed out at the quarter-final stage last year, is expected to meet seventh seed Chris Ryder, the former world university champion from Leamington Spa, in the quarter-finals before a predicted clash with career-long rival and England team-mate Peter Barker in the semis.

Barker, the world No7 from London, is the third seed and opens his 2012 campaign against Yorkshireman Neil Cordell.

Second seed Matthew has an anticipated quarter-final clash with Guernsey-born Chris Simpson, the world No52 from Harrogate. Champion on three previous occasions – in 2006, 2009 & 2010 – the 31-year-old is expected to face fourth seed Daryl Selby in the semi-finals.

It was 29-year-old from Essex who shocked the country – if not the world – by toppling Matthew in last year’s final to become men’s champion for the first time. Selby, ranked 11 in the world, begins the defence of his title against a qualifier.

Lurking near the bottom of the men’s draw is Yorkshireman Simon Parke, the only other former champion in the 2012 field. The now retired former world No3, who will celebrate his 40th birthday later this year, made his British Nationals’ debut in 1987 – and won the title for the only time 11 years later.

In his 19th appearance in the event, Parke will face 14th seed Charles Sharpes, a 19-year-old from Surrey who was born in 1992 – the year after Parke first appeared in the final!

The women’s title is also expected to go to Yorkshire: Jenny Duncalf, the top seed from Harrogate, is expected to reach her fifth final in six years. Ranked two in the world, 29-year-old Duncalf opens her bid against a qualifier and is expected to line up against England team-mate Sarah Kippax, the Halifax-based No4 seed from Cheshire, in the semi-finals.

Local hopes will be led by third seed Laura Massaro, the world No4 from Preston who last year became Lancashire’s first winner of the title.

Third seed Massaro begins the defence of her title against a qualifier, and faces her toughest opponent in the predicted semi-final in the lower half of the draw against second seed Madeline Perry.

The world No3 from Banbridge, near Belfast, is hoping to become Ireland’s first ever winner of the title. Perry plays Lauren Selby – sister of the men’s champion – in the opening round before her expected meeting in the final against Duncalf.

But, despite winning her 13th Irish national title in December, Perry has yet to reach a British final.

More than 340 players will converge on Manchester, not only for the two main open events but a full range of men’s and women’s Masters events, from Over-35 to Over-75.

Men’s 1st round draw:
[1] James Willstrop (Yorks) v Qualifier
[13] Andy Whipp (Cheshire) v Declan James (Notts)
[7] Chris Ryder (Herts) v Qualifier
[9] Adrian Waller (Herts) v Qualifier
[3] Peter Barker (Essex) v Neil Cordell (Yorks)
[10] Robbie Temple (Glos) v Qualifier
[6] Tom Richards (Surrey) v Qualifier
[15] Eddie Charlton (Notts) v Adam Murrills (Cheshire)
[11] Joe Lee (Surrey) v Stephen Siveter (Merseyside)
[5] Adrian Grant (Kent) v Qualifier
[12] Joel Hinds (Derbyshire) v Anthony Graham (Glos)
[4] Daryl Selby (Essex) v Qualifier
[14] Charles Sharpes (Surrey) v Simon Parke (Yorks)
[8] Chris Simpson (Hants) v Ben Coleman (Essex)
[16] Jaymie Haycocks (Shropshire) v Phil Rushworth (Yorks)
[2] Nick Matthew (Yorks) v Qualifier

Women’s 1st round draw:
[1] Jenny Duncalf (Yorks) v Qualifier
[7] Lauren Briggs (Essex) v Qualifier
[4] Sarah Kippax (Cheshire) v Lisa Aitken (Scotland)
[8] Alison Waters (Middx) v Qualifier
[6] Victoria Lust (Beds) v Sarah-Jane Perry (Warwicks)
[3] Laura Massaro (Lancs) v Qualifier
[5] Emma Beddoes (Warwicks) v Tesni Evans (Wales)
[2] Madeline Perry (Ireland) v Lauren Selby (Essex)

Tickets for the British National Squash Championships – Manchester 2012 can be booked online at www.isportgroup.com/ticketing, or by telephone on 0844-870 0000 – or for further help and information email: info@isportgroup.com

For more general details of the 2012 National Championships, please visit the official website: www.nationalsquashchamps.co.uk

Urquhart will face reigning Cleveland Classic champion Laura Massaro in the next round, after the Englishwoman beat Malaysian Low Wee Wern. Massaro took a well-deserved lead early on thanks to some strong lengths and canny shot selection. Wee Wern, still only 21-years-old, fought well and managed to claim the third game, before Massaro’s experience saw off the contest after 53-minutes.

The last remaining US hopeful Amanda Sobhy played well in front of home-crowds as she dispatched the experienced Rachael Grinham in straight-games. Grinham’s error count was unusually high, frequently hitting the tin early on to allow Sobhy the opportunity to establish and hold a lead from the start. From there the Harvard student found a consistent length to trouble her opponent and her intelligent use of drop shots eased her unfancied progression to the next round to play Jenny Duncalf.

No2 seed Duncalf beat English compatriot Sarah Kippax after a well-contested effort from the qualifier. After registering a controlled first-game victory, Duncalf was troubled by a more settled game-plan by Kippax, but at the midway stage of the second game, play was halted after the higher ranked played sustained a nasty blow to the knee from a Kippax racket-swing. An injury break of nearly 20-minutes was held whilst Duncalf recovered, but Kippax was clearly embarrassed by the incident and seemed unable to regain the focus she had found early on. The 3-0 result that followed was a hollow victory for the world number two.

There was nearly a surprise result at the top of the drawer, as Nicol David was forced to five-games against New Zealand qualifier Joelle King. Last week’s Greenwich Open finalist went two games down against the world No1 and David’s progression seemed inevitable as she took a 6-1 lead in the third game.

King tried a last-ditch change of tactic however, and launched upon an impressive attacking tirade to come from behind and claw back a game in her favour. More of the same followed in the fourth game as King drew level, standing firm as David looked to extend the rallies and look for signs of weakness in her opponent’s game.

At 6-5 up, King looked on the verge of a momentous upset but the world No1, using all her experience from years at the top of the sport, further tightened her width and won six points in a row to sneak ahead of the 23-year-old and progress to the quarters.

David will play Annie Au of Hong Kong in the next round, who should be well rested following the withdrawal of her first round opponent Camille Serme, following a last minute back injury.

No4 seed Madeline Perry looked to get over her disappointing Greenwich Open exit last week, with a strong 3-0 win over qualifier Jaclyn Hawkes. Hawkes, perhaps fatigued after an close 80-minute scrap with Emma Beddoes in qualifying finals the day before, was never able to establish herself against the experienced Irishwoman.

Perry’s progression sets up an intriguing quarter final clash with young Egyptian Raneem El Weleily, winner of last week’s Greenwich Open. The world No7 from Alexandria faced a stern test against former world No2 Natalie Grinham, who herself saw victory last week, winning the WSA Tournament of Champions title in New York.

Both players tend to favour the attacking drop shots and there was nothing separating the pair at 11-11 in the first game. Grinham showed little concern for the score line as she slotted in a crosscourt nick from well behind the service box, taking her to a game ball that she was able to convert. El Weleily struck back, extending a 7-point lead in the second game before a lapse in concentration saw Grinham back in the hunt at 8-7. Refocused, the Egyptian got her head down and saw off the game to draw level at 1-1.

In the third, El Weleily was able to string together a whole game of dominance, with Grinham unable to respond. But again some youthful erraticism crept into her play in the fourth and allowed Grinham a glimmer of hope at 8-4. The Egyptian flicked the switch back on though, and with some racket wizardry, worked seven out of the next eight points in her favour, to progress through to the next round.

Quarter final draw:

[1] Nicol David (MAS) v [8] Annie Au (HKG)

[4] Madeline Perry (IRL) v [7] Raneem El Weleily (EGY)

[3] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [Q] Donna Urquhart (AUS)

[2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v Amanda Sobhy (USA)

1st round results:

[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [Q] Joelle King (NZL) 11-4, 11-9, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7 (63m)

[8] Annie Au (HKG) bt Camille Serme (FRA) w/o

[4] Madeline Perry (IRL) bt [Q] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 (35m)

[7] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt Natalie Grinham (NED) 11-13, 11-7, 11-4, 11-9 (36m)

[Q] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [5] Kasey Brown (AUS) 10-12, 11-7, 11-6, 13-11 (62m)

[3] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-4, 11-5, 9-11, 11-5 (53m)

Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt [6] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 11-3, 11-7, 11-2 (19m)

[2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [Q] Sarah Kippax (ENG) 11-8, 12-10, 11-7 (52m)

King herself was in fine form going in to the final, having already dispatched the tournament favourite, world No3 Madeline Perry in the quarters and ended the run of surprise semi finalist Dipika Pallikal.

The match was strongly contested by the lesser seed King, but El Weleily’s array of attacking shots and thoughtful defence proved tricky to break down and the Egyptian took the first two games 11/8. A lapse in concentration from the young player, along with some effective counteractive measures allowed King to seize an opportunity to get back into the match. She took the third game 11/6 to reassert herself on the game but was unable to keep her momentum as El Weleily regained composure to see out the tie, 11/8, 11/8, 6/11, 11/4.

The Greenwich Open title is the world No7’s fourth ever WSA title win and with it could see El Weleily move up to No5 in the WSA World Rankings next month. The Egyptian, along with King who also finished runner up in last years competition, will both feature in next week’s Cleveland Classic in Ohio.

 Final:
[4] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [8] Joelle King (NZL) 11/8, 11/8, 6/11, 11/4

Semi finals:
[8] Joelle King (NZL) bt [Q] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 11/8, 8/11, 11/4, 11/9
[4] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt Samantha Teran (MEX) 11/5, 11/4, 11/6

Quarter finals:
[Q] Dipika Pallikal (IND) def Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 13-11
[4] Raneem El Weliely (EGY) def [6] Natalie Grinham (NED) 12-10, 11-3, 6-11, 11-8
[8] Joelle King (NZL) def [1] Madeline Perry (NIR) 11-7, 11-3, 5-11, 11-7
Samantha Teran def [2] Kasey Brown 7-11, 2-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8

Round1:
[1] Madeline Perry (IRL) def [Q] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 10-12, 11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9
[8] Joelle King (NZL) def Lily Lorentzen(USA) 11-1, 11-3, 11-6
[Q] Dipika Pallikal (IND) def [L] Line Hansen (DEN) 11-6, 11-5, 11-6
Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) def [5] Annie Au (HKG) 8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-5
[6] Natalie Grinham (AUS) def. [Q] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) 11-7, 11-7, 13-11
[4] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) def. Donna Urquhart (AUS) 11-3, 11-4, 11-9
Samantha Teran (MEX) def. [7] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-9, 4-11, 11-3, 11-8
[2] Kasey Brown (AUS)  def. [Q] Amanda Sobhy (USA)  11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 11-4

Quarter finals:
Dipika Pallikal (IND) beat Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 7-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 13-11
Raneem El Weliely (EGY) beat Natalie Grinham (NED) 12-10, 11-3, 6-11, 11-8
Joelle King (NZL) beat Madeline Perry (NIR) 11-7, 11-3, 5-11, 11-7
Samantha Teran beat Kasey Brown 7-11, 2-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8

Joelle King proved to be too strong for local wildcard entry Lilly Lorentzen. Lorentzen looked nervous from the outset and King was intent on stamping her authority on the match. Although Lorentzen looked strong on occasion, it wasn’t enough to prevent King from advancing to the next round.

Jaclyn Hawkes sprung a surprise on No5 seed Annie Au after coming from a game down to progress to the quarters. The early exchanges were close, but the third game proved crucial as Au relinquishing both a 8-5 and 10-8 lead before Hawkes snatched the game 13-11. Hawkes then came out ‘all guns blazing’ in the fourth and sealed the 3-1 victory.

Dipika Pallikal showed her dominance in a confident, controlled performance against local stand-in Line Hansen, who took her place in round one after the withdrawal of injured Rachael Grinham. Although she didn’t get the victory Hansen played some solid squash at times and was graceful in defeat.

Brown took on local hope Amanda Sobhy in the first round. Sobhy was after another upset following her 3-2 qualifying win the day before, and pushed Brown to five games but fell just short as Brown’s experience eased her progression.

Natalie Grinham played some immaculate squash against the young Egyptian, looking comfortable in the first two game, before a closer third game encounter was forced to a tie-break.  The experienced Grinham held her nerve however, to see out a 3-0 win.

Samantha Teran started brightly against Low Wee Wern, putting the Malaysian on the back foot from the start, and continued to take her chances well as she dispatched her opponent in four games.

Egyptian start Raneem El Weleily looked comfortable throughout her match as she took on the athletic Donna Urquhart from Australia. El Weleily took the first two games with ease 11-3 and 11-4 demonstrating a sharp and accurate attacking game that kept Urquhart on the back foot for most of the match. In the last game the Australian showed more resolve but El Weleily knocked back her opponents advances.

Round1:

[1] Madeline Perry (IRL) beat [Q] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 10-12, 11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9

[8] Joelle King (NZL) beat Lily Lorentzen(USA) 11-1, 11-3, 11-6

[Q] Dipika Pallikal (IND) beat [L] Line Hansen (DEN) 11-6, 11-5, 11-6

Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) beat [5] Annie Au (HKG) 8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-5

[6] Natalie Grinham (AUS) beat [Q] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) 11-7, 11-7, 13-11

[4] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) beat Donna Urquhart (AUS) 11-3, 11-4, 11-9

Samantha Teran (MEX) beat [7] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-9, 4-11, 11-3, 11-8

[2] Kasey Brown (AUS) beat [Q] Amanda Sobhy (USA)  11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 11-4

The pretty pink court at Queen's Club.

It was a new way to start the year for me being in London for a tournament. This is the first time since the British JUNIOR Open that I’ve played a match on the 4th of January… that’s a looooong time ago!

The top 8 women were joined with the top 8 men for the first time in this ATCO World Series Finals. It was a best of 3 games throughout the event up til the finals where we played a best of 5 games.

The players and officials stayed at the very modern Hotel Verta in Battersea, right by the river Thames. The hotel spa was the best I’d seen and all the players were trying to sneak in a spa session whenever they could… myself included!

The event was held at the prestigious Queen’s Club with a glass court set up in the indoor tennis courts. This was a serious set up and it looked spectacular.

Pool matches (Group A)
Camille Serme – 11/6, 11/6 (17m)
Court conditions were very cold and the rallies started off shorter than normal. She got going more in the second but I kept the lead til the end winning 2-0.

Donna Urquhart – 11/4, 11/4 (15m)
Similar conditions to the previous game. I got a good start in both games and was feeling the corners much better against her. I won in 2 games.

Madeline Perry – 11/6, 12/10 (25m)
We had some longer rallies in this match, however she made some errors in the first game to give me a 1 game lead. The 2nd game went to a tie breaker but I kept to my game plan to win 12-10.

Semis against Laura Massaro – 8/11, 11/4, 11/3 (33m)
Great audience for the semis. Laura took in the support from the home crowd and got a flow to take the first game. I found my depth in the second and worked the court better while she made a few mistakes. I took it a step further in the 3rd game and won it 2-1.

Finals against Madeline Perry – 11/9, 11/9, 11/9 (41m)
It was a completely different match playing in the finals with Madeline instead of the pool matches. Both of us kept stepping up the pace and intensifying the rallies with Madeline trying to go for every shot presented to her. She took the lead throughout the match but I pulled it off winning it 3-0.

Winners of the World Series Finals - Amr Shabana and Nicol David.

It was a very well run event by the Eventis team lead by Tim Garner and to have Sky Sports covering this LIVE in London was extra special.

A nice start to the year for me and off to Cleveland next week for my first WSA tournament of the year. Looking forward!

[Photo credits to Jordan Mansfield. His fantastic shots throughout the tournament can be viewed here.]

Photo by jordanmansfield.co.uk

SkySports continued their live coverage at Queens Club in London, for the final day of the event that saw the reigning world No1 contain a spirited challenge from Madeline Perry, ranked two places below her.

Perry, who knocked out England’s home hope Jenny Duncalf in yesterday’s semi final, played a confident game from the start and took an early lead in the first game.  David wasn’t going to let her opponent build up too much of an advantage however, and was always within touching distance.

The scores stayed tight right the way up to 9-all, with Perry stepping forward to volley early and easily matching the higher seed for width and precision.  It was only at this stage that David upped the pace, working Perry out of position and finishing off two rallies to take the first game 11/9.

This became the pattern for the rest of the match too. Neither player was ever more than three points away from one another, as the finalists seemed to cancel each other out with their efforts.  Similarly, at 9-all in the second game, Nicol again found an extra half-yard of pace and her lethal attacking shots saw off the second game in her favour, also 11/9.

Just as in the previous games, the score-line showed exactly how closely fought this contest was, with every bit of ground gained by one player, the other would immediately pull level.  The standard of line and length squash on display was at it’s highest all week and easily the most closely matched contest of the week.  Again the scores were tied at 8-8 and again, Perry seemed to lack the quality finishing in the most important periods of the match.  David on the other hand, held game-ball’s in the first two games and finished each off on the first time of asking.  Match-ball was a similar story, with Perry managing to reduce the deficit by one point before David claimed the title as her own.

Photo by jordanmansfield.co.uk

The Malaysian played five matches this week and dropped just one game, coming at the hand of Laura Massaro in the semi finals.  No player deserved a game more than Perry today for a sterling effort against the world No1 but on this occasion it wasn’t to be.

David said after winning the title: “Winning the World Series Finals title is a great start to 2012 and having the top 8 players here and contending for it makes it very special.  It’s never easy but I’ve felt good all week and very pleased to be playing well.  Hopefully there’s more to come!

“Knowing that tonight was going to be a longer game felt weird after playing best of three all week.  It felt like a longer game today, which is strange as yesterday I played three game too, but I don’t tend to approach matches differently depending on that.   I played well during the crucial points tonight and I’m delighted to have won.”

Photo by jordanmansfield.co.uk

Posing with men's champion, Amr Shabana

ATCO World Series Final

Nicol David bt Madeline Perry – 11/9, 11/9, 11/9 in 41mins

View all fantastic photos by Jordan Mansfield here.

Momentum was really with David following the quick second game and she shot out of the blocks again to a 4-1 lead. Massaro was able to show only glimpses of her first game form as David upped her game to such an extent that the English No2 was extremely limited with her attacking options. David marched on to hold seven match balls and consummated her progression to tomorrows final with an 8/11, 11/4, 11/3 win in 33mins. 

Continuing the battle at the top of the WSA rankings, world No2 Jenny Duncalf then played No3 Madeline Perry. Some very close early exchanges saw neither player take an advantage, until Duncalf, using front court boasts to good effect, extended the biggest gap of the game so far at 6-4. The lead didn’t last long though, and the game continued to be neck and neck until the tiebreak at 10-all. Neither player deserved to lose such a tightly contested first game, but Duncalf edged another game ball and was able to finish off the game, 13/11. 

Perry fought back in the second, taking a 5-1 lead early on as Duncalf struggled to exert the same pressure she had in the first game. The Northern Irish international’s lead grew, and on the whole proved too consistent for Duncalf, who did manage a small fight back towards the end of the game but the deficit was too great and Perry took the game, 11/8. 

The third game was a similar story. Duncalf’s retrieval efforts were starting to slow, with Perry appearing to have worn down her opponent and as a result, the error count began to rise. Perry’s length had been accurate all match and that didn’t look like wavering and her tactics were spot on for containing the Englishwoman’s attacking efforts, as she edged towards her place in tomorrow’s final. Perry held firm as she booked her place in the final, overcoming Duncalf 11/13, 11/8, 11/5 in 42mins. 

Perry spoke afterwards of her joy at reaching the final of the event: “It was a really close first game. It could have gone either way really and I felt I was playing well anyway. I just kept that going really in the next game and she started to make a few errors, and I wore her down. I was really happy with how today went.”

“It’s great to be in a World Series Final and it’s going to be tough playing the world No1 in the best of 5 tomorrow. It’s a great occasion, all the girls were so excited this morning about being live on Sky. Obviously we’ve done television before but Sky TV is an extra step up and it’s a really great opportunity.”

ATCO World Series Finals: Semi final
Nicol David beat Laura Massaro – 8/11, 11/4, 11/3 (33mins)
Madeline Perry bt Jenny Duncalf – 11/13, 11/8, 11/5 (42mins)

ATCO World Series Final
Nicol David vs Madeline Perry

[All match photography available at http://jordanmansfield.co.uk]

Camille Serme and Donna Urquhart were first on court, with Serme needing a win to stand a chance of progressing from Group A. Neither player completely dominated the first game, but Serme pulled ahead of her opponent at 7-all to gain the upper hand. A late Urquhart surge saw the Australian pull level, but Serme held her nerve and closed the game out 11/9.

Urquhart showed a more consistent performance in the second game, cutting out the errors, chasing relentlessly and she deservedly took a close 11/8 win. As the game progressed, Urquhart’s confidence grew and with it, her anticipation of Serme’s attacking shots also improved. This attribute frustrated Serme, but retrieved well and there was nothing separating the pair throughout. At 8-all it could have gone either way, but Urquhart came through to take the match, and consigning Serme to third place in the group, just missing out on the qualification spot.

Massaro needed a win against her opponent Low Wee Wern to see her through to the semi finals, having had a day off yesterday due to Rachael Grinham’s withdrawal. The England No2 made short work of things in the first game, with her opponent amassing just three points.

More of the same confident squash followed, with Wee Wern struggling to establish herself at all on court.  Massaro length was tight and she pushed forward on the tee well and ran out the game 11/4.

For the third match in a row, Nicol David started quickly against Madeline Perry, jumping to a 6-2 lead.  From here, she rode out a confident game 11/6. The second game was a much closer affair. Despite Nicol again winning six points on the bounce, Perry found her range and was much more dangerous hitting into the corners. The game saw plenty of down-the-wall squash, with neither play wanting to give each other a hint of an opportunity. David held two match balls at 10-8, but was unable to apply the finishing touch and Perry forced the tiebreak at 10-all. A succession of three let balls in a row followed, all from backhand drives showed just how tight the game had become, and only a stroke in favour of David broke the deadlock. From there, she needed only one more opportunity to finish of the match 12/10.

Day three WSA ATCO results:
Donna Urquhart beat Camille Serme – 9/11, 11/8, 11/8
Laura Massaro beat Low Wee Wern – 11/3, 11/4
Nicol David beat Madeline Perry – 11/6, 12/10

Day four WSA ATCO Semi final lineup:
2pm – Nicol David vs Laura Massaro
following on – Jenny Duncalf vs Madeline Perry

Match photography available at http://www.jordanmansfield.co.uk

Rachael Grinham

First onto court was Madeline Perry against Camille Serme.  The cool conditions on court seemed to better suit Serme in the opening exchanges and she confidently attacked with dropshots and picked off Perry’s loose shots from the tee.  At 3-9 down, Perry began to show signs of improvement, finding a tighter length and moving her opponent around but the French international was too far ahead and Serme closed out the game 11-6.

Perry settled in well after the break and shot ahead to a 6-0 lead utilising a faster pace and much improved width.  With her improved range, she closed out the second game 11-5 with Serme unable to mount any consistent challenge.  Serme handed her opponent a further lead early in the first game, with a number of errors, but  kept her nerve to stay close to her Irish opponent and took the lead at 7-6 with a renewed attacking style and saw out the match 11/7.

Nicol David continued her progression through the group stages with a controlled and precise 2-0 win over Australian Donna Urquhart.  The Malaysian played a tight and patient game from the start and was quite happy to wait for her chances to attack, and for errors from her opponent. Urquhart was limited to only the occasional scoring chance throughout the match, and under pressure hit a number of balls out of court. David is through to the next round now after consecutive 2-0 wins, with Madeline Perry still to play tomorrow.

Due to Grinham’s withdrawal, Jenny Duncalf versus Low Wee Wern played the final WSA match of the day. The first game was a close affair, with Duncalf always slightly ahead of her Malaysian opponent. After establishing a small lead early on, she did enough to stay ahead of Wee Wern throughout the game and closed out a 11/7 win. The Englishwoman took an early lead in the second, winning five points in a row and putting herself in a good position to see out the game. Wee Wern’s strong retrieval kept the match from being a whitewash, and she came close to a comeback in the second game after some good recovery squash forced some errors from the England No1.  Duncalf weathered the storm though and came through her second win of the group stage with an 11/7, 11/8 win.

Day2 ATCO World Series Finals results:
Camille Serme bt Madeline Perry – 11/6, 5/11, 11/7
Nicol David bt Donna Urquhart – 11/4, 11/4
Jenny Duncalf bt Low Wee Wern – 11/7, 11/8
Rachael Grinham vs Laura Massaro – [Rachael withdraws from competition due to injury]

Day 3 fixtures:
Camille Serme vs Donna Urquhart
Laura Massaro vs Low Wee Wern
Nicol David vs Madeline Perry

WSA Women’s Groups
Group A
Nicol David (Malaysia)
Madeline Perry (N.Ireland)
Camille Serme (France)
Donna Urquhart (Australia)

Group B
Jenny Duncalf (England)
Rachael Grinham (Australia)
Laura Massaro (England)
Low Wee Wern (Malaysia)

All tournament photograpy available at:  http://www.jordanmansfield.co.uk