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

The Greenwich Open first round saw me up against former World Junior Champion, Amanda Sobhy. I started off the match well, moving the ball around and keeping the talented American under pressure. I quickly went up 2/0. With nothing to lose, Sobhy stepped up her game and went for broke, pulling off some fantastic winners. This continued in the 4th game and I lost a close one, 9/11. The match was taking it’s toll on Amanda and I was able to regain control and dominate the last game, winning 11/5.

In the quarter finals, I faced an improving Samantha Teran from Mexico. Again I started the match well, keeping my opponent under pressure and won the first two games easily. The start of the third was tough and I began to tighten up. I lost the variety in my game that I had in the first 2 and began losing confidence. I was hit in the face when my opponent turned on the ball and I had to have a time out to stop the bleeding. The fifth game was close, and in the end, came down to who made the first mistake and unfortunately I came out the loser of the day.

Although a loss is hard, it is a good kick in the butt for me to reassess my thinking on court, especially in the third game. I have learnt a lot of invaluable lessons from this tournament and will take it into the next one in Cleveland, starting on the 29th January.

WSA Tournament of Champions

El Sherbini started quickly against Grinham, drawing on confidence already gained by defeating No3 seed Samantha Teran and local hope Latasha Khan on her way to the semis. The teenager established a quick first game lead over Grinham, who then came back refocused to claim the following two games. El Sherbini, demonstrating a rare maturity and court intelligence for someone of her 16 years, didn’t back down under the pressure and instead dug deep to claim the fourth game. 

It turned out to be one game too many for the teenager, her twelfth over the tournament, as Grinham was able to establish an early lead in the fifth and close out the game with seven match balls. “Nour changed her game a bit in the fourth,” Reflected Grinham. “I let her dictate the points, thinking that I would let her lose the match rather than try to win it. In the fifth I knew I had to just go out and win it.”

Grinham would then face Dipika Pallikal, who won a 3-0 upset over No5 seed Jaclyn Hawkes in their semi final. Pallikal of India succeeded in dominating the tee and was confident in stepping forward for the early volley, a tactic to which her New Zealand opponent had no steady reply. The determination of the No7 seed was evident following the scalp, telling interviewers: “I won’t be happy until I have finished my job and won the tournament.”

Determination wasn’t going to be enough for Pallikal however, as Grinham’s tour experience paid dividends in the final. The 20-year-old was never allowed to settle into the match as Grinham demonstrated methodical shot selection and impeccable court coverage. 25-minutes was all it took for the No2 seed to play out the final, utilising a good length and width to deny Pallikal time in the middle of the court, and subsequently, the young player never looking likely to threaten the higher seed. The Indian national champion professed to twitter followers after her ninth match in ten days: “Horrible day on court today.  Legs just gave up.  Hard few weeks on court.” 

The 2012 Tournament of Champions winner revealed after the match exactly how she set about defeating an opponent 13-years her junior: “Dipika is quite handy with the racket and she volleys well so I made sure not to put the ball where she could easily reach it.”

Grinham’s win is her 17th WSA title and her first Tournament of Champions win. 

Final:
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [7] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 11-4,11-3,11-3 (25m).

Semi finals:
[7] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [5] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 11-5, 14-12, 11-9 (40m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt Nour El Sherbini (EGY) 6-11, 11-5, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4 (45m)

Quarter finals:
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt 6] Sarah Kippax (ENG) – 11/3, 11/4, 12/10  (32m)
Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Latasha Khan (USA) – 11/6, 13/11, 11/3  (26m)
[5] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bt [1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) – 11/5,11/8, 11/5 (25m)
[7] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt [4] Donna Urquhart (AUS) – 11/9, 11/5, 7/11, 10/12, 11/9 (65m)

Round 1:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) – 5/11, 11/13, 11/9, 11/3, 11/5
[5] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bt [Q] Lauren Selby (ENG) – 11/2, 11/2, 11/5
[4] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [Q] Maria Toor Pakay (PAK) – 11/7, 11/7, 11/3
[7] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt Olivia Blatchford (USA) – 11/5, 11/3, 11/7
Latasha Khan (USA) bt [8] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) – 11/7, 13/11, 7/11, 9/11, 11/1
Nour El Sherbini bt [3] Samantha Teran (MEX) – 11/6, 11/9, 9/11, 11/7
[6] Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt [Q] Miranda Ranieri (CAN) – 15/13, 11/2, 11/5
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [Q] Lucie Fialova (CZA) – 11/8, 11/4, 11/2
 
Photos courtesy of squashpics.com

Local hope Latasha Khan of the USA, dismissed No8 seed Nour El Tayeb, after the Egyptian put in a valiant comeback effort from two games down, only for Khan to see off the match 11/1 in the fifth. El Tayeb was followed out of the competition by Mexican No1 and No3 seed Samantha Teran who, after reaching the Greenwich Open semi final earlier in the week, was unable to mount a challenge against promising 16-year-old prodigy Nour El Sherbini. Victories for the other seeds in round one were fairly straightforward, except for top seed Rachael Grinham, who had to fight back from two games down to defeat Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy in a long five-game battle.

The quarter final round gave audiences at Grand Central Station another surprise result, as New Zealand international Jaclyn Hawkes ended hopes of an all-Grinham final after beating the elder sister Rachael in three games. However, her sibling Natalie progresses will progress after beating Sarah Kippax of England in three, despite a closely fought final game. 

Nour El Sherbini won the battle of the unseeded players for a place in the semi-finals, as the teenager ended home hopes by beating Latasha Khan 3-0 in 26 minutes.

Reigning Indian champion Dipika Pallikal then caused a final upset of the early rounds as the No7 seed got the better of No4 seed Donna Urquhart of Australia in an intense five-game battle lasting over an hour.

Semi final draw:
[5] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) vs [7] Dipika Pallikal (IND)
Nour El Sherbini (EGY) vs [2] Natalie Grinham (NED)
 
Quarter finals:
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt. 6] Sarah Kippax (ENG) – 11/3, 11/4, 12/10
Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt. Latasha Khan (USA) – 11/6, 13/11, 11/3 
[5] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bt. [1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) – 11/5,11/8, 11/5
[7] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt. [4] Donna Urquhart (AUS) – 11/9, 11/5, 7/11, 10/12, 11/9
 
Round1:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (EGY) – 5/11, 11/13, 11/9, 11/3, 11/5
[5] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bt [Q] Lauren Selby (ENG) – 11/2, 11/2, 11/5
[4] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [Q] Maria Toor Pakay (PAK) – 11/7, 11/7, 11/3
[7] Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt Olivia Blatchford (USA) – 11/5, 11/3, 11/7
Latasha Khan (USA) bt [8] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) – 11/7, 13/11, 7/11, 9/11, 11/1
Nour El Sherbini bt [3] Samantha Teran (MEX) – 11/6, 11/9, 9/11, 11/7
[6] Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt [Q] Miranda Ranieri (CAN) – 15/13, 11/2, 11/5
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [Q] Lucie Fialova (CZA) – 11/8, 11/4, 11/2

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

6 time world champion Nicol David retains her spot at the top for another month andJenny Duncalf makes it a further month at no.2. Madeline Perry leaps back above Laura Massaro to return to number 3 whilst Rachael Grinham also jumps back above Kasey Brown to return to number 5.

Natalie Grinham moves up to number 8, her highest ranking since August 2010.Samantha Teran’s strong year in 2011, including a semi final place at the World Open has seen her move up one to number 12, her highest ranking since November 2010 and one away from her highest ranking of 11.

Dipika Pallikal won her 3^rd title of 2011 in December at the Crocodile Cup in Hong Kong beating Joey Chan in a thriller, 14-12 in the 5^th. This win sees the Indian number 1 record another milestone as she moves up 2 places to a career high of number 15. Her opponent in the final, Joey Chan, also reaches a career high by moving up 1 place to number 19.

Outside the top 20 there were career highs by a number of players:

Swiss no.1 Gaby Huber moves up to no.29.
World Junior Semi-Finalist Emily Whitlock moves up to no.33.
Australia’s Melody Francis, winner of 5 WSA titles in 2011 moves up to no.34.
Japanese no.1 Misaki Kobayashi moves up to no.37.
Canadian no.1 Samantha Cornett moves up to no.42.
Czech no.2 Olga Ertlova moves up to no.46.
French no.2 Coline Aumard moves into to the top 50 at no.50 for the first time.
England’s Sarah-Jane Perry moves up to no.65 after winning her first title at the Manor Open.

There were further career in the top 100 for:
Korean no.1 Ahn Eun Chan moves up to no.52, New Zealand’s Amanda Landers-Murphy moves up to no.54, Hong Kong’s Liu Tsz-Ling at no.55, Australia’s Sarah Cardwell at no.57, Brazilian no.1 Thaisa Serafini at no.59, Welsh no.1 Tesni Evans at no.60, Australia’s Tamika Saxby at 71, USA’s Kristin Lange at no.80, New Zealand’s Megan Craig at no.81, Australia’s Christine Nunn at no.82, USA’s Elpiniki Clementat no.83, Australia’s Vanessa Pickard at no.84, Canada’s Genevieve Lessard at no.88, England’s Carrie Ramsay at no.89 and Zephanie Curgenven at no.91, France’s Chloe Mesic at no.93, USA’s Sabrina Sobhy at no.95, Scotland’s Alex Clark at no.97 and Australia’s Bethany Brazier at no.98.

Nicol David, No. 1 for 65 consecutive month. Photo courtesy of M. Roslan.

The December rankings were bound to feature some big changes due to the World Open and Hong Kong Open taking place in November. There were career highs aplenty throughout the top 100 and the highest of those was at number 3.

Laura Massaro, the WISPA Player of the Year, has moved into the world’s top 3 for the first time. Massaro started the year ranked at number 10 but after success in Cleveland and the British Nationals as well as the prestigious US Open, she seems to have asserted herself as a major threat to Nicol David’s reign on the women’s game.

The world’s top 2 remain unchanged. Jenny Duncalf reached her first World Open final, showing great form before being outclassed by Nicol David. David had a few surprise losses this year but still has amassed 7 titles, including a record 6^th World Open title. It makes it 65 consecutive months at no.1 for David.

Also in the top 20, Kasey Brown makes her debut in the top 5 becoming the Australian no.1 for the first time as she leaps above Rachael Grinham. Grinham’s drop down to no.6 ends her stay in the top 5, a place she has impressively held since February 2003!

Raneem El Weleily moves back up to a career high equalling no.7 after reaching her first World Series final in Hong Kong. Natalie Grinham moves up one place to no.9, her highest ranking since August 2010, after reaching the World Open semi final in front of her home crowd in Rotterdam.

Low Wee Wern records her highest ranking at no.11. The Malaysian wasn’t having the best year as she saw her ranking drop to 21 in October. Winning the China Open, her biggest title, seemed to change her fortune and she reached the Qatar Classic and World Open quarter finals as well as the Hong Kong Open semi final, with four top 10 wins along the way.

Samantha Teran became the 1^st ever Mexican to reach the World Open semi final as she moved back up to no.13. Dipika Pallikal also became the 1^st ever Indian to reach the World Open quarter final. The Indian star’s shine looks to continue as she moves up to a career high no.17. Joey Chan had a November to remember. She captured her biggest title and first of the year at the Macau Open and then reached the Hong Kong Open quarter final, upsetting Brown before losing a thriller to El Weleily. She makes her top 20 debut at no.20.

There were further career highs in the top 100:
Kanzy El Dafrawy up to no.29 after reaching the World Open last 16. That makes 6 Egyptians in the top 30.
Gaby Huber makes her top 30 debut at no.30. She started the year outside the top 50.
Yathreb Adel up to no.32. The youngest player in the top 100 pushed Massaro in the World Open 1^stround.
Melody Francis captured her 5^th title of the year at the Mackay Open and moves to no.36.
Siyoli Waters at no.38, Misaki Kobayashi up to no.39
Sina Wall up to no.41, Samantha Cornett up to no.44, Lauren Selby up to no.47, Olga Ertlova up to no.48
Ahn Eun Chan up to no.53, Lisa Aitken up to 55, Coline Aumard up to no.56,  Amanda Landers-Murphy to 57, Salma Hany up to no.59.
Tesni Evans up to no.65, Liu Tsz-Ling up to 68, Tamika Saxby up to 73, Kristen Lange up to no.82, Megan Craig up to no.84, Christine Nunn up to no.86 and Vanessa Pickard up to no.90.

The top 20:

You can find the full rankings on the following link:

http://www.wispa.net/view_rankings.asp

REPORT BY STEVE CUBS |

Having caused upsets in the the previous round, Dipika Pallikal and Kanzy El Dafrawy were both eyeing up unexpected place in the World Open quarter-finals. It was the higher-ranked Indian who took advantage, taking the lead in all three games and never letting her younger Egyptian get a real foothold in the game. It the early stages of the third it looked as though Kanzy’s more physical style was beginning to unsettle Dipika, but she held her composure and closed out the match with aplomb.

The evening session resumed with England’s in-form Laura Massaro against Hong Kong left-hander Annie Au. Massaro has just moved up to a career best number four after her success in the US Open last month, and was looking to celebrate her 28th birthday in style. However, Au is no is also on the rise up to a high of 7, after reaching the final of the Monte Carlo Classic, and is always a dangerous opponent. The match was as close as those stats would suggest, with the Englishwoman just managing to stay ahead for most of the first game before pulling away at the end, then having to fight back after being a couple of points behind for most of the second. The hot bouncy conditions and court probably suited Massaro’s more conventional game more than Au’s deft boasts, drops and lob but each point had to be worked hard for with both players covering all of the court.

An English women’s semi-finalist was guaranteed when Jenny Duncalf battled past Joelle King. The hard-hitting Kiwi matched Duncalf, the second seed, all the way for half an hour, but from the outset of the third the Englishwoman took control, taking the last two games for the loss of just four points.

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

Thursday, 3rd Nov Line-up:
13.00 [6] Kasey Brown (AUS) v [11] Raneem El Weleily (EGY)
14.00 [1] Nicol David (MAS) v [Q] Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
18.30 [7] Camille Serme (FRA) v [16] Low Wee Wern (MAS)
19.30 [4] Madeline Perry (IRL) v [12] Natalie Grinham (NED)

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!