WISPA Texas Open 2003
March 25-30, Dallas Texas, $45k
Plaza of the Americas, Downtown Dallas YMCA, & Premier Club

30-Mar, Final:
[1] Carol Owens (Nzl) bt [2] Natalie Pohrer (Usa) 9/10, 9/1, 9/4, 9/1

OWENS RETAINS
TEXAN TITLE IN DALLAS
Top seed Carol Owens successfully defended her Texas Open title with a four-game victory over second seed Natalie Pohrer.

A large and enthusiastic gallery of squash enthusiasts from Texas cities and beyond saw the third leg of the battle for supremacy of the current world number one and two on the WISPA Court at the Texas Open.

Natalie Pohrer had beaten Carol Owens in a pulsating World Open semifinal last fall, finally winning 10/8 in the deciding game. When they next met last month in the final of the Arader & O'Rourke Tournament of Champions at Grand Central Station in New York the match also took five games to find a winner. This time it was Owens who came out on top.

Here Pohrer came out of the blocks fastest, racing to an 8-2 lead in the first game before Owens began to settle. Her volleying became more fluent and drops more dangerous and she began to eat into the lead. Eventually the lead was gone and eight all reached, Owens having saved six game balls. Another was saved at 8/9 before two tinned boasts took the New Zealander to her first game ball. This was saved and another attacking boast, this time won, gave Pohrer the game after 27 minutes instead of the nine minutes at which she first served for it.

The second game started in similar fashion to the first, but this time it was the New Zealander who rapidly progressed to 8/0, but although she dropped one point Pohrer was unable to stage a comeback and Owens closed at 9/1 to level the match.

Both players were now employing a combination of attacking boasts and higher floating balls, but Pohrer could only win rallies rather than points as she didn't have enough patience and Owens score climbed. The Auckland based defending champion got to game ball at 8/1 before Pohrer staged a mini revival created by Pohrer forging openings at the front and putting away volleys. But a tinned one at 4/8 allowed Owens to move two games to one ahead.

St. Louis based Pohrer was still finding it difficult to deal with the athleticism, resolution and accurate placement of Owens despite the vocal support of the crowd. Pohrer had finally reached meltdown. Owens reached match ball and though denied the first time by a deft cross court drop took it second time with a traffic stroke to hold onto her title and reinforce her hold on top spot in the WISPA World rankings.

Owens was especially pleased, saying "I don't think that I have had back to back wins before so I am pretty happy. I've had a great week - it has been superbly staged and we have been so well looked after."

Meanwhile Natalie reflected "The first game was tough but I was a little too sluggish, my length a little too short, my lobs too low. What a melon!"

Nine points with Susan Morrison
Tournament director reflects on the event

• Top two ride into Texas final
• Nats beats big sis in quarters
• President Pohrer in powerful opener
• Qualifying results

• DRAW & Results

• REPORTS 

• 2002 Event 

• Nine Points with Susan Morrison
   

Ride 'em Cowgirl
more photos ...

Before the quarter-finals the WISPA girls enjoyed an evening outing to Billy Bobs, the largest Honky Tonk in the world (basically a wild west place with eating, line dancing, bull riding etc).

Photos from WISPA

9/2, 9/2, 9/5

Natalie Grinham

9/10, 9/1, 9/4, 9/1
 

Natalie Pohrer

9/3, 9/1, 7/9, 2/9, 9/1

Natalie Pohrer

Qualifying:  Downtown Dallas YMCA

Qualifying Finals (Wed 26th):
Omneya abdel Kawy (Egy) bt Madeline Perry (Irl)  9/2, 9/5, 2/9, 9/4
Vicky Botwright (Eng) bt Sharon Wee (Mas)  9/1, 9/4, 9/0
Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) bt Nicol David (Mas)  9/5, 2/9, 9/5, 9/2
Rebecca Chiu (Hkg) bt Pamela Nimmo (Sco)  6/9, 9/3, 9/6, 6/9, 9/2

First Round (Tue 25th):
Omneya abdel Kawy (Egy) bt Jenny Duncalf (Eng)  2/9, 9/1, 9/0, 10/8
Madeline Perry (Irl) bt  Samantha Teran* (Mex)  9/2, 9/4, 9/1
Vicky Botwright (Eng) bt Lara Petera (Nzl)  9/7, 10/9, 9/3
Sharon Wee (Mas) bt Engy Kheirallah (Egy)  4/9, 9/2, 9/2, 7/9, 9/4
Nicol David (Mas) bt Latasha Khan (Usa)  10/8, 9/7, 5/9, 9/5
Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) bt Kate Allison (Eng)  9/1, 10/8, 9/1
Rebecca Chiu (Hkg) bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng)  9/3, 9/6, 9/0
Pamela Nimmo (Sco) bt Thelma Van Eck (Usa)  9/0, 9/7, 9/2

* replaced Annelize Naude, w/d ill

The WISPA court in Dallas

TEXAS OPEN SPREADS THE WORD
AS WISPA WORLD TOUR GROWS
Nine Points with Susan Morrison

The Texas Open was another major step forward for the WISPA Tour with the glass court erected in a Dallas ice rink. We set nine points for promoter Susan Morrison, president of the Texas SRA, to answer.

1: What size audiences did you attract each day?

A: Audiences each day in the stands were about 100-150 each day and over 200 for the finals but the stands are surrounded by a food court and retail office complex with numerous walkways and balconies for casual spectators. The total number of viewers during busy periods thus approached around 1,500.

2: What was the response from spectators who had not seen squash before?

A: The response by the audience who had not seen squash was good. Most thought it was racquetball but we made available flyers called "Squash: A Guide for New Viewers" to help educate. The announcer also gave basic info about the game, rules, and strategy. During the first round of the main draw which took place over lunch hour when the atrium was filled with office workers on their lunch break, people were fascinated. The building's property manager said she had never heard the lunch crowd be so quiet as they were absorbed by watching the games. The women were a big hit - attractive to attract attention initially but so athletic to also amaze and impress after that.

3: Were you pleased with the venue?

A: We were very pleased with the visibility and attractiveness of the venue. The owners/property manager were quite helpful and happy by all the attention which brought more business for their retail tenants. We did have some problems with sunlight reflecting from surrounding office buildings on to the rink and the court. If we can find ways to cope with that by court placement or scheduling it could be an ideal spot to reach a bigger audience for squash.

4: What was the response from the local media? Did you do anything special to get them involved?

A: The local media was very interested but uncertain what to make of this. We hired a local PR firm to help get coverage. We got regular results coverage and a lengthy article in the major local paper with lots of info about the event and basic squash facts. Only the Spanish language TV stations covered the event. Mainstream TV was preoccupied with a huge NASCAR event here this weekend as well as with NCAA Basketball which featured the University of Texas - it's a very competitive sports market here and this weekend was especially full. We will continue to work on getting more coverage. The court is such a spectacle that getting pictures vs. print is very helpful so we will continue to push for TV.

5: Were the players happy with the whole production?

A: I believe the players were happy. The public venue meant there were more distractions than usual - light, noise, movement around the court. It may not have made for ideal conditions for perfect squash but the WISPA women understood the trade-off to reach a larger audience in this type of location and were flexible & cooperative in making it work.

6: Next year it's off to Houston. Have you decided on a venue?

A: Houston has not settled on a venue yet. We will consult together I'm sure but for now are still digesting lessons learned here in Dallas.

7: Were your title sponsors pleased with the production?

A: The sponsors were extremely happy with the visibility accomplished with this first use of the glass court. We and they understand that this is a start and that we will work to build on this foundation. This was a very new thing for us but even this inaugural effort was a success in terms of the goals set out for ourselves to demonstrate that the court can make staging squash events a more commercial proposition by reaching larger audiences, even those unfamiliar with the game.

8: Did you attract any new or potential sponsors during the week?

A: We may have attracted some interest from new sponsors. We did invite potentials and used this event as a "display." It's very difficult to explain squash and the potential of the glass court in abstract. It has to be SHOWN. Now we will work to build on that. We now have film, photos, print to use as examples as we solicit support from bigger companies.

9: Looking back, is there anything you would do differently?

A: We might have scheduled matches differently to avoid problems with the sunlight on the court. We had been checking on this over that past several months but with the changing seasons the patterns and timing of light problems differed. The court looked spectacular at night but we also wanted to reach the busy daytime office visitors. It was a trade-off between larger audience vs. ideal conditions which we will have to rethink if using this venue again.

Final:
[1] Carol Owens (Nzl) bt [2] Natalie Pohrer (Usa)   9/10, 9/1, 9/4, 9/1

OWENS RETAINS
TEXAN TITLE IN DALLAS
Top seed Carol Owens successfully defended her Texas Open title with a four-game victory over second seed Natalie Pohrer.

A large and enthusiastic gallery of squash enthusiasts from Texas cities and beyond saw the third leg of the battle for supremacy of the current world number one and two on the WISPA Court at the Texas Open.

Natalie Pohrer had beaten Carol Owens in a pulsating World Open semifinal last fall, finally winning 10/8 in the deciding game. When they next met last month in the final of the Arader & O'Rourke Tournament of Champions at Grand Central Station in New York the match also took five games to find a winner. This time it was Owens who came out on top.

Here Pohrer came out of the blocks fastest, racing to an 8-2 lead in the first game before Owens began to settle. Her volleying became more fluent and drops more dangerous and she began to eat into the lead. Eventually the lead was gone and eight all reached, Owens having saved six game balls. Another was saved at 8/9 before two tinned boasts took the New Zealander to her first game ball. This was saved and another attacking boast, this time won, gave Pohrer the game after 27 minutes instead of the nine minutes at which she first served for it.

The second game started in similar fashion to the first, but this time it was the New Zealander who rapidly progressed to 8/0, but although she dropped one point Pohrer was unable to stage a comeback and Owens closed at 9/1 to level the match.

Both players were now employing a combination of attacking boasts and higher floating balls, but Pohrer could only win rallies rather than points as she didn't have enough patience and Owens score climbed. The Auckland based defending champion got to game ball at 8/1 before Pohrer staged a mini revival created by Pohrer forging openings at the front and putting away volleys. But a tinned one at 4/8 allowed Owens to move two games to one ahead.

St. Louis based Pohrer was still finding it difficult to deal with the athleticism, resolution and accurate placement of Owens despite the vocal support of the crowd. Pohrer had finally reached meltdown. Owens reached match ball and though denied the first time by a deft cross court drop took it second time with a traffic stroke to hold onto her title and reinforce her hold on top spot in the WISPA World rankings.

Owens was especially pleased, saying "I don't think that I have had back to back wins before so I am pretty happy. I've had a great week - it has been superbly staged and we have been so well looked after."

Meanwhile Natalie reflected "The first game was tough but I was a little too sluggish, my length a little too short, my lobs too low. What a melon!"

Semi-Finals:
  Carol Owens bt Natalie Grinham  9/2, 9/2, 9/5 (34m)
  Natalie Pohrer bt Vanessa Atkinson  9/3, 9/1, 7/9, 2/9, 9/1 (45m)

TOP TWO MOVE
INTO DALLAS FINAL
World No.1 Carol Owens will play No.2 Natalie Pohrer in the final of the  Women's Texas Open in Dallas at the Plaza of the Americas Atrium Ice Rink.

During the first semifinal, Australia's Natalie Grinham was too often stretching to reach Owens' volleys that were arrowed to the back corners. At other times she was left flailing as her higher balls were taken overhead and sent low over the tin. Neither player was afraid of going in short with both so quick to the front wall, but Grinham was not as steady as she had been against her sister Rachael the night before.

Grinham's backhand cross court drops feathered from the back of the court and some delightful straight drops were too infrequent to enable her to mount a serious challenge. "I left it all behind yesterday," Grinham said.

"Thankfully Natalie started nervously because she is very tough and is lethal when her drops go up," said Owens, No.1 from New Zealand.

In the second semifinal, like Grinham, Vanessa Atkinson couldn't initially raise herself to challenge after her quarter final win against the seedings. Natalie Pohrer quickly established a two-game lead, but Natalie Grinham had rushed back into the arena to offer advice between games, and her fellow Dutch based player climbed slowly back into the match with more fluency and fewer errors in the third. Taking the ball earlier induced errors from Pohrer, who seemed to become very tired having reached a 2/0 and 5/0 lead. Pohrer all but stopped running, found the tin twice to enable Atkinson to reach game ball from seven all, and Atkinson took the game with a cross court drop that caressed the front wall millimeters above the tin.

Pohrer was even more at sea in the fourth, peppering the tin and giving away strokes as Atkinson raced to a 7/1 lead and then closed out as two more Pohrer errors followed. Pohrer looked completely gone.

Yet the USA's world No.2 has been one for the fifth game (Qatar in the Worlds, and last night) and was again here. The poise was back and the score rattled along in her favour as she dominated the rallies, cutting off the Atkinson ripostes.

Atkinson, who was pleased to reach a semi after an early exit from the TOC with food poisoning was disappointed that having begun to get into the match couldn't cope. "I thought I had her and I gave it away," Atkinson, No.5 seed said.

"Vanessa changed the pace and I stopped playing my game," said Pohrer. "She raised her game and didn't think the match was over. I did, but too early!"

A GoVision screen relays the action
outside the Plaza of the Americas

Quarter-Finals:
  Carol Owens bt Rebecca Macree  9/2, 9/2, 9/4  (46m)
  Natalie Grinham bt Rachael Grinham  9/6, 9/3, 9/1  (49m)
  Vanessa Atkinson bt Linda Charman  1/9, 10/8, 9/2, 9/0  (40m)
  Natalie Pohrer bt Cassie Jackman  9/7, 3/9, 10/8, 3/9, 9/6  (64m)

NATS BEATS BIG SIS IN QUARTERS
Australia's Natalie Grinham scored one of the most satisfying victories of her career when she beat her older sister Rachael Grinham for the first time in her life in the quarter-finals in Dallas.

"I've waited 25 years for this win," said the ecstatic world No9 from Toowoomba in Queensland after her 9-6 9-3 9-1 upset over fourth-seeded Rachael, ranked four places higher in the world.  "I've never beaten her at any level before," added Natalie after the 49-minute rout. 

Natalie, unseeded, was in control from the start, combining more patience with her tremendous pace around the court.  The 25-year-old, based in the Netherlands, scuttled around picking up Rachael's short shots, either returning them with interest at the front or floating the ball into the diagonal back corner. 

The younger Grinham has begun to believe in herself more over the last six months and this confidence is translating itself into results - including her first ever WISPA World Tour title wins in New York and Connecticut in January.

Natalie will face top-seeded Carol Owens in her first Grand Prix semi-final.  The world No1 from New Zealand comfortably overcame England's 8th seed Rebecca Macree 9-2 9-2 9-4 in 46 minutes.

The other semi-final will also feature an unexpected line-up after two further English exits. Linda Charman, the third seed, was unable to capitalise on a decisive first game win against fifth seed Vanessa Atkinson and eventually went down 1-9 10-8 9-2 9-0 to the Dutch No1 in 40 minutes.

Charman has not been well for the past few days and taking antibiotics. "As we got into the second, all my energy just disappeared," said the world No3 from Eastbourne in Sussex afterwards.

"I knew she wasn't 100% so I was nervous. In fact I was so nervous I was shaking," added Atkinson after recording her first victory over England's highest-ranked player.

The quarter-final session on the all-glass court erected on the atrium ice rink in the Plaza of the Americas in downtown Dallas ended in a close-fought battle between the USA's No2 seed Natalie Pohrer and England's 7th seed Cassie Jackman which went the full distance. 

The ascendancy changed several times as first one then the other would hit a hot spell. Pohrer eventually prevailed 9-7 3-9 10-8 3-9 9-6 in 64 minutes to reach her sixth successive WISPA semi-final.

"I knew that I needed to get a good start in the fifth as Cassie was dominating the court, so I tried to bottle her up at the back more," explained the 25-year-old from St Louis afterwards.

First Round:
President Pohrer
In Powerful Plaza Opener
Natalie Pohrer led domestic interest in the opening round of the Women's Texas Open in Dallas in powerful style as she crushed Egyptian qualifier Omneya Abdel Kawy in straight games 24 hours after being elected the first US President of  WISPA.

Office workers and shoppers looked down from the balconies and windows of the levels on all four sides of the Plaza of the Americas in downtown Dallas, where the first WISPA Grand Prix event of the year is being staged on WISPA's all-glass showcourt on the atrium ice rink - a highly innovative and public setting for the high-level competition between the world's top women squash players.

Second seed Pohrer, the 25-year-old world No2 from St Louis, took just 23 minutes to beat 17-year-old Kawy, the world No13, 9-4 9-1 9-5 to earn a place in the quarter-finals.

Pohrer, raised in South Africa but born in England, next faces former compatriot Cassie Jackman, the seventh seed who survived an all-English first round clash with unseeded Jenny Tranfield. Tranfield, who boasts a PhD in Sports Psychology, scurried to an 8-3 lead in the opening game, but Jackman - winner of the Las Vegas Open four days earlier - fought back to claim a 10-8 9-1 9-4 victory in 35 minutes.

Another all-English battle went the full distance when qualifier Vicky Botwright pulled back from 2-0 down to level the match against 8th seed Rebecca Macree. The Lancastrian had little left in reserve at this point, and Macree stormed to a 9-6 9-5 6-9 5-9 9-1 win in 65 minutes to move into the last eight where she faces top-seeded New Zealander Carol Owens.

Title-holder Owens, playing in her first event since becoming world No1, beat England's Fiona Geaves 9-4 9-0 9-5 in 30 minutes. "I've come over here feeling good after having some good hits at home and getting to a few local men's event finals," said the confident favourite afterwards.

The most disheartened competitor was undoubtedly England's sixth seed Tania Bailey, hoping to resume her playing career after resting completely for more than two weeks trying to shake off a mystery virus.  The world No4 from Lincolnshire withdrew after practice in the morning, feeling "sick and shaky" again after the workout.  "I thought it had cleared my body as my practice went okay yesterday and my heart rate was fine.  Now I feel bad again so need to get some more tests done," said the disconsolate 23-year-old.

Australia's unseeded Natalie Grinham was the beneficiary of the walkover and will now face her sister Rachael Grinham in the quarter-finals.  Fourth-seeded Rachael took just 19 minutes to conquer Hong Kong qualifier Rebecca Chiu 9-2 9-1 9-6 to set up the siblings' first WISPA World Tour clash since the British Open last April, when the older Rachael won in straight games.

2002 Event

AON Women's Texas Open,
Houston, Texas, USA,
28 Feb - 03 Mar, $36k

Final:
[1] Carol Owens (Nzl) bt [2] Cassie Campion (Eng)   8/10, 9/4, 6/9, 9/4, 9/3  (69m)

Owens beats Campion In Texas Shoot-Out
In a titanic battle between two former world champions, New Zealand's Carol Owens twice had to come from behind before beating England's Cassie Campion to lift the AON Women's Texas Squash Open title. The climax of the first Texas Open marks the 2000 world champion's 19th WISPA World Tour title, and Owens' sixth successive win over 1999 world champion Campion since April 2000.

Campion, the second seed, raced to a 7-4 lead in the opening game, then lost concentration after a disputed call on a drop shot. After saving a game ball, England's British National champion regrouped to take a 1-0 lead. Top-seeded Owens, the former Australian dressed in a distinctive "Kiwi" all-black dress, began to wake up and started to find her range on her tight drops, and levelled. In the third, Cassie pulled back from 0-4 down to take the game in 18 minutes.

The fifth game decider was totally absorbing and competitive, but Owens ultimately kept up the pressure to claim her winner's cheque after 69 minutes.

Carol dedicated the win to her grandmother, who died the previous day, aged 94. "She followed my career all the way through, and it was terrible that I read the news in an e-mail just before the match. I don't normally read my mail before a final."

AON Natural Resources Group Managing Director Jim Pierce was absolutely delighted with the WISPA show, and told a cheering audience: "This has to be the first of many Texas Opens."

Semi-Finals:
[2] Cassie Campion (Eng) bt [Q] Tania Bailey (Eng)  9/2, 9/4, 10/8
[1] Carol Owens (Nzl) bt Natalie Pohrer (Eng) 9/6, 9/2, 9/3

Quarter-Finals:
[2] Cassie Campion (Eng) bt [8] Vanessa Atkinson (Ned) 9/5, 9/5, 9/2
[Q] Tania Bailey (Eng) bt [3] Linda Charman-Smith (Eng) 9/7, 4/9, 9/1, 9/1
Natalie Pohrer (Eng) bt [4] Fiona Geaves (Eng) 9/2, 9/0, 9/1
[2] Carol Owens (Nzl) bt [5] Stephanie Brind (Eng)  9/1, 9/5, 9/4

First round:
[2] Cassie Campion (Eng) bt [Q] Engy Kheirallah (Egy)  8-9, 9-6, 9-1, 9-1
[8] Vanessa Atkinson (Ned) bt Shelley Kitchen (Nzl)  9-0, 9-7, 9-3
[3] Linda Charman-Smith (Eng) bt [Q] Vicky Botwright  9-1, 10-8, 9-0
[Q] Tania Bailey (Eng) bt [7] Suzanne Horner (Eng)  9-2, 10-9, 9-4
Natalie Pohrer (Eng) bt [6] Rachael Grinham (Aus)  5-9, 4-9, 9-2, 9-5, 9-1
[4] Fiona Geaves (Eng) bt Rebecca Macree (Eng)  9-4, 9-3, 7-9, 9-4
[5] Stephanie Brind (Eng) bt [Q] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) 9-0, 10-9, 10-8
[2] Carol Owens (Nzl) bt Natalie Grinham (Aus) 9-0, 9-0, 9-3

Qualifying finals:
Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt Melanie Jans (CAN)     9-0, 5-9, 9-6, 7-9, 9-5
Tania Bailey (ENG) bt Pamela Nimmo (SCO)    9-3, 10-8, 9-6
Engy Kheirallah (EGY) bt Latasha Khan (USA)     9-5, 9-1, 9-7
Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt Nicol David (MAS)    0-9, 9-7, 5-9, 9-6, 9-6