14-Oct,
Quarter-Finals:
Jackman avenges
British Open defeat
Cassie Jackman avenged her British
Open final defeat by Rachael Grinham as she marched past the
Australian and into the US Open Squash Championship semi-finals.
Jackman, the sixth seed from Norfolk, upset world No.4
Grinham in four games at the Heights Casino in New York.
The 30-year-old showed an explosive turn of pace
with some punishing volley kills to the front court.
The three-times US Open champion overcame a first
game loss to beat Grinham, the third seed, 3-9 9-6 9-1 9-6 to reach
her eighth successive semi-final berth on the WISPA World Tour this
year.
The British National champion will now face fifth
seed Vanessa Atkinson after the Dutch champion ended the giant-killing
run of English qualifier Jenny Duncalf.
The 20-year-old from Yorkshire, who removed No2 seed
Natalie Grainger to reach the last eight, led 6-2 and 8-6 in the
fourth game - but Atkinson's greater experience eventually told.
The world No5 from The Hague finally clinched a 9-2
9-3 9-10 10-8 victory.
Favourite and defending champion Carol Owens became
the only expected semi-finalist to reach the last four when she
cruised to a 9-0 9-3 9-0 victory over Hong Kong qualifier Rebecca
Chiu.
The New Zealander will now face Australia's Natalie
Grinham, the eighth seed who upset England's fourth seed Linda Charman
9-5 9-7 9-0. |
Cassie's turn this time
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13-Oct, First Round:
Devastating
Duncalf Despatches
No2 Seed Grainger
English qualifier Jenny Duncalf pulled off the best result of her
career when she despatched home favourite Natalie Grainger, the No2
seed, in five games in the first round at the Heights Casino in New
York.
Duncalf, the 20-year-old from Harrogate in Yorkshire who reached the
main draw after upsetting world No15 Shelley Kitchen in the qualifying
finals, came back from 2-1 down to topple Grainger 9-6, 1-9, 7-9,
10-8, 9-6 as a result of punishing drop shots in the front court.
The former European Junior Champion, ranked 22 in the world, now faces
fifth seed Vanessa Atkinson after the world No5 from the Netherlands
made up for her disappointing British Open first round exit earlier in
the month by beating England's Fiona Geaves 5-9, 9-1, 9-0, 9-5.
Newly-crowned British Open champion Rachael Grinham faces a repeat of
the final ten days ago when she meets England's sixth seed Cassie
Jackman in the quarter-finals in New York. The Australian third seed
comfortably overcame Irish qualifier Madeline Perry 9-7, 9-1, 9-0 while
Jackman dismissed compatriot Rebecca Macree 9-4, 9-7, 9-3.
England's Tania Bailey suffered a disappointing return to the WISPA
World Tour after virus problems and surgery on her nose when she
conceded her first round match against Hong Kong qualifier Rebecca
Chiu after taking the first game. Asian Games champion Chiu won the
second 9-2, before Bailey retired as a result of sinus problems which
she had been suffering from since her arrival in New York.
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12-Oct, Qualifying:
Duncalf Dumps Kitchen
In US Open Qualifiers
England's Jenny Duncalf beat New Zealand's world
No15 Shelley Kitchen in the qualifying finals of the to claim a place in
the first round at the Heights Casino in New York.
The 20-year-old former European Junior Champion from Yorkshire fought
back from a game down to upset Kitchen, ranked seven places higher, 6-9
9-7 9-4 9-4 to earn a first round clash with local star Natalie
Grainger, the No2 seed.
Duncalf was joined in the main draw by another English qualifier. Vicky
Botwright, who celebrated her rise to a career-high 13 in the October
world rankings by reaching the quarter-finals of this month's British
Open, defeated Malaysia's Nicol David 9-3 10-8 9-5, and will now take on
Australia's 8th seed Natalie Grinham for a place in the quarter-finals.
Ireland's Madeline
Perry also qualified, beating Amelia Pittock 3/0 in the finals.
"It was a pretty tough match against Amelia but I always felt I was in
control," said Perry. "But it's great to qualify as this is a major
event and all the top players in the world are here."
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09-Oct, Previews:
Geaves Gets Go-Ahead For US Open
 England's
Fiona Geaves, who six weeks ago suffered a serious injury which
dislodged three of her front teeth, has been given the all clear to
compete in next week's Carol Weymuller Women's US Open.
"My dentist has just given me the best news possible - that I won't need
implants and that two of my teeth should make a complete recovery," said
the world No12 from Gloucester. "Luckily the nerves aren't dead, so
they're healing quite nicely."
It was in a training session with the England U23 squad that Alison
Waters lost her footing and accidentally hit Geaves in the mouth with
her head. Wearing a protective brace, the plucky Geaves went on to
compete in the women's event in last week's British Open in Nottingham -
as well as the Women's Over-35 event, which she won.
On Tuesday this week, however, Geaves faced former world No3 Sue Wright
in an English National League match - and suffered a further setback
when she was again hit in the mouth by her opponent's racket.
"Although her racket only really skimmed my face very slightly, it was
still an awful shock and I felt quite sick - and was tempted to stop the
match there and then," Geaves recalls. "However, it's against my nature
to do something like that, so I carried on. I really should have beaten
her, but my concentration had gone.
"I've lost my brace now, so my front teeth are unsupported for the first
time in six weeks, so I've got to be extra careful - even with eating.
I've got to remember to put food straight to the back of my mouth - and
that's not very easy to do!
"So after being uncertain for the past few days, I can now go to New
York and compete in the US Open - but I won't throw myself around and I
will be wearing a gum shield," said the unseeded Englishwoman who won
the Carol Weymuller Open ten years ago. "Luckily I'm playing Vanessa
Atkinson in the first round. I'm sure I'll be OK with her, but if it had
been one or two of the other players, I would have been a bit worried!"
Owens & Grainger set for
New York Showdown
World number one and defending champion Carol Owens is top seed
for October's $37k Carol Weymuller US Open in New York, and is expected
to face world number two Natalie Grainger in the final at the
Heights Casino club.
Owens, disappointed last week in her
failure to collect the British Open title she so wanted, was reported in
the New Zealand press as considering retirement.
There is a strong English contingent
in the draw, with Owens needing to get past Jenny Tranfield before a
possible quarter-final match with Tania Bailey, and Linda Charman
expected to be her semi-final opponent.
The bottom half sees Cassie Jackman
and Rebecca Macree lined up for a first-round clash, while Fiona Geaves
faces ex-Geordie Vanessa Atkinson. New British Open champion Rachael
Grinham faces a qualifier before a possible quarter-final with Jackman. |
 10-Oct
A breath of fresh air for Tania
From Peterborough Now
TANIA
Bailey will make her comeback after eight months on the sidelines at the
US Open next week.
The Stamford squash queen picked up a mystery virus at the back end of
last year and has struggled with her fitness ever since.
It wasn't until a specialist diagnosed her problems may be linked to the
fact she has suffered with breathing problems that the 23-year-old has
started to see some light at the end of the tunnel.
Since then she has been going to classes to learn how to breathe
properly through her nose which has brought a slow improvement.
Ideally Bailey would want to take another six months off to fully
recover, but has decided to fly out to New York tomorrow in a bid to
maintain her place in the rankings and earn some money.
Bailey said: "I would like another six months working on my fitness, but
unfortunately I need to earn some money and I want to maintain my
ranking.
"At the moment I am in a position where I don't have to qualify for
tournaments so I can go over there and know that I will go through to
the first round and pick up points for that."
Bailey was a beaten finalist at the US Open last year, but even though
she is delighted to be back on court she doesn't hold out much hope for
her chances of winning even her first match.
"It is a shame that I am going back and will not be able to compete
properly," added Bailey.
"I really am not expecting to go anywhere in the tournament and will be
surprised to get through my first match.
"I am looking forward to going out there and being back on the circuit
and getting a match under my belt.
"Hopefully a few more solid months of training after this and I will be
able to start working my way back up the rankings in the New Year."
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