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Qualifying finals:

Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt Tenille Swartz (RSA) 11-8, 11-6, 11-7 (31m)

Delia Arnold (MAS) bt Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) 10-12, 3-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (74m)

Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Alana Miller (CAN) 11-9, 11-2, 11-4 (31m)

Manuela Manetta (ITA) bt Latasha Khan (USA) 11-1, 11-8, 11-8 (21m)

1st qualifying round:

Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt Samantha Cornett (CAN) 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 (24m)

Tenille Swartz (RSA) bt Miranda Ranieri (CAN) 11-8, 8-11, 11-4, 11-8 (35m)

Delia Arnold (MAS) bt Chantelle Day (CAY) 11-4, 11-4, 11-1 (15m)

Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) bt Melody Francis (AUS) 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 (38m)

Alana Miller (CAN) bt Siyoli Waters (RSA) 12-10, 11-9, 11-7 (32m)

Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Carrie Hastings (ENG) 11-1, 11-3, 11-4

Manuela Manetta (ITA) bt Leonie Holt (ENG) 11-2, 13-11, 11-8 (24m)

Latasha Khan (USA) bt Karen Meakins (BAR) 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 (20m)

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Nicol David Retains Cayman Islands Crown

Nicol David successfully defended her tile - and endorsed her status as the world's number one woman squash player – by beating world No2 Jenny Duncalf in the final of the Cayman Islands Open, the $55,300 WISPA World Tour Gold event – the third of the year – at Camana Bay on Grand Cayman.

Despite going into the match 2/19 down in their career head-to-head tally, England's Jenny Duncalf had won two of their last three meetings and was hoping to become the first player for many years to record three wins over the formidable Malaysian.

The 27-year-old from Harrogate in Yorkshire matched world champion David point for point for the vast majority of the first two games, but the defending champion closed out both tight games.

David, 26, from Penang, came out bouncing for the third, quickly going 5-1 up and looking in control.  Duncalf pulled a few points back, but from 6-3 she put three balls quickly into the tin and shortly afterwards David clinched her tile-winning 11-8, 11-8, 11-4 victory after 32 minutes.

"It's always tough against Jenny," said afterwards.  "It felt more like a 3/2 than a 3/0, the first games were really tight.

"It's so great to be able to defend my title here.  Dan (Kneipp) and his team have done another fantastic job - it's ten times better than I could have imagined, and the sponsors and the government have put so much in to make the event a success.

"Hopefully I'll be back to defend my title next year - and if my body's still well I'll definitely be here for the World Open in 2012!"

The triumph takes Nicol David to her third successive Tour title of the year and the 44th of her career.
 

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Top Seeds David & Duncalf To Contest Cayman Islands Final

The world's top two players will contest the climax of the Women's Cayman Islands Open after Nicol David and Jenny Duncalf prevailed in straight games in the semi-finals of the $55,300 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event – the third of the year – on Grand Cayman.

It will be a fitting finale for the popular event in its second year in the Cayman Islands, but its first staged on an all-glass court at Camana Bay.

In the opening all-British clash, England's world No2 Jenny Duncalf claimed her first appearance in the final after beating Madeline Perry, the fourth seed from Ireland, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5.

While rain fell on the spectators, Perry established significant leads in the first two games, but Duncalf battled back to reclaim the advantage – and then romped to a 7-1 lead in the third game.

The 11 times Irish champion reduced the deficit, but three successive winners saw Duncalf close out the match.

"It was much hotter on there today," Duncalf said afterwards - much to the surprise of the wrapped-up spectators!  "And humid too.  So it was tough.  Madeline made me work hard.  It's usually 3/1-ish between us, so to win 3/0 is a bonus!

"I had a bit of a dip in the middle of the second, but I was pleased with how I dug in and with my focus overall, it was important to get the second and I managed to carry that momentum to get a good start in the third," added the 27-year-old from Harrogate who lost in the semi-finals last year.

"It's good to go one better here than last time - you always want improvement, but it would be nice to go two better!"

World number one Nicol David, winner of the first two WISPA gold events this year, clinched her 11th straight match win this year with an 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 win in 30 minutes over long-time Australian rival  Rachael Grinham.

"That was a clinical display," said Nicol's coach Liz Irving of her ward's progress to a second consecutive Cayman Open final.

It was the pair's 31st meeting – and the win extends David's head-to-head record over the former world number one to 24/7 over exactly ten years.

"I know when I play Rachael that if she gets a chance to play her shots they'll go in, so I have to play mine first," explained the world champion from Malaysia.  "She always brings my game up when we play, it's always a good show.  I just have to keep my focus and play the right shots at the right time."

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Top Seeds Sail Into Cayman Islands Semis

The top four seeds secured their anticipated places in the semi-finals of the Women's Cayman Islands Open – with defending champion Nicol David making short work of her quarter-final victory in the $55,300 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event on Grand Cayman.

The Malaysian favourite, bidding to win her third successive WISPA gold event this year, came up against rising French star Camille Serme, the 21-year-old seventh seed from Creteil who boasts a career-high world No11 ranking.

The world number one from Penang had to be at the top of her game to hold off her opponent's challenge before winning 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 in 33 minutes.

"That was a tough match - we had some really good rallies, working rallies, especially in the third," explained afterwards.  "We were both trying to out position each other:  I'm just pleased to win it 3/0."

David will now face career-long rival Rachael Grinham in what will be the pair's 31st meeting since contesting the Milo Open final in Malaysia exactly ten years ago!  Grinham, the third seed from Australia, was fully tested by Sarah Kippax before beating the English qualifier 8-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9 in 45 minutes.

"That was very tough, very close," said the relieved winner. "I was disappointed to lose the first after having a good lead, but in the end I was a bit lucky to win it in four.

"I was trying not to think about a fifth, just trying to dig in and push for each rally," added the former world number one from Queensland.  "I've always had a lot of respect for Sarah, she has great potential and it's good to see her starting to fulfil it.  She's had some good results and there's more to come."

The other semi-final will see England's second seed Jenny Duncalf line up against Ireland's Madeline Perry, the fourth seed.  Duncalf despatched unseeded French opponent Isabelle Stoehr 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 in just 28 minutes, while Perry was stretched for 62 minutes and had to recover from a game down to beat Australia's sixth seed Kasey Brown 3-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-7.

"I often start slowly these days," said Perry, the world No7 from near Belfast.  "I was slow but she came out very fast and was on top of me in the first game.

"It's hot on there, too hot for me," added the winner.  "But I'm really pleased to win that 3/1.  I could feel her coming back at me towards the end so it was good to finish it off."

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Sarah Stops Samantha In Marathon Cayman Upset

England's Sarah Kippax became the only qualifier to make it through to the last eight of the Women's Cayman Islands Open after upsetting Mexico's eighth seed Samantha Teran in a marathon first round battle in the $55,300 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event – the third of the year - on Grand Cayman.

It was a see-saw encounter in which Kippax took the first game with two dying drives before Teran saved two game balls at 8-10 to draw level after a tie-break.  The 26-year-old from Cheshire did the same in the third to regain the lead, but the Mexican was always marginally ahead in the fourth.

Teran, the world No12 and highest-ranked Mexican of all-time, led the decider 5-2 and 9-7 and reached match ball when a risky long drop shot from Kippax hit the tin. 

But Kippax fought back to take the match into its third tie-break game – and finally clinched victory with a drop shot that Teran was unable to reach.

"It's always a tough one against Samantha," Kippax said after her 11-9, 11-13, 12-10, 7-11, 12-10 triumph in 72 minutes.

"She's so gutsy and picks everything up.  At two-one, I actually thought it was two-all, it was that tough!

"I'm really pleased:  This is the best I've done in a tournament of this level so I'm delighted," added the world No21, who now faces third seed Rachael Grinham.  "I need to work out my tactics against Rachael, she's a very tricky player - but for now I'll just enjoy the win."

Grinham earlier cruised to an 11-7, 11-4, 11-6 victory over Italian qualifier Manuela Manetta.

Later, in one of the first matches on an all-glass court erected at Camana Bay, Malaysia's Nicol David successfully began the defence of her title by beating New Zealander Jaclyn Hawkes 11-3, 11-5, 11-3.

Hawkes, the world No15 from Auckland, was clearly not lifted by an on-court Haka which preceded the match as part of the event launch celebrations.

"When you come onto court in a setting and in front of a crowd like this, you just want to give it your best," said champion David after her win.  "The Haka was fascinating.  I've never seen one close up before - it was exciting and it got me going, to be honest!"

Rising French star Camille Serme disappointed the packed crowd by despatching local star Marlene West 14-12, 11-4, 11-5.

Wild card West, a former Jamaican and five-time Caribbean champion, made the world number 11 work for her win, matching her opponent point for point for most of the first game before saving three game balls.

"It's great having all the top players here, but we didn't invite you over so that you could beat our players," joked Tournament Director Dan Kneipp to Serme post-match.

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Stoehr Strikes Out Grainger In Grand Cayman Upset

France's Isabelle Stoehr produced the first upset in the Women's Cayman Islands Open when she defeated USA's fifth seed Natalie Grainger in a hard-fought five-game first round battle in the $55,300 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event – the third of the year - on Grand Cayman.

It was Stoehr's first win over a higher-ranked player for almost a year and a half – and came just 24 hours after WISPA President Grainger, a former world number one, was appointed to the new position of WISPA Principal.

Grainger was making a long-awaited return to the WISPA Tour after an eight-month layoff caused by a foot injury.  But the 32-year-old from Greenwich showed signs that she had fully recovered from her setback after winning the US national singles title for the fourth successive year in March - and the US Mixed Doubles title this month.

Grainger twice came back after the 30-year-old from Montpelier took the first and third games – but it was Stoehr who ultimately triumphed after a tie-break in the fifth to win 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 9-11, 12-10 in 44 minutes.

"I know Natalie's just come back, and she can play better," Stoehr said after her unexpected win.  "But I've got so much respect for her - we all have - it makes it hard to play her.  She certainly made me work hard to beat her today!"

Grainger was not too downbeat:  "When I saw the girls playing in qualifying, and today, I was amazed at their shots, fitness and speed - I just hoped I could produce something like that myself.  And, although I lost, I don't think I did too badly!"

In the first match of the day, Australia's Kasey Brown took exactly an hour to overcome Malaysian qualifier Low Wee Wern 11-6, 11-8, 10-12, 11-2. 

"I felt good at the start, I knew I needed to keep in front of her," said the sixth seed from New South Wales.  "It got a bit exciting in the third, I made some bad decisions at the end of it, but I felt confident I could come back to take the next game as long as I came out hard and made sure I didn't make those mistakes again."

There was further Malaysian disappointment when Kuala Lumpur-born qualifier Delia Arnold went down 11-4, 11-6, 7-11, 15-13 to Ireland's No4 seed Madeline Perry in 55 minutes.

"The first two games were great," said Belfast-born Perry.  "But Delia got a lot better.  I was just hanging in there in the end and I was quite lucky to win it 3/1 really."

England's second seed Jenny Duncalf secured the fourth quarter-final place on offer on the opening day when she beat Donna Urquhart in five games.  It was a fast and furious match, with Duncalf narrowly surviving an attacking onslaught from the unseeded Australian to win 11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7 in 44 minutes.

"It was pretty up and down, a bit patchy," admitted the world No2 from Harrogate.  "But she was attacking more than I was and I always find her difficult to read, especially on the forehand, so it was pretty tough!"

Arnold & Low Triple Malaysian Interest In Cayman Islands Open

Defending champion Nicol David will be joined by compatriots Delia Arnold and Low Wee Wern in the main draw of the Women's Cayman Islands Open after the Malaysian pair survived the qualifying finals of the $55,300 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event – the third of the year - on Grand Cayman.

Low Wee Wern became the youngest player to make the first round after beating experienced Canadian Alana Miller 11-9, 11-2, 11-4.  The 19-year-old from Nicol David's home town of Penang now faces sixth-seeded Australian Kasey Brown.

Delia Arnold took on local favourite Nicolette Fernandes, from Guyana.  And the reigning Caribbean champion won the opening two games as the main draw beckoned for the 26-year-old world No71.

But Arnold, only two positions outside the world top 20, dug deep to reclaim the advantage – ultimately closing out a 10-12, 3-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 in 74 minutes to earn a first round clash with Ireland's fourth seed Madeline Perry.

Sarah Kippax and Manuela Manetta also earned places in the main draw of the event for the first time.  England's Kippax held off South Africa's Tenille Swartz to win 11-8, 11-6, 11-7, while Italian Manuela Manetta took only 21 minutes to quash US veteran Latasha Khan 11-1, 11-8, 11-8.

Fernandes Brings Caribbean Colour To Cayman

Guyana's Nicolette Fernandes took unexpected Caribbean interest through to the qualifying finals of the Women's Cayman Islands Open when she beat higher-ranked Australian Melody Francis in the first qualifying round of the $55,300 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event on Grand Cayman.

Caribbean champion Fernandes, currently ranked 71 in the world, beat world No57 Francis 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 in 38 minutes - and will now face Malaysia's Delia Arnold, the world No22, for a place in the main draw.

South African Tenille Swartz also staged a significant upset.  Ranked 66 in the world, the 22-year-old from Parys reached almost 20 places above her to overcome Canada's Miranda Ranieri 11-8, 8-11, 11-4, 11-8.

Swartz will now line up against the qualifying event's top seed Sarah Kippax, the world No21 from England.

The world's top players have arrived on Grand Cayman to compete in the second staging of the Cayman Islands Open, but its first as a Gold event.  Defending champion Nicol David, the world number one from Malaysia, is looking to win her third gold crown of the year.

Qualifying finals line-up:

Sarah Kippax (ENG) v Tenille Swartz (RSA)

Delia Arnold (MAS) v Nicolette Fernandes (GUY)

Low Wee Wern (MAS) v Alana Miller (CAN)

Latasha Khan (USA) v Manuela Manetta (ITA)

Cayman Islands Go Gold For WISPA

An increase in the prize fund has led to the 2010 Women's Cayman Islands Squash Open going Gold, according to an announcement today by the Women's International Squash Players' Association.

The $55,300 WISPA World Tour event - the third Gold event of the year, from 11-17 April - will be staged for the first time on an all-glass court erected at Camana Bay, a 500-acre shopping, entertainment, office and residential complex stretching from the Caribbean sea to the North Sound in Grand Cayman.

Launched in 2009, the Cayman Islands Open has again attracted the world's top players, led by Malaysia's world number one Nicol David, with Natalie Grainger, in-form Jenny Duncalf, and contenders Rachael Grinham and Alison Waters all in the mix.  Grainger will be making her return to the WISPA Tour in Grand Cayman after a seven-month layoff with a foot injury.

Indeed, the draw predicts a quarter-final meeting between David and Grainger – a repeat of last year's final, won by the Malaysian!

Meanwhile, Cayman number one Marlene West, the main draw wild card, faces the daunting prospect of meeting 2007 world champion Rachael Grinham in the opening round.

Tournament Director Dan Kneipp is delighted to be welcoming back the sport's top women:  "The Cayman Islands National Squash Association is extremely excited to host the world's best players to our Caribbean Island.

"We are very pleased to be able to increase our WISPA World Tour championship to the Gold level. Cayman has never seen a pro tournament played on a glass show court, so we know that there will be a lot of enthusiasm and public interest as this is set up on the waterfront at Camana Bay.

"Having eight of the world's top 10 squash players is creating an enormous buzz in Cayman as we prepare to watch the world's best competing for our international title.

"The WISPA pros were a huge asset to our junior squash last year, helping hundreds of kids experience the sport for the first time," Kneipp added.  "We again have 14 schools that will be doing workshops and watching the pro matches and we expect this to be an invaluable tool in helping us get more Caymanian juniors into squash.

"The Cayman Islands National Squash Association also sees this as an incredible experience for our Commonwealth Games team as we prepare for Delhi 2010.  For a young, amateur team to be playing alongside the world's best professional will only add to our team's experience and ability to compete at an international level.

"We welcome the world's best players and the international squash media to the Cayman Islands in April."

WISPA CEO Andrew Shelley added:  "It is always very satisfying to see an event build, and that is certainly the case with the Cayman Islands Open.  The debut last year was memorable for being awash with local school children trying squash at the South Sound Squash Club every day. 

"This year juniors will doubtless be a major feature again, but bringing in a glass show court too in the superb outside setting of Camana Bay will be yet another great step forward in raising the profile of squash on the Island and pushing the delights of the Cayman Islands to squash enthusiasts worldwide."