10/04/2011
CAYMAN ISLANDS OPEN 2011
Nicol David Celebrates Cayman Islands Hat-Trick
Cayman
Islands Open 2011
03-09 April, Grand Cayman, $68k |
Round One
05 Apr/06 Apr |
Quarters
Thu 07
Apr |
Semis
Fri 08
Apr |
Final
Sat 09 Apr |
[1] Nicol David (Mas)
11/7, 11/6, 11/3 (29m)
Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl) |
Nicol David
11/4, 8/11, 11/8, 11/4 (47m)
Natalie Grinham |
Nicol David
11-6, 11-8, 11-5 (30m)
Donna Urquhart |
Nicol David
11-7, 11-6,
12-14, 11-4 (59m)
Jenny Duncalf |
[6] Kasey Brown (Aus)
11/6, 13/11, 14/12 (48m)
[Q] Natalie Grinham (Ned) |
[5] Madeline Perry (Irl)
6/11, 18/16, 3/11, 11/9, 11/8
(56m)
[Q] Amanda Sobhy (Usa) |
Madeline Perry
6/11, 11/13, 11/8, 12/10, 11/9 (72m)
Donna Urquhart |
[4] Alison Waters
(Eng)
11/5, 11/9, 9/11, 10/12, 11/7
(52m)
[Q] Donna
Urquhart (Aus) |
Marlene West (Cay)
11/5, 11/4, 11/3 (24m)
[3] Rachael Grinham
(Aus) |
Rachael Grinham
11/7, 11/6, 11/7 (28m)
Sarah Kippax |
Rachael Grinham
15-13, 10-12, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10 (76m)
Jenny Duncalf |
[Q]
Sarah Kippax (Eng)
11/4, 11/6, 9/11, 11/8 (39m)
[8]
Annie Au (Hkg) |
Low Wee Wern (Mas)
11/8, 11/6, 8/11, 11/2 (46m)
[7] Camille Serme (Fra) |
Camille Serme
6/11, 11/6, 11/4, 11/7 (53m)
Jenny Duncalf |
Joelle King (Nzl)
11/7, 2/11, 11/3, 9/11, 11/3
(54m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) |
|
Qualifiers: (Laura Massaro w/d 2nd April, Joelle King to
main draw)
Donna Urquhart (Aus) bt
Emma Beddoes (Eng)
11/6, 8/11, 13/11, 11/9 (56m)
Amanda Sobhy (Usa) bt
Isabelle Stoehr (Fra)
11/7, 11/8, 11/2 (25m)
Sarah Kippax (Eng) bt
Aisling Blake (Irl)
12/10, 11/8, 11/8 (41m)
Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt Latasha Khan (Usa)
11/8, 11/6, 12/10 (27m)
03rd April, Round One:
Donna Urquhart (Aus) bt Joey Chan (Hkg)
7/11, 11/7, 5/11, 11/9, 11/7 (50m)
Emma Beddoes (Eng) bt Nicolette Fernandes (Guy)
17/15, 11/8, 7/11, 11/6 (57m)
Amanda Sobhy (Usa) bt Eilidh Bridgeman (Cay)
11/1, 11/1, 11/3 (14m)
Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) bt
Kristina Myren (Cay)
11/1, 11/0, 11/7 (15m)
Aisling Blake (Irl) bt Manuela Manetta (Ita)
12/10, 9/11, 12/10, 9/11, 11/6 (70m)
Sarah Kippax (Eng) bt Nayelly Hernandez (Mex)
11/4, 11/5, 11/1 (20m)
Latasha Khan (Usa) bt
Samantha Teran (Mex)
11/9, 8/11, 12/10, 11/4 (39m)
Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt
Delia Arnold (Mas)
11/6, 12/10, 11/1 (32m)
|
|
Men's Caribbean Challenge |
|
Round One |
Quarter-Finals |
Semi-Finals |
Final |
[1] Ramy Ashour (Egy)
11/2, 11/5, 11/6 (21m)
Myron Blair (Cay) |
Ramy Ashour
11/3, 11/7, 14/12 (24m)
Shawn Simpson |
Ramy Ashour
11/7, 11/4, 11/8 (25m)
Richard Chin |
Ramy Ashour
11/5, 13/11, 6/11, 11/8 (49m)
Alister
Walker |
Shawn Simpson
(Bar)
11/2, 11/6, 11/5 (21m)
Gabe Rabess (Cay) |
David Finch (Cay)
11/4, 11/7, 11/3 (22m)
Gavin Cumberbatch (Bar) |
Gavin Cumberbatch
11/4, 11/3, 11/4 (21m)
Richard Chin |
Richard Chin
(Guy)
11/5, 11/4, 11/2 (20m)
Bruce Burrowes (Jam) |
Chris Binnie (Jam)
11/8, 11/9, 11/2 (25m)
Micah Franklin (Ber) |
Chris Binnie
11/9, 11/9, 11/4 (27m)
Cameron Stafford |
Chris Binnie
11/4, 11/5, 11/4 (30m)
Alister
Walker |
Cameron Stafford (Cay)
11/3, 11/4, 11/5 (19m)
Van Rolle (Bah) |
Colin Ramasra (Tri)
11/3, 11/9, 11/4 (22m)
Regan Pollard (Guy) |
Colin Ramasra
11/3, 11/8, 11/3 (30m)
Alister Walker |
Alex Frazer (Cay)
11/1, 11/1, 11/1 (18m)
[2] Alister Walker (Eng) |
|
Nicol
David Celebrates Cayman Islands Hat-Trick
Nicol David
celebrated her third successful title at the Cedrus Investments Women's
Cayman Islands Open - but the world number one from Malaysia had to work for
almost an hour, and squandered match-balls in the third game, before overcoming
England's world number two Jenny Duncalf in the final of the WISPA
World Series squash event in its third year at Camana Bay in Grand
Cayman in the Cayman Islands.
Duncalf made a
good start, leading 4-1 and 6-3 - but from 7-6 down, the 27-year-old Malaysian
reeled off five points in a row to take the early lead.
Despite then
dropping the second game, Duncalf had made a late revival - and used this to
good effect in the third. From 6-4, the 28-year-old from Harrogate opened out to
earn five game balls at 10-5.
But David
battled back point before reaching match-ball both at both 11-10 and 12-11.
Duncalf refused to concede, however, and clinched her latest game-ball to force
the match into a fourth game.
And Duncalf
made a good start in the fourth too, leading 4-1. But that was as good as it
got: David reeled off the last seven points unanswered before celebrating her
title-winning 11-7, 11-6, 12-14, 11-4 victory after 59 minutes.
"I tried to
play more patient squash, to make it less work for me as I'd had such a tough
match yesterday, not rushing things, giving myself more time," Duncalf explained
later. "It worked at times, but just at the end of the first and the second
games I couldn't push on like she did.
 "I
made it hard for myself in the third, to say the least, but I'm glad I took that
one. I wanted at least to make a real final of it. The third took a lot out of
me though, and in the fourth I just couldn't summon up enough energy to push
through. She realised that and she made it hard for me.
"It's been a
great tournament," added the England number one. "I love playing here. We all
do!"
Nicol David,
now the proud winner of 52 WISPA World Tour titles, was full of praise for her
Tour rival: "Jenny played really well, especially in the third, she just put a
lot of shots in. I knew I just had to work hard to get it back but couldn't
quite make it.
"In the fourth
she got a good start but I didn't want to let her get too far ahead so I had to
really focus and up my game from that point. I'm happy to win 3/1, it was a
tough match.
"It's so great
being here in Cayman, the people are so friendly, the sponsors put so much into
the event, Dan (Kneipp) does a great job organising it and the crowd really make
it a great tournament - we're all looking forward to coming back next year for
the World Open!" |
David &
Duncalf In Dream Cayman Climax
 Nicol David
and Jenny Duncalf will contest the dream Cedrus Investments Women's
Cayman Islands Open final - but the world's top two players prevailed in
highly contrasting semi-finals of the WISPA World Series squash event in
its third year at Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.
Top seed
Nicol David, the world number one from Malaysia who is bidding to win the
title for a third successive year, ended the brave run of Donna Urquhart
- despatching the Australian qualifier 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 in just 30 minutes.
But England's
world No2 Jenny Duncalf needed 76 minutes - and had to fight back from
2/1 down and save three match balls before overcoming long-time Australian rival
Rachael Grinham 15-13, 10-12, 4-11, 11-7, 12-10.
It was Duncalf
and Grinham's 15th Tour clash since 2003, with the Australian boasting a 9-5
lead as well as success in their most recent meeting in October in Qatar.
And after more
than an hour of energy-sapping minutes in the Camana Bay heat, it was the
34-year-old Queenslander who earned the first match-ball at 10-7.
 But Duncalf
battled back to draw level at 10-all - and, after a marathon rally, delivered a
volley into open space to reach her first match-ball before clinching victory
when an exhausted Grinham hit the ball into the tin.
"That's
just ridiculous, I'm drowning here, it's as if I just got out of the swimming
pool," exclaimed Grinham
afterwards. "It's about time we had a good one. I played well and I had a chance
tonight, but she's not world number two for nothing, she's an alright player!
"It's annoying
getting so close and not winning."
Duncalf, now
in her 19th Tour final, had been looking forward to more agreeable conditions:
"Coming here tonight there seemed to be a bit of a breeze - I hoped it might be
cooler but it was just as hot as yesterday.
"I really
enjoyed the game, but that second last rally, 10-all in the fifth, it's the
first time I've ever felt queasy on court, I was seeing stars during that rally.
I'm so glad that she tinned on the next one, I'm not sure I could have gone on
any longer.
"When I was
match balls down it was just about not panicking, but it could have gone either
way. It's matches like these that you remember after you've finished."
Donna Urquhart
was celebrating the best week of her squash career after winning two qualifying
matches - both 50 minutes plus - then in the main draw beating the world number
five, then the world number three, both in five games.
"I've had a
good week, a great week," said the 24-year-old world No16 from Brisbane after
losing to Nicol David. "But tonight was one match too far. I went for my
shots from the start, I knew that was the only way I could do anything, but I
just couldn't keep going."
The semi-final
victory, David's 11th in a row in the Cayman Islands since winning her first
title in 2009, marks up the Malaysian's 68th Tour final.
The final will
be David and Duncalf's first Tour meeting since last August when they contested
the Hong Kong Open climax - but it will be the 21st of their WISPA careers.
 Perry Punished
As Urquhart Advances
Australian
Donna Urquhart continued her giant-killing run in the Cedrus Investments
Women's Cayman Islands Open when she upset fifth seed Madeline Perry
to reach the last four of the WISPA World Series squash event in its
third year at Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.
In a match she
described later as "definitely my best win", the 24-year-old qualifier from
Brisbane recovered from two games down - and saved two match balls - to overcome
Perry, the new world No3, 6-11, 11-13, 11-8, 12-10, 11-9 to reach the biggest
semi-final of her career.
It was a
bruising marathon encounter which took 72 minutes to resolve - with both players
collapsing onto the floor at the end of the match.
"That
was horrible," admitted Perry said
afterwards. "I was wrecked after two games to be honest. I took it early and put
her under pressure in the first two games, but I couldn't keep it up. I don't
know how I moved at all in the fifth!
"I should have
won the fourth - I had two match balls but couldn't take them," added the
34-year-old from Belfast. "I tried my best, but I guess I'm just too old now. I
must be mad but I still really enjoy playing these matches!"
Urquhart,
coached between games by compatriot Kasey Brown, admitted that she didn't
have the energy to think, let alone feel nervous. "I've never played on a court
so hot - I should have weighed myself before we started, I probably lost 5 kilos
on there tonight, my dress was so heavy it was weighing me down!
"After two
games Kasey came to talk to me and I told her 'I can't do this, it's just too
hot, I can't breathe, I can't think'.
"I was dying
but she seemed to be ok, I was asking myself 'how is she doing this', then when
she talked to Dan at the end I knew she was hurting as much as me, but at the
time I didn't know that.
"I know I said
it yesterday, but this is definitely my best win!"
Urquhart now
has the ultimate test when she meets defending champion Nicol David, the
world number one from Malaysia who is looking for her third successive title. In
their 29th meeting on the WISPA World Tour since February 2000, the top seed
beat Dutch qualifier Natalie Grinham 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 11-4.
It was their
first meeting since the pair contested the 2009 World Open final in September
2009, when Grinham was ranked two in the world - and since when she has
celebrated the birth of her first child.
"I'm happy
with my match," said 33-year-old Grinham, who last week won the Atwater Cup in
Canada. "She made me do a lot of running, which meant I had to sort out my
blister towards the end. I feel like I'm playing really well, no pressure, and
I'm hitting the ball better than before, even if I'm not moving quite as well."
Nicol David
added: "We've played so many times over the years, we have these monster
matches. She's just won a tournament so I knew what to expect. I knew she'd be
up for it and raise her game so I had to raise mine."
Natalie's
older sister Rachael Grinham claimed the speediest route through to the
semi-finals with an 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 win over English qualifier Sarah Kippax
in 28 minutes.
The
34-year-old third-seeded Australian will now face another English opponent
Jenny Duncalf, the No2 seed who had to come from a game down to get the
better of France's seventh seed Camille Serme 6-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 in
53 minutes.
|
 Grinham
& Kippax Continue Cayman Upsets
Sarah Kippax and Natalie
Grinham continued
the successful run by qualifiers in the first round of the Cedrus
Investments Women's Cayman Islands Open by
earning unexpected berths in the quarter-finals of the WISPA World Series squash
event in its third year at Grand
Cayman in the Cayman Islands.
England's Sarah
Kippax,
the world No18 from Halifax in Yorkshire, avenged her straight games defeat by Annie
Au only
two months ago in the USA by beating the world No11 from Hong Kong 11-4, 11-6,
9-11, 11-8.
"I felt as though I played well today," Kippax said after
reaching the last eight for the second year in a row. "Annie has such good touch
at the front with her drops, so I just kept it deep as much as I could, ran down
anything short hoping she'd have to cut it finer and finer until she made a
mistake.
"I lobbed a lot today - yes, I had to play her at her own
game," conceded the 27-year-old.
Natalie Grinham maintained
the form which saw her win last week's Atwater Cup in Canada unseeded. The
former world No2, now ranked 32 in the world, is on a comeback trail after the
birth of her first child almost a year ago.
The Australian-born Dutch star faced sixth-seeded Australian Kasey
Brown,
the world No6 who was ranked eight places lower than Grinham when they last met
in the 2009 World Open. But the comeback queen was able to maintain her unbeaten
record against Brown, beating the New York-based 25-year-old 11-6, 13-11, 14-12
in 48 minutes.
"I feel pretty exhausted after that - I've had a long run
of matches now, I'm not used to it anymore," conceded Grinham junior, a
quarter-finalist in the inaugural Cayman Islands Open in 2009.
"Kasey's improved a lot over the last couple of years,
she's much fitter and her shots are really good. It was tough to break her down.
"I was doing well in the third, then my string broke - I've
been playing well with that racket, I hadn't lost with it, and the new one had a
different feel even though I string them the same. I started to lose the third
easily and it took a while to get used to it.
"I actually think I'm playing better than before - I was
world number two for a long time, and that brought extra pressure every time I
went on court. Now I'm the underdog, I can play with more freedom and I'm really
enjoying it. I've calmed down a lot in my normal life, but not on court!
"It's a challenge to play on the tour and be a parent too,"
added the 33-year-old from Almere. "But I love challenges!"
Natalie's older sister Rachael
Grinham,
the third seed, also took her place in the quarter-finals after beating local
star and wildcard player Marlene
West 11-5,
11-4, 11-3.
West admitted that the world No4 was a tough opponent:
"There's such a gap once you start hitting the top players," said the Cayman
Islands champion. "Top thirty you can have a go, top ten you're in trouble, but
when you reach the top three, whoaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"
Malaysia's world number one Nicol
David duly
reached the last eight as she began her bid to win the title for the third year
in a row. The 27-year-old from Penang ended New Zealand hopes in the event by
beating world No15
Jaclyn Hawkes 11-7,
11-6, 11-3.
David will now take on Natalie
Grinham for
their first meeting since contesting the World Open final in Amsterdam in
September 2009. But the clash will be the pair's 29th on the WISPA World Tour
since February 2000 - 16 of which were in finals!
|
Donna Dumps
Waters In Cayman Islands Shock
 Australian
Donna Urquhart produced 'one of, if not the' best results of her career when
she upset world No5 Alison Waters in the opening round of the Cedrus
Investments Women's Cayman Islands Open, the inaugural WISPA World Series
squash event in Grand Cayman in the Cayman Islands.
"I feel like
I've earned a rest day," the delighted 24-year-old qualifier from Brisbane
said
after her third consecutive 50-minute plus match which ended in an 11-5, 11-9,
9-11, 10-12, 11-7 victory over Waters, the fourth seed.
"She was
hitting lots of winners from all over the shop, and I couldn't put her under as
much pressure as she was putting me under tonight," explained Waters, the
27-year-old from England who was competing in only her second Tour event since
recovering from an Achilles injury last year. "She was the better player on the
day," conceded the former world No3.
But
left-hander Urquhart, ranked 16 in the world, was delighted with her triumph: "I
can't believe it, really - I've had some disappointing results in the last two
or three weeks, even though I was playing well in training.
"I feel like
I've turned it around this week, it's good to put it together in matches.
"I know Ali's
been out for a while, but she's still world number five, and this is one of, if
not my best, wins - so I'll take it!"
An earlier
tussle saw Amanda Sobhy, the 17-year-old world junior champion from the
USA, take on Irish veteran Madeline Perry, the 34-year-old from Belfast
who leapt to a career-high No3 in the world rankings this month.
In
dramatically close encounter, fifth seed Perry twice had to come from behind to
topple the teenage qualifier 6-11, 18-16, 3-11, 11-9, 11-8 in 56 minutes.
"She's way too
good for 17," exclaimed Perry courtside immediately after her testing encounter.
"I'm one of the oldest on tour and she's one of the youngest - I scraped through
today but it won't be long before she's beating me.
"She hits the
ball so hard, and her low hard kills are excellent. That was just a case of
grinding it out, it's all I could do against her. I just kept telling myself
that if I won I'd get a day off to recover," said the 12-time Irish national
champion who next faces Urquhart.
England's No2
seed Jenny Duncalf was also fully extended in the last first round match
of the day when she was taken to five games by Joelle King before beating
the unseeded New Zealander 11-7, 2-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-3 in 54 minutes.
The world No2
from Harrogate will now face French number one Camille Serme after the
seventh seed from Paris defeated Malaysian Low Wee Wern 11-8, 11-6, 8-11,
11-2.
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