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29/11/2005
WORLD OPEN - Hong Kong
 

Amr Shabana & Nicol David Are The New World Squash Champions

Day 6
Day 5
Day 4
Day 3
Day 2
Day 1
Mens Draw
Womens Draw

Tournament
Cathay Pacific Credit Suisse Privilege World Open Championships

Mens draw
World  Open 2005: Men's Draw
29 Nov - 4 Dec  2005
 
First Round
 Tue 29 Wed 30 Nov
Second Round
Thurs 1 Dec
Quarters
Fri 2 Dec
Semis
Sat 3 Dec
Final
Sun 4 Dec
[1] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 
11-5, 11-9, 11-6 (43m)
Wael El Hindi (EGY)
Thierry Lincou
7-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 11-8 (83m)
Gregory Gaultier
 
Thierry Lincou
11-8, 3-11, 11-5, 11-9 (46m)
Peter Nicol
Peter Nicol
11-8, 11-2, 11-6 (46m)
Amr Shabana

Amr Shabana
11-6, 11-7, 11-8 (45m)
David Palmer

[10] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
11-5, 11-2, 7-2retired (18 mins)
[Q] Ramy Ashour (EGY)
[6] Peter Nicol, (ENG)
7-11,11-9,11-6,11-6 (56 mins)
Adrian Grant (ENG)
Peter Nicol
11-6, 11-8, 11-5 (24m)
Shahid Zaman
[16] Shahid Zaman (PAK)
11-10(3-1),11-4,10-11(0-2),4-11,11-8 (58 mins)
[Q] Renan Lavigne (FRA)
[4] Lee Beachill (ENG)
11-10(3-1),11-4,10-11(0-2),4-11,11-8 (58 mins)
Joseph Kneipp (AUS)
Lee Beachill
11-6, 11-3, 10-11 (0-2), 11-5 (73m)
John White

Lee Beachill
11-5, 11-7, 11-4 (33m)
Amr Shabana
[11] John White (SCO)
11-5,11-6,10-11(02),11-10(4-2) (59 mins)
[Q] Alex Gough (WAL)
[5] Amr Shabana (EGY)
6-11,11-5,11-7,11-2 (55 mins)
[Q] Simon Parke (ENG)
Amr Shabana
11-3, 11-2, 11-8 (29m)
Olli Tuominen
[15] Olli Tuominen (FIN)
11-6,11-7,10-11(02),11-3
(45 mins)
[Q] Joey Barrington (ENG)
Mansoor Zaman (PAK)
11-9, 9-11, 11-4, 11-3 (38m)
[9] Karim Darwish (EGY)
Karim Darwish
11-8, 11-9, 11-3 (35m)
Anthony Ricketts
Anthony Ricketts
11-9, 2-11, 11-9, 7-11, 11-8 (73m)
David Palmer
David Palmer
11-9, 11-10(3-1), 11-10 (2-0) (44m)
James Willstrop
Peter Barker (ENG)
11-7, 11-7, 11-9 (57m)
[7] Anthony Ricketts (AUS)
[Q] Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY)
8-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-10 (3-1) (38m)
[13] Mohd Azlan Iskandar
Mohd Azlan Iskandar
11-7, 11-9, 11-7 (44m)
David Palmer
[Q] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED)
11-9, 11-5, 11-6 (42m)
[3] David Palmer (AUS)
Mohammed Abbas (EGY)7.45 pm
11-8, 11-2, 10-11 (5-7), 11-5 (55m)
[12] Nick Matthew (ENG)
Nick Matthew
7-11, 9-11m 11-4, 11-8, 11-6 (71m)
James Willstrop
 
James Willstrop
11-6, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6 (47m)
Jonathon Power
Wong Wai Hang (HKG)
11-10 (2-0), 11-6, 11-8 (31m)
[8] James Willstrop (ENG)
[Q] Stewart Boswell (AUS)
8-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-7, 11-3 (51m)[14] Graham Ryding (CAN)
Stewart Boswell
11-8, 5-11, 11-5, 11-9 (52m)
Jonathon Power
Ong Beng Hee (MAL)
11-3, 11-1, 11-6 (25m)[2] Jonathon Power (CAN)

Men's 1st qualifying round:
Dan Jenson (AUS) bt Chiu Ho Fai (HKG) 11-0, 11-5, 11-6 (12m)
Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Yasir Butt (PAK) 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 (17m)
Joey Barrington (ENG) bt Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) 11-3, 11-8, 11-6 (35m)
Phillip Barker (ENG) bt Matthew Giuffre (CAN) 11-6, 7-11, 11-8, 11-9 (47m)
Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) bt Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-8, 10-11 (0-2), 4-11, 11-9, 11-4 (33m)
Rodney Durbach (RSA) bt Christopher Gordon (USA) 11-9, 10-11 (1-3), 11-8, 6-11, 11-4 (55m)
Simon Parke (ENG) bt Dick Lau (HKG) 11-4, 11-6, 11-3 (24m)
Shahier Razik (CAN) bt Ben Garner (ENG) 10-11 (1-3), 11-7, 11-6, 11-9 (42m)
Mark Chaloner (ENG) bt Roger Ngan (HKG) 11-5, 11-2, 11-6 (25m)
Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt Anson Kwong (HKG) 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 (22m)
Davide Bianchetti (ITA) bt Timothy Manning (AUS) 11-6, 11-2, 10-11 (1-3), 5-11, 11-7 (59m)
Alex Gough (WAL) bt Jean-Michel Arcucci (FRA) 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 (80m)
Alister Walker (ENG) bt Raymond Chiu (HKG) 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 (24m)
Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Kashif Shuja (NZL) 11-6, 11-4, 11-2 (21m)
Jonathan Kemp (ENG) bt Liam Kenny (IRL) 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (24m)
Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Max Lee (HKG) 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 (19m)


Qualifying Finals:

Men's qualifying finals:
Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Dan Jenson (AUS) 1-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 (34m)
Joey Barrington (ENG) bt Phillip Barker (ENG) 11-10 (3-1), 11-7, 4-11, 10-11 (2-4), 11-3 (86m)
Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) bt Rodney Durbach (RSA) 4-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-10 (3-1), 11-7 (50m)
Simon Parke (ENG) bt Shahier Razik (CAN) 11-5, 4-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-6 (72m)
Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt Mark Chaloner (ENG) 11-7, 10-11 (2-4), 11-8, 10-11 (0-2), 11-9 (69m)
Alex Gough (WAL) bt Davide Bianchetti (ITA) 11-5, 11-6, 11-1 (26m)
Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Alister Walker (ENG) 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 (32m)
Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 11-4, 10-11 (0-2), 11-10 (3-1), 11-7 (32m)
 



Womens draw
World Open 2005: Women's Draw
29 November - 4 December
First Round
Tue 29 Nov Wed 30 Dec
Second Round
 Thurs 1 Dec
Quarters
Fir 2 Dec
Semis
Sat 3 Dec
Final
Sun 4 Dec
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS)
9-1, 9-3, 9-4 (25 mins)
Pamela Nimmo (SCO)
Rachael Grinham
9-3, 9-2, 9-7 (39m)
Rebecca Chiu
Rachael Grinham
9-4, 9-4, 10-8 (39m)
Madeline Perry
Rachael
Grinham

10-8, 9-6, 9-4 (50m)
Natalie
Grinham

Rachael
Grinham
10-8, 2-9, 6-9, 7-9 (64m)
 Nicol David
 

[17] Rebecca Chiu (HKG)
 9-6,9-3,9-5 (42 mins)
[Q] Samantha Teran (MEX)
[8] Jenny Duncalf (ENG)
9-2,9-2,9-5 (34 mins)
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG
Jenny Duncalf
9-0, 9-6, 8-10, 1-9, 9-5
(79m)
Madeline Perry
[12] Madeline Perry (IRL)
9-3,5-9,9-2,9-4 (31 mins)
Melissa Martin (AUS)
[5] Natalie Grinham (AUS)
 9-1, 9-0, 9-3 (23m)
 [Q] Rebecca Botwright (ENG)
Natalie Grinham
9-4, 6-9, 9-0, 9-4 (39m)
Annelize Naude
Natalie Grinham 
9-1, 1-9, 9-4, 9-0 (22m)
Omneya Abdel Kawy
[14] Annelize Naude (NED)
9-2,9-2,9-7 (44 mins)
Latasha Khan (USA)
 [9] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
9-4,9-4,9-7 (31 mins)
  [Q] Dianne Desira (AUS)
Omneya Abdel Kawy
9-4, 8-10, 9-1, 6-9, 9-4 (50m)
Tegwen Malik
[13] Shelley Kitchen (NZL)
9-7,9-6,9-7 (42 mins)
Tegwen Malik (WAL)
[Q] Suzie Pierrepont (ENG)
9-4, 9-4, 6-9, 9-4 (52m)
[19] Laura-Jane Lengthorn (ENG)
Laura-Jane Lengthorn
9-3, 9-4, 9-6 (42m)
Linda Elriani
Linda Elriani
9-4, 9-7, 9-7 (39m)
Nicol David
Nicol David
6-9, 9-1, 10-9, 9,3 (47m)
Vanessa Atkinson
Amelia Pittock (AUS)
9-3, 9-1, 9-4 (34m)
[6] Linda Elriani (ENG)
[Q] Karen Kronemeyer (NED)
9-0, 9-0, 9-4 (19m)[10]
Tania Bailey (ENG)
Tania Bailey
9-6, 9-5, 9-7 (43m)
Nicol David
Engy Kheirallah (EGY)
 9-0, 9-4, 9-0 (21m)
[3] Nicol David (MAL)
Tamsyn Leevey (NZL)
5-9, 9-5, 9-3, 9-3 (43m) [16] Alison Waters (ENG)
Alison Waters
10-8, 9-4, 7-9, 7-9, 9-2 (73m)
Vicky Botwright
Vicky Botwright
9-6, 9-0, 9-7 (31m)
Vanessa Atkinson
[Q] Kasey Brown (AUS)
9-4, 9-0, 9-3 (31m)
[7] Vicky Botwright (ENG)
 [Q] Lauren Briggs (ENG)
 9-3, 9-5, 5-9, 9-2 (57m) [15] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA)
Isabelle Stoehr
9-5, 9-10, 9-2, 9-2 (54m)
Vanessa Atkinson
[Q] Raneem El Weleily (EGY)
9-4, 9-3, 9-4 (24m)
[2} Vanessa Atkinson (NED)

Women's 1st qualifying round:
Samantha Teran (MEX) bt Kozue Onizawa (JPN) 10-8, 9-3, 9-1 (25m)
Christina Mak (HKG) bt Lisa Camilleri (AUS) 1-9, 6-9, 9-3, 9-7, 9-3 (66m)
Kirsty McPhee (ENG) bt Alana Miller (CAN) 5-9, 9-7, 3-9, 9-2, 9-6 (51m)
Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt Eun Chan Ahn (KOR) 9-1, 9-6, 7-9, 9-1 (29m)
Runa Reta (CAN) bt Carin Clonda (AUS) 9-0, 9-1, 9-1 (19m)
Karen Kronemeyer (NED) bt Ka Kei Chiu (HKG) 9-5, 9-4, 9-4 (24m)
Dianne Desira (AUS) bt Chinatsu Matsui (JPN) 9-2, 9-7, 9-4 (23m)
Eun Ok Park (KOR) bt Manuela Manetta (ITA) 9-1, 5-9, 1-9, 9-4, 9-1 (66m)
Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt Amanda Hopps (AUS) 9-2, 9-5, 9-4 (29m)
Lauren Briggs (ENG) bt Daniela Schumann (GER) 9-3, 9-0, 9-1 (24m)
Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) bt Lee Hai-Kyung (KOR) 9-1, 9-5, 2-9, 7-9, 9-6 (55m)
Kasey Brown (AUS) bt Shin Nga Leung (HKG) 9-4, 9-4, 9-7 (34m)
Suzie Pierrepont (ENG) bt Elise Ng (HKG) 9-2, 9-5, 9-4 (21m)
Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bt Orla Noom (NED) 9-6, 10-8, 9-0 (37m)
Louise Crome (NZL) bt Charlie de Rycke (BEL) 9-5, 9-3, 9-6 (30m)
Rebecca Botwright (ENG) bt Joey Chan (HKG) 6-9, 9-2, 9-4, 9-1 (33m)


Qualifying Finals:

Women's qualifying finals:
Samantha Teran (MEX) bt Christina Mak (HKG) 9-3, 9-5, 9-5 (34m)
Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt Kirsty McPhee (ENG) 8-10, 9-1, 7-9, 9-1, 9-4 (43m)
Karen Kronemeyer (NED) bt Runa Reta (CAN) 9-4, 9-7, 9-4 (28m)
Dianne Desira (AUS) bt Eun Ok Park (KOR) 9-0, 9-2, 9-3 (22m)
Lauren Briggs (ENG) bt Sarah Kippax (ENG) 9-2, 9-1, 9-3 (30m)
Kasey Brown (AUS) bt Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) 9-2, 9-3, 9-2 (35m)
Suzie Pierrepont (ENG) bt Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 1-9, 2-9, 9-5, 9-6, 9-4 (56m)
Rebecca Botwright (ENG) bt Louise Crome (NZL) 8-10, 9-1, 9-0, 8-10, 9-2 (57m)



Day 6
Egypt’s Amr Shabana and Malaysia’s Nicol David have been crowned world squash champions
After upsetting higher seeds in today’s (Sunday) finals of the Cathay Pacific Credit Suisse Privilege World Open in Hong Kong.

Shabana, the fifth seed, regained the title he first won two years ago in Pakistan when he beat third seed David Palmer, the 2002 champion from Australia, 11-6 11-7 11-8.

Within 24 hours of winning the semi-final match which guaranteed her status as the next women’s world number one, third seed Nicol David added ‘world champion’ to her credits when she beat Australian favourite Rachael Grinham 8-10 9-2 9-6 9-7.

After dropping his only game of the tournament in his first round match against English qualifier Simon Parke, Amr Shabana reached the final following a straight games dismissal of England’s 1999 world champion Peter Nicol, who in the previous round had dethroned title-holder Thierry Lincou in four games.

Palmer also defeated a high-flying Englishman in the semis, avenging his defeat in the Qatar Classic final six days earlier by beating the new world number two James Willstrop in three close games.

But the 26-year-old left-hander from Cairo was in devastating form against the Australian, winning 11-6 11-7 11-8 in 40 minutes to become the first player to win the World Open title more than once since the great Jansher Khan a decade ago.

“It’s such a dream to win this title for a second time, it’s like entering history as nobody has done it since the great Jahangir and Jansher.”

The Hong Kong success marks the ninth PSA title of Shabana’s career, four of which he has secured since September. After leading Egypt in the Men’s World Team Championships in Pakistan, starting on Thursday (8 December), Shabana will rejoin the PSA Tour on 16 December at the $127,500 Saudi International in Al-Khobar, where he is the fourth seed.

The rapid rise of Nicol David over the past few months has made the 22-year-old from Penang one of Malaysia’s most celebrated sports stars. David twice led in the first game of the final and saved a game ball at 7-8 before Grinham, the world No1 for 16 months until this week, took the opener.

But the pint-sized Malaysian fought back to even the match after only losing two further points, then outlasted her experienced opponent to clinch a sensational victory – and the sport’s most prized title - 8-10 9-2 9-6 9-7 after 53 minutes.

“This has come maybe sooner than expected. I simply cannot believe it,” said an emotional David after becoming the first Asian women’s world champion. “This is only the beginning, I’m looking forward to the future. I’ve got so much more to learn, so much more to work on.”

The Hong Kong triumph rounds off a magnificent year for Nicol David, who won the Kuala Lumpur Open in February and went on to remain undefeated in six further WISPA Tour finals – in addition to the World Games final in July – to bring her Tour title haul to ten. It was in February 2000 that David won her maiden professional trophy in the Finnish Open – becoming, at 16, the youngest ever winner of a WISPA title.

Day 5
Australians Make It Through To Both World Open Finals
Hopes of an all-English men’s final in the Cathay Pacific Credit Suisse Privilege World Open Squash Championships were dashed in Hong Kong today (Saturday) when Egypt’s Amr Shabana crushed fellow left-hander Peter Nicol in straight games in one semi-final and Australia’s David Palmer avenged his defeat in last week’s Qatar Classic final by edging out world No2 James Willstrop in the other.

There will also be Australian interest in the women’s final after Queensland’s former world number one Rachael Grinham defeated her younger sister Natalie Grinham in straight games to set up her sixth meeting this year with Nicol David. The Malaysian had double reason to celebrate her semi-final success, not only for beating the defending champion Vanessa Atkinson to reach her first World Open final, but also for ensuring that she will be the new world number one in the first WISPA rankings of next year.

Fifth seed Amr Shabana was in sparkling form as he dismissed fellow former World Open champion Peter Nicol 11-8 11-2 11-6 in just 35 minutes to register his first career win over the 1999 champion. Both had achieved upsets in the quarter-finals, sixth seed Nicol dethroning title-holder Thierry Lincou in four games and the 26-year-old from Cairo, the champion in 2003, despatching fourth seed Lee Beachill in straight games.

Like Shabana, Palmer is also celebrating his second World Open final, after winning the title in 2002. After losing the first game of the second semi-final, Willstrop forced the next two games into tie-breaks, but was unable to convert either as Palmer powered his way to an 11-9 11-10 11-10 victory to reach his third PSA Tour final since last month, and the 37th of his career.

The men’s final will be a repeat of last year’s British Open final, won by the 29-year-old from Lithgow in New South Wales. It will also be the pair’s fourth consecutive meeting in World Opens, with Palmer holding a 2/1 advantage. Shabana, however, has the form advantage, having beaten the Australian in their two earlier clashes this year.

Rachael and Natalie Grinham - the ‘Toowoomba Twosome’, ranked two and four, respectively, in the world – had faced each other eight times previously on the WISPA World Tour, but never before in a World Open. Rachael, the event favourite, needed 50 minutes to reach the final for the first time, beating her 27-year-old sibling 10-8 9-6 9-4.

But it was the other semi-final on which Asian eyes were focussed, knowing that the winner would be guaranteed top position in the January women’s world rankings. Atkinson, the 29-year-old from the Netherlands newly promoted to world number one this month, came into the match having brought to an end a three-match winning run by David in September’s Seattle Open.

But this was to be David’s night as the 22-year-old from Penang recovered from a game down to triumph 6-9 9-1 10-9 9-3 in 47 minutes and claim her double prize! “This is the best match I’ve ever played,” said Nicol David.

Both David and Rachael Grinham are making their maiden appearances in a World Open final, though the pair contested the World Games final in July - one of four meetings this year in which the Malaysian defeated the Australian.

Day 4
Top Seeds Wilt As Nicol & Willstrop Waltz Into World Semis
In a dramatic day of upsets in the men's quarter-finals of the Cathay Pacific Credit Suisse Privilege World Open Squash Championships in Hong Kong, Englishmen Peter Nicol and James Willstrop knocked out the favourite Thierry Lincou and No2 seed Jonathon Power, respectively, while Egypt's Amr Shabana also despatched fourth seed Lee Beachill in straight games.

Australia's third seed David Palmer became the only predicted semi-finalist after beating compatriot Anthony Ricketts. The 2002 champion meets Willstrop in one semi-final while Nicol and Shabana contest the other.

By contrast, the top four seeds survived the women's quarter-finals to leave Australian sisters Rachael Grinham and Natalie Grinham meeting in the semi-final in the top half of the draw, and the new world No1 Vanessa Atkinson facing Malaysia's British Open champion Nicol David in the other last four encounter.

Though Lincou, who this week celebrated a complete year at the top of the world rankings, would be considered favourite to beat Nicol, it was more than four years ago that the Frenchman last got the better of the Englishman – and this was the pair's fourth meeting this year.

The top seed took the opening game against sixth seed Nicol. But the effects of Lincou's marathon second round match with fellow countryman Gregory Gaultier 24 hours earlier no doubt began to take effect as 1999 champion Nicol took the upper hand and went on to win 8-11 11-3 11-5 11-9 in 46 minutes to reach his seventh semi-final.

Amr Shabana was in scintillating form as he quashed Lee Beachill, the world No5, 11-5 11-7 11-4 in 31 minutes. The left-hander from Cairo, who became Egypt's first world champion two years ago in Pakistan, now goes on to face Nicol, whom he has never beaten in five PSA Tour meetings since 2000.

Just 24 hours after overtaking 1998 world champion Jonathon Power in the PSA world rankings for the first time, James Willstrop endorsed his status as the world No2 by beating the Canadian 11-6 7-11 11-6 11-6 in 45 minutes. The 22-year-old eighth seed from Pontefract in Yorkshire is enjoying a sensational run on the international circuit which included winning the biggest title of his career last week at the Qatar Classic in Doha.

David Palmer became the third former champion to reach the semi-finals after an 11-9 2-11 11-9 7-11 11-8 victory over Anthony Ricketts in 73 minutes. The 29-year-old from Lithgow in New South Wales' clash with Willstrop will be a repeat of their meeting in the Qatar Classic final.

The all-Grinham women's semi-final will be the first match in the history of the World Open to feature two sisters. Top seed Rachael put aside the disappointment of losing her world number one ranking this week to defeat Ireland's tenth seed Madeline Perry 9-4 9-4 10-8 in 39 minutes.

Younger sibling Natalie had good reason to be grateful to Welsh champion Tegwen Malik as she brushed aside eighth seed Omneya Abdel Kawy 9-1 1-9 9-4 9-0 in just 22 minutes. Malik had stretched the 20-year-old Egyptian to five games in a 50-minute marathon second round clash.

Despite taking over the world number one ranking for the first time at the beginning of this month, Netherlands star Vanessa Atkinson will need to win her semi-final match if she is to keep the title going into the New Year. The defending champion from The Hague defeated England's sixth seed Vicky Botwright 9-6 9-0 9-7 in the quarter-finals, while world No3 Nicol David also dashed English hopes when she beat Linda Elriani 9-4 9-7 9-7.

With the Qatar Classic title to Atkinson's credit in the past week, and a British Open triumph to David's name within the past two months, both players are enjoying good form – but the title of world number one in January awaits the winner of their 2005 World Open semi-final.

Day 3
World's Top Eight Men To Contest World Open Quarter-Finals In Hong Kong
Appropriately, the world's top eight players will contest the men's quarter-finals of the Cathay Pacific Credit Suisse Privilege World Open Squash Championships after successfully overcoming second round opponents in the $170,000 PSA Super Series event today (Thursday) in Hong Kong. Ireland's 10th seed Madeline Perry staged the day's only upset when she defeated England's Jenny Duncalf, the seventh seed, in a 79-minute marathon in the women's WISPA Gold event.

Both of the world's top two players were put under extreme pressure as they battled with fellow countrymen to claim their anticipated places in the last eight. In the longest match of the day, top-seeded title-holder Thierry Lincou twice found himself behind against French compatriot Gregory Gaultier. It was exactly twelve months ago, in the 2004 World Open in Qatar, that the world No1 last faced French No2 Gaultier on the PSA Tour – and the 22-year-old tenth seed was looking for revenge.

But Lincou stuck to his task and after 84 minutes emerged as the 7-11 11-9 8-11 11-4 11-8 victor to reach the quarter-finals for the fourth successive year.

The 29-year-old from Marseille now faces his nemesis Peter Nicol, the Englishman whom he has not beaten since their meeting on the same courts in the Hong Kong Open in 2001. Sixth seed Nicol, the 1999 world champion who this month plunged to a ten-year low No8 in the PSA world rankings, took just 24 minutes to despatch Pakistan's 16th seed Shahid Zaman 11-6 11-8 11-5 to secure his eighth quarter-final berth in the World Open since 1994.

James Willstrop – the eighth seed who is quickly having to adjust to being the new world No2, and also the highest-ranked Englishman in the world list – fell two games behind to fellow Yorkshireman Nick Matthew. But the recently-crowned Qatar Classic champion fought back against the 12th seed and ultimately clinched his 7-11 9-11 11-4 11-8 11-6 win in 71 minutes.

Willstrop now faces second seed Jonathon Power for the second time this year – but for the first in his career as a player ranked higher than the Canadian. Power ended the run of Australian qualifier Stewart Boswell, beating the newly-promoted world No20 11-8 5-11 11-5 11-9 in 52 minutes.

Madeline Perry has enjoyed a successful year on the WISPA World Tour, reaching four finals and winning the Buler Challenge Cup in Hong Kong and the Irish Open in her home country. The 28-year-old from Craigavon in Northern Ireland stemmed a fight back by Jenny Duncalf to beat the world No8 9-0 9-6 8-10 1-9 9-5 in 79 minutes.

Perry's reward is a quarter-final clash with top seed Rachael Grinham, the Australian who lost her world No1 ranking to Vanessa Atkinson this week. Grinham, who extinguished local interest in the event by beating Hong Kong's Asian Games champion Rebecca Chiu 9-3 9-2 9-7, knows that only by winning the World Open crown for the first time could she be reinstated as the world's top player.

Defending champion Vanessa Atkinson, the second seed, needed 54 minutes to quash France's 13th seed Isabelle Stoehr 9-5 9-10 9-2 9-2. The new world number one now faces England's new world No5 Vicky Botwright, who was taken to five games by compatriot Alison Waters before winning 10-8 9-4 7-9 7-9 9-2 in 73 minutes.

Day 2
Qatar Classic Champion Willstrop Denies Local Success In World Open

Just hours before learning that he has soared to second place in the new world rankings, England's James Willstrop denied local involvement in the men's second round of the Cathay Pacific Credit Suisse Privilege World Open Squash Championships by beating wildcard Wai Hang Wong 11-10 11-6 11-8 in 31 minutes in his opening match in the $170,000 event in Hong Kong.

The 22-year-old from Pontefract, the eighth seed, now faces fellow Yorkshireman and England team-mate Nick Matthew in a repeat of their second round clash in last week's Qatar Classic, which Willstrop went on to win. Matthew, the 12th seed, squandered match balls in his third game against Egypt's Mohammed Abbas and lost the game 7-5 in the tie-break, but powered back to clinch the game 11-8 11-2 10-11 11-5 in 55 minutes.

Canadian Jonathon Power, who bowed out of the Qatar Classic with back spasms, was in confident form in Hong Kong as he breezed past Malaysia's in-form Ong Beng Hee 11-3 11-1 11-6 in just 25 minutes.

"For the first time in a long time, I was happy with my game," the second seed told www.squashsite.co.uk afterwards.

Power now goes on to face perennial 'qualifier' Stewart Boswell, the former world No4 from Australia who has spent most of this year battling back to top form after a long back injury layoff. Boswell, who today returns to the top twenty exactly two years after last featuring in it, came from a game down to 'upset' Canada's 14th seed Graham Ryding 8-11 11-10 11-7 11-3 in 51 minutes.

In the women's event, Vanessa Atkinson was making her first appearance since winning the Qatar Classic last week and achieving pole position in the women's world rankings today for the first time. The Dutch star despatched 16-year-old Egyptian qualifier Raneem El Weleily, the youngest competitor in the event, 9-4 9-3 9-4.

Atkinson now faces France's 13th seed Isabelle Stoehr, who was stretched for four games by English qualifier Lauren Briggs before winning 9-3 9-5 5-9 9-2 in 57 minutes.

Meanwhile five English players fought their way through to the second round from the bottom half of the draw, with the new England No1 Vicky Botwright overcoming Australian qualifier Kasey Brown 9-4 9-0 9-3. The 28-year-old from Manchester, who rose to a career-high world No5 today, will now face compatriot Alison Waters, the 14th seed who defeated New Zealand's Tamsyn Leevey 5-9 9-5 9-3 9-3 in 43 minutes.

Day1
Lincou Limbers Up While Kitchen Crashes In Hong Kong
While France's Thierry Lincou successfully negotiated the first hurdle in his defence of the men's title in the Cathay Pacific Credit Suisse Privilege World Open Squash Championships today (Tuesday) in Hong Kong, New Zealand's Shelley Kitchen became the first seed to fall in the women's event as Welsh No1 Tegwen Malik claimed a surprise place in the second round.

Lincou, the world No1 from Marseille who became world champion for the first time a year ago in Qatar, dismissed Egypt's Wael El Hindi 11-5 11-9 11-6 in 43 minutes to set up an all-French clash with Gregory Gaultier, his team-mate in next month's World Team Championships in Pakistan.

Gregory, the tenth seed from Aix-en-Provence, was let off lightly by rising star Ramy Ashour, the 18-year-old world junior champion from Egypt who was forced to concede the match after just 18 minutes, suffering with a sore knee.

England's former world number ones Peter Nicol and Lee Beachill made up for the disappointment of their premature Qatar Classic exits last week with four-game wins today. Nicol, the sixth seed, beat compatriot Adrian Grant 7-11 11-9 11-6 11-6 in 56 minutes to avenge the shock defeat by his fellow left-hander on the same courts twelve months ago in the Hong Kong Open.

Fourth seed Beachill, winner of the US Open title at the beginning of the month, defeated Australian Joseph Kneipp 11-2 11-7 10-11 11-6 in 46 minutes to set up a second round clash with fellow Briton John White, the 11th seed from Scotland who ended Welsh qualifier Alex Gough's run 11-5 11-6 10-11 11-10.

Simon Parke made a strong start in his 15th successive World Open appearance since 1989 by taking the first game against Egypt's fifth seed Amr Shabana. But the left-hander from Cairo, still recovering from a minor injury over the past few weeks, came back to beat the English qualifier 6-11 11-5 11-7 11-2 in 55 minutes.

In the women's event, Tegwen Malik's 9-7 9-6 9-7 upset over 11th seed Shelley Kitchen takes the Welsh champion into the second round of a WISPA Grand Prix event for the first time in her career. The 30-year-old from Swansea now meets Egypt's eighth seed Omneya Abdel Kawy, who beat Australian qualifier Dianne Desira 9-4 9-4 9-7.

Earlier in the day, Hong Kong star Rebecca Chiu delighted the local crowds with a 9-6 9-3 9-5 victory over Mexican qualifier Samantha Teran. The 15th seed, who is also the reigning Asian Games champion, now faces top seed Rachael Grinham after the world No1 from Australia defeated Scotland's Pamela Nimmo 9-1 9-3 9-4.