Singapore Open 2004
 14-16 July, Singapore, $10k 
16-Jul, Final:

[1] Rebecca Chiu (Hkg) bt [3] Sharon Wee (Mas)
      9-5, 9-1, 9-2

Chiu Avenges Wee Defeat
To Lift Singapore Open Trophy

Hong Kong's Rebecca Chiu celebrated her first WISPA World Tour final appearance for more than three years in fine style in Singapore when she crushed Sharon Wee in straight games in the final of the Women's Singapore Squash Open to avenge her defeat by the lower-ranked Malaysian in last month's semi-finals of the Asian Championships.

Top seed Chiu, the Hong Kong No1 who became the Asian Games champion in 2002, swept through to the Singapore final without dropping a single game - then defeated third seed Wee, ranked 11 places lower, 9-5 9-1 9-2 to claim her fifth WISPA title.

"I have almost forgotten how it felt like to win a tournament. It's doubly satisfying, because I got my revenge against Sharon," Chiu ton the Straits Times.

"I was surprised how well the final went for me. We had played each other many times, and usually the matches were very tight. I guess Sharon had a tougher semi-final on Thursday, and she seemed slower in the last two games."

Wee was gracious in defeat and said: "Credit to Rebecca. When she upped the pace, I had no counter to her strokes. I rushed too much, as I felt I could not last long rallies after a tough semi-final."

The pair could meet again in next week's Malaysian Open - but would expect to face stiff opposition en-route to the semi-final in the top half of the draw in Kuala Lumpur. Chiu, 25, is the event's sixth seed and is likely to face the Netherlands' favourite Vanessa Atkinson in the quarter-finals.

Wee, the 26-year-old from Malacca, is unseeded back on home soil - but has a tough first round encounter against New Zealand's Shelley Kitchen, the fifth seed.
 


Wee and Chiu in the
Asian Championships semi-final
Singapore Open  2004
 14-17 July, Kallang Squash Centre, $10k  
First Round,
Wed 14th		 Quarters,
Wed 14th		 Semis,
Thu 15th		 Final,
Fri 16th
[1] Rebecca Chiu (Hkg)
10/8, 9/4, 9/0
Mami Nishio (Jpn)		 Rebecca Chiu
9/1, 9/7, 9/3
Line Hansen		 Rebecca Chiu

10/9, 9/3, 9/3

Amelia Pittock

 Rebecca Chiu
 

9/5, 9/1, 9/2
 

Sharon Wee
[7] Line Hansen (Den)
8/10, 9/5, 9/3, 9/4
[Q] Sally Looi (Mas)
[4] Amelia Pittock (Aus)
9/5, 9/0, 9/6
[Q] Chinatsu Matsui (Jpn) 		Amelia Pittock
9/1, 10/8, 9/1
Christina Mak
[8] Karen Kronemeyer (Ned)
9/5, 9/5, 9/0
Christina Mak (Hkg)
[Q] Triciah Chuah (Mas)
1/9, 9/2, 9/7, 9/0
[5] Heidi Mather (Aus)		 Triciah Chuah
9/2, 9/4, 9/0
Sharon Wee		 Sharon Wee

3/9, 9/7, 9/4,
4/9, 9/6

Latasha Khan
Joannah Yue (Sin)
9/6, 9/2, 9/7
[3] Sharon Wee (Mas)
Judith Casbolt (Nzl)
9/2, 9/3, 9/5
[6] Runa Reta (Can)		 Runa Reta
9/4, 7/9, 9/4, 9/2
Latasha Khan
[Q] Kozue Onizawa (Jpn)
9/0, 9/0, 9/3
[2] Latasha Khan (Usa)

Qualifiers:
Tricia Chuah (Mas) bt Delia Arnold (Mas) 9/4, 9/3, 9/4
Sally Looi (Mas) bt Miyuki Adachi (Jpn) 9/3, 9/2, 9/3
Kozue Onizawa (Jpn) bt
Chinatsu Matsui (Jpn) bt
Reports
15-Jul, Semi-Finals:
Chiu To Chase Revenge
In Singapore Open Final
Hong Kong's top seed Rebecca Chiu will meet surprise opponent Sharon Wee, the third seed, in the final of the Women's Singapore Squash Open - and will hope to gain revenge for her shock defeat by the lower-ranked Malaysian in last month's semi-finals of the Asian Championships in Kuala Lumpur.

Neither player had hitherto progressed beyond the last eight of this popular event, which is making a welcome return to the WISPA World Tour after its absence in 2003.

"It's not often that we can enter any final in the women's squash circuit. The top 10 players in the world are very dominant," Chiu told Timesport. "So I certainly don't mind the top seeding."

Wee, the 26-year-old world No29 from Malacca, reached the final after upsetting second-seeded American Latasha Khan 3-9 9-7 9-4 4-9 9-6 in the semi-finals. Chiu, the Asian Games champion who is ranked 18 in the world, overcame Australia's fourth seed Amelia Pittock 10-9 9-3 9-3 in the other semi-final to make it to the final without dropping a game.

Both players are celebrating their sixth appearances in WISPA finals, though it is Chiu's first since June 2001.

Wee wants to move to Antwerp

14-Jul, round one:
Chuah & Mak upset
the seeds in Singapore
 
The first round of the Singapore Open at the Kallang Squash Centre saw Malaysian qualifier Triciah Chuah recover from a game down to beat Australia's fifth seed Heidi Mather. The other seed to fall was the Netherlands' Karen Kronemeyer, who lost out to Hong Kong's Christina Mak. Chuah faces compatriot Sharon Wee in the quarters while Mak takes on fourth seed Amelia Pittock.

Top seeds Rebecca Chiu and Latasha Khan moved easily into the quarter-finals, which take place later today, where they meet Line Hansen and Runa Reta, respectively.

WISPA returns to Singapore
The Women's World Tour returns to Singapore for this $10k event, with Hong Kong's Asian Games Champion Rebecca Chiu top seed and expected to meet the Usa's Latasha Khan in the final at the Kallang Squash Centre.

The event was last held in August 2002, when Rachael Grinham claimed the title.