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  Singapore
Open 2004
14-16
July, Singapore, $10k
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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.
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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, 9/6Latasha 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
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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.
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