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Squashworks Open 2004
13-16 May, Salt Lake City, USA, $9k 
 

16-May-04, FINAL:

[6] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) bt [4] Stephanie Brind (ENG)
      9-4, 9-2, 9-1

Tranfield Revels
in Salt Lake Air
Craig Bennett reports from Salt Lake City

The hard work that Jenny Tranfield has recently done with her coach Sue Wright certainly paid off for her in the Squashworks Open. Of all the players, she seemed to handle the thin altitude air the best; and, despite a difficult quarter-final match with Shelley Kitchen (NZL) she was able to beat the #1 seed Fiona Geaves in the semi-finals and then sail through her final with #4 seed Stephanie Brind in 28 minutes.

The final started very competitively with both players playing well. Tranfield did take an early 3-0 lead only to see Brind battle back to go ahead 4-3 on a beautiful forehand drop for a winner. That small one point lead in the first game would prove to be Brind’s only lead of the match. The trademark feature of Tranfield’s Squashworks success was her court coverage and ability to get out of trouble with amazing gets and then end the rally with aggressive offensive shots. In a memorable rally in the first game, Brind had Tranfield on the run and had executed what appeared to be a winning forehand drop to the right corner. Tranfield, on full run, stretched for the ball and flicked it across the tin to the left corner. Brind got to the ball easily, and noting that Tranfield was scrambling back to the middle from her earlier forehand get, tried to hit a hard crosscourt drive behind the moving Tranfield. Somehow, Tranfield reach her racquet up and just got her strings on the ball to hit a winner into the vacant court.

This point catapulted Tranfield to a first game triumph as she won the next four points to go up 8-4 and then closed the game after a few hand-outs 9-4. The momentum of her first game win, coupled with Brind’s obvious fatigue propelled Tranfield to a 5-0 lead in the second game. Tranfield used deceptive backhand drops from the backcourt to further discourage Brind.

The final game once again started with an insurmountable lead for Tranfield as she pushed ahead 7-0. To her credit, Brind tried desperately to regain the form that saw her beat Tania Bailey in the quarters. She forced four hand-outs and did claim one point. But in the end, Tranfield's fitness was too much.

It was a great tournament and a crowd of about 100 spectators along with the Salt Lake Tribune showed up to enjoy.
 

• Draws & Results

• Reports

• Draw from WISPA
   

• 2003 Event
   

• SquashWorks
  site from SLC

Brind & Tranfield
at SquashWorks

Jenny Tranfield

Photos by
Tamara M. Abousleman

Jenny Tranfield

Jenny Tranfield

9-4, 9-2, 9-1

Stephanie Brind

Tania Bailey

15-May, Semi-Finals:

[5] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) bt [1] Fiona Geaves (ENG)   9-6, 6-9, 9-7, 9-2  (42m)
[4] Stephanie Brind (ENG) bt [6] Tania Bailey (ENG)    4-9, 0-9, 9-0, 9-5, 9-5

Tranfield & Brind steal Salt Lake limelight
Craig Bennett reports from Salt Lake City

Tranfield completed her second upset of the tournament by beating world #7 Geaves. After splitting the first two games, Tranfield took control in the third with beautifully executed drops from many different court positions. She also benefited from Geaves’ errors (five tins in the third game). Geaves, bothered by an Achilles tendon soreness, was not moving as aggressively to the front and therefore could not reach Tranfield’s precise drops. Tranfield’s tenacity has been the difference in her two upsets and she has won the admiration of the Salt Lake squash fans. Her efforts to cover all four corners and play beautiful defensive shots has been inspiring to watch.

Geaves, to her credit, tried gamely to come back from down 2-8 in the third game. Using steady and effective depth along with beautifully placed drops, Geaves climbed back to 7-8. But, Tranfield finished the game with a backhand drop to the nick and then a forehand drop for a winner.

After her third game comeback failed, Geaves was in real trouble and Tranfield sensed her advantage and cruised to the finals by winning the last five rallies and the game 9-2.

Like her match in the quarter finals with Tegwyn Malik, Stephanie Brind started the match slowly losing the first game 4-9 and the second 0-9 to Tania Bailey. Bailey was playing very well and using her crosscourt drives to force Brind deep into the backcourt and then finish the rally with crisp kills and precise drops. Bailey even ran the table in the second game without even dropping her serve. Just when it looked like Bailey would finish the match and make a remarkable trip to the finals, Brind returned the favour in the third game and beat Bailey 9-0 without dropping her serve. Bailey tried desperately to regain her form in the fourth game by returning to her effective cross-court drives and played a deadly cross-court nick to push a brief lead to 5-2, but Bailey’s movement was visibly slower in the latter stages of the fourth game which allowed Brind to win the next seven points and the game. The fifth game obviously favoured Brind and even though Bailey once again took a 5-3 lead the outcome seemed inevitable. Brind was fresher and was still quick to the ball, while Bailey was labouring.

14-May, Quarters:
Bailey Bounces Back To Set Up
All-English Salt Lake Semis
A courageous fight-back by sixth seed Tania Bailey to upset Egypt's second seed Omneya Abdel Kawy led to a clean sweep of English triumphs in the quarter-finals of the Women's Squashworks Open in Salt Lake City, USA.

Bailey, the 24-year-old world No19 from Lincolnshire who has been beset by a series of health problems since reaching a career-high world No4 over a year ago, fell two games behind as Kawy, ranked ten in the world, looked set to claim her anticipated place in the WISPA World Tour event's semi-finals.

In the third game, however, Bailey tightened up her game and began to take control. The tactic changed the complexion of the match - Kawy, whose deceptive racquet work and excellent anticipation dictated the first two games, was now playing from behind the English underdog, and it was Bailey who was making shots to the front court to end rallies.

Bailey finished the fifth game by running off seven straight rallies to come from 2-4 down to secure a 6-9 2-9 9-5 9-4 9-4 victory in the best match of the day in 54 minutes.

Bailey will meet compatriot Stephanie Brind, also a former world No4, in the semi-finals. Brind, the fourth seed, overturned a whitewash in the first game to beat unseeded Welsh champion Tegwen Malik 0-9 9-7 9-4 9-3 in 37 minutes.

There was also a significant upset in the top half of the draw where England's Jenny Tranfield avenged her defeat by New Zealander Shelley Kitchen in last week's Hyder Open in New York - which Kitchen went on to win - to upset the third seed in four games.

In a contrast of styles, world No14 Kitchen forced the pace by hitting hard and low drives - while Tranfield tried to slow the pace by bringing her drives higher on the front wall and using effective attacking boasts and cross-court drops to keep Kitchen off balance. Kitchen fell 1-6 behind in the first game but came back to take the lead and win the game.

The middle two games both went to 'overtime' with Tranfield showing her grittiness and mental toughness in prevailing 10-8 and 10-9. In the third game, Tranfield jumped out to an early big lead 7-0 with Kitchen obviously fatigued. The world No17 from Milton Keynes closed the match 7-9 10-8 10-9 9-2 in 67 minutes.

Fifth seed Tranfield will now meet Fiona Geaves after the top seed despatched five-times US champion Latasha Khan, the seventh seed, 9-2 9-0 9-2 in just 25 minutes.

13-May, First Round:
Malik Makes Salt Lake
City Quarter-finals
Welsh champion Tegwen Malik secured an unexpected place in the quarter-finals of the Squashworks Open when she upset eighth-seeded Malaysian Sharon Wee 9-6 9-3 9-2 in the first round of the WISPA World Tour event in Salt Lake City, USA.

Malik, 29, from Swansea, now faces fellow Briton Stephanie Brind, the fourth seed from England who dismissed Canadian qualifier Katie Patrick 9-1 9-6 9-4 in 25 minutes.

Second seed Omneya Abdel Kawy was made to work hard for her place in the last eight. In the most competitive match of the evening, the Egyptian cruised to victory in the first game against unseeded Tamsyn Leevey, only to see the New Zealander win a tough second game. Leevey's comeback seemed to rattle the 18-year-old from Cairo. Leevey pressed her advantage in the third game to win easily and go 2/1 ahead.

Despite her young age, Kawy showed veteran poise as she steadied herself and used her impressive racquet skills to retake control of the match and win the final two games to record a 9-1 5-9 4-9 9-4 9-4 victory in 50 minutes.

Kawy will meet England's sixth seed Tania Bailey, who beat Australian qualifier Melissa Martin. Bailey has been struggling recently with poor health, but despite falling behind 0-5, the 24-year-old former world No4 turned the first game and the match with her consistent and accurate length coupled with attacking volleys and excellent court coverage - taking just 26 minutes to win 9-7 9-4 9-2.

Shelley strives for US double
New Zealand's Shelley Kitchen, fresh from her triumph in last week's Hyder Open in New York, is looking for a US double in the Squashworks Open in Salt Lake City, but looks set to meet England's Fiona Geaves, who the Kiwi beat in the New York Final, in the semis here. Egypt's world junior champion Omneya Abdel Kawy is second seed.