WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: Women's Hurghada Squash International, Hurghada, Egypt

Quarter-finals:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [6] Stephanie Brind (ENG) 9-5, 9-3, 9-3 (32m)
[4] Laura-Jane Lengthorn (ENG) bt Rebecca Botwright (ENG) 9-5, 6-9, 9-6, 9-0 (57m)
[5] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [3] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) 9-4, 9-3, 2-9, 9-2 (42m)
[2] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [7] Sharon Wee (MAS) 9-2, 9-1, 9-4 (27m)

Waters Drowns Kitchen In Hurghada

Fast-rising young English squash star Alison Waters claimed another notable scalp in the Women's Hurghada International when she despatched third seed Shelley Kitchen in a four-game quarter-final to take an unexpected place in the last four of the WISPA World Tour event in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

Waters, 21, from London, was looking for revenge after losing in straight games to the higher-ranked New Zealander in last month's Qatar Airways Challenge in Doha. 

Unexpectedly, perhaps, Waters was wearing All Black black, while Kitchen sported English white! Also perhaps unexpectedly, it was Waters who controlled the match - playing steadily and with purpose, while Kitchen looked at odds with herself.  Waters was able to despatch her to the back then neatly apply a coup de grace at the front. 

Had the English girl not lost her way in the third it would have been a particularly comprehensive victory for the player voted WISPA's most improved last year.  Having regrouped in the fourth, Waters reached the Hurghada semi-finals for the second successive year with a 9-4 9-3 2-9 9-2 victory in 42 minutes.

"Alison played well but I didn't have much confidence tonight," conceded Kitchen, the world No13 afterwards.  "I just don't know why really."

Waters, meanwhile, was happy to have reversed the last result:  "I was trying to get a good length and mix it up at the front, and I am just happy that I got through."

The new England international now takes on local star Omneya Abdel Kawy for a place in the final.  The 19-year-old world No10 from Cairo kept domestic hopes of success alive with a 9-2 9-1 9-4 dismissal of Malaysia's No7 seed Sharon Wee in 27 minutes - the shortest match of the day.

The Malaysian was looking slightly sluggish as second seed Abdel Kawy weaved her magic at the front of the court.  Rolling waves of applause greeted points that took the Egyptian star to her swift victory.

"To play Omneya and not be moving well, you are finished," said Wee later.

Rachael Grinham continued her comfortable cruise on the glass court on the promenade.  The top-seeded Australian maintained the form which saw her win the Qatar Airways Challenge title only weeks ago to beat England's sixth seed Stephanie Brind 9-5 9-3 9-3 in 32 minutes.  The world No1 from Queensland, will now meet her second English opponent for a place in her third WISPA final in little more then a month.

Laura-Jane Lengthorn, the fourth seed from Lancashire, prevailed in an almost hour-long battle with her county colleague and training partner Rebecca Botwright to win 9-5 6-9 9-6 9-0.

The four semi finalists have a rest day as the Hurghada promenade and the whole town centre will be taken over for the evening by an Al-Ahram arranged festival.  Featured on the main stage will be Ahmed Barada, formerly to be seen on the court but now a major singing star in his home country.  Whether he can be enticed down the road to hit a squash ball or two remains to be seen!