Simpson Excels In Dunlop British Open Qualifiers
English players dominated the action in today's (Sunday) opening day of qualifying in the Dunlop British Open Squash Championships at the National Squash Centre in Manchester, with Guernsey junior Chris Simpson pulling off the biggest upset in the men's event to claim one of six English slots in the men's qualifying finals.
Simpson, the reigning European Junior Champion who is ranked 178 in the world, toppled India's Ritwik Bhattacharya – a winner of three PSA Tour titles this year and ranked more than 100 places higher - 11-8 11-10 11-10 in 41 minutes. The Brighton-based 18-year-old now faces Italy's Davide Bianchetti for a place in Tuesday's first round draw.
Pakistani players secured five places in the qualifying finals, three of which battles will be England v Pakistan affairs. The youngest player to survive was Pakistan's Aamir Atlas Khan, the 15-year-old Asian Junior Champion who beat compatriot Safeer Ullah Khan 7-11 11-10 11-5 11-7 and will now meet England's Ben Garner for a place in the main draw.
Stewart Boswell was the only Australian to make it into the second day of qualifying action. The 27-year-old from Canberra, who has picked eight PSA titles in his comeback trail this year after a long layoff as a result of a mystery back ailment, beat the first ever Lebanese player to compete in the British Open. Boswell was too strong for Michel Zeinaty, winning 11-2 11-2 11-7 in 15 minutes – the quickest full match of the day.
Manchester interest in the women's event was given a boost when Rebecca Botwright beat France's Soraya Renai 9-1 9-2 9-5 in 25 minutes. The 23-year-old from Worsley in Manchester meets Pakistan No1 Carla Khan in the second qualifying round – and will hope to join her older sister Vicky Botwright, the sixth seed, in the women's first round on Thursday.
Botwright junior is joined by six other English players in the next qualifying round in the women's event – including Lancashire country team-mate Laura-Jane Lengthorn, who also beat a French opponent, Celia Allamargot, to progress in the tournament.
Hopes of making a ninth successive appearance in the 'Wimbledon of Squash' were dashed today for England's former world No4 Stephanie Brind. The 28-year-old from Kent, a quarter-finalist in both in 1999 and 2001, bowed out 9-1 10-9 9-7 in 37 minutes to event newcomer Amanda Hopps, from Doubleview in Western Australia.
RESULTS: Dunlop British Open Squash Championships, National Squash Centre, Manchester, England
Men's 1st qualifying round:
Rodney Durbach (RSA) bt Tom Pashley (ENG) 11-4, 11-10 (4-2), 11-5 (34m)
Shamsul Islam Khan (PAK) bt Simon Carruthers (AUS) 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 (66m)
Phillip Barker (ENG) bt Scott Handley (ENG) 11-9, 11-9, 11-8 (40m)
Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt Ramy Ashour (EGY) 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 9-11, 11-7 (48m)
Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) bt John Rooney (IRL) 11-6, 4-0 ret. (14m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Christopher Gordon (USA) 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 (39m)
Ben Garner (ENG) bt Tom Richards (ENG) 11-4, 11-5, 11-9 (28m)
Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Safeer Ullah Khan (PAK) 7-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-5, 11-7 (49m)
Farrukh Zaman (PAK) bt Laurent Elriani (FRA) 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 2-11, 11-8 (59m)
Alister Walker (ENG) bt Abdul Basit Uppal (PAK) 11-1, 11-1, 11-1 (16m)
Alex Stait (ENG) bt Lee Drew (ENG) 11-7, 11-4, 11-9 (34m)
Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Michel Zeinaty (LIB) 11-2, 11-2, 11-7 (15m)
Stacey Ross (ENG) bt Bradley Hindle (AUS) 11-5, 11-5, 9-11, 11-2 (52m)
Yasir Butt (PAK) bt Duncan Walsh (ENG) 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (28m)
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) 11-8, 11-10 (2-0), 11-10 (2-0) (41m)
Davide Bianchetti (ITA) bt Arthur Gaskin (IRL) 11-1, 11-9, 11-3 (31m)
Women's 1st qualifying round:
Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) bt Charlotte Delsinne (FRA) 9-1, 9-3, 9-0 (24m)
Aisling Blake (IRL) bt Lauren Siddall (ENG) 9-2, 9-6, 9-4 (37m)
Tegwen Malik (WAL) bt Carrie Hastings (ENG) 9-0, 9-2, 9-0 (15m)
Orla Noom (NED) bt Jenna Gates (ENG) 9-0, 10-9, 10-9 (32m)
Pamela Nimmo (SCO) bt Laura Hill (ENG) 9-3, 9-5, 9-2 (44m)
Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) bt Laurence Bois (FRA) 9-6, 9-0, 9-2 (18m)
Amanda Hopps (AUS) bt Stephanie Brind (ENG) 9-1, 10-9, 9-7 (37m)
Karen Kronemeyer (NED) bt Susannah King (ENG) 9-2, 9-0, 9-2 (22m)
Lauren Briggs (ENG) bt Camille Serme (FRA) 9-6, 9-0, 9-0 (31m)
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) bt Daniela Schumann (GER) 9-3, 9-3, 9-5 (34m)
Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt Dagmar Vermeulen (NED) 9-1, 9-0, 9-5 (21m)
Laura-Jane Lengthorn (ENG) bt Celia Allamargot (FRA) 9-2, 9-1, 9-0 (20m)
Rebecca Botwright (ENG) bt Soraya Renai (FRA) 9-1, 9-2, 9-5 (25m)
Carla Khan (PAK) bt Maud Duplomb (FRA) 9-3, 9-4, 9-0 (27m)
Suzie Pierrepont (ENG) bt Kirsty McPhee (ENG) 9-3, 9-3, 9-3 (27m)
Alison Waters (ENG) bt Fiona Moverley (ENG) 9-0, 9-1, 9-1 (15m)