RESULTS: Qatar Airways Challenge, Hyderabad, India
Quarter-finals:
[2] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [6] Tania Bailey (ENG) 9-6, 9-7, 9-3 (53m)
[3] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt [7] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 10-8, 9-0, 9-1 (35m)
[5] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [4] Vicky Botwright (ENG) 9-6, 9-10, 9-5, 9-7 (77m)
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [8] Alison Waters (ENG) 4-9, 9-1, 9-2, 9-6 (47m)
Duncalf Despatches England Team-Mate In Hyderabad Upset
Jenny Duncalf defied both the English national rankings and the WISPA world rankings to beat her England team-mate Vicky Botwright in the only upset of today's (Friday) quarter-finals of the women's Qatar Airways Challenge on the first day of open air action on the all-glass squash court erected in front of the Falaknuma Palace in Hyderabad, India.
In by far the longest quarter-final battle of the day, fifth seed Duncalf despatched Botwright, the fourth seed, 9-6, 9-10, 9-5, 9-7 in 77 minutes in the pair's first meeting on the WISPA World Tour this year.
The match was the first to be played on the revolutionary new ASB court featuring an all-glass floor. “I loved it,” Duncalf told www.squashnow.com afterwards. “Often the glass court floors are a bit lumpy and variable because they are moved around so much. But this was solid and sure underfoot.
"I was a bit nervy going on because, while I have played on a lot of showcourts, I have never done so well before in one of the big tournaments that move into outdoor arenas. It was very hot from the start, but when you serve and that breath of moving air comes to you as you move into the rally it feels just great.”
Duncalf, the 23-year-old world No6 from Harrogate in Yorkshire, now takes on world champion Nicol David for a place in the final of the third biggest championship on the WISPA World Tour this year.
David, the event favourite from Malaysia, had to fight back from a game behind to overcome another England international Alison Waters, the No8 seed. David won 4-9, 9-1, 9-2, 9-6 in 47 minutes to reach her 11th successive WISPA Tour semi-final.
The other semi-final will be an all-Grinham affair – between Rachael and Natalie Grinham - and a repeat of the Commonwealth Games final in March in Melbourne featuring the Australian sisters.
Second seed Rachael Grinham, the older of the two siblings, beat England's sixth seed Tania Bailey in straight games – but it took the Cairo-based 29-year-old 53 minutes to defeat Bailey 9-6, 9-7, 9-3.
Natalie, the third seed and winner of the gold medal in Melbourne, survived a tough first game against Omneya Abdel Kawy, then dominated the next two games to beat the seventh seed from Egypt 10-8, 9-0, 9-1 in 35 minutes.