RESULTS: A1 Homes Women's New Zealand Squash Open, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand
1st round:
[1] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 11-7, 11-8, 11-8
[6] Madeline Perry (IRL) bt Kasey Brown (AUS) 11-8, 5-11, 11-8, 11-9 (48m)
[Q] Joelle King (NZL) bt [3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 (41m)
[5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [Q] Lisa Camilleri (AUS) 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 (28m)
[7] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt Annie Au (HKG) 6-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5 (40m)
[4] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [Q] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) 9-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 (58m)
[Q] Line Hansen (DEN) bt [8] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) 11-9, 16-14, 9-11, 5-11, 11-6 (51m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt Rebecca Chiu (HKG) 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (17m)
Men's New Zealand Classic, Mount Maunganui, New Zealand
1st round:
[1] Kashif Shuja (NZL) bt Alex Grayson (NZL) 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 (32m)
[Q] Jacob Alexander (AUS) bt [8] Anson Kwong (HKG) 12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9 (44m)
[3] Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt [Q] Leo Au (HKG) 11-8, 11-6, 11-4 (32m)
[5] Zac Alexander (AUS) bt Nathan Stevenson (AUS) 11-9, 12-10, 11-8 (33m)
Wai Hang Wong (HKG) bt [7] Justin Beard (AUS) 4-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6 (42m)
[4] Matthew Karwalski (AUS) bt [Q] Rex Hedrick (AUS) 11-7, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7 (36m)
[6] Joshua Greenfield (NZL) bt [Q] Evan Williams (NZL) 12-10, 11-5, 11-9 (23m)
[2] Martin Knight (NZL) bt Graeme Wilson (NZL) 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 (37m)
Kiwi qualifier Joelle King secured the "biggest win I’ve had so far" in today's (Thursday) opening round of the A1 Homes New Zealand Women’s Squash Open when she upset Australia's former world number one Rachael Grinham, the No3 seed, in the $55,000 WISPA World Tour Gold event at Mount Maunganui in New Zealand.
The 20-year-old from Hamilton will join fellow New Zealander Shelley Kitchen in the quarter-finals after the world No10 from Auckland prevailed in four games over Hong Kong’s Annie Au on the glass court at Bayfair Shopping Centre.
King produced a confident performance to down former world champion Grinham 11-9, 11-8, 11-9 in front of a hearty home crowd. The world No39 played with confidence and hit with excellent depth to keep the super-fast Grinham in the back court. The experienced Australian tried to slow the game down in the third game but King was able to show patience to force her way to a brilliant victory.
King said her game plan worked well: "I’ve played Rachael before and knew how she played. She has been around the scene for a long time and has a brilliant short game. So I knew if I could keep her behind me and play my game I would come out on top," said the local star.
"I played out of my skin today. It’s the biggest win I’ve had so far. She is No4 in the world. I’ve been having a great time of late and hopefully it carries on."
King said the support from friends and family was an advantage. "I had tons of family and people from my club here to support me. It was huge."
Kitchen, New Zealand’s top-ranked player and No7 seed at the tournament, overcame the illusive left-hander Au 6-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-5. Au, ranked 14 in the world, played with deft touch to force the 29-year-old kiwi into a running game but Kitchen showed plenty of patience and dominated the final game.
"She has had some good wins on the Tour over the last 18 months," said Kitchen. "When I saw I had her in the draw I knew I was in for a tough match.
"Annie breaks up your momentum. She cuts a lot of balls really short. Not many girls play like that and I don’t get to practice against that sort of player. It’s always a bit of a shock to always be going to the front of the court.
Top seed Natalie Grainger showed little signs of a player who is playing her first tournament in three months with some outstanding touches and good pace against local player Jaclyn Hawkes, the world No16.
The New Zealander had her chances, up 8-5 in the second game and 7-4 in the third but could not convert against the classy US favourite.
Earlier Danish qualifier Line Hansen and England's world number five Jenny Duncalf had to endure five-games to progress to the quarterfinals. Hansen upset world No11 Isabelle Stoehr, the No8 seed from France, 11-9, 16-14, 9-11, 5-11, 11-6 for the best scalp of her career.
"That is the best win of my career, and the highest-ranked player I have beaten, so I am very pleased," said the 26-year-old from Odense. "I tried to stay focussed. I lost heaps of five setters so I tried to stay calm and play one rally at a time and focus on good length and good shots and not what the score was."
Duncalf came back from two games down against the talented Egyptian Engy Kheirallah who impressed with some outstanding angled winners. The England player settled in the third game and from that point was too quick at the front of the court for Kheirallah in the longest game of the tournament so far, in just under an hour.
"It was pretty difficult in the end. Even though Engy is ranked 22 now, she is better than that. She is always difficult to play especially when you give her angles,” said Duncalf.
All the main seeds progressed to the quarter-finals in the Men’s New Zealand Classic with the New Zealand top seeds Kashif Shuja, Martin Knight and Campbell Grayson all through in straight games to reach the quarter-finals of the $10,000 PSA World Tour event.
But there were upsets which led to Australian qualifier Jacob Alexander and unseeded Hong Kong player Wai Hang Wong reaching the last eight. Alexander, a 17-year-old Queenslander, ousted Anson Kwong, the No8 seed from Hong Kong, 12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, while 32-year-old Wai Hang Wong ousted seventh-seeded Australian Justin Beard 4-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6.
Women's quarter-final line-up:
[1] Natalie Grainger (USA) v [6] Madeline Perry (IRL)
[Q] Joelle King (NZL) v [5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
[4] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v [7] Shelley Kitchen (NZL)
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) v [Q] Line Hansen (DEN)
Men's quarter-final line-up:
[1] Kashif Shuja (NZL) v [Q] Jacob Alexander (AUS)
[3] Campbell Grayson (NZL) v [5] Zac Alexander (AUS)
[4] Matthew Karwalski (AUS) v Wai Hang Wong (HKG)
[2] Martin Knight (NZL) v [6] Joshua Greenfield (NZL)