RESULTS: Cannon Kirk Homes Irish Squash Open, Dublin, Ireland
Men's 1st round:
[1] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt John Rooney (IRL) 11-5, 11-8, 11-3 (28m)
[8] Chris Simpson (ENG) bt [Q] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) 11-7, 11-3, 11-5 (46m)
[3] Joey Barrington (ENG) bt Yann Perrin (FRA) 11-8, 3-11, 11-7, 11-5 (59m)
[5] Chris Ryder (ENG) bt Julien Balbo (FRA) 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 (43m)
[Q] Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt [6] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) 13-11, 11-3, 11-7 (40m)
[Q] Bradley Hindle (MLT) bt [4] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 12-10, 12-10, 6-11, 4-11, 11-5 (68m)
[Q] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [7] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 (44m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt [2] Stewart Boswell (AUS) 9-11, 4-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 (72m)
Women's 1st round:
[1] Madeline Perry (IRL) bt [Q] Sina Wall (GER) 11-9, 11-4, 11-4 (25m)
[Q] Victoria Lust (ENG) bt [8] Alana Miller (CAN) 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 (37m)
[4] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt Alexandra Norman (CAN) 11-5, 11-2, 11-4 (25m)
[6] Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt [Q] Laura Hill (ENG) 10-12, 11-8, 11-7, 11-3 (44m)
[7] Aisling Blake (IRL) bt [Q] Leonie Holt (ENG) 11-7, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6 (45m)
[3] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt Annelize Naude (NED) 11-8, 3-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-5 (36m)
[5] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt Lauren Siddall (ENG) 11-3, 11-3, 11-7 (23m)
[2] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt Sharon Wee (MAS) 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 (20m)
It was a calamitous day for seeds in the Cannon Kirk Homes Irish Squash Open in Dublin where second-seeded Australian Stewart Boswell was the biggest casualty in the established men's and women's Tour event at the Fitzwilliam Lawn Tennis Club.
France's unseeded Mathieu Castagnet claimed the best win of his career when he fought back from two games down to beat Boswell, the world No18, 9-11, 4-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 in the first round of the men's $25,000 PSA World Tour event. The 23-year-old from Le Mans now takes on Spanish qualifier Borja Golan for a place in the semi-finals.
Golan, a former world No10 making his Tour comeback after a long-time knee injury, despatched Hungary's No7 seed Mark Krajcsak 11-7, 11-8, 11-5.
A qualifier is certain to make the last four after Gregoire Marche and Bradley Hindle meet in the quarter-finals. Frenchman Marche downed sixth-seeded Italian Davide Bianchetti 13-11, 11-3, 11-7, while Malta's Hindle recorded a notable upset when he beat rising Swiss opponent Nicolas Mueller, the No4 seed, 12-10, 12-10, 6-11, 4-11, 11-5 in 68 minutes.
English qualifier Victoria Lust also claimed an unexpected place in the quarter-finals of the women's $25,300 WISPA World Tour event. The 21-year-old from Cheltenham defeated Canada's No8 seed Alana Miller 11-8, 11-6, 11-8.
Lust will now face local favourite Madeline Perry, the top-seeded world No6 from Belfast who won the title three years in a row from 2005. Perry, who last month picked up the biggest international tile of her career at the Australian Open in Canberra, brushed aside German qualifier Sina Wall 11-9, 11-4, 11-4.
But all eyes in Dublin were on third seed Natalie Grinham, the former world No2 from the Netherlands who was making her Tour comeback after the birth of her first child, son Kieran, in May.
The Australian-born 32-year-old was taken to five games by Annelize Naude but eventually beat her compatriot 11-8, 3-11, 11-5, 8-11, 11-5 after 36 minutes to earn a quarter-final clash with Ireland's No7 seed Aisling Blake.
Natalie Grainger, the WISPA President from the USA who is also on a comeback trail after a foot injury, cruised to an 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 win over Malaysian Sharon Wee – and now faces fellow former world number one Vanessa Atkinson.
The fifth seed from the Netherlands, champion in 2003 and 2004, beat England's Lauren Siddall 11-3, 11-3, 11-7.
Men’s quarter-final line-up:
[1] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) v [8] Chris Simpson (ENG)
[3] Joey Barrington (ENG) v [5] Chris Ryder (ENG)
[Q] Bradley Hindle (MLT) v [Q] Gregoire Marche (FRA)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v [Q] Borja Golan (ESP)
Women’s quarter-final line-up:
[1] Madeline Perry (IRL) v [Q] Victoria Lust (ENG)
[4] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [6] Sarah Kippax (ENG)
[3] Natalie Grinham (NED) v [7] Aisling Blake (IRL)
[2] Natalie Grainger (USA) v [5] Vanessa Atkinson (NED)