RESULTS: Punj Lloyd WISPA Masters, New Delhi, India

Quarter-finals:
[1] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [7] Joey Chan (HKG) 4-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-2 (47m)
[3] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [6] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-7, 11-8, 11-3 (29m)
[5] Annie Au (HKG) bt [4] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 9-11, 11-7, 15-13, 11-9 (59m)
[2] Kasey Brown (AUS) bt [8] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 11-5, 11-5, 7-11, 7-11, 11-5 (61m)


Hong Kong's Annie Au claimed an unexpected place in the semi-finals of the Women's Punj Lloyd WISPA Masters after upsetting New Zealand's fourth seed Jaclyn Hawkes in the inaugural $36,500 WISPA World Tour squash championship at the Sirifort CWG Block in New Delhi.

Reproducing the form which saw her win the Seoul Open last week in South Korea, fifth seed Au recovered from a game down to beat Hawkes, the world No12, 9-11, 11-7, 15-13, 11-9 in 59 minutes.

The 21-year-old Asian Games silver medallist will now face second seed Kasey Brown, the world No7 from Australia to whom she has never lost.

Brown brought to an end Indian interest in the event by beating eighth seed Dipika Pallikal. But the 19-year-old from Chennai, ranked 29 in the world, delivered a sensational performance to fight back from two games down to force the match into a fifth game decider.

But Brown, winner of three Commonwealth Games medals on the same court in October, battled back to clinch the match 11-5, 11-5, 7-11, 7-11, 11-5 after 61 minutes.

"Brown won, but whether the Indian crowd or press recognise it, Pallikal's performance was remarkable," said noted English coach Malcolm Willstrop on www.squashsite.com "She is a star of the future."

An all-European clash will take place in the other semi-final when England's top seed Jenny Duncalf lines up against the top-ranked French player Camille Serme.

Duncalf, the world No2 from Harrogate, beat Hong Kong's No7 seed Joey Chan 4-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-2 while third seed Serme, the world No10, despatched Malaysia's sixth seed Low Wee Wern 11-7, 11-8, 11-3.

Semi-final line-up:
[1] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v [3] Camille Serme (FRA)
[2] Kasey Brown (AUS) v [5] Annie Au (HKG)