Women’s 1st round:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [Q] Joelle King (NZL) 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 (31m)
Camille Serme (FRA) bt [7] Madeline Perry (IRL) 11-2, 5-11, 11-6, 11-5
(44m)
[4] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [Q] Tania Bailey (ENG) 10-12, 11-5, 12-10, 11-6
(50m)
[5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt Kasey Brown (AUS) 8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9,
11-3 (55m)
[8] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [Q] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 9-11, 11-9, 9-11,
11-8, 11-9 (61m)
[Q] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 12-10, 14-16,
11-9, 12-10 (49m)
Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt [6] Natalie Grainger (USA) 9-11, 11-8, 7-11, 14-12,
11-7 (52m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 11-6, 11-3, 11-6 (30m)
Today’s (Wednesday) opening round of the CIMB Malaysian Open produced a series of stunning upsets at the Bukit Jalil National Squash Centre in Kuala Lumpur – none more so than Egyptian qualifier Raneem El Weleily’s four-game defeat of third seed Rachael Grinham in the women’s $53,500 WISPA World Tour Gold event.
Both were returning to Tour action after a two-month layoff – and, while
former world champion and world number one Grinham was expected to reach the semi-finals for the sixth successive year, El Weleily was simply hoping to make the second round for the first time.
Three of the games went to tie-breaks, and after 49 minutes it was
21-year-old El Weleily, the world No14 from Alexandria, who emerged triumphant over the Australian world number three 12-10, 14-16, 11-9, 12-10.
The Egyptian now lines up against Laura Massaro, the No8 seed who is
making her comeback after an ankle injury. But the 26-year-old England
international had to call upon all her experience to defeat 18-year-old Indian
qualifier Dipika Pallikal, the recently-crowned Asian Junior champion, 9-11,
11-9, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9.
Two further women’s upsets saw Tour stalwarts Natalie Grainger and
Madeline Perry make unexpectedly early exits. Sixth seed Grainger, the former world number one from the USA, twice led unseeded Low Wee Wern – but the 19-year-old from Penang delighted the local crowd by keeping up the pressure to win 9-11, 11-8, 7-11, 14-12, 11-7 in 52 minutes, and record her first ever victory over a world top ten player.
Perry, the world number seven from Ireland, had twice faced Camille Serme
before on the Tour, and recorded straight game wins on both occasions. But
the rising French star now boasts a career-best world No10 ranking – and
was in sizzling form as she despatched the seventh seed 11-2, 5-11, 11-6,
11-5.
Egypt’s Mohamed El Shorbagy, top seed in the men’s $52,500 PSA World
Tour 5-star event, eased into the quarter-finals after beating Indian
qualifier Siddharth Suchde 11-4, 11-7, 11-9.
But the world No14 from Alexandria will not be lining up against second
seed Cameron Pilley in the final after the Australian fell in straight games
to Pakistan prospect Farhan Mehboob.
The 21-year-old from Peshawar, a finalist in his two recent Tour events,
fought bravely for 54 minutes to beat Pilley 13-11, 14-12, 11-8 –
interestingly repeating the upset he inflicted over the world No16 from New South Wales a year ago in the 2009 Malaysian Open.
Left-hander Mehboob goes on to face Simon Rosner, the No8 seed from
Germany who beat unseeded New Zealander Martin Knight 11-7, 11-8, 11-5.
Malaysians Mohd Azlan Iskandar and Ong Beng Hee – who boast five Malaysian Open titles between them – will also contest quarter-final matches.
Fifth seed Ong Beng Hee was taken the full distance by qualifier Muhd
Asyraf Azan before beating his fellow countryman 12-10, 7-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, while fourth seed Iskandar needed four games to overcome New Zealander Campbell Grayson 11-4, 10-12, 11-3, 11-5.
Women's quarter-final line-up:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) v Camille Serme (FRA)
[4] Alison Waters (ENG) v [5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
[Q] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) v [8] Laura Massaro (ENG)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v Low Wee Wern (MAS)
