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Glo Greenwich Open 2012
17-22
Jan, Connecticut, Usa, $35k |
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Final :
[4] Raneem El Weleily (Egy) bt [8] Joelle King (Nzl)
11/8, 11/8, 6/11, 11/4
El Weleily Comes Out On Top
The final of the Women's Professional Singles - The Glo Greenwich
Open Sunday afternoon was a gripping display of high quality
professional squash with World No.7 Raneem El Weleily from Egypt
taking on the in form Kiwi - World No.11 Joelle King.
The match was a contrast of styles with King, in a show of strength,
using powerful volleys and low thumping drives to unsettle her more
fancied opponent El Weleily, who carries the classic attacking
Egyptian traits of shooting from everywhere on the court.
The match began at a blistering pace with King pounding her length,
determined to stamp her authority on proceedings. Raneem weathered
the storm early, deftly moving King to the front routinely to keep
her off balance and force an opening in the points.
The quality of squash cannot be understated with both players making
some incredible recoveries to keep themselves in the rallies.
Trading point for point in the first couple of games, El Weleily
edged her way to a 2 games to zero lead by consistently finding the
right attacking option as Joelle struggled to find her rhythm on the
short ball against her more nimble opponent.
King regrouped in the third, getting off to a quick start courtesy
of some uncharacteristic errors from the Egyptian and some well
executed and timely volleys.
With the game score at 2-1 El Weleily, regrouped to structure her
points much better, building her attack more patiently. A barrage of
hold and flicks kept the tall Kiwi twisting and turning in the
fourth as the Egyptian claimed her first Greenwich Open Title
winning the admiration of an enthralled and appreciative gallery.
King, a bridesmaid for the 2nd year in succession can take heart
from a solid week and will no doubt be back again next year to
hopefully make it third time lucky.
Joelle and Raneem stop the upsets
in Greenwich
semis
It's an unexpected final in Greenwich as Joelle King, the
eighth-seeded Kiwi, and Raneem El Weleily, the fourth seed from
Egypt, stopped the run of upset results from earlier rounds to
triumph in their semi-finals at the Field Club.
They now switch venues for a final time for the final at Greenwich
Country Club, where El Weleily will go into the match with a 3-0
head to head advantage.
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 Greenwich
Open 2012
17-22
Jan, Connecticut, Usa, $35k |
Round One
19 Jan from 17.15
Top Half -
Round Hill Club
Bottom Half - Greenwich Country Club |
Quarters
20 Jan
Round Hill
Club |
Semis
21 Jan
Field Club |
Final
22 Jan
Greenwich
Country Club |
[1] Madeline Perry (Irl)
10/12, 11/8, 11/7, 6/11, 11/9
[Q] Nour El Tayeb |
[1] Madeline Perry
11/7, 11/3, 5/11, 11/7
[8] Joelle King |
[8] Joelle King
11/8, 8/11, 11/4, 11/9
[Q] Dipika Pallikal |
[8] Joelle King
11/8, 11/8, 6/11, 11/4
[4] Raneem El Weleily |
[8] Joelle King (Nzl)
11/1, 11/3, 11/6
Lily Lorentzen (Usa) |
[3] Rachael Grinham (Aus)
[LL] Line Hansen (Den)
11/6, 11/5, 11/6
[Q] Dipika Pallikal (Ind) |
[Q] Dipika Pallikal
7/11, 11/7, 7/11, 11/6, 13/11
Jaclyn Hawkes |
[5] Annie Au (Hkg)
8/11, 11/7, 13/11, 11/5
Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl) |
[Q] Nour El Sherbini (Egy)
11/7, 11/7, 13/11
[6] Natalie Grinham (Ned) |
[6] Natalie Grinham
12/10, 11/3, 6/11, 11/8
[4] Raneem El Weleily |
[4] Raneem El Weleily
11/5, 11/4, 11/6
Samantha Teran |
Donna Urquhart (Aus)
11/3, 114, 11/9
[4] Raneem El Weleily (Egy) |
Samantha Teran (Mex)
11/9, 4/11, 11/3, 11/8
[7] Low Wee Wern (Mas) |
Samantha Teran
7/11, 2/11, 11/7, 11/9, 11/8
[2] Kasey Brown |
[Q] Amanda Sobhy (Usa)
11/5, 11/6, 7/11, 9/11, 11/4
[2] Kasey Brown (Aus) |
18 Jan,
Qualifying Finals, Field Club:
Amanda Sobhy (Usa) bt Sarah Kippax
(Eng) 15-17, 6-11,
11-7, 11-9, 11-5
Nour El Sherbini
(Egy) bt Line Hansen (Den)
13-11, 11-5, 11-9
Nour El Tayeb (Egy) bt
Gaby Huber (Sui)
11-5, 11-6, 11-3
Dipika Pallikal (Ind) bt Latasha Khan (Usa)
11-3, 10-12, 12-10, 2-11, 12-10
17 Jan, Qualifying Round One, Field
Club of Greenwich:
Sarah Kippax (Eng) bt Olivia
Blatchford (Usa) 11-7,
11-6, 11-5
Amanda Sobhy (Usa) bt Samantha Cornett (Can) 11-9, 11-4, 11-6
Line Hansen (Den) bt Sabrina Sobhy (Usa)
11-7, 11-5, 11-8
Nour El Sherbini (Egy) bt Suzie Pierrepont (Eng)
11-5, 11-2, 11-8 (31m)
Gaby Huber (Sui) bt Misaki Kobayashi (Jpn)
11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (28m)
Nour El Tayeb (Egy) bt Maria Ubina (Usa) 13-11,
11-9, 9-11, 4-11, 11-6
Latasha Khan (Usa) bt Lucie Fialova (Cze)
9-11, 11-3, 11-7, 15-13
Dipika Pallikal (Ind) bt Miranda Ranieri (Can) 11-9, 11-7, 11-2
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20-Jan, Quarters:
NIGHT OF UPSETS IN GREENWICH
Quarter-finals of the Glo Greenwich Open at the Round Hill Club saw
three upsets, two stunning comebacks, and the demise of the top two
seeds ...
Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL)
7-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6, 13-11
Dipika battled back from two games down to beat Jaclyn Hawkes with
an intense finish. Jaclyn seemed too strong and accurate for Dipika
in the first two, Dipikas shot making was turned into errors which
always gave Jackie the edge. Once Dipika slowed the game down she
worked her opportunites well and finished them with tenacity. The
final game was nip and tuck all the way down to the wire finishing
with an array of high paced rallies before Dipika showed that
clinical touch to see the game out and move towards the semi finals.
Raneem El Weliely (EGY) bt Natalie Grinham (NED)
12-10, 11-3, 6-11, 11-8
Raneem came out of the blocks fast producing some great winners and
sensible defensive play. The experienced Natalie worked hard to
breakdown the Egyptians aggressive attacking game by slowing the
ball down and finding her targets however Raneem stood strong and
closed the game out in 4.
Joelle King (NZL) bt Madeline Perry (NIR)
11-7, 11-3, 5-11, 11-7
Another upset in a excellent night at the Round Hill club. Last
years finalist Joelle put up a really solid performance pinning her
opponent in the back of the court and really dominated the
proceedings in the first two games. Madeline showed excellent
accuracy in her front court game but it was Joelle who came out
firing again in the fourth and without hitting any errors closed the
match out to make her way to the semis.
Samantha Teran bt Kasey Brown
7-11, 2-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8
Another upset! This time number 2 seed Kasey Brown lost her momentum
after cruising through the first two games. Samantha who played
strong and fought hard throughout the whole match came out on top
after 80mins of intense action. Kasey had a slight break for a nose
bleed injury but came back firing on all cylinders. Samantha soaked
up the pressure and closed the match out forcing an error out of
Kasey.
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19-Jan, Round One
TOP SEEDS TESTED IN GREENWICH
Round One of the 2012 Glo Greenwich Open took place at two
Connecticut clubs, where the top seeds were each stretched to the
full five games before progressing ...
TOP SEED SURVIVES BUT ONLY JUST....
Madeleine Perry (IRL) bt Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
10-12, 11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9
Top seed, Madeleine Perry was pushed all the way by her young
Egyptian opponent. Although Perry was expected to win the match
comfortably she was not taking her opponent lightly (El Tayeb won
the recent World junior championship in Boston.) The match was nip
tuck all the way with many contentious referee decisions. Perry
looked strong in the 5th and the match was finally settled with a no
let decision against El Tayeb finally settled the match in Perry's
favor.
KING MARCHES PAST LORENTZEN
Joelle King(NZL) bt Lilly Lorentzen (USA)
11-1, 11-3, 11-6
Joelle proved to be too strong for local wildcard entry Lorentzen.
Lilly looked nervous from the outset and King was intent on stamping
her authority on the match. Although Lorentzen showed some good
flashes it wasn't enough to prevent King from advancing to the next
round.
HAWKES SNEAKS PAST AU
Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) bt Annie Au (HKG)
8-11, 11-7, 13-11, 11-5
A tightly contested result between two great players. The first two
games were split evenly between the two players with Au taking the
first and Hawkes the second. The third game would prove crucial with
Au relinquishing both a 8-5 lead and then failing to convert 2 game
balls at 10-8, before Hawkes snatched the game 13-11. Hawkes came
out 'all guns blazing' in the 4th playing confident squash and
sealed the 3-1 victory with a 11-5 scoreline.
LUCKY LOSER HANSEN RUNS OUT OF LUCK
Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt Line Hansen (DEN)
11-6, 11-5, 11-6
Dipika showed her dominance in a confident, controlled performance
against Hansen. Hansen had taken 3rd seed, Rachael Grinham's spot
after she had to withdraw through injury but failed to capitalize on
her second chance. Although she didn't get the victory Hansen played
some solid squash at times and was graceful in defeat.
SOBHY CLOSE TO MAJOR UPSET
Kasey Brown (AUS) bt Amanda Sobhy (USA)
11-5, 11-6, 7-11, 9-11,
11-4
The first match of the evening at Greenwich Country Club saw the
number 2 seed, Kasey Brown, take on crowd favorite Amanda Sobhy of
the United States. Amanda looking for another upset after her 3-2
win yesterday, pushed Brown to a decider falling just short 11-4 in
the fifth.
Brown started the match in a very strong fashion winning the first
two games comfortably 11-5 and 11-6. Sobhy came out firing in the
third taking a 4-0 lead and held onto that 4 point advantage closing
the game out 11-7. The fourth was a evenly balanced before Sobhy
finally finished the game 9-11.
In the decider Brown showed her experience starting very solidly and
never looked back.
GRINHAM TOPS JUNIOR EGYPTIAN RISING STAR
Natalie Grinham (NED) bt Nour El Sherbini (EGY)
11-7, 11-7, 13-11
The second match of the night was a true test of experience versus
youth. Grinham playing some of her best squash since the birth of
her child was in total control during the first two games providing
the crowd with amazing pick ups from her superior court coverage.
The third and final game was the closest in the match with Sherbini
taking a 10-9 lead before her fitness caught up with her and gave
Grinham the opening she was so desperately looking for finishing the
match 13-11 in the tie breaker.
SAMANTHA TERAN PULLS OF THE OFFSET OF THE NIGHT
Samantha Teran (MEX) bt Low Wee Wern (MAS)
11-9, 4-11, 11-3, 11-8
Samantha Teran from Mexico showed way she loves playing in
Connecticut so much as she upset 7th seed Wee Wern. Teran a veteran
of the tournament showed great improvements in her game during this
highly contested match.
Teran started the match strongly taking the first game 11-9. Wee
Wern was not gonna make it easy on her and after putting great
amounts of pressure on the Mexican and taking control of the T,
resulting in a 11-4 game win.
The third and fourth games saw Teran getting in front of her
opponent more and more pushing the Malaysian into all four corners
of the court. the pressure was too much and Teran took the final 2
games 11-3 and 11-8.
EL WELEILY SHINES OVER AUSSIE STARLET
Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt Donna Urquhart (AUS)
11-3, 114, 11-9
Egyptian start Raneem El Weleily looked comfortable through out as
she took on the very athletic Donna Urquhart from Australia in the
final women's match of the evening at the Greenwich Country Club.
El Weleily too the first two games with ease 11-3 and 11-4
demonstrating a very sharp and accurate attacking game that kept
Urquhart on her toes and on the chase for most of the time.
In the last game the Australian came out with more resolve going
quickly to a 5-2 lead before seeing that being eaten away by the
ever dangerous Egyptian shot maker. The game was sealed by another
quality rally which saw Raneem come out on top and secure her spot
in the quarter finals.
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18-Jan, Qualifying Finals:
SOBHY SHOWS GRIT
IN GREENWICH
Ryan Abraham reports
As the second round of qualifying came to an end on Wednesday night,
the crowd could not have asked for more by the end of the last
match.
SOBHY OUTLASTS KIPPAX
Amanda Sobhy (USA) def Sarah Kippax (ENG)
15-17, 6-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-5
In the feature match of the night, U.S hope, Amanda Sobhy gave the
spectators something worth staying for.
 The first game was a grueling battle of fast paced shots coupled
with drops and lobs. Each player was trying to work the other
harder, and Kippax looked the stronger of the two as she charged to
a 10-7 lead. However, 3 game balls later the game was in tiebreak
mode. Sobhy had one game ball at 11-10 which was also saved and then
each subsequent game ball went to Kippax who eventually closed it
out 17-15... everyone could see where this match was headed.
In the second game, Sobhy was looking a step off the pace, and
Kippax was dominating a higher percentage of the rallies. She took
an early 6-1 lead from which Sobhy could not recover, and eventually
secured the 2nd game 11-6.
 In the 3rd game, the tides began to change, and Sobhy was showing
tremendous retrieval skills to stay in the points and force some
errors by Kippax. Sobhy began to use her volleys to get in front and
suddenly Kippax found herself on the other side of the attack. Sobhy
took the 3rd game 11-7 and was back in the match.
The 4th was another close affair with Kippax coming back from 5-8
down to take a 9-8 lead. Two points away from the match, Amanda
showed "true grit" (like John Wayne and Jeff Bridges combined...) to
dig deep into the reserve tanks and pull out the 4th game 11-9.
The 5th game was a one-sided affair as Sobhy stormed to an 8-2 lead
and solidified her dominance in the rallies with an assortment of
volleys to length and volley drops. Kippax kept her fighting spirit
while also maintaining superb sportsmanship by calling a couple of
her carries or double bounces throughout the match, but in the end
it was the "super Sobhy" who prevailed.
Sobhy keeps the U.S. interest alive and faces #2 seed Kasey Brown
next
KHAN FALLS TO PALLIKAL
Dipika Pallikal (IND) def Latasha Khan (USA)
11-3, 10-12, 12-10, 2-11, 12-10
In a gritty match from start to finish, this was definitely going
the distance. And of course with my luck I get to referee the match
that goes to tiebreak in the 5th.
Pallikal started off strong with attacking squash and takes the
first game pretty quickly. But Khan soon finds her stride and
acclimatizes to the dying bounces of the court. The next two games
are split at 12-10 and then Khan capitalises on a plethora of errors
by her younger opponent in the 4th game.
With the games tied at 2-2, and many let calls along the way, the
5th game comprised of tantalizing back-and-forth rallies before Khan
goes up 6-3 and 8-6. However, Pallikal eases her way back into the
game with a few winning short balls to take a 10-8 lead. Khan saves
2 match balls before finally going down 12-10 on a no let with
Pallikals shot looking too much like a winner.
Pallikal's name drew Rachael Grinham in the main draw tomorrow.
TAYEB CRUISES PAST HUBER
Nour El Tayeb (EGY) def Gaby Huber (SUI) 11-5, 11-6, 11-3
After an unexpected 5-game match yesterday, El Tayeb was intent on
coming out strong from the first point. She was facing off against
#29 ranked Gaby Huber in the second match of the day and was showing
no mercy with her shots.
Although Huber managed to stay within a few points in the first two
games, Tayeb was efficiently maintaining the lead and closed out the
games at 11-5 and 11-6. With not much left to throw at the young
Egyptian, Huber eventually went down 11-3 in the 3rd and Tayeb
reestablished her dominating form on the court.
El Tayeb's reward will be a bout against top seed Madeline Perry
SHERBINI TOO STRONG FOR HANSEN
Nour El Sherbini (EGY) def Line Hansen (DEN) 13-11, 11-5, 11-9
 Having overcome local Greenwich Academy coach, Suzie Pierrepont in
the first round, Nour El Sherbini continued her consistent form
against top Danish player, Line Hansen.
Despite taking a 10-6 lead in the first game, Hansen couldn't
convert on 4 game balls and El Sherbini won 18 of the next 24 points
to take a 2-0 lead.
Hansen stayed head-to-head with her 16-yr-old opponent and took a
9-8 lead in the 3rd game, but El Sherbini played two strong points
to earn game ball and with a deceptive hold and cross-court winner,
she took the match and the 3rd main draw spot.
El Sherbini will be taking on Natalie Grinham in the main draw
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KIWI Q&A
As a means of encouraging the juniors to come out and chat with some
of the players, Joelle King and Jaclyn Hawkes offered
to answer questions from some of the local and invited juniors.
Questions ranged from "how often do you practice? what do you see
yourself doing after squash? who was your role model growing up?
what inspired you to become a professional squash player?"
The ladies did a pretty good job with their responses and seemed to
be enjoying it just as much as the kids were.
It's great to see such interest in the sport among all the young
kids and this is always where the future of the sport will lie!
Perhaps we have a couple future champions somewhere in the crowd of
kids?
Location, Location, Location
Qualifying concludes at the Field Club, and returns there for the
Semis, and the eventual winner will have played in all three
different venues ...
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17-Jan, Qualifying Round One:
Results
UBINA PUSHES EL TAYEB TO 5
Ryan Abraham reports
 The
first round of qualifying for the 2012 edition of the Greenwich Open
kicked off at 12pm at the Field Club, and all of the matches went
according to the seeding s... but not with one particularly rough
ride along the way.
In the final match of the afternoon, Field Club home favourite
Maria Elena Ubina stepped on court with a strong determination
against World Junior Champion Nour El Tayeb. Despite losing
the first two games by a mere two points, Ubina kept up with the
young Egyptian and rallied shot for shot until she pulled one game
back. She took a strong lead in the fourth and closed it out to
level the match.
 This
was not part of the script. Tayeb was thinking the same when she
came roaring out to a 6-0 lead in the fifth game.
Ubina gallantly fought back to 5-6, but then succumbed to a couple
unforced errors, and a few points later El Tayeb finished off the
match with a winner to secure her place in the next round.
A valiant performance by the 17-year-old Ubina and her home club
could not have asked for anything more than such fearless playing.
Sobhy and Khan keep U.S. hopes alive
With eight players left in the qualifying finals, two American
players remain: Amanda Sobhy and Latasha Khan.
 Khan
is a well-known personality on the women's tour as well as within US
squash and has represented the U.S. team on many occasions as well
as taking the national championship title seven times.
Sobhy has been accomplishing her own feats at such a young age and
is currently playing #1 on the Harvard Squash Team.
Both of these players will have tough matches tomorrow in the second
round of qualifying, but will be aiming to keep the U.S. flag flying
in the main draw.
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Location, Location, Location
Qualifying concludes at the Field Club, and returns there for the
Semis, and the eventual winner will have played in all three
different venues ...
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FIELD CLUB STARS LORENTZEN AND UBINA
SET FOR GREENWICH OPEN
Qualifying for the Women's Event kicks off at The Field Club at 12pm
today;
 One
of FC's Junior MVPs, Maria Elena Ubina will be playing in her
first Greenwich Open this week and faces some tough opposition in
her first qualifying match.
The recently crowned 2011 U.S. Junior Open champion, Ubina will be
tackling the 2011 World Junior champion Nour El Tayeb of
Egypt, at 3:30pm at the Field Club.
This could be one of the toughest opponents she will face all year
as El Tayeb is currently ranked #20 in the world.
Later in the week, our very own Lily Lorentzen will be taking
part in the Main Draw as the wildcard entry. She will be up against
Joelle King of New Zealand, who is #11 on the Women's World
Rankings.
We look forward to some stunning performances by all players and
expect some amazing squash throughout the week.
See the full list of qualifying matches below:
Perry tops World Class Field
Irish World No.3 Madeline Perry tops the seedings for this
week's Glo Greenwich Open. Fresh from her recent finals finish at
the World Series Squash event in London last week, Perry will be
looking to capitalize on her good run of form this week.
The 34yr old from Banbridge in Northern Ireland will face some stiff
competition with a strong international field on hand including last
year's Greenwich Open winner World No.6 Kasey Brown from
Australia along with former World Champion Rachel Grinham.
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