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20-Mar, Finals:
Top seeds take KL titles
Top seeds Nicol David and Ramy Ashour triumphed in the finals of the
CIMB KL Open, beating their opponents in straight games in the
finals on the all-glass court at Berjaya Times Square in the
Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
It was a sensational sixth title for national heroine Nicol David,
and a successful return to the winner's podium after the world
number one's shock defeat in the women's final last year.
David, celebrating her tenth appearance in the KL Open final since
her making her first in 1999 as a 15-year-old, was in control from
the outset, beating her career-long Egyptian rival Omneya Abdel Kawy
11-4, 11-2, 13-11 in 31 minutes.
Abdel Kawy, the fourth seed from Cairo, reached the final against
expectations after upsetting England's No2 seed Jenny Duncalf in the
semi-finals.
The final of the men's event was an all-Egyptian affair between
Ashour, the world number one, and his Cairo compatriot Karim
Darwish, the second seed.
Ashour, boasting his sixth final appearance in his last seven PSA
outings since November, became the first Egyptian to win the title
since 2007 after beating the world No5 in three close games, 11-8,
11-8, 11-9 in 41 minutes.
The win takes 22-year-old Ashour's collection of PSA titles to 15 –
and is sure to strengthen his grip on the top position in the Dunlop
PSA world rankings.
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 KL
Open 2010
15-20 Mar, Kuala Lumpur, $50k |
Round One
17 Mar |
Quarters
18 Mar |
Semis
19 Mar |
Final
20 Mar |
[1] Ramy Ashour (Egy)
11/7, 11/9, 11/7 (35m)
[Q] Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas) |
[1] Ramy Ashour
12/14, 11/3, 11/6, 11/6 (47m)
[7] Aamir Atlas Khan |
[1] Ramy Ashour
11/5, 8/11, 11/6, 11/7 (44m)
[8] Ong Beng Hee |
[1] Ramy Ashour
11/8, 11/8, 11/9 (41m)
[2] Karim Darwish |
[7] Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak)
9/11, 11/9, 12/10, 11/9 (52m)
[Q] Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy) |
[4] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy)
11/5, 8/11, 13/11, 13/11 (55m)
[Q] Ivan Yuen (Mas) |
[4] Mohamed El Shorbagy
7/11, 8/11, 16/14, 11/4, 11/8 (80m)
[8] Ong Beng Hee |
[8] Ong Beng Hee (Mas)
11/8, 11/9, 3/11, 11/8 (56m)
[Q] Mohammed Abbas (Egy) |
Muhd Asyraf Azan (Mas)
11/4, 11/8, 11/5 (29m)
[5] Stewart Boswell (Aus) |
[5] Stewart Boswell
11/1, 11/8, 11/5 (47m)
Azlan Iskandar |
Azlan Iskandar
11/6, 11/6, 11/1 (48m)
[2] Karim Darwish |
Azlan Iskandar (Mas)
11/4, 11/4, 11/9 (40m)
[3] Adrian Grant (Eng) |
Jonathan Kemp (Eng)
11/7, 11/5, 11/7 (31m)
[6] Cameron Pilley (Eng) |
[6] Cameron Pilley
11/7, 11/7, 11/9 (38m)
[2] Karim Darwish |
Ali Anwar Reda (Egy)
11/6, 11/9, 11/0 (36m)
[2] Karim Darwish (Egy) |
15/16 Mar,
Qualifying:
Finals:
Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy) bt
Chris Simpson (Eng) 12/14, 11/1, 7/11,
11/5, 12/10 (83m)
Mohammed Abbas (Egy) bt Mark Krajcsak (Hun)
11/4, 11/6, 11/2 (42m)
Ivan Yuen (Mas) bt Steve Coppinger (Rsa)
7/11, 11/8, 11/2, 11/6 (46m)
Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas) bt Amr Swelim (Ita)
12/10, 12/10, 10/12, 11/7 (74m)
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 KL
Open 2010
15-20 Mar, Kuala Lumpur, $50k |
Round One
17 Mar |
Quarters
18 Mar |
Semis
19 Mar |
Final
20 Mar |
[1] Nicol David (Mas)
11/7, 11/8, 11/2 (37m)
Jaclyn Hawkes (Mzl) |
[1] Nicol David
12/10, 14/12, 11/1 (43m)
[8] Kasey Brown |
[1] Nicol David
11/3, 11/7, 11/5 (35m)
[3] Alison Waters |
[1] Nicol David
11/4, 11/2, 13/11 (31m)
[4] Omneya Abdel Kawy |
[8] Kasey Brown (Aus)
11/6, 11/4, 11/5 (33m)
[Q] Sarah Kippax (Eng) |
[3] Alison Waters (Eng)
7/11, 14/16, 11/3, 11/9, 11/9 (75m)
Delia Arnold (Mas) |
[3] Alison Waters
11/5, 11/2, 8/1, 11/13, 12/10 (60m)
Samantha Teran |
[7] Vanessa Atkinson (Ned)
13/11, 8/11, 11/9, 11/2 (50m)
Samantha Teran (Mex) |
[Q] Donna Urquhart (Aus)
11/7, 6/11, 5/11, 11/6, 11/7 (60m)
[5] Madeline Perry (Irl) |
[5] Madeline Perry
12/10, 7/11, 11/5, 11/7 (40m)
[4] Omneya Abdel Kawy |
[4] Omneya Abdel Kawy
11/3, 11/8, 11/9 (37m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf |
[Q] Rebecca Chiu (Hkg)
9/11, 11/4, 11/4, 11/3 (30m)
[4] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) |
[Q] Raneem El Weleily (Egy)
11/9, 11/1, 0/11, 12/14, 12/10 (44m)
[6] Laura Massaro (Eng) |
[6] Laura Massaro
11/7, 4/11, 10/12, 10/11 rtd (ankle) (66m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf |
Engy Kheirallah (Egy)
4/11, 6/11, 7/11 (27m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) |
15/16 Mar,
Qualifying:
Finals:
Sarah Kippax (Eng) bt Annie
Au (Hkg)
11/9, 11/9, 12/10 (40m)
Rebecca Chiu (Hkg) bt Joey Chan (Hkg)
11/8, 5/11, 8/11, 11/4, 11/6 (42m)
Donna Urquhart (Aus) bt Tania Bailey (Eng) 11/9,
13/11, 9/11, 7/11, 12/10 (49m)
Raneem El Weleily (Egy) bt Aisling Blake (Irl)
11/6, 12/10, 11/4 (27m)
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 19-Mar,
Semis:
Only Nicol survives in KL
Three Malaysians set on on the quest to reach the finals of the KL
Open, but after today's semi-finals at Berjaya Times Square only
Nicol David remains.
The world number one eased past Alison Waters to reach a sixth
successive final in the event, and will face Egypt's Omneya Abdel
Kawy, who scored an upset win over second seed Jenny Duncalf.
The men's final will be between Egyptian top seeds Ramy Ashour
and Karim Darwish, who beat local favourites Ong Beng Hee and
Azlan Iskandar.
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18-Mar, Quarters:
Home hopes still alive in KL
Hopes of an all-Malaysian men's final in the CIMB KL Open were
boosted when both Ong Beng Hee and Azlan Iskandar claimed
impressive upsets to earn unexpected places in the semi-finals.
Eighth seed Ong Beng Hee clawed his way back from two games down
against rising Egyptian star Mohamed El Shorbagy, the 19-year-old
No4 seed. After surviving a dramatic third-game tie-break, the 2008
champion clinched the next two games to record a magnificent 7-11,
8-11, 16-14, 11-4, 11-8 quarter-final victory in 80 minutes.
Beng Hee now faces the event's toughest hurdle in top seed Ramy
Ashour, the world number one from Egypt. But the 22-year-old from
Cairo was fully tested by Pakistan's Aamir Atlas Khan before
overcoming the 19-year-old No7 seed 12-14, 11-3, 11-6, 11-6.
Despite being unseeded, Azlan Iskandar clearly has sights on a
fourth appearance in the final since 2003. The 27-year-old from KL
followed his first round upset over third seed Adrian Grant by
despatching Australia's No5 seed Stewart Boswell 11-1, 11-8, 11-5 in
47 minutes.
Iskandar, winner of the trophy in 2003 and 2006, will now take on
Karim Darwish, the second seed from Egypt who also ousted an
Australian, sixth seed Cameron Pilley, 11-7, 11-7, 11-9.
Malaysia's five times champion Nicol David is on course to reach the
women's final for the tenth time since 1999 after overcoming
determined Australian Kasey Brown in the quarter-finals of the
women's event.
David prevailed only after tie-breaks in the first two games – but
then overwhelmed the No8 seed in the third game to record a 12-10,
14-12, 11-1 victory.
The favourite will now meet England's third seed Alison Waters who,
for the second day in a row, had to survive a tough five-game
encounter before advancing to the last four. On the eve of her 26th
birthday, Waters battled for 60 minutes to quash unseeded Mexican
Samantha Teran 11-5, 11-2, 8-11, 11-13, 12-10.
But second seed Jenny Duncalf had a more surprising journey to the
semi-finals after surviving an all-English clash with Laura Massaro.
Sixth seed Massaro, chasing the first win over her England team-mate
in four years, recovered from a game down to take the next two and
then reach match ball in the fourth.
But the 26-year-old from Preston then rolled over on her ankle and
ultimately had to concede the match to her surprised opponent.
Duncalf will now move on to a meeting with Omneya Abdel Kawy, the
fourth seed from Egypt who beat Ireland's Madeline Perry, the fifth
seed, 12-10, 7-11, 11-5, 11-7.
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17-Mar, Round One:
Massaro Back On Track In KL
England's world No9 Laura Massaro made up for two successive
shock losses earlier this year to Raneem El Weleily when she beat
the rising Egyptian star in the first round of the CIMB KL Open in
the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.
Sixth seed Massaro looked to be in control as she took a two-game
lead over El Weleily, the 21-year-old world No15 from Alexandria.
But the tables turned as the Egyptian, this time a qualifier, took
the next game in a surprise whitewash, then clinched the fourth to
level the match.
The pair battled all the way to a tie-break in the decider before
Massaro's greater experience eventually paid off as the 26-year-old
from Preston secured her 11-9, 11-1, 0-11, 12-14, 12-10 win after 44
minutes.
Massaro will now meet her England team-mate Jenny Duncalf
after the second seed from Harrogate despatched Engy Kheirallah –
also an Egyptian - 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 in just 27 minutes.
Another English seed was also stretched to the limit before claiming
her anticipated place in the last eight. Alison Waters, the
third seed from London, dropped the first two games to Delia Arnold
as the unseeded Malaysian thrilled the partisan crowd with hopes of
a shock upset.
But Waters, the world No5, steadied the ship and clawed back the
advantage before ultimately salvaging the match 7-11, 14-16, 11-3,
11-9, 11-9 after 75 minutes.
There was a surprise in the women's event, however, when unseeded
Mexican Samantha Teran claimed a 13-11, 8-11, 11-9, 11-2
upset over seventh seed Vanessa Atkinson, the world No12 from the
Netherlands. Teran, ranked just a single place below Atkinson, will
now face Waters for a place in the semi-finals.
The KL crowd will be treated to unexpected additional local interest
in the men's quarter-finals after unseeded Azlan Iskandar
pulled off the only upset in the men's event when he ousted
England's No3 seed Adrian Grant, last year's runner-up, in straight
games.
Iskandar, the 27-year-old world No18 from KL who is looking for his
third KL Open title since 2003, crushed Grant 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 in 40
minutes – and will now line up against Australia's Stewart
Boswell for a place in the last four.
Fifth seed Boswell, runner-up in 2007, was responsible for one of
three first round Malaysian defeats when he beat unseeded Muhd
Asyraf Azan 11-4, 11-8, 11-5.
Egypt's world top five players Ramy Ashour and Karim
Darwish took the first step towards their predicted meeting in
the final following straight games victories: Top seed Ashour,
making his first appearance in KL since becoming world number one in
January, beat Malaysian qualifier Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan 11-7, 11-9,
11-7, while second seed Darwish defeated compatriot Ali Anwar Reda
11-6, 11-9, 11-0.
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Kippax Conquers Au In KL Qualifiers
England's Sarah Kippax
produced an impressive upset in the women's qualifying finals in the
CIMB KL Open when she defeated world No16 Annie Au in straight games
to claim an unexpected place in the main draw of the KL Open.
Kippax, the world No23 from Halifax in Yorkshire, battled for 40
minutes to conquer the rising 21-year-old Hong Kong star 11-9, 11-9,
12-10 - and will now line up against Australian Kasey Brown, the No8
seed, in the first round.
There was Hong Kong success in the final qualifying round when
veteran campaigner Rebecca Chiu, the 31-year-old former Asian Games
gold medallist, defeated younger compatriot Joey Chan 11-8, 5-11,
8-11, 11-4, 11-6 to earn a main draw clash with Egypt's fourth seed
Omneya Abdel Kawy.
Egyptian Raneem El Weleily also secured an anticipated place in the
first round when she beat Ireland's Aisling Blake 11-6, 12-10, 11-4
– but the 21-year-old world No15 was then picked to face England's
sixth seed Laura Massaro for the third time this year in a WISPA
event as a qualifier.
Malaysian favourite Nicol David begins her second WISPA Gold
campaign this year when she takes on New Zealand's Jaclyn Hawkes in
the first round. The world number one from Malaysia is bidding to
reach the final for the eighth time since 2002 – then win her sixth
title.
Local hero Nafiizwan Adnan was in impressive form in the final
qualifying round of the men's event - claiming an unexpected place
in the main draw after beating Amr Swelim, the world No43 from
Italy, 12-10, 12-10, 10-12, 11-7 in 74 minutes.
The 23-year-old world No56 from KL will now face favourite Ramy
Ashour, the world number one from Egypt who is competing in the
event for the first time since 2006.
There were two further qualifying winners who added additional
Egyptian interest in the main draw: Omar Abdel Aziz twice came from
behind to beat England's Chris Simpson 12-14, 11-1, 7-11, 11-5,
12-10 in 83 minutes while former world No13 Mohammed Abbas
despatched Hungarian Mark Krajcsak 11-4, 11-6, 11-2 in 42 minutes.
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Nicol David Sets Sights On Six In KL
Malaysia's world number one Nicol David will compete for the
first time on home soil next month when she bids to win her sixth
title at the CIMB KL Open in Kuala Lumpur.
The $53,500 championship, the second WISPA World Tour Gold event of
the year, will get underway at the National Squash Centre in Bukit
Jalil on 17 March, leading to the final on an all-glass court at
Berjaya Times Square – a vast shopping and entertainment centre in
the Malaysian capital - on Saturday 20 March.
David, 26, from Penang, is enjoying a remarkable career since
topping the women's world rankings uninterrupted for the past 43
months. Indeed, aged just 15, David reached the second Tour final of
her career at the KL Open in July 1999 – since when she has made the
final on nine occasions, winning her nation's prestigious title a
total of five times.
But the Malaysian star's title bid last year came to a shock end
when she was beaten by US rival Natalie Grainger in a
dramatic five-game final.
David is seeded to reclaim the title – in the absence of world No6
Grainger who is still recovering from injury.
But there will be stiff competition in the star-studded field - none
more so than from Jenny Duncalf, the second seed from England
who twice beat the Penangite in successive events at the end of last
year.
David will hope to be in the opposite half from England's Alison
Waters, the third seed who is undefeated so far this year after
winning two successive WISPA titles at the Harrow Greenwich Open and
Burning River Classic in the USA – then returning home to beat
higher-ranked Duncalf in the British National Championship final
last week.
Egypt's title bid is led by long-time David rival Omneya Abdel
Kawy, the fourth seed from Cairo who has reached four Tour
finals in as many months. |
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