25-Aug:
Forexx Dutch
Open Boasts
World Class Line-Up
Malaysia's world number one Nicol David and England's
world number three James Willstrop head the strong fields
in the Forexx Dutch Open Squash 2008 - boasting a total
prize fund of US $83,500 - which will take place at the Frans
Otten Stadion in Amsterdam from September
02-07.
The women’s draw is represented by the sport's best players -
led by Amsterdam-based Nicol David, a double World Champion. The
25-year old from Penang, who recently won both the Malaysian
Open and the Singapore Masters, starts her Forexx Dutch Open
campaign with a first round match against Isabelle Stoehr
from France, who scraped into the main draw after the late
withdrawal of England's world number six Tania Bailey
with a recurring knee injury.
David’s long time rival Natalie Grinham, the world number
two, is seeded second in her first attempt to win a major WISPA
tournament in the Netherlands as a Dutch player. The former
Australian, who has been competing under
the
Dutch flag since March this year, faces a
qualifier in her opening match with the prospect of meeting her
‘new’ compatriot Vanessa Atkinson in the quarter finals.
Atkinson, the
former world number one and World Champion,
also takes on a qualifier in the first round. The third and
fourth seeding positions are held by two previous world number
ones, reigning World Champion Rachael Grinham from
Australia and America’s Natalie Grainger.
Leading the men’s draw is the in-form Willstrop. The 25-year old
Englishman, whose remarkable run of results during the end of
2007 and the first six months of 2008 saw him shoot up the
rankings to his current position of number three, faces a
qualifier in round one - and is scheduled to meet 18-year old
Aamir Atlas Khan in the quarter finals. The Pakistani, who
finished runner-up at last month’s World Junior Championship,
exploded onto the senior tour in the last twelve months and is
drawn against Dutch
wildcard Piedro
Schweertman in the first round.
Local interest in the men’s draw of the Forexx Dutch Open is led
by current Dutch National Champion Laurens Jan Anjema.
The 25-year old, who is desperately seeking the open title, will
have to do it the hard way though. Anjema is seeded third and is
drawn to meet top seed Willstrop in the semi-finals, but the
world number fifteen must first overcome tough opposition to
reach the last four. Anjema faces a qualifier in his first match
and is scheduled to meet the hard-hitting and experienced former
world number one Scot John White
in the quarter-finals.
English ace Nick Matthew makes a welcome return to
international competition after a shoulder operation kept him
off court for eight months. The former British Open Champion and
current world number seven plays South African’s Jesse
Engelbrecht in his opening match. If successful, Matthew
will face either Dutch number two Dylan Bennett or
seventh-seeded Columbian Miguel Angel Rodriguez in the
quarter finals.
Tournament promoter Tommy Berden is excited by the
support of the world's best players:
"We are very happy with the entries we secured. Naturally we
would have liked it better if Natalie (Grinham) and Vanessa
(Atkinson) were drawn in opposite sides of the draw, but it
ensures that home interest will be high from early on.
"There will be plenty of top matches from the start and we can
look forward to an exciting week of squash," said the former
four-time Dutch Champion and world number 22.
Women’s 1st round
draw:
[1] Nicol
David (MAS) v Isabelle Stoehr (FRA)
[6] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) v Rebecca Chiu (HKG)
[4] Natalie Grainger (USA) v Madeline Perry (IRL)
[5] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v Qualifier
[8] Alison Waters (ENG) v Kasey Brown (AUS)
[3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v Qualifier
[7] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) v Qualifier
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) v Qualifier
Full
draw with timings & qualifiers
Men’s draw 1st
round draw:
[1] James Willstrop (ENG) v Qualifier
[6] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) v Piedro Schweertman (NED)
[3] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Qualifier
[5] John White (SCO) v Qualifier
[8] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) v Qualifier
[4] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND)
[7] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) v Dylan Bennett (NED)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Jesse Engelbrecht (RSA)
Full
draw with timings & qualifiers
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