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Friday 20th, Day FIVE, Quarters:
[4] Natalie Grainger (Usa) bt
[6] Alison Waters (Eng)
11/9, 11/7, 11/5 (25m)
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [7]
Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy)
11/5, 11/3 rtd (14m)
[8] Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt [4]
Ramy Ashour (Egy)
11/8, 8/11, 11/8, 6/2 rtd (43m)
[1] Amr Shabana (Egy) bt [6] Karim
Darwish (Egy)
11/9, 6/11, 11/6, 11/7 (51m)
[3] Rachael Grinham
(Aus) bt [14] Isabelle Stoehr (Fra)
11/7, 12/10, 11/8 (27m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt
[5] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) 11/8, 11/9, 4/11, 12/14, 12/10 (69m)
[3] James Willstrop (Eng) bt
Cameron Pilley (Aus)
11/5, 11/8, 11/6 (39m)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt
[5] David Palmer (Aus)
11/3, 11/7, 6/3 rtd (26m)
Injuries abound in Hong Kong Quarters
While there was only one results against the seedings, three of
the matches were cut short by injury at Hong Kong Squash Centre.
The biggest casualty was men's world champion Ramy Ashour,
who retired when looking to be on the verge of defeat against
France's Thierry Lincou, while women's world champion
Nicol David benefitted from injury to another Egyptian,
Omneya Abdel Kawy. The third retirement came in the final
match of the day when David Palmer was unable to continue
against second seed Gregory Gaultier.
Match of the day was a thrilling five-game battle between
Natalie Grinham and Jenny Duncalf, with the Dutch
second seed seeing a two-game lead disappear before thwarting
her English opponent 12/10 in the fifth.
So, seven of the semi-finalists are as predicted by the seedings,
with the event moving to the all-glass court on Hong Kong
harbour from Saturday evening ...
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[4]
Natalie Grainger (Usa) bt [6]
Alison Waters (Eng)
11/9, 11/7, 11/5 (25m)
Grainger powers into semis
Malcolm reports
Natalie Grainger became the first quarter-finalist to book her
place on the all-glass court tomorrow in Hong Kong harbour when
she saw off Alison Waters with a degree of comfort.
It hadn't looked like that when Waters stormed into a 5/1 lead
in the first game, and indeed Grainger, warming to the task more
gradually, onlt led for the first time at 10/9. One game ball
was enough.
It didn't necessarily look like it, but Waters must have felt
that the first game could and should have been hers, and it was
Grainger, in full flow now and moving well, whose facile racket
skills took over. She soon led clear and although Waters
recovered from 4/10 to 7/10 it was Grainger who took a 2/0 lead.
When she is moving well she is almost guaranteed to play well
and for Waters there was no way back as her opponent advanced to
10/3 in the third without too much resistance. It was all over
at 11/5 and although Waters had had a much harder match in the
last 16, that did not appear to affect matters.
Unlike the other three courts on which matches have been played,
the Centre Court does take a shot and there was no shortage of
attacking intent, a reflection not only of the court but on 11
scoring, which has already transformed the entertainment value
of the women's game.
I didn't see any of the large crowd leave before the end, a
common state of affairs when traditional scoring was the rule.
Thank heavens!
 "When
I saw your pink parchemina in the corner, I thought that I
needed to be as flamboyant as the French!!!!!! And I immediately
thought, I’ve got to be as bright today as that colour… I
thought it was going to be a lovely day….
"I was trying to best to take the ball early, and I worked hard
to make it past her. I was quick today, I was moving well, I was
focused. I really took the ball as soon as I possibly could, and
tried and sent it in the four corners, and tried to do something
good with it…
"I had so much fun today, I felt like Ramy! I’m enjoying his
squash so much, his squash is actually affecting me…"
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"She
kind of dominated from the first rally. I still had my chances
in the first game, I was up 5/1 then 8/5, but just didn’t do
enough there. And I think I needed that game to get into it.
"After that, she kept controlling the middle, and I didn’t play
the game I needed to play to prevent that, couldn’t find a good
length, everything was stopping in the middle, and that was the
key really. When I got that right, I felt more in the game, but
I was too often too short."
Alison Waters
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[1]
Nicol David (Mas) bt [7] Omneya
Abdel Kawy (Egy)
11/5, 11/3 rtd (14m)
“SILLY” OMNEYA…
Framboise reports
Must be something in the Egyptian water, as I constantly see
Egyptian players, both boys and girls, keeping on playing with
bad injuries (and a few others as well, mind you). We are not talking a little niggle that can be contained
and that all athletes have at one moment of their career or
another.
No, we are talking real serious ones – Ramy at the British Open
who virtually couldn’t move and still played two rounds, Shabana
and his wrist in Cairo this summer, Abbas most of last year,
Wael on this one, etc. And now Omneya, who has been suffering
from her abductors for about a month now, and still went on
playing, training and competing…
She’s been at the physio every day since she’s arrived here, and
this morning again. And all her mates told her not to play… Did
she listen? Nope… As if you could beat Nicol on one leg… Yeah
right…
 Omneya
did hit the ball as she always does, hard and so close to the
tin, but just couldn’t race after the World Number one’s deep
shots, and found herself constantly on the back foot. After
fighting as hard as she could in the first game, she had to let
the second go, and quite rightly, conceded the match before
coming back on court for the third.
I wish her a prompt recovery, and a bit more BRAIN… I know there
is a lot at stake, points, money, etc. But guys, come on, if you
are injured and still play, you’re bound to compensate one way
or another, and most probably will damage something else as well
as making the initial injury worse… For what? Your body is your
career, your future, and your banker…. |
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[8]
Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt [4]
Ramy Ashour (Egy)
11/8, 8/11, 11/8,
6/2 rtd (43m)
Ramy falls to Thierry again
Malcolm reports
Thierry Lincou, clearly comfortable in Hong Kong, had looked in
good form in the early rounds, perhaps more impressive than
world champion Ramy Ashour had in his match with Alister Walker,
entertaining affair though that was was.
The Frenchman began well, reversing his usual trend and Ashour
was playing catchup in all three of the completed games. He was
only able to catch up once, in the second, and at one-all the
match was anybody's.
But Lincou continued to move well and play with his trademark
precision, and Ashour could not make up another deficit in the
third.
 Again Lincou was a way in the fourth and at 6/3 down Ashour
conceded, just as countryman Wael El Hindi had done in the first
round against Cameron Pilley. With Hisham Ashour also struggling
with injury, the Egyptians are having a hard time.
It was a sad end to a thoroughly watchable match and Ashour's
retirement should not detract from Lincou's performance. He will
play Amr Shabana in the semi-final and will be hard to beat.
It is to be hoped that Ashour's injury problems are resolved -
the game of squash needs him as much as he needs the game.
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MY IMPRESSIONS…
 Ramy’s
got a few latent injuries. The one on his hamstring that he’s
had now for several months seems to come and go. He was told he
was clear, but was he really? Then he’s got the one on his foot,
his ankle that he needs to be careful of, a bit like James I
suspect.
But the problem is confidence. Ramy is an instinctive player. He
cannot analyse or really plan a match, he needs to feel it, feel
the court, his opponent’s mood and move, the court, the
conditions. And from all those elements, usually at the end of
the first game and the start of the second, he’ll spread his
spider web and slowly imprisoned his opponent.
But he was obviously worried about his injuries and was not
relaxed with his shots. And Thierry made sure it stayed
that way. Because the Frenchman has found a new youth since the
Worlds and to be honest, I haven’t seen him play so well, so
relaxed, I haven’t seen him having so much fun on the court for
months, maybe years….
His precision at the back has become his trademark, of course,
but he has now added more presence at the front, volleying more,
and cutting the rallies a bit shorter than he used to do – well,
he ain’t a spring chicken no more, is he – but still keeping the
accuracy at the back to give him a territorial ascendancy.
Today, against a Legend Ramy in turmoil, it worked yet again
like it did in Qatar only days ago. And when at 5/2, Thierry
found yet again a great backhand drop shot that Ramy couldn’t
reach, the Egyptian walked to pick up the ball, but as he went
to pick it up, it was like something snapped. He held the back
of his leg for a minute, and we knew…
He still received the next serve, but had a terrible grim of a
sad smile, went to shake Thierry’s hand, and walked off court.
His long painful and heartbreaking journey to get injury free
isn’t over yet…
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 "It
was a question of starting to step forward again, to be more
aggressive volley wise, to hit harder, to take the ball earlier…
"In fact, after Manchester, we realised that I was not causing
enough problems to my opponents anymore, and that I needed to
increase more pace and precision. And on top of that, that’s
when I’m enjoying my squash…
"Tactically, I was keen on avoiding any loose ball in the
middle, because as far as middle of the court coverage and
control of the T, you can’t find better than Ramy, so, I was
making all the efforts possible to sending the ball deep. And of
course, I tried and took the opportunity as soon as I could.
"When I got on court today, I thought that it would be good to
beat him again, to confirm the first result. I just didn’t want
to be content with having beaten him once. I did my best to
implement my squash, now, maybe he was injured, I don’t know…"
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[3]
Rachael Grinham (Aus) bt [14]
Isabelle Stoehr (Fra)
11/7, 12/10, 11/8 (27m)
RACHAEL THE ARTIST…
Framboise reports
Yes, you’ll read the quote from Isabelle and realise that she’s
injured and couldn’t use her right leg properly, which obviously
had to have an impact of the match.
 But
I’m going to take risks here, and declare that Rachael’s style
of squash is probably my favourite of all the ladies out there
at the moment. Of course I appreciate the others too, but she is
just an artist with the ball, the way she holds it until the
last minute, waiting till her opponent has committed so much
that she cannot change course, the way she caresses her volley
backhand drop shots, the way her lobs just die of a sudden death
right in the corner… Incredibly accurate and entertaining.
The crowd loved that match. Between Isabelle's great shots and
determination that kept her chasing the ball all around the
court despite her handicap, and Rachael's delicate and clever
game, both mixing short balls with great lobs, they were happy
to have bought their tickets.
And by the way, for the first time ever, you’ll be glad to know
that despite the credit crunch, the day was actually sold out.
If you knew how ferociously I had to defend my seat….
Isa finished the match extremely frustrated and close to tears.
But she cannot be disappointed with her performance, especially
in those circunstances.
 "I
didn’t play too badly from a tactical point of view, I did my
best to keep her at the back, she is so fast at the front, and
counter attacks so well. I needed to keep the pressure and push
her in the back.
"I’m a bit frustrated, because I couldn’t use my right leg to
push out or anything.
"When I arrived in Hong Kong, I had a hit and felt like a sharp
pain in the hamstring. So I had treatment with the physio, and
after that, it hold in my first match against Suzie, I
didn't feel anything at all against Vanessa.
"This morning, during practice, the pain came back, but after
treatment, was gone again, till the second rally of the match,
where I could
feel the sharp pain coming back… So I told myself to
get on with it, but I got really tense trying to fight the pain.
"Oh well, I really fought until the end with what I had in stock
today, it’s a bit frustrating cause I thought I nearly had a
chance on one leg. I wish I could have use the two of them…
I'm going to go back to Paris now and had it looked at. I'm only
hoping it will be ok for the Team Worlds in Egypt next week."
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 "At
first, I was lucky that she made a few errors, and again in the
second game, it was so close, I think it could have been the
turning point had she taken the game.
"I really could see her
coming back firing and relaxed after taking the game. It could
have definitely changed the structure of the match…
"Isabelle is a very dangerous player, you really have to stretch
her and move her, because she can really do something with the
ball…
"I’m feeling good again, I had a bad patch, and also the change
of scoring didn’t help. I really didn’t know where to stand on
that, and I found that I was too hesitant to attack.
But now, I
seem to find the right balance…."
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"That was close and competitive all the way, it's frustrating to
play well, come so close and end up losing.
"I spent the first game getting used to the court, but I enjoyed
it on there, much more than the other courts.
"I thought I played well, and I'm pleased to have come back from
two down. I really wanted the second, that would have been a
good platform for me.
"I was determined to take the third, there was no way I was
going to come off three-nil, I told myself I just had to dig in
for the next half an hour or so.
"Having put all my effort and come back well I thought, it's
disappointing to lose out in the end, she got a couple of lucky
breaks at the death.
"Still it was a good game, we both played well and I hope the
crowd enjoyed it ..."
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[2]
Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt [5]
Jenny Duncalf (Eng)
11/8, 11/9, 4/11, 12/14,
12/10 (69m)
Nothing in it
Steve reports
With one Grinham sister already through, Natalie made it a
family double in the semi-finals with a victory over Jenny
Duncalf that was every bit as exciting as Rachael's win, but
completely different in style.
If Rachael's match owed much to chaos theory, with two skilled
racket players unafraid to try their arm, then Natalie's was
full of long, well constructed rallies, and in the end it all
came down to a few crucial points that went one way or the other
- it could all have been so different.
Natalie took an early lead in the first and although Jenny
closed the gap, at 10/8 they traded service return winners and
the Dutchwoman was one up.
 In
the second Jenny slowly began to boss the rallies, though never
enough to break clear as Natalie, being moved from corner to
corner, hung in and never let her opponent escape. At 9-all
Jenny tinned an easy drop, Natalie fired in a low crosscourt and
and Jenny was two games down.
That's never a nice place to be, especially when it's been
pretty even going, but Jenny responded well and took the third
convincingly, the only game of the match that wasn't close.
The fourth was an epic, both playing well, moving well, thinking
well, rallying well, and the crowd were enjoying it all. Natalie
led 5/1 but Jenny, playing very patiently, levelled at 6-all.
7-all, 8-all, 9-all ... match ball for Natalie as she fired in
another low crosscourt, but that was her only chance this game
as Jenny saved it, earned game balls of her own and on the final
one Natalie went for a drop only to hit the ball back into
herself. Two-all ...
Again in the fifth, nothing in it. From 6-all Natalie kept her
nose in front, got another two match balls at 10/8. A tin and a
stroke saw Jenny level again, but another stroke gave Natalie
another chance.
At the end of a rare short rally Natalie glued a drive down the
forehand side, Jenny just couldn't scrape it off the wall, and
we had another all-Grinham matchup ...
 "I
felt good out there today, definitely better than yesterday.
"I thought we both played well, there were very few unforced
errors and it was just down to a couple of lucky bounces that
went either way, we both got some.
"It was a tough match, very clean, and that's the best I've
played for a while.
"She's really matured as a player, she doesn't make runs of
mistakes any more and if you give her opportunities she's very
dangerous.
"I hope I can move tomorrow, I can already feel my calves
tightening up after that!"
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"In Qatar I was too contented with
life, I lost my fighting spirit that normally drives me to win. I was too laid
back, and I paid the price.
"So today I was back in challenging mode, and I think I played
extremely well, although there is always room for improvement.
"Karim has always been a top player, I’ve known him since he was
10 years old, and he is one of the best athletes I know. You
need to be 100% to beat him, and I think we were unlucky to play
each other in the quarters, because his results lately are quite
amazing."
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[1]
Amr Shabana (Egy) bt [6] Karim
Darwish (Egy)
11/9, 6/11, 11/6, 11/7 (51m)
Shabana in his element
Malcolm reports
It may seem odd that for someone who has achieved so much, world
number one Amr Shabana had much to prove in his quarter-final
with new world number two Karim Darwish.
Nit having retained his world title in Manchester, having lost
3/0 to Darwish in the Qatar Classic final and with his win here
last year to replace, the pressure appeared to be on.
 There
were not too many signs of that, though, as both players worked
the ball accurately, looking for attacking options. The approach
play was at such a high level that those opportunities were few
and far between.
Shabana won the first 11/9 on a fortuitous back wall nick;
Darwish levelled at one-all, but as the match opened up Shabana
became increasingly effective and in truth he did not look like
losing the third or the fourth, as his shots became more and
more telling.
So at 3/1 he reached the semi-finals in Hong Kong, where he has
such a fine record. It is understandable, but at the same time
remarkable, that players thrive at certain venues, usually where
they have been successful.
Both Shabana and Lincou are in their element here, so a
memorable semi-final can be expected. |
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[3]
James Willstrop (Eng) bt
Cameron Pilley (Aus)
11/5, 11/8, 11/6 (39m)
Willstrop eases through
Malcolm reports
James Willstrop will be pleased to be back on course, as he
reached the semi-finals with a 3/0 win over Cameron Pilley. The
match was always contested but the outcome was never seriously
in doubt, as Willstrop led early in each of the three games.
Two of, if not the, tallest men on the tour, they both moved
well and as is usual when they meet there was scarcely a let.
Pilley, who had done well to reach the quarter-finals - his
first at Super Series level - competed at all times, but
Willstrop always seemed in control, sustaining the quality of
his basic play throughout.
As the match unfolded, despite one or two marginal unforced
errors, Willstrop was able increasingly to open up the court,
and will now meet Gregory Gaultier in the semi-finals.
 "I
think he played, euh…. VERY WELL!!!!
"I was a bit more loose than I was yesterday, my length was
nowhere as good, and he took advantage of it, and made me work
every corner of the court…
"I was actually feeling ok before the match… And afterwards, you
always think, oh, I could have done this better, or that. But I
guess that I could have tightening it, and give him less shots
for play with, but when it’s actually happening, it’s hard to
think that quickly on court sometimes…
"I think I’m really improving at the moment, I know there are
still a couple of little things I kneed to get right, but I’m
getting some tough matches with top ten guys. So at least, I
know I’m doing something right…"
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"I hope it doesn’t
flare up, it’s just a question of confidence I think, I don’t
feel anything bad, so everything is good at the moment, nothing
affects me…
"I’ve got to move well and quickly to the front to be able to
compete with a player as fast as Cameron.
"For some reason, the deep balls seem to work for me on that
court – they did with Abbas. Cameron is one of those gifted and
talented players who possesses some great shots at the front. So
I had to make sure I’d bury him at the back and put him under
pressure for him to break down and prevent him to play those
shots.
"From the first day of the qualifiers, the atmosphere has been
great here, there are a lot of people that seem to be enjoying
themselves, and it’s fun for us to be here….
"When you see how fragile the body is, that so many players are
falling down with injuries at the moment, there’s a great
feeling of elation when you are fit and injury free, you feel
privileged really. I’m so happy to play squash and compete. I
don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t do that…
"And I’m so excited about tomorrow’s match ..."
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[2]
Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [5]
David Palmer (Aus)
11/3, 11/7, 6/3 rtd (26m)
DAVID NOT WELL
Framboise reports
If it was not so tragic, I would describe the day as “all
falling like flies”. After Omneya, Ramy, Isabelle, with James
still uncertain and taking it match by match, it was to David’s
turn to fall…
The Marine is not one to complain or find excuses, and although
he’s been quite poorly since last night after his match, with a
bit of a chest infection, but most of all, pins and needles in
his legs, with real numbness in the right leg, he didn’t say
anything to anybody but Cameron. And he went on court….
Immediately we noticed something was terribly wrong. Tinning
shot after shot, David's face was white and he had dark circles
under the eyes. And what was the most characteristic was the
fact that Greg was able to score off so many returns of serves.
The Australian just couldn’t push on his legs..
He still ran like a lunatic, and Greg did really well not to
lose his focus and concentration, as everybody knows how hard it
is to stay in a match against somebody unwell.
But as much as David is strong minded, his body finally cracked
up in the middle of the third, as he was having more and more
trouble moving around the court. He stopped the carnage, and
threw in the towel.
My humble opinion is that he may have flown from the States one
or two days too late, and that the length of the flight may have
affected his blood circulation. I’m sure that it’s nothing bad,
and that a few days rest will sort everything out. I’ll keep you
posted… |
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Friday 21st, Day FIVE, Quarters:
Preview from Malcolm Willstrop
Surprisingly, of the competitive last sixteen matches 11 were
won in straight games. Three 3/2 matches were all women's -
Natalie Grinham beating Madeline Perry was one and the other two
were the all-England clashes in which Alison Waters edged out
Laura Lengthorn-Massaro 12/10 in the fifth and Jenny Duncalf
beat Tania Bailey.
The rest were straightforward enough, though Isabelle Stoehr
will feel well pleased to beat Vanessa Atkinson 3/1, the only
women's seed to fall.
One top eight seed missed out in the men's and that was a
surprise, as consistent Nick Matthew lost to the recently
not-too-consistent Cameron Pilley. The rest were all comfortable
and matches that promised much yielded little.
Peter Barker never go started against the man in form Karim
Darwish, whose confidence must be at an all-time high. There has
never been much doubt about his ability.
Alister Walker resisted throughout the best of the men's matches
against world champion Ramy Ashour, losing two games on
tiebreaks and deserving of better than a 3/0 scoreline.
Gregory Gaultier, David Palmer, James Willstrop and Thierry
Lincou all won easily and world number one Amr Shabana dropped a
game to Stewart Boswell.
So, to the quarter-finals.
Shabana and Darwish - the world #1 and #2 - will play a repeat
of the recent Qatar Classic final where Shabana went under
easily. He has a score to settle, whereas Darwish will want to
consolidate his newly-gained status. Some quarter-final!
Ashour also has a rematch from Qatar with Lincou, who has looked
sharp enough to pose a threat. He likes it in Hong Kong and has
strong local support.
Willstrop seems to be recovering from his foot injury and has
hit the ball well here. He will prefer playing Pilley to
Matthew, as fellow countrymen always prefer to play opponents
from other nations. Pilley will be thrilled to make a first
Super Series quarter-final quarter-final from a group containing
Matthew and Wael El Hindi. He is a skilled operator and has a
golden opportunity to prove himself.
The Palmer v Gaultier match will not be lightweight. Palmer
continues to perform despite his move to America, and Gaultier
has had a couple of reverses which he will be eager to clean out
of his system.
As usual it is a fascinating lineup and it would be a surprise
if the wins were to be as easily gained as yesterday's.
Whereas the men's event is far from clear cut, most will expect
Nicol David to continue her winning ways. She plays Omneya Abdel
Kawy.
Natalie Grinham and Jenny Duncalf both had five setters, so on
that score it looks a level playing field. Both will recall
their World Championship match, I am sure.
Isabelle Stoehr will take on Rachael Grinham and Natalie
Grainger may benefit from having won her last match more easily
than Alison Waters
All sixteen have much to play for and are a blend of older and
younger which makes an exciting prospect even more attractive.
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