Pallikal And Khan Cruise Into Dread WISPA Semis
by David Keating
October 14, 2011 - Top seeds Dipika Pallikal and Latasha Khan continued their march through the draw, allowing just 27 points between them in a pair of 3-0 wins. Both appear to be at the top of their game and overwhelming favorites for the final on Sunday.
England’s Sarah-Jane Perry again played a drama-filled match, this time beating #7 seed Tesni Evans of Wales. The four-game match, with two tie breakers, went on for an exhausting 61 minutes. Neither player was able to build more than a three point lead at any time during the match.
Evans will celebrate her 19th birthday Saturday, and she shows real promise as she begins her pro career. Perry towered a good eight inches over her, and partially as a result the match was filled with lets and Evans struggled to move around her opponent. After having time to reflect on the match, she said “I played quite well, but I could have moved her around the court more.” Her next stop, along with many of the players here this weekend, is the World Open in Rotterdam that begins later this month.
“I don’t do boring squash” matches, remarked Perry after recovering from her marathon match. Perry notched her first semifinals in a $8K+ WISPA, just three months after turning pro. Perry seems to find an extra shot of adrenaline when she needs it. She will need that and more when she takes on #2 Latasha Khan in the semis.
Hometown favorite Results, The Gym squash pro Larissa Stephenson, a qualifier, continued to impress, knocking out Canada’s Alix Younger in a four game match that lasted just 27 minutes. It’s Stephenson’s first WISPA semifinals, which delighted the appreciative and supportive home crowd. After coming out strong, Stephenson dropped the second game. With coaching from fellow club pro Brian O’Hora, she decided to focus “on keeping [Younger] behind her. I lost my length in game two, but recovered it and aimed at playing it straighter and showing more patience.”
Pallikal dispatched Sara Cardwell easily, which is remarkable as Cardwell is clearly highly skilled player who covers the court well. She praised Pallikal, saying “she has such an ability to hit it wherever she wants. She made me look like a turtle,” who in this case had no chance of overtaking the hare.
Quarterfinal Results: WISPA $12k Dread Series 2 - Washington, DC
Sarah-Jane Perry beat Tesni Evans (10),9,9,12 - 61 mins
Dipika Pallikal beat Sarah Cardwell 4,3,6 - 27 mins
Latasha Khan beat Kristen Lange 5,6, 3 - 21 mins
Larissa Stephenson beat Alix Younger 5,(7),5,8 - 27 mins
The tournament is sponsored by Squash on Fire, Gould Property Company, The SportsClub/LA and I.C.E. Physical Therapy.
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