Women's Hong Kong First Round Report by Howard Harding
photos courtesy Steve Cubbins
December 3, 2013
- English qualifier Emma Beddoes pulled off one of the biggest wins of
her career when she beat sixth seed Low Wee Wern in today's opening
round of the Women's Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong
Open, the WSA World Series Gold squash event at the Hong Kong Squash
Centre.
Despite the 17 world
ranking positions which separate the pair, Beddoes and Wee Wern have
endured five-game battles in all three of their previous Tour
encounters, with the world No8 from Malaysia going into today's match
2/1 ahead.
And 23-year-old Wee
Wern took the opening two games, before the plucky 28-year-old from
Nottingham began to take the upper hand before closing out the match
8-11, 12-14, 11-3, 11-8, 11-5 in 72 minutes.
"She is such a
talented fighter, and we always have tough battles," admitted Beddoes
(pictured above with Low, foreground) to www.squashsite.com later. "And
on such a cold court, it was all about who would take the initiative,
although the rallies were very long.
"But I knew it was there. I had been playing well lately - I was waiting for a good result on the WSA. And here it is.
"I'm really proud
actually, coming back from 2/0 down against a top 10 player, really
proud. And I'm also very happy I have a day off tomorrow!"
Egypt's Nour El Tayeb
also recorded an impressive upset when she defeated India's in-form
14th seed Dipika Pallikal 15-13, 11-6, 11-2.
"I'm happy with my
performance, because I've been training very hard, and the hard work is
paying off," said the jubilant 20-year-old from Cairo afterwards.
"Beating Dipika is very important for me, because she's had some really
great results lately, and it's even sweeter because it's my first time
ever in Hong Kong!"
But it was 12th seed
Annie Au who produced the day's most popular win when she overcame
Egyptian qualifier Yathreb Adel. But the 24-year-old Hong Kong number
one was taken the full distance before finally seeing off the
17-year-old from Cairo 11-9, 7-11, 11-8, 4-11, 11-2 in 68 minutes.
Au, the world No16 (pictured above with Adel) now faces Beddoes for a place in the quarter-finals.
After a shock first
round exit in the 2012 championship, England's world No2 Laura Massaro
earned a confidence-boosting opening round victory today when she beat
French qualifier Coline Aumard 11-2, 11-8, 11-9.
In her tenth
successive appearance in the event, the No2 seed will now face
Australian veteran Rachael Grinham, the 13th seed and former champion
who has played in all 12 events since 2001! The 36-year-old
Queenslander defeated 17-year-old Egyptian qualifier Salma Hany Ibrahim
11-9, 13-11, 11-5.
RESULTS: Women's Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong