Kippax Crowned CourtCare WSA Champion In Chorley by Howard Harding April 21, 2014
- England's world squash champion Laura Massaro crowned her national
team-mate Sarah Kippax the Women's CourtCare Open champion after the
world No22 survived a five-game final to win the Women's Squash
Association World Tour event promoted by Massaro at her home club in
Chorley, Lancashire.
Massaro, who became
England's first women's world champion for 15 years in March, launched
the WSA Tour 10 event last year with her brother Chris Lengthorn, Head
Coach at the Manchester National Squash Centre.
This year's
championship, which attracted players from eight nations to the David
Lloyd Chorley club, reached an all-English climax between second seed
Kippax and favourite Sarah-Jane Perry, the world No18 from Kenilworth.
In a dramatic final,
30-year-old Chester-born Kippax (pictured above, right, with Perry)
twice came from behind to overcome Perry 8-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-4, 11-7 -
beating her higher-ranked 23-year-old opponent for the first time in
four Tour meetings.
"Very proud to be the
@CourtCareSquash champion 2014!" Kippax later told her Twitter
followers. "Thanks to @ljmassaro & @lengthorn86 for organising a
top class event!"
At the presentations,
the Halifax-based champion told the crowd that she would be celebrating
by eating some chocolate on Easter Sunday and having dinner with family!
"I'm really pleased
with how I played during the week - staying at home and playing in the
UK really helped me," explained Kippax. "Thanks to all the sponsors -
it was a great atmosphere throughout the week."
Massaro can now look
forward to resuming her own playing career: "It's been a great
experience running this event with my brother," said the world No2.
"It's nice to give something back to the Tour and have the girls
playing at my home club.
"I've really enjoyed
my week as promoter - but I am ready to get my playing head back on
after watching all the squash this week!"
RESULTS: Women's CourtCare Open, Chorley, Lancashire, England
