El Weleily Beats Pallikal In Five, As Women's 2nd Round Play Heats Up
by Steve Cubbins
photo courtesy Steve Cubbins
May 16, 2012 - On paper it may not have been an upset that seventh seed Annie Au beat wildcard Alison Waters, but the former world number three has shown great form in her comeback from an extended injury layoff, and when she took the first two games 11/9, 11/7, no-one was particularly surprised.
But the Hong Kong girl fought back, finding the drop and cut winners she likes so much, aided by the cood court, and occasional errors from Waters didn't help her own cause. Au levelled 11/9, 11/9, then took a good start to the fifth which Waters couldn't close down as a delighted Annie went through to the quarter-finals.
It became two five game wins in a row for 16-year-old Nour El Sherbini as the Egyptian made the quarter-finals with an up and dow performance to beat fourth seed Madeline Perry. Sherbini was well on top in the first game, putting in dropshots and cutting away volleys almost at will as she took it 11/6.
But Perry, over twice her opponent's age, stepped up the pace noticeable from the outset of the second, pinned her opponent to the back of the court and maintained control over the next two games to take the lead 11/5, 11/4.
But it turned out to be a game of three thirds as Sherbini found her shots again from he beginning of the fourth and kept playing them for the next two games, not allowing Perry the opportunity to dominate as she had done for two games. Leads of 5/1 in the fourth and 7/1 in the fifth were converted 11/3 and 11/5 and Sherbini was in the quarters.
Raneem El Weleily started the evening session with another Egyptian win, coming through an up and down encounter where she and Dipika Pallikal each scored runs of points to finally triumph in five, 11/4, 8/11, 11/4, 7/11, 11/7 (51m).
England's Jenny Duncalf also had a bit of an up and down evening, although in her case it was more up than down as she beat Australian Donna Urquhart in four games.
Dominating the first 11/2, Duncalf went 6/2 up in the second before Urquhart found any sort of rhythm, but once she did, the Aussie battled away as she does and took the game 13/11. Duncalf resumed control in the third, taking it 11/4, failed to re-establish that control in the fourth, but still managed to save two game balls before taking it 12/10 much to her own relief.
[7] Annie Au (Hkg) bt Alison Waters (Eng) 9/11, 7/11, 11/9, 11/9, 11/7 (59m)
[16] Nour El Sherbini (Egy) bt [4] Madeline Perry (Irl) 11/6, 4/11, 5/11, 11/3, 11/5 (45m)
[5] Raneem El Weleily (Egy) bt [14] Dipika Pallikal (Ind) 11/4, 8/11, 11/4, 7/11, 11/7 (51m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt [15] Donna Urquhart (Aus) 11/2, 11/13, 11/4, 12/10 (45m)
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