Fiery Fernandes Makes Malaysian Open Last 16 by Howard Harding 11 September 2013
- Guyana qualifier Nicolette Fernandes produced the biggest upset in
today's opening day of main draw action in the Women's CIMB Malaysian
Open Squash Championship in Kuala Lumpur when she dismissed Australia's
15th seed Donna Urquhart to secure an unexpected place in the last 16
of the third WSA World Series event of the year at the Bukit Jalil
National Squash Centre.
The Toronto-born
30-year-old - who celebrated a career-high world No23 ranking this
month - beat left-hander Urquhart (pictured above, right, with
Fernandes), currently ranked only five places higher, 11-3, 11-7, 11-8
in 31 minutes.
"I've had a great few
months at home training with my coach, Carl Ince," said the jubilant
Fernandes after one of the best wins of her career. "It was nice to end
the summer with the Caribbean Championships being held at home and the
team doing so well!
"Since then I've been
in England working with David Pearson. Carl and David complement each
other so all in all it's been a great off season. This is my first
tournament back so I'm just really excited to play tournaments now!
"Today I played three solid games - it was good to get back into it after at the start of the season."
Fernandes, making her
maiden appearance in the Malaysian Open, now plays Laura Massaro, the
world No2 from England. Massaro, playing in her first Tour event since
May when she became the first English winner of the British Open since
1991, defeated US qualifier Latasha Khan 11-5, 11-5, 11-6.
"The last time I lost to Laura - so this time I want to do better and we will see what happens tomorrow," added Fernandes.
Another upset took
place later in the day when two-time quarter-finalist Madeline Perry,
the No8 seed from Ireland, lost out to unseeded Hong Kong opponent Joey
Chan.
"Joey took the opening
game and then continued this in the second, working the court using her
boast effectively," said event spokesman Andrew Cross. "In the third,
Madeline changed her game and this won her the game - but Joey came
back to win the fourth for a place in the second round."
Chan, the world No20,
later recalled how she was determined not to repeat a previous mistake
in KL when she was leading by two games: "I was a bit more patient this
time and at 2/0 up I relaxed a bit - but then I remembered what
happened last time when I was 2/0 up against Alison (Waters) in the
CIMB KL Open, and lost 3/2.
"Usually I've lost to
Madeline in three games - so this time it's nice to win," added the
25-year-old after her 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5 victory in 52 minutes.
The match of the day
for most of the crowd took place when top seed Nicol David, the Queen
of Malaysian squash, took to the court for her first round match
against qualifier Lisa Aitken, the former Scottish international making
her debut as an English player.
Bidding to reach the
final for a remarkable 11th successive year, and win the title for a
record eighth time, David brushed Aitken aside 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 in 35
minutes.
The world number one
from Penang now renews her career-long rivalry with Egypt's Omneya
Abdel Kawy, the 28-year-old from Cairo whom she first met in the
British Junior U14 Open final in January 1997! The pair has since met
17 times on the WSA Tour, including three times in the Malaysian Open.
Seasoned campaigner
Abdel Kawy faced young compatriot Nour El Tayeb. The unseeded
20-year-old, ranked 19 in the world, twice led Kawy - and held a
match-ball in the fourth game.
But 11th seed Kawy, a
former world No4, called upon all her experience to force a decider -
and went on to win 6-11, 11-8, 6-11, 13-11, 11-4 after 63 minutes.
RESULTS: Women's CIMB Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
