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TODAY in Madrid:
23rd October, Round ONE |
23-Oct-07, First Round:
[15] Kasey Brown (Aus) bt [Q]
Aisling Blake (Irl)
9/2, 9/6, 9/2 (55m)
[8]
Vanessa Atkinson (Ned) bt Alicia Alvarez Riaza (Esp)
9/0, 9/0, 9/1 (17m)
[11] Laura L.-Massaro (Eng) bt [Q] Manuela Manetta (Ita)
9/4, 9/3, 9/7 (45m)
[4] Tania
Bailey (Eng) bt Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl)
9/4, 9/1, 6/9, 10/9 (69m)
[16]
Annelize Naude (Ned) bt Raneem El Weleily (Egy)
9/3, 9/4, 7/9, 5/9, 9/3 (64m)
[7] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) bt [Q] Orla Noom (Ned)
9/4, 9/2, 9/3 (27m)
[14]
Rebecca Chiu (Hkg) bt [Q] Line Hansen (Den)
9/5, 9/6, 9/2 (47m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (Aus)
bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter
(Eng)
9/3, 9/6, 9/5 (43m)
[6] Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt Sharon Wee (MAS)
9/2, 9/5, 9/2 (26m)
[9] Jenny
Duncalf (ENG) bt Latasha Khan (Usa)
6/9, 9/3, 9/1, 9/0 (56m)
[3] Rachael
Grinham (Aus)
v [Q] Louise Crome (Nzl)
9/3, 10/8, 9/5 (34m)
[12] Alison Waters (Eng) bt [Q] Suzie Pierrepont (Eng)
9/0, 9/3, 9/3 (28m)
[5] Natalie Grainger (Usa) bt Samantha Teran (Mex)
9/6, 9/0, 9/3 (36m)
[13] Engy Kheirallah (Egy)
bt [Q] Runa Reta (Can)
9/3, 9/4, 9/3 (34m)
[1] Nicol David
(Mal) bt Isabelle Stoehr (Fra)
9/7, 9/3, 9/0 (30m)
[10] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) bt [Q] Lauren Briggs (Eng)
9/2, 9/4, 9/2 (35m) |
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Final Quals
En brefs |
TECHNICAL
DIFFICULTIES...
 Sorry,
you won't be surprised to hear that I had, as ever, a few technical
troubles at the start of the day. Mmm, really what you need. Still,
you may not have as much as you normally get, but hey, doing the
best we can here.
But the good news is... Fritz, our photographer for this event, is
here! Meaning that you won't have to suffer my poor shots anymore.
So you see, not just bad news... |
CHAOS DAY...
As a reporter/photographer/webmaster, this is the day you really
don't want to live, the first day of the main. Matches everywhere,
most of them should be kind of short (sorry, but it's true), so,
difficult to keep up with who is on, grabbing them before they rush
off, keeping up with the results, still, trying to be IN the event,
just not stuck in the stuffy press room....
In other words, lots of laughs!
Still, we'll have a lot of great athletes, good matches, and
hopefully, a few gossips to report.
Oh come on, you know you want it... |
 "Because
the courts are so bouncy, I was able to get a good runaround - which
was ideal for a first round match really. But it was amazing that we
finished our match at the same time they finished the first game on
the next court!
"I'm feeling good - my training's going well and I'm injury-free. And
I'm happy with the way I'm playing. Nowadays, because of my
relationship with James (Willstrop), I'm spending more time in
England, in Yorkshire - which is great for my game.
"Whereas in Holland, I have to plan practice sessions with other
players, there are so many players I can hit with at Pontefract - it
may be girls like Kirsty McPhee or Lauren Siddall, or guys like Lee
Beachill, Saurav Ghosal and of course James. And the atmosphere at
the club is fantastic."
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"I felt very good - I know Vanessa is a very good player, and it's
very difficult to play at that level.
"Technically, she plays at a very high standard and she's very fit
and physically well-prepared. I didn't expect to win, but playing in
my first World Championship was a fantastic experience.
"I was determined not to let the pressure get to me - I wanted to
make sure I enjoyed myself."
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 "Tania
was having problems breathing from the third game. In the first two,
she was playing at such a fast pace, I just couldn’t follow, and got
a bit tired. I don’t know if she felt tired as well.
"Then at the start of the third, we had a few long rallies, and I
managed to win a couple, which I guess made it worse for her, always
more difficult when you lose a long rally.
"And the fourth was really close, I can’t believe how she went on
running! She was having trouble breathing, and still, she was
running, and picking up everything, I was thinking, jeez, just stop
running!
"But even if I had managed to win the fourth, it was still have been a
very long battle, because Tania doesn’t give up, even exhausted, she
keeps on running and getting everything back!
"Still, it was a good experience for me to play those top girls…"
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SINUSITIS FOR TANIA...
English
number one Tania Bailey was cruising two game to none today when she
started developing breathing difficulties.
The game became longer, and longer, from 10m in the first to 16 in
the 3rd, to finally reach 27 minutes in the 4th.
But luck was smiling on Tania today, as on match ball 9/9, she had a mishit backhand low drive that took Jaclyn by surprise...
 "I
felt fine in the first two games but as soon as I soon as I started
to run around in the third, the infection kicked in and I just
couldn't breathe. My legs and arms felt dead - you can't think
straight when all you're trying to do is breathe!
"I've had sinus problems all my life - I've had it all, including
three operations and laser treatment, but I still can't shake it
off.
"I feel fine in everyday life, but you never know how you're going to
feel on court. I feel as if I'm as good as anyone, but this lets me
down. I'll have to take it easy tonight and hope that I'll be fine
tomorrow."
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"With Raneem, it's up and down - and
after I won the first two she came back in a big way - and started
the fourth by taking five points in a row.
"What could I do, she had nothing to lose! But I felt she was
beginning to tire in the fifth and I hoped my fitness would carry me
through - and it did!"
Annelize Naude |
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 "Annelize was controlling the pace, far
too slow for me, but on that court, I just couldn’t play my game, I
like to hit hard. On that court, if you hit hard, you won’t win, far
too bouncy.
"In the first too games, I was not in the match. I was hearing the
music, I was concentrating on anything but the court, I was thinking,
I can’t play on that court, it’s too noisy. But then, when I won the
next two, I didn’t hear anything! So, it was not the music, it was
not the club, it was ME!
"I’m very disappointed. Just a bit more speed, and I would have got
it…"
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 "It’s
not that easy, but I’m happy with my result, especially on a warm
court like that. I’m really happy because sometimes, my first match
in a tournament can be bad, I have a bad timing, I don’t come back
to the T, whereas today, I was at 80%, which is good.
"So, today, my concentration was good, and the ref took the right
decisions, so, I was able to keep my focus!!!"
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 "The
first two games were point for point up to the middle of the game,
then she ran away with it. I think today, she played the points
better than I.
"And then, in the third, I was tired. Not physically, but mentally.
It’s so hard to qualify, it’s like a tournament in itself, that you
win, but then, the next day, you’ve got to start all over again…"
Line Hansen |
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A
trimmed Latasha, fit as a fiddle, fought tooth and nail, and really
threatened the young Duncalf, not in the best of conditions on a
warm court, whereas the American just loooooves running round, and
then volleys delicately to really depress you!
Still, running around ends up tiring you out, doesn't it. And
gradually, Latasha found herself pushed more and more to the back...
 "I
knew it would be tough - Latasha's a good player and if you give her
time on the ball, she'll cut it away.
"I felt comfortable towards the end, but I had to be patient - it's good to
have a nice run around. We'd all rather play on the all-glass court -
so I'm sure there'll be some gruelling matches here tomorrow.
"The last time I played Vicky she beat me in the British Open, but I
won the time before so I'm sure it'll be a good match".
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 "I
nearly lost that second game, she was attacking everything. That
wasn't my best game - I was lucky to get back into it - I got a bit
nervous.
It's just so tough on these courts - I think it's really ugly
squash...
"Winning the British Open has definitely given me more confidence -
not only because I beat Nicol (and I hadn't done that for a long
time) but also because I had a tough draw. To endure that
particularly boosted the confidence in my fitness.
"This is the first of a series of three big events (including Qatar Classic
and Hong Kong Open) coming up one after the other - I think it would
be really difficult for anyone to win all three. In fact, if you
went out early here, it might give you an advantage in the next!"
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An
excellent performance from Isabelle Stoehr, who is getting fitter
and more focused by the match! She gave a good run to Nicol for her
money, and both the first and the second were close (although, as ever
with traditional scoring, it's rather difficult to tell).
Still, Nicol stayed precise and focused, and her fitness is as ever
impeccable...
 "I
knew that on a warm court against Nicol, it was bound to be tough,
but you’ve got to play with the conditions…
"I was pretty calm, I told myself that I had nothing to lose, and
that I go for it 100%. I was leading 7/5 in the 1st, but then I
started hitting too hard, and on that court, it just comes back. I
was putting too much weight in the ball in the end of that game.
"But even if I lost that game, I felt I found a good timing, a good
length, and I didn’t lose hope at all. Still, Nicol went up a notch,
and speeded up her pace.
"And I tried to match it, I tried to stay at that rhythm, and focused on
the pace too much. End of the day, I burnt too much energy, I lacked
a bit of lucidity here.
"And in the last game, she kept the pressure on, and I just didn’t
have enough left…"
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"I think these courts may be even faster than the ones at home - but
I haven't played on courts like these for a while. It took me a game
and a half to get used to the bounce.
"Isabelle took the ball well and had a good start. I had to really
hang in there until she started making a few errors and I then took
my chance.
"Isabelle is a tough player to play - I'm glad I pulled it off. Once
I get the timing right, I can hit the ball hard - but perhaps these
courts make it sound harder than it is.
"It's great to have my parents here - and my sister and her boyfriend
arrive later in the week, so it's going to be happy families!"
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 "I'm
happy with the way I played. She played better in the second game -
but I came out a bit more focussed in the third and was soon 8-0 up.
But I lost concentration and she pulled back five points. But it was
a good run for the first round."
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 "You
can’t win quicker on that court, it’s so bouncy….!
"I have played against Runa three or four times, and we normally play tough
3/2, but today, I was very focused, still nervous because of the
conditions, they don’t suit my game at all, but Runa didn’t seem up
for it. She looked tired, I’m sure that comes from playing in the
qualifiers…
"Very happy to get away with winning in three…"
Engy Kheirallah |
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 "Thanks
to Jenny Tranfield, whose colleague at work coaches the MD of Luton
Airport, the whole airport was searched today for my missing bag -
and finally they assured me it was definitely in Madrid! How could
it have gone missing on a direct flight from Luton to Madrid?
"I
finally got the bag at about 5.00pm and was here at the club for my
match at six. I'd had to borrow a racquet for my practice session
this morning - so when I got on court for the match with my own
'Harrow Natalie Grainger' racquet, it felt a bit heavy - and it took
me at least the first game to get used to it!
"I couldn't find my length in the first
game and made lots of errors. But I think I can relax now - I've
been on edge since I arrived - but it's done now: Onwards and
upwards!"
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