[Complete draw]

Monaco is a very ordered place. Neat and tidy, everything precise and in its’ place. However, two seeds had failed to progress to the quarter finals leaving gaps where seeds four and seven should have been. Would any of the top three not progress into the semi finals of the 11th Monte Carlo Classic and throw the orderly progression into further turmoil?

Before this question would be answered, the two unseeded players who happened to being the same quarter and now eyeing a semi slot would resolve their fate.

Sarah Kippax couldn't find an answer against the focused Tegwen Malik. (photo © 2006 WISPA)

Tegwen Malik had beaten a sub-par fourth seed Jenny Duncalf, and Sarah Kippax had come through the qualification then taken out seventh seed Annelize Naude. The Welsh player has the edge on ranking (24 to 33) and showed that she was in good form last week by reaching the Grays Oslo Open final. But Kippax proved that she is no slouch by taking the Pepsi Enschede Open title during October.

It was the smooth movement and slick racketwork of Malik that would prevail over the steady and strong Kippax. Anybody counting these things would have only needed the fingers of one hand to count the Malik errors, while when Kippax erred from a good length she was punished.

'I was absolutely delighted to have won against Annelize yesterday as I played well, but a little bit disappointed that I lost some discipline today. I got a bit impatient when she started picking up everything and I should have been a more patient," commented Kippax.

Malik now faces second seed Natalie Grinham who seems to have thrived on marriage to Dutch star Tommy Berden. Only days after the nuptials she took an unprecedented three gold medals at the Commonwealth Games, and came very close indeed to wresting the World Open title from Nicol David in Belfast less than a fortnight ago.

She had no qualms about ending home interest – as far as France counts as home – by beating Isabelle Stoehr. Ever willing and with strong racketwork, the French number one was shown all corners of the court, often starting in another direction to where she ended, as she gamely tracked the ball. While she made Grinham work for the points the rallies were dominated by the Australian's control of the pace.

 "She was everywhere!' lamented the loser. "Even when I controlled the rally she got the ball back. I tried to move her and be patient and play with a higher rhythm, but I could not do it all the time.         

'I am just enjoying my squash at the moment. I am playing well and I'm fit" said the victor Grinham.

The first match in the top half of the draw saw a British battle between the third and fifth rated Madeline Perry and Alison Waters, and another disturbance of the seeding order. Perry started well enough, playing tidy well constructed rallies, but as the second game progressed she slowly lost her command and allowed Waters to counter attack and pull her out of position.

The Londoner moved to 8/3 before her Irish opponent regained her precision and began to make inroads. The lead was frittered away but a Perry unforced tin at eight all started the undoing of the good work, with an open court offered compounding it. One all.

First Seed Vanessa Atkinson advances to meet Alison Waters. (photo © 2006 WISPA)

From that point Waters continued to press forward, did enough good work at the front to unsettle her opponent and reached the last four.

The end of the match was a source of relief not just for the winner but the mothers of both players! Robin Waters and Audrey Perry had met at the Monte Carlo event last year and become firm friends. They were back this time enjoying the Riviera, but having to endure the knowledge that they would need to watch one of their siblings fall out of the event.

 Alison Waters was understandably pleased with the win. 'I knew that it wasn't over when I won the thirds and I knew that the fourth could have gone either way. At six all I just managed to get I front of her a couple of times”.

Asked about how the pattern of the match had changed, Waters added “I tried to cut out the errors having given her three in the first. That certainly helped”

The final match saw top seed and defending champion successfully repel Egyptian Engy Kheirallah. Because Kheirallah had been improving and Atkinson a little becalmed it seemed that a close match would be likely. The titian hair Dutchwoman has sometimes started well and occasionally fall away recently, a trait continued her when she squandered a match ball in the third to an unforced tin and then lost the game after setting. However Kheirallah was unable to capitalise as she didn't quite have the patience to take the fourth too and so Atkinson ensured that she would not be another stricken seed.

When asked what went through her mind when the third game slipped away Atkinson admitted that she had been a little uncertain. Explaining the lapse, 'I needed to be really patient and keep the ball at the back because when I went in short I was in trouble”.

Kheirallah had uncertainty even before she started 'I haven't played Vanessa for ages and maybe only twice before. It is hard when you don't quite know what is coming.

First I was rushing as I thought I needed to move her around, but on the bouncy court it was not a good strategy. Then after I won the third I was thinking too much that she looked tired but she wasn't.”

So to the Monte Carlo Classic semi finals. Atkinson will have taken heart from her win, but Waters has beaten her before. And in the bottom half Malik and Grinham will glide and graft. Two contrasting but equally interesting clashes to be played out.

11th MONTE CARLO CLASSIC   [Draw]
MONACO RESULTS
QUARTER FINALS
Vanessa Atkinson (Ned) (1) bt Engy Kheirallah (Egy) (6) 9/6 9/1 8/10 9/2 (49m)
Alison Waters (Eng) (5) bt Madeline Perry (Irl) (3) 4/9 10/8 9/1 9/6 (59m)
Tegwen Malik (Wal) bt Sarah Kippax (Eng)9/0 9/3 9/2 (30m)
Natalie Grinham (Aus) (2) bt Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) (8) 9/2 9/3 9/1 (34m) 

... Isabelle Stoehr put up strong opposition to Natalie Grinham ... (photo © 2006 WISPA)