AL AHRAM INTERNATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS 2000 FIRST ROUND NIGHT MATCHES

CAIRO EXCLUSIVE TO SQUASHTALK From Martin Bronstein in Cairo

Martin Bronstein reporting on second round afternoon matches: Women's draw opens up

DRAW OPENS UP
rWhat a difference a day makes! Yesterday, the women's Al Ahram looked quite predictable. Today, it's up for grabs. Leilani Joyce, Carol Owens, Tania Bailey, and Natalie Grainger are the leading contenders.

FITZ FIZZLES
Sorry dear readers, that great match between Sarah Fitz-Gerald and Leilani Joyce just fizzled almost into a non-event. I don't know what native Kiwi food Joyce eats before really big tournaments, but by jiminy it works. The reigning British Open champion simply outplayed the returning champion. True, the Aussie didn't seem to have her head in the right place, but Joyce was lethal in almost all parts of the court. Hitting cracking length, constantly sending Fitz-Gerald the wrong way, hitting superb volley drops and simply jumping all over anything slightly loose. She won 9-4, 9-1 9-4 in 34 minutes and there really isn't anything else to add. A long absence is more mental than physical and Fitz will need a few tournaments to get her head right

First round boredom, second round,Wow!
If nothing happened in the first round of the Women's tournament, the second round more than made up for it. Take, for example Natalie and Rachel Grinham, aged 23 and 22, blood sisters from Australia. At the start of the day you wouldn't have given a plugged nickel or a queenly quid for their chances of getting to the quarters. Natalie was facing world number one Cassie Jackman and Rachel had drawn ninth seed Sabine Schoene of Germany. But sensationally, after winning her first game 9-5, Cassie shook hands with Natalie and withdrew from the tournament. Just before going on court she had heard of the death of her mother -in-law and made immediate plans to return to Halifax in England to be with her husband.

You lose, then you throw your racket
Rachel had a much harder row to hoe. Schoene, a member of the German military, has been around a long time, but Rachel always seemed to have control, with Schoene being reduced to high pitched screams at referee's decisions. Rachel led 2/1 lost the fourth 9-10 but took the fith 9-5. Sabine hurled her racket at the glass wall in anger and frustration.

AND OUT GOES THE FOURTH SEED?
Which is exactly what Linda Charman did when she lost the fifth game 0-9 to Tania Bailey. It was a wonderfully mature performance from Bailey, the former world junior champion and she showed Charman the value of accuracy. By the fifth, nerves had got to Charman and she felt that whatever she did Bailey would win. And another racket got hurled at the glass wall.

AND THEN THE EIGHTH
Fiona Geaves also vented some screams of anger but they didn?t help the eighth seed from England and Rebecca Mcree, who is almost totally deaf and has to lip-read the referees, won in four.

RESULTS SECOND ROUND
WOMEN
Natalie Grinham (Aus) bt Cassie Campion (Eng) 5-9 ret.
Natalie Grainger (Eng) bt Jennie Tranfield (Eng) 9-4, 9-6, 9-0
Carol Owens (Aus) bt Stephanie Brind (Eng) 10-8, 9-3, 9-6.
Suzanne Horner (Eng) bt Vanessa Atkinson (Neth) 8-10, 9-5, 9-2, 9-4.
Tania Bailey (Eng) bt Linda Charman (Eng) 5-9, 5-9, 9-3, 9-2, 9-0.
Rachel Grinham (Aus) bt Sabine Schoene (Gere) 2-9, 9-0, 9-4, 9-10, 9-5.
Leilani Joyce (NZ) bt Sarah Fitzgerald (Aus) 9-4, 9-1, 9-4.

• Golestan Radwan: Egypt
• Tomas Barva, Czech Republic
• David Blick, Alaska USA
• Kim Tunney: Midwest USA
• Andre Maur: Atlanta USA
• Paul Ansdell: Massachusetts USA
  

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