Perry, Chiu Cause 1st Rd Upsets
Feb 24, 2004 © 2004 by Howard Harding

[complete draw]

Ireland's Madeline Perry led a mini-wave of upsets in today's (Tuesday) first round action in the new Women's Qatar Airways Squash Challenge in Qatar's capital city Doha.

Perry took out England's 10th seed Vicky Botwright 9-4 10-8 9-2 in 41 minutes to earn an unexpected place in the second round against another Englishwoman Rebecca Macree, the seventh seed. Londoner Macree took exactly the same length of time to overcome Egyptian qualifier Engy Kheirallah 9-5 9-3 9-3.

Two other English seeds bad farewell to the $70,000 WISPA World Tour Grand Prix event which reaches its final at the Khalifa Squash Complex on Saturday (28 February). Tania Bailey, the 24-year-old former world junior champion from Lincolnshire who has been beset by a number of injuries over the past year, convincingly won the opening game against unseeded Rebecca Chiu.

But the Asian Games champion from Hong Kong soon got the upper hand and, after 29 minutes of action, wrapped up a 0-9 9-6 9-2 9-5 win over the No12 seed. "I'm actually in good health now, but simply not fit enough yet to compete as I would like," said Bailey later.

New Zealand's Shelley Kitchen also had to fight back from a game down - but did so in style as she upset England's 11th seed Stephanie Brind 7-9 9-5 9-0 10-9 in 44 minutes. The 24-year-old from Auckland's reward is a second round meeting with England's world No1 Cassie Jackman, who took four games to despatch Netherlands qualifier Annelize Naude.

At the top end of the draw, top seed Natalie Grainger put aside worries of a stomach infection she has been suffering with since last week to beat Australian qualifier Amelia Pittock 9-1 7-9 9-0 9-4 in 31 minutes.
RESULTS: Women's Qatar Airways Squash Challenge, Doha, Qatar

1st round:
[1] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt [Q] Amelia Pittock (AUS) 9-1, 7-9, 9-0, 9-4 (31m)
[15] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [Q] Pamela Nimmo (SCO) 9-7, 10-8, 9-5 (40m)
[8] Fiona Geaves (ENG) bt Latasha Khan (USA) 9-1, 10-8, 9-3 (25m)
[13] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) bt Sharon Wee (MAS) 7-9, 9-3, 3-9, 9-3, 9-4 (54m)
[4] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [Q] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) 9-6, 9-6, 9-0 (33m)
[16] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) bt [Q] Laura-Jane Lengthorn (ENG) 9-3, 0-9, 3-9, 9-5, 9-4 (63m)
[7] Rebecca Macree (ENG) bt [Q] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) 9-5, 9-3, 9-3 (41m)
Madeline Perry (IRL) bt [10] Vicky Botwright (ENG) 9-4, 10-8, 9-2 (41m)
[9] Nicol David (MAS) bt [Q] Tegwen Malik (WAL) 4-9, 9-2, 9-7, 9-1 (44m)
[6] Linda Charman (ENG) bt [Q] Vicky Lankester (ENG) 9-7, 9-1, 9-3 (35m)
Rebecca Chiu (HKG) bt [12] Tania Bailey (ENG) 0-9, 9-6, 9-2, 9-5 (29m)
[3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Karen Kronemeyer (NED) 9-2, 9-1, 9-0 (21m)
[14] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt Alison Waters (ENG) 9-3, 9-4, 9-7 (43m)
[5] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt Carla Khan (PAK) 9-3, 10-8, 6-9, 9-2 (62m)
Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt [11] Stephanie Brind (ENG) 7-9, 9-5, 9-0, 10-9 (44m)
[2] Cassie Jackman (ENG) bt [Q] Annelize Naude (NED) 9-0, 6-9, 9-4, 9-0 (34m)

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