Kawy Joins Kheirallah in Last 8
July 7, 2004, By SquashTalk Staff; SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2004

Interesting Matchups Set for Quarters

Seeded players continued to dominate first round play today at the Red Sea resort town of Hurghada. Omneya Abdel Kawy, the rising Egyptian women's squash star, had a dominating first round win over Dominique Walters of England, as she marched towards a quarterfinal date with Tegwen Malik of Wales. Malik today erased the hopes of another Egyptian, Raneem El Waliely, in straight games.

Omney Abdel Kawy advanced today in Hurgada (file photo, © stocktonphoto.com)

The only player to lose a game was Carla Khan of Pakistan, who had passed up the opportunity to defend her Pakistan Women's National Title this week in favor of this WISPA date. Khan started slowly, losing the first game at love against Malaysian Sharon Wee, before coming alive and charging into the quarters. Khan will meet England's Rebecca Macree in the Quarterfinals.

England's No2 seed Rebecca Macree earned her place in the quarter-finals of the Women's Hurghada Squash International when she triumphed in straight games over namesake and compatriot Rebecca Botwright on the second day of first round action at the Red Sea resort of Hurghada in Egypt.

Hurghada first-timer Botwright, 22, from Manchester, had come through the qualification in Cairo, while 33-year-old Macree, from London, is a Hurghada veteran.

Macree, back in action following a couple of months enforced absence after sustaining ligament damage at the last World Open, was in no mood to let her guard slip against the willing outsider. The second seed started the match hitting low and hard, and it was only when she started to employ boasts and drops on a more regular basis that Botwright was able to buy into the match, trading rallies more regularly. The underdog got to 6-7 in the third before being wrong-footed twice with wristy cross court drops. Minutes later, Macree secured her 9-3 9-0 9-6 victory.

The Egyptian TV audience watching the live transmission at home had their best hope playing in the second match. World junior champion Omneya Abdel Kawy, an experienced campaigner at just 18 years old, was not about to disappoint them. Opponent Dominique Lloyd Walter, like Botwright a Hurghada debutante, tugged hard at the cord of tee control but was never able to prise it away from Abdel Kawy for sustained periods.

Rallies were extended but the 23-year-old Englishwoman had little to show for her 35 minutes on court. As she said ruefully after her 9-2 9-2 9-6 defeat: "The court was really good, certainly not dead; but Omneya had too many shots and anything I hit short left me in trouble."

The players themselves judged the third match to be the most likely to be close during the evening, and so it was. Fifth seed Carla Khan, the Pakistan No1 sporting a braided hairstyle concocted by the hotel hairdresser, was up against resurgent Sharon Wee. The Malaysian had last month upset Hong Kong's Rebecca Chiu to take the silver medal in the Asian Championships and so Khan was likely to be stretched.

The quarterfinal matchups include an intriguing contest between Rachael Grinham, based in Cairo and Engy Keirallah another Cairo based pro; while veteran Scottish pro Pamela Nimmo takes on rising English pro Alison Waters in the other top-half quarterfinal contest.

RESULTS: Women's Hurghada Squash International, Hurghada, Egypt

Bottom Half, 1st Round (Wednesday):
[6] Tegwen Malik (WAL) bt [Q] Raneem El Weliely (EGY) 9-2 9-1 9-0
[3] Omneya Abdel KAwy (EGY) bt Dominique Lloyd Walter (ENG) 9-2 9-2 9-6
[5] Carla Khan (PAK) bt Sharon Wee (MAS) 0-9 9-4 9-6 9-0
[2] Rebecca Macree (ENG) bt [Q] Rebecca Botwright (ENG) 9-3 9-0 9-6

Top Half, 1st round: (Tuesday) [report]
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [Q] Salma Shabana (EGY) 9-2, 9-1, 9-1 (21m)
[8] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) bt [Q] Kate Roe (ENG) 9-3, 9-4, 9-0 (26m)
[4] Pamela Nimmo (SCO) bt Eman El Amir (EGY) 9-4, 9-6, 9-0 (25m)
[7] Alison Waters (ENG) bt Runa Reta (CAN) 9-1, 9-1, 9-2 (32m)

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