[CIMB Malaysia WISPA draw]            [CIMB Malaysia PSA draw]

Nicol David Set to Reclaim World #1 After Win over Madeline Perry

Cameron Pilley upsets Ong Beng Hee in the CIMB Malaysia PSA quarters. (photo © 2006 Alex Wan)

Local hero Ong Beng Hee, second seed in the men's event, and world number one Vanessa Atkinson, top seed in the women's event, crashed out of today's (Friday) quarter-finals of the CIMB Malaysian Open Squash Championships at the National Squash Centre at Bukit Jalil in Kuala Lumpur in contrasting circumstances.

Tania Bailey kept Vanessa Atkinson from getting going in the quarters. (photo © 2006 Alex Wan)

Atkinson was playing in her first WISPA World Tour event since pulling out of the Qatar Airways Challenge earlier this month with a back injury.  The Netherlands star, champion in KL in 2004, went down tamely 9-1 9-3 9-4 in just 20 minutes to England's eighth seed Tania Bailey.  The British champion from Stamford in Lincolnshire will now faces Australia's third seed Natalie Grinham for a place in the final.

The early exit will be a boost to No2 seed Nicol David, the Malaysian star who won the Qatar Airways Challenge to strengthen her bid of regaining the world No1 ranking from Atkinson.  Defending champion David reserved her place in the semi-finals with a 9-2 9-1 9-4 victory over Irish champion Madeline Perry.

Men's title-holder Ong Beng Hee overcame a two-game lead by Cameron Pilley to level the match against the sixth seed from Australia.  But Pilley, a 23-year-old from New South Wales, regained the advantage to secure a sensational 11-10 (2-0), 11-8, 9-11, 3-11, 11-7 upset in 75 minutes.

Local interest in the event will now be led exclusively by favourite Mohd Azlan Iskandar. The 2004 champion beat Pakistan's 5th seed Shahid Zaman 11-1, 11-2, 9-11, 11-2 and will now take on England's third seed Adrian Grant in the semi-finals.

 

RESULTS:        CIMB Malaysian Open, Kuala Lumpur, July 28 2006  

Men's Quarterfinals
Mohd Azlan Iskandar (Mas) (1)vs Shahid Zaman Pak) (5)
Adrian Grant (Eng) (3) vs Jonathan Kemp (Eng) (7)
Mansoor Zaman (Pak) (8) vs Peter Barker (Eng) (4)
Cameron Pilley (Aus) (6) vs Ong Beng Hee (Mas) (2)

Women's Quarterfinals
Tania Bailey (Eng) (8) bt Vanessa Atkinson (Ned) (1) 9-3 9-0 9-2
Natalie Grinham (Aus) (3) bt  Alison Waters (Eng) 9-0 9-5 9-2
Rachael Grinham (Aus) (4) bt Tricia Chuah (Mas) (WC) 9-3 9-3 3-9 10-9
Nicol David (Mas) (2) bt Madeline Perry (Irl) (7) 9-2 9-1 9-4

Peter Barker (above) stopped by Mansoor Zaman Below: More quarterfinal action. (photos © 2006 Alex Wan)