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Familiar all English Cast
Petara and Atkinson fall short
By SquashTalk staff © 2003 SquashTalk; all rights of reproduction reserved.
March 23, 2003    [Bright Lights results/draw]          

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Sportsmanship: Finalist Linda Charman coaches potential finals opponent Cassie Jackman during her semifinal battle with Vanessa Atkinson Photo © 2003 courtesy WISPA

It will be a familiar all-English scenario in Las Vegas Sunday, though the plotline was different in Saturday's semi final. Comeback-queen Cassie Jackman will be playing in her second significant final following her back surgery against perennial top contender Linda Charman. Both women were pushed hard by their semifinal opponents, though third-seeded Cassie Jackman had the stiffer test as she eventually outlasted the determined though exhausted Vanessa Atkinson.

Charman, the world No3 from Eastbourne in Sussex, ended unseeded Lara
Petera's giant-killing run in 42 minutes, though the plucky New Zealander
picked up a game. Despite being in control for most of the match, the
favourite had a lapse in concentration at 6-3 up in the fourth and lost the
game without gaining another point.

Charman went on to wrap up the match 9-2 9-4 6-9 9-0 to earn her second
appearance in the Las Vegas final since 1999. Petera said afterwards: "This
week has been really rewarding. I didn't expect to make the quarters so
making the semis was a real bonus."

The other semi-final was a lengthy battle in which Jackman, the 2000 Las
Vegas Open champion, claimed a seeding upset over second seed Vanessa
Atkinson to endorse the March world rankings which has the British National
champion ahead of the Dutch No1.

In a see-saw first half of the match, Atkinson was 7-0 up in the opening game
which Jackman fought back to win - then Atkinson reversed the roles by coming
back from 7-1 down in the second game to draw level. After 71 minutes,
Jackman clinched her 10-8 9-6 7-9 9-4 win to reach her third Las Vegas final.

For Atkinson, the match followed an even longer quarter-final the previous
day, and an earlier illness in New York. "I'm knackered," said the 2002
runner-up afterwards. "I just hope that I will have recovered by next
Thursday's first round match in the Texas Open in Dallas."

RESULTS: Bright Lights Women's Las Vegas Squash Open, Las Vegas, USA

Semi-finals:
[1] Linda Charman (ENG) bt Lara Petera (NZL) 9-2, 9-4, 6-9, 9-0
[3] Cassie Jackman (ENG) bt [2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) 10-8, 9-6, 7-9, 9-4

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