Four Seeds Fall in Bahrain
Sept 12, 2004, Howard Harding; SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2004;
[Also see Bahrain draw and results]

Holland's Annelize Nauda scores big win in the first night of play; photo © 2004 SquashTalk archives.

Annelize Nauda Tops Tranfield

Four seeds failed to overcome their first hurdles on the opening day of action in the Bahrain WISPA Squash Classic, the latest Gold event on the growing WISPA World Tour. Annelize Nauda stopped Jenny Tranfield, in a result that may have direct bearing on Tranfield's appeal of the England team makeup. In the other major result, Pam Nimmo of Scotland ousted contender Fiona Geaves.

As shoppers in the Al A' Ali Mall in Bahrain peered over the balconies to see the action on the portable all-glass court, it was clear that the new Bahrain Classic was fulfilling its aim of showing off the sport to the local community.

The event was formally opened by the Bahraini Sports and Youth Minister Sheik Fawaz bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, who made it clear that the organisers had his total support to develop the championship.

World No1 Rachael Grinham was first in action, scoring a comfortable 9-3 9-1 9-1 win over fellow Australian Amelia Pittock.

Grinham will next face Hong Kong's unseeded Rebecca Chiu who, after a sluggish start, edged out Ireland's fifteenth seed Madeline Perry in 69 minutes. "I didn't concentrate properly in the first game but when I came back after being behind 6/1 in the second, I felt more comfortable and focussed," said Chiu, the Asian Games champion, after her 4-9 9-7 5-9 9-1 9-5 win.

England's sixth seed Fiona Geaves was the casualty in another five-game upset. The England international squandered a match ball at 8-6 in the fourth game against Scotland's Pamela Nimmo before being pegged back to eight-all, then calling 'set one' and contrived to hit a ball down the middle of the court to give away a stroke.

With shoulders drooped, Geaves left the court and was never able to raise her game in the decider. Jubilant Nimmo commented: "I couldn't believe she called one at match ball. When I got the game I reminded myself that I was playing the world number seven and I had nothing to lose."

England's world No10 Jenny Tranfield became the next seed to make a premature exit after finding Annelize Naude, of the Netherlands, too hot to handle. A finalist in last week's Sports World Mexican Open, Naude seemed to settle first to the pace of the court and maintained an edge to beat the tenth seed 9-6 9-2 3-9 9-2 in 54 minutes.

In the final match of the day, England's fit and healthy Tania Bailey showed that she has at last shaken off the injury woes that have recently beset her by upsetting compatriot Stephanie Brind, the 16th seed, 9-4 9-3 10-9 in 44 minutes.

RESULTS: Bahrain WISPA Squash Classic, Bahrain

1st round:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Amelia Pittock (AUS) 9-3, 9-1, 9-1 (35m)
Rebecca Chiu (HKG) bt [15] Madeline Perry (IRL) 4-9, 9-7, 5-9, 9-1, 9-5 (69m)
Pamela Nimmo (SCO) bt [6] Fiona Geaves (ENG) 4-9, 9-5, 8-10, 9-8, 9-2 (61m)
[9] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt Tamsyn Leevey (NZL) 9-1, 9-1, 9-1 (20m)
[3] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt Engy Kheirallah (EGY) 9-4, 9-5, 9-6 (45m)
Annelize Naude (NED) bt [10] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) 9-6, 9-2, 3-9, 9-2 (54m)
[5] Linda Elriani (ENG) bt Sharon Wee (MAS) 9-1, 9-1, 9-3 (23m)
Tania Bailey (ENG) bt [16] Stephanie Brind (ENG) 9-4, 9-3, 10-9 (44m)

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