MARTIN BRONSTEIN REPORTING FROM THE PALESTRE CLUB, MADRID
FIRST QUALIFYING ROUND  SUNDAY OCTOBER 21

LOADS OF TRAVEL, NOTTA LOTTA SQUASH

Ah my dear readers, little do you know what extreme trials I put myself through in order to bring reports from around the world. This morning I arose at 6am, a time of day I thought existed only the imagination of workaholics. It was still dark outside for gawd sake  - dark is night, not day.
 
My lovely lady had offered to drive me to Gatwick Airport, 40 miles from my home in south west London.  For this favour I owe her big time: at least a bottle of Fundador and some Spanish jewellery.  Gatwick on a Sunday morning is a combination of the black hole of Calcutta and the evacuation of Dunkirk, the sort of milling crowds that would make you campaign for enforced birth control.

My plane took off almost an hour late and landed in Madrid at 2pm.  For a change  passport check and baggage was easy and so I set off for the Metro. The organiser had advised us to use the Metro. “Take the Number one line and go to Rio Rosso, the hotel is across the street.” What they didn’t advise us was that the walk from airport to Metro station is about a mile – maybe more. It seemed never ending, schlepping the wheelie across marble floors, walkways, escalators, stairs until finally –I was beginning to think that Madrid metro was another figment of imagination – there was the Metro.  The ticket cost two Euros and I looked for the Number one line. It did not exist. At least not in the airport station.  A kindly Spanish woman took pity on me, put my sobbing head on her shoulder and told me how to get to Rio Rosso. It entailed four lines and three changes. More schlepping wheelies up and down staircases and escalators. I finally arrived at my destination and couldn’t get out  of the Metro station.  Another kindly woman offered Kleenex to dry my tears and told me to push the gate…..
                                                                                                  
The hotel: I checked in at one building, was roomed in another and told that breakfast was in a third.  By the time I got to my room it was 4 pm. I had been travelling for 10 hours on just a banana and glass of apple juice.

Lovely hotel, with sitting room complete with sofas, tv and desk. Things were looking up. When I asked where the Palestre club  was situation, I was told it was a 15 minute walk. I took a cab.

I had missed half the matches and found that my brand new laptop, complete with WiFi built in, was useless as there was no wifi. On top of that I brought the wrong adaptor and could not plug into the Spanish grid to charge my computer. Thank God I’m an atheist, or I would blame it all on Him.

But the sun was shining, and there was a superb  patisserie two doors from the club  and I managed to get some wonderful food –finally - and even saw some squash.

Well, not a lot to report – after all these tribulations. I saw Carla Khan beat a slim young Frenchwoman by the name of  Renai Saroya,  a match that involved a lot body contact  and melodramatic shows of frustration from Saroya. Khan is still coming back from a bad back injury incurred a years ago andby her own admission still feels a little sluggish.

“They told  me I would never play squash again; I had lost the strength in my left leg and had a prolapsed disc. But miraculously it cured itself so I am just happy being back playing again,” she told me.  Khan, London born , but playing under the Pakistani flag, has been beset by injuries.  When I asked her what state her fitness recovery was at, she said about 50%. She will play Lauren Briggs of England (the second seed in the qualifying draw) tomorrow for a place in the main draw.

Briggs is a wonderful player to watch, gliding unhurried movement and for a small person, she hits the ball with real force. More importantly her shot selection is nigh impeccable and her accuracy count is high. She beat  Karen Kronmeyer, an Aussie now playing under the Dutch flag and training with  Liz Irving.  Briggs won the first two games quite handily but Kronemeyer put up a greater fight in the  third game, coming back from  4-6 down to get to game ball 8-7.  Briggs saved that point and forced extra points and  put two errors together to give Kronemeyer the game and a fighting chance.

But Briggs ran away with the fourth to lead 7-0.  Kronemeyer managed one more point before Briggs had hand in and won the next point to get to match ball. Kronemeyer was so angry at losing the point that she screamed ‘Shit’ at the top of her voice.  Referee Dean Clayton had no alternative but to award a conduct stroke against her and the game was Briggs’, 9-1 and the match with it.

The French wonder girl, Camille Serme came up against the reality of a seasoned pro in Canada’s Runa Reta and although she took a game, Reta won in 44 minutes. She will now play Elise NG of Hong Kong.

Latasha Khan of the USA, who was the number one qualifying seed, was elevated to the main draw when Irish number one  Madeline Perry withdrew with an injury. She faces the former England number one Jenny Duncalf who has slipped to number 12 in the rankings.

Tomorrow is a new day. No travel.  No more bitchin’ Promise.

RESULTS:        Madrid Women's World Open Squash Championship, Madrid, Spain

1st qualifying round:
Tricia Chuah (MAS) bt Laura Alonso Perez (ESP)                9-2, 9-2, 9-0 (25m)
Suzie Pierrepont (ENG) bt Dagmar Vermeulen (NED)           9-0, 9-1, 9-0 (18m)
Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt Celia Allamargot (FRA)                    9-0, 5-9, 9-1, 9-2 (27m)
Orla Noom (NED) bt Georgina Stoker (ENG)                       9-3, 9-6, 6-9, 9-5 (52m)
Manuela Manetta (ITA) bt Lucie Fialova (CZE)                    6-9, 9-0, 9-2, 9-3 (48m)
Laura Mylotte (IRL) bt Birgit Coufal (AUT)                         9-5, 9-3, 9-3 (21m)
Louise Crome (NZL) bt Karina Herrera Zuniga (MEX)          9-2, 9-5, 9-3 (27m)
Laura Hill (ENG) bt Anna-Carin Forstadius (SWE)               9-1, 9-0, 9-0 (22m)
Elise Ng (HKG) bt Frania Gillen-Buchert (SCO)                   3-9, 9-6, 9-0, 9-4 (53m)
Runa Reta (CAN) bt Camille Serme (FRA)                            9-0, 9-3, 6-9, 9-1 (44m)
Margriet Huisman (NED) bt Lauren Selby (ENG)                 9-6, 9-0, 9-0 (28m)
Line Hansen (DEN) bt Kerri Shields (IRL)                           9-2, 9-1, 9-0 (23m)
Carolyn Russell (CAN) bt Elisabet Sado Garriga (ESP)        7-9, 9-1, 9-2, 9-0 (36m)
Aisling Blake (IRL) bt Xisela Aranda Nunez (ESP)               9-0, 9-4, 9-1 (22m)
Carla Khan (PAK) bt Soraya Renai (FRA)                             9-5, 9-3, 9-0 (29m)
Lauren Briggs (ENG) bt Karen Kronemeyer (NED)                9-4, 9-2, 9-10, 9-1 (50m)