Nicol David makes her 2008 Debut   [DRAW/RESULTS]

Largely due to the luck of the draw, Shelley Kitchen was not put in a position to followup her inspiring performance from last week last night in Rye, New York. Kitchen, the re-focused and re-engerized Kiwi ball of energy who tore through the Greenwich draw last weekend, drew world #3 Rachael Grinham this week in the first round and bowed out after 39 valiant minutes.

Laura Lengthorn, another hero of last weekend's action, had a more even draw and took a big advantage of her opportunity, thrashing the #6 seed and British compatriot Vicky Botwright in four games. Lengthorn next faces world #1 Nicol David.

David made her 2008 competitive debut last night, charging past Egyptian Engy Kheirallah. Fans had about a 1/2 hour window to catch her on court last night.

Kawy & Lengthorn Cause Upsets At Apawamis

Expectations for this month's British National Championships became more cloudy as two of the leading contenders in the first round of the Women's Marsh Apawamis Open when Vicky Botwright and Jenny Duncalf - seeded six and seven, respectively - crashed out of the first WISPA World Tour Gold squash event of the year at the Apawamis Club in Rye, New York.

Botwright, the world No6 from Manchester, went down in four games to England and Lancashire compatriot Laura Lengthorn-Massaro - reversing the result of their meeting a year ago at the Apawamis Club.

Unseeded Lengthorn's 9-6, 4-9, 9-5, 9-6 win in 55 minutes takes the 24-year-old from Preston through to the quarter-finals, where she will face top seed Nicol David.

Reigning British Champion Jenny Duncalf's 9-5, 9-3, 9-7 loss to unseeded Omneya Abdel Kawy extends the Egyptian's head-to-head record between the pair to 4/1.  Kawy will now face fellow Cairo-based Rachael Grinham, the third seed from Australia who beat New Zealander Shelley Kitchen 9-5, 10-8, 9-2. 

RESULTS:      Women's Marsh Apawamis Squash Open, Apawamis Club, Rye, NY, USA

1st round:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [Q] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) 9-4, 9-3, 9-1 (33m)
Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) bt [6] Vicky Botwright (ENG) 9-6, 4-9, 9-5, 9-6 (55m)
[4] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt Madeline Perry (IRL) 9-2, 9-4, 9-4 (30m)
[8] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [Q] Samantha Teran (MEX) 9-3, 9-1, 9-1 (20m)
Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [7] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 9-5, 9-3, 9-7 (35m)
[3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Shelley Kitchen (NZL) 9-5, 10-8, 9-2 (39m)
[5] Tania Bailey (ENG) bt [Q] Kasey Brown (AUS) 10-9, 9-0, 9-6 (49m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt [Q] Latasha Khan (USA) 9-3, 9-4, 9-8

Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) v Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG)
[4] Natalie Grainger (USA) v [8] Vanessa Atkinson (NED)
[3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) v Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
[2] Natalie Grinham (AUS) v [5] Tania Bailey (ENG)

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