Seoul, Korea WISPA Squash Open

WISPA in the Seoul I-Park Plaza

The remaining four places in the quarter finals of the BBQ Seoul Women’s Open were decided on the glass court placed outside the I-Park Mall, a shoppers delight which incorporates the bustling Yongsan train and subway station.

The court set up by Seoul Squash Federation is at the base of a wide stairway that features 68 steps and a waterfall running down one section all the way to close to the side of the glass where it disappears into the paving stones. The relaxing noise of the water spilling down is one of the more unusual backdrops to squash.

But before the play an opening ceremony featuring speeches and the event dedication. It was also a case of bring on the girls, as the players and spectators were treated to a delightful display of dancing by troupes of young girls, with some little fellas added for good measure. Cute to the nth degree!

With that concluded the guests were able to watch the arrival into court of the Korean wild card Song Sun-Mi. Aged 19 and the youngest in the main draw field the hopes of the VIPS were with her – perhaps not fully appreciating the toughness of the task she faced against world number five Alison Waters. The Englishwoman is well used to playing on glass, has done so outside as well as inside and has played against home support too.

Annie Au vs Nicol David

Here a tiny sprinkling of non-Korean faces were wishing her well, Song’s support was strong, and she didn’t disappoint. Rallying well, retrieving athletically and hitting some winners; but without the steady stream that Waters was able to muster and so a win to the seed.

The guests had been well briefed and knew that the world champion was on the bill next. Seats remained fully occupied, the steps thronged and the areas outside the barriers filled as Nicol David took on vibrant young talent Annie Au, the remaining member of the Honkers Musketeers in the draw.

While Au smiles all the time off court, in her work box she gives little away, either in emotion or unforced errors. David had to work for her win. In what has become a regular feature of June to September when Au is not studying, her game gets worked upon and she goes up several performance notches.

When Au settled into the match there were times when David was unable to dictate. Playing with abandon the young left hander took the second game and reached six all in the next before David started to deny her opportunities.

Indeed, the world number one who had never playedvAu before was lavish with her praise about Au afterwards. ; She has so much potential. She has already matured so much, improving in leaps and bounds. She knows how to work the ball and her feel of the game is very good too’, said David.

Au herself commented. ‘I am very happy; to get one game is a bonus as I thought I would lose 3/0’. Another few months of training and she could be picking up many more games.

The third encounter featured friends. Third seed Natalie Grinham was taking on successful qualifier Latasha Khan. The American is like a moth drawn to the light of Tour events this year, Seoul being her tenth, and she did give the 2007 Seoul champion a good workout in defeat.

Grinham will play Kasey Brown in the quarter finals after the eighth seed came through what looked like a difficult match on paper. Mexican Samantha Teran is always an obdurate opponent, and with the two players both bustling around, the rallying was energetic. But Brown had better placement under the lights.

Mr Yoon Hong-Geun had remarked in his event opening speech about how suited squash is for a place at the Olympics, and with the TV cameras rolling and the public enjoying the spectacle of top class sport the sport can point to spectacular settings and great coverage in yet another country – his own.

Tomorrow evening sees some interesting-looking BBQ Seoul Open quarter finals to enjoy.

Nicol David (1) v Alison Waters (5)
Natalie Grinham (3) v Kasey Brown (8)
Jenny Duncalf (4) v Madeline Perry (6)
Rachael Grinham (2) v Shelley Kitchen (7)

Eight players, six nations, one night, many permutations.

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Grainger, the in-form No2 seed from Greenwich, crushed England's Jenny Duncalf 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 in just 25 minutes - the fifth seed clearly feeling the effects of her marathon hour-long upset over fourth seed Natalie Grinham in the previous round.

"I'm very happy with how that went - I knew Jenny had a hard match and a good win yesterday, so I really wanted to make sure I was on my game from the start, take my time and make sure my shots were tight," explained Grainger, the reigning US and Pan American Games champions.

"I worked it well, good shot selection and once I got on top it was important to keep it going, you can't afford to let anyone back in.

"Now it's the same routine as before - good food, good sleep, breakfast, a bit of sun and ready to go for the next match!"

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