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Leilani Joyce CooL
by Elspeth Burnside Oct 16, 2001 © 2001 Elspeth Burnside and Squashtalk
[last update was 16-oct-01 ]

Women's World Quarters - I, Men's Challenger day two.
 [Women's Draw]     [Men's Draw]

JOYCE RETURNS TO FORM, WYANT OUT   

Melbourne, Oct 15 2001.

New Zealand's Leilani Joyce had ben hot and bothered following a close second round match, but the top seed was cool as a cucumber in becoming becoming the first player to reach the semi-finals of the women's World Open at the Sports and Aquatics Centre in Melbourne, Australia.

The 26-year-old needed just 29 minutes to fend off the challenge from England's Fiona Geaves and set up a meeting with another English player, Linda Charman-Smith. In an all-English quarter-final, Charman-Smith also had an easy passage. She beat Stephanie Brind 9-1, 9-0, 9-7 to reach the last four for a first time.

Joyce, who lost the world no 1 ranking to Australia's Sarah Fitz-Gerald this month, had struggled to overcome England's Vicky Botright in the previous round, and she admitted that Geaves had suffered the backlash.

"It was my own fault, but I totally underestimated Vicky and it really could have cost me the match," she reflected. "But it got my nerve up for tonight and I was determined to make amends. "Fiona's a very strong player, but I just always felt in total control and now I'm looking forward to the semi on Thursday. But, from now on, I certainly won't be taking anything for granted."

Charman-Smith had an unexpectedly easy ride, and it could have been even more one-sided had Brind not staged a late rally. She trailed by two games and 0-4 before coming back to lead 7-4 in the third. But Charman-Smith re-grouped to win in 27 minutes. "I became a little too defensive and lost my nerve," admitted the 29-year-old. "But now I'm just going to go out and enjoy the semi." In tomorrow's quarter-finals, Fitz-Gerald meets England's Suzanne Horner, and defending champion Carol Owens, from New Zealand, also faces an English opponent in Cassie Jackman.

Results (seedings in brackets) Quarter-finals:

(1) Leilani Joyce (NZL) bt (5) Fiona Geaves (Eng) 9-3, 9-2, 9-4;
(4) Linda Charman-Smith beat bt (6) bt Stephanie Brind (Eng) 9-1, 9-0, 9-7

WSF MEN'S WORLD CHALLENGE - DAY TWO
Tim Wyant, who will play for the USA in next week's men's world team championship, went out in the first round of the WSF World Challenge. The American was beaten 9-1, 9-1, 9-1 to the no five seed from Finland, Oli Tuominen.

Meanwhile, Wyant and his US team mates of Damian Walker, Preston Quick and Richard Chin have been named among the 17-24 seeds for the event that starts on Monday.

Results (seedings in brackets) First round:
M A Iskandsar (Mas) bt S Salter (Aus) 9-3, 9-2, 9-5; (15)
N Matthew (Eng) bt M Sanders (Aus) 9-5,9-2,9-3;
M Minto (Fin) bt M Gruber (Aut) 9-0, 9-1, 9-6; (11)
R Lavigne (Fra) bt M Ikoin (Aus) 9-2, 9-0, 9-3; (14)
P Marshall (Eng) bt T Hota (Jap) 9-1, 9-4, 9-1;
K Low (Mas) bt R Tanno (Jap) 9-3, 9-6, 9-5; (5)
O Tuominen (fin) bt T Wyant (USA) 9-1, 9-1, 9-1;
A Hansen (RSA) bt G Tippings (Wal) 7-9, 9-6, 9-0, 9-0;
(6) J Williams (Aus) bt Y Watanabe (Jap) 9-0, 9-2, 9-3;
G Whittaker (RSA) bt C Drakenberg (Swe) 9-0, 9-1, 9-6;
(4) K Darwish (Egy) bt L Kenny (Aus) 9-5, 9-7, 10-8;
(12) M Abbas (Egy) bt K Patrick (Can) 9-4, 9-5, 9-3;
S Zaman (Pak) bt P Davis (Aus) 4-9, 9-6, 9-2, 9-1;
M Korsjberg (Den) bt S Richardson (Ire) 9-4, 9-5, 9-3