ATKINSON HIGH AND DRY    [masters quarters preview]

Rebecca Macree and Fiona Geaves argue the point (photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert)

Three of the four semi final positions in the Women's Squash Grand Prix finals were determined in today's pool action in Qatar. Natalie Grinham plays Linda Charman today to determine whether she will join her sister Rachael (whom she would probably meet) in tomorrows semi final play.

Top seed Cassie Jackman clinched her place in the semi-finals of the WISPA World Grand Prix Finals with a 9-4 9-6 9-10 9-1 second qualifying round win over Australia's fourth seed Natalie Grinham in 55 minutes. In the other match in Pool A, fifth seed Linda Charman needed 64 minutes to overcome England team-mate Tania Bailey, the eighth seed, 7-9 9-3 9-5 10-8. Charman and Grinham meet in the final qualifying match to settle the other semi-final qualifier from the group.

Cassie Jackman kept Natalie Grinham on the run. (photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert)

In Pool B, England's seventh seed Rebecca Macree swept to her second successive upset when she beat sixth-seeded compatriot Fiona Geaves 9-7 9-4 9-7 in 59 minutes to ensure a semi-final place. The other last four slot was also claimed early by Australia's Rachael Grinham when the No2 seed dismissed third seed Vanessa Atkinson 9-3 9-0 5-9 9-6 in 52 minutes. Atkinson, who won the earlier Qatar Airline Event here earlier this year as well as the Irish Open last weekend, is the surprise "odd-woman out."

Power Survives Masters Marathon

Power prevailed over Ong Beng Hee. (photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert)

Canada's twice champion Jonathon Power survived a grinding 94-minute encounter against Malaysian Ong Beng Hee to reach the quarter-finals of the $120,000 PSA Qatar Masters at the Khalifa International Squash Complex in Doha.

Power, anxious to make up for his shock second round exit last year after winning the title in the previous two years, beat off a stiff challenge by the Malaysian before winning 15-5 15-10 10-15 15-11 in the longest second round match of the day. The long match was never in doubt, but kept Power on court for a long period.

The 29-year-old seventh seed from Montreal declared afterwards that he was delighted to be scheduled, for the first time, onto the all-glass court for the quarter finals. It is this permanently-sited four-glass-walled court in Doha that North America's greatest softball player of all-time refers to as "my favourite court in the world" - on which he has won three PSA Tour Super Series titles, including the World Open crown in December 1998.

Jonathon is looking very focused and is playing some superb squash but he has complained openly about having been scheduled for two matches on the plaster "court two," which plays noticeably slower and does not ideally suit his offensive game. Power has commented to the press that court two plays "like a clay tennis court" and he looks forward to being moved to the glass court, the "grass court." that he prefers.

Power will meet England's fourth seed Lee Beachill, who by contrast to power's hour and a half odyssey, cruised to a 15-5 15-4 15-6 win in only 33 minutes over Australia's unseeded Dan Jenson, the previous day's surprise victor over England's No10 seed Nick Matthew. Beachill, the world No. 4 from Pontefract in Yorkshire is enjoying excellent form, and is undefeated in Doha since winning the Qatar Classic title in December.

The quarter-finals throw up several repeats of the last two World Open finals: France's top seed Thierry Lincou despatched compatriot Renan Lavigne 15-9 15-6 15-4 in 38 minutes to set up his first meeting with Amr Shabana since the left-hander triumphed against him in December's Pakistan final to became the first Egyptian to claim the World Open title.

Joe Kneipp ran into a John White buzz-saw Thursday. (photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert)

After a disappointing sequence of results since then, Shabana was back to his best as he demolished England's James Willstrop, the pride of Pontefract in Yorkshire. Playing with flair and dash, and a new found confidence, Shabana had to be at the top of his game to quash Willstrop, one of the sport's brightest new stars, 15-11 15-8 17-15 in 54 minutes.

The 2002 World Open final in Belgium saw Australia's David Palmer overcome Scotland's Australian-born John White in a five-game thriller. This time, however, White is ranked one in the world, and Palmer six. The Scot earned his place in the 2004 PSA Masters quarter-final with a stunning 15-7 15-10 15-11 defeat of ninth seed Joseph Kneipp in 49 minutes - avenging his loss to the Australian in the third round of the 2003 World Open.

Sixth seed Palmer followed a slow start against Egypt's Mohammed Abbas to eventually run out an easy winner. Clearly after the first game the 14th seed was struggling with his movement. When he retired midway through the fourth game, Abbas admitted to carrying an old muscular leg injury. Palmer, now clearly free of injuries and illness, won in 43 minutes with a 12-15 15-2 15-4 8-2 scoreline.

RESULTS: PSA Qatar Masters Squash Championship, Doha, Qatar

2nd round:
[1] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Renan Lavigne (FRA) 15-9, 15-6, 15-4 (38m)
[5] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [16] James Willstrop (ENG) 15-11, 15-8, 17-15 (54m)
[3] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt [15] Paul Price (AUS) 15-6, 15-11, 15-6 (29m)
[11] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Mark Chaloner (ENG) 15-10, 15-11, 15-12 (55m)
[7] Jonathon Power (CAN) bt [12] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 15-5, 15-10, 10-15, 15-11 (94m)
[4] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt Dan Jenson (AUS) 15-5, 15-4, 15-6 (33m)
[6] David Palmer (AUS) bt [14] Mohammed Abbas (EGY) 12-15, 15-2, 15-4, 8-2 ret. (43m)
[2] John White (SCO) bt [9] Joseph Kneipp (AUS) 15-7, 15-10, 15-11 (49m)

Women's World Grand Prix Finals, Doha, Qatar
2nd qualifying round:
Pool A:
[1] Cassie Jackman (ENG)* bt [4] Natalie Grinham (AUS) 9-4, 9-6, 9-10, 9-1 (55m)
[5] Linda Charman (ENG) bt [8] Tania Bailey (ENG) 7-9, 9-3, 9-5, 10-8 (64m)
Pool B:
[2] Rachael Grinham (AUS)* bt [3] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) 9-3, 9-0, 5-9, 9-6 (52m)
[7] Rebecca Macree (ENG)* bt [6] Fiona Geaves (ENG) 9-7, 9-4, 9-7 (59m)
* = Clinches semi-final position

Squashtalk.com All materials © 1999-2004. Communicate with us at info@squashtalk.com.
Published by Squashtalk LLC, 409 Massachusetts Ave, Suite 102, Acton, MA 01720 USA, Editor and Publisher Ron Beck,
Graphics editor Debra Tessier Send comments, ideas, contributions and feedback to the webmaster.
Copyright © 1999-2004 SquashTalk, all rights reserved, may not be reproduced in any form except for one-time personal use.