Mexico's Teran Gets Win
April 5, 2005, Howard Harding
SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2005 all Rights Reserved;

After missing a year on the WISPA Tour following a bad knee injury, the extensive training that Mexican Samantha Teran got under her belt in the last six months finally began to pay dividends as she outlasted sixteenth seed Rebecca Chiu in their first round tie in the Texas Open.

Samantha Teran had a good day, upsetting Rebecca Chiu, photo courtesy WISPA

The 23 year old from Mexico City has a game which contrasts sharply with her opponent from Hong Kong. Hitting the ball heavily, straight and deep, she slowly induced mistakes from Chiu, who has a fine all round game but found an opponent all too willing to chase down drops and everything else she was hit with. In the fifth game of the 73 minute clash Teran, currently ranked 37, came out stronger and was cheered home by her parents who had picked a fortuitous occasion to travel north of the border to watch her.

“After I saw the draw I thought I had a chance and was excited”, the winner excitedly said! “I thought that if we would play five games I would have an advantage because I am fit now” she continued.

Teran now plays seventh seed Vicky Botwright who had a more straightforward win over Pakistan's Carla Khan to book a place on the glass court in the Atrium of Plaza of the Americas in Dallas tomorrow. Indeed, this match was similar to others which followed where the loser couldn't do enough to discombobulate her opponent but could keep her on court working hard before being finished off. Khan lasted 37 minutes but couldn't win a game. Shortly afterwards Canadian Runa Reta’s neat precise squash forced twelfth seed Madeline Perry just beyond forty minutes for her 3/0 win.

Isabelle Stoehr did have a very much easier day though; finding out during the morning that her opponent Fiona Geaves had been forced to withdraw having woken up to find that the right Achilles tendon strained in practice the previous day had tightened further overnight. She will play fourth seed Nicol David whose all court coverage drained the life out of Latasha Khan.

Fifth seed Linda Elriani was another player who was delayed rather than derailed. Stephanie Brind started strongly, volleying well while Elriani was struggling to find her length. Brind served for the first game twice at 9/8 but could convert neither as Elriani had by now began to settle. When the first was gone then she began to struggle against the better length and high balls that Elriani served up.

Paul Carter exhorts Alison Waters on, photo courtesy WISPA.

The last two matches of the day featured Dutch seeds against English opposition. Annelize Naude would have expected a struggle against in form Alison Waters and ended in a tussle from which she emerged second best. Having won the first she raced to 7/2 up in the second before being pegged back. When this was lost after a claim for a traffic stroke which would have taken the orange spiky haired player to game ball her confidence ebbed away as Waters began to take control.

“I lost focus at 7/2 up and that probably gave Alison the confidence to get back in” Naude ruefully commented afterwards.

England Squash coach Paul Carter had nursed Waters home but couldn't repeat the success when Dominique Lloyd Walter was pitted against World Open champion Vanessa Atkinson straight after. However, she certainly played steadily, applied herself and was able to pinch the third game.

Atkinson was complimentary about her opponent afterwards “She’s drawn me so many times it’s untrue, and again today even when she went two down her head didn’t go down. You have to credit her mental strength.”

Tomorrow Carter will be trying once again to undo Atkinson when Waters plays her in the last sixteen.

Samantha Teran (Mex) beat Rebecca Chiu (Hkg) (16) 5/9 9/1 9/5 5/9 9/2 (73m)
Vicky Botwright (Eng) (7) beat Carla Khan (Pak) 9/1 9/3 9/1 (37m)
Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) beat Fiona Geaves (Eng) (13) walkover
Nicol David (Mas) (4) beat Latasha Khan (USA) 9/2 9/6 9/6 (28m)
Madeline Perry (Ire) (12) beat Runa Reta (Can) 9/2 9/4 9/1 (42m)
Linda Elriani (Eng) (5) beat Stephanie Brind (Eng) 10/9 9/3 9/3 (37m)
Alison Waters (Eng) beat Annelize Naude (Ned) (14) 7/9 9/7 9/5 9/1 (58m)
Vanessa Atkinson (Ned) (2) beat Dominique Lloyd Walter (Eng) 9/5 9/6 4/9 9/2 (41m)

Note: Matches use the WSF 9 point traditional hand-out scoring, with a 1 or 2 point tiebreaker at 8-8.

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