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Zero Upsets as Weymuller U. S. Open Reaches Quarters
By Rob Dinerman © 2002 SquashTalk; all rights of reproduction reserved.
Nov 14, 2002

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The 27th edition of the women's tournament honoring the beloved and long-time professional Carol Weymuller is the final big event of the WISPA calendar 2002 year, and through two qualifying rounds and tonight's first round of the main draw it is clear why the year-long rankings have become what they are. To this stage, with 20 of the 27 overall matches now in the books, there has not been a single instance where a player has defeated, or even come at all close to defeating, an opponent ranked above her. In fact, there have only been three matches, one in the opening round of the qualifying and two in this evening's round of 16, that have even gone to a fourth game, and unfortunately, in the only match of the night that at least raised the scent of a possible upset, that fourth game was not played to completion.

The reason for the foregoing is the misfortune that befell Vicky Botwright, who dropped a hard-fought pair of 9-7, 10-8 opening games against her sixth-seeded British compatriot Stephanie Brind. Botwright had incurred a sprain of both the inside and outside ligaments in her right ankle in a training accident just a week before the early-November World Open in Qatar. Hampered by this mishap, she lost early on to Annelize Naude and was advised by a physiotherapist to withdraw from this event. However, aided by a protective supportive boot, Botwright recovered ahead of schedule and soared through her two qualifying rounds, in the second of which she avenged that recent loss to Naude in three convincing sets, hitting and moving beautifully and increasingly confident that the injury was behind her.

After rallying from second-game deficits of 0-4 and 6-8, she then forced a tiebreaker against Brind, but tinned a backhand service return and yielded the game-point to a sweet Brind counter crosscourt drop shot winner. But Botwright dominated a 9-2 third game and took an early 2-0 edge in the fourth. A Brind run brought her to 4-2, following which Botwright's right sneaker hit a sweat spot as she was extending her leg to nail a backhand and as she slipped the still-dodgy ligaments were re-injured. Noticeably grimacing in pain between the few points that remained, she was unable to pursue a few drop shots that Brind wisely employed and dejectedly retired with the score at seven points to two. Sprained ankles are predisposed to this type of scenario for several weeks after they have "healed", as anyone who has suffered one can attest, and this phenomenon arose to interrupt what had been a well-played match just as the outcome was beginning to become uncertain.

This uncertainty was visibly absent in many of tonight's other seven matches. Suzanne Horner came into town riding the momentum of a tournament win in Ottawa just a few days earlier, but was limited to seven total points against second seed Natalie Pohrer, who in her most recent performance reached the final of the World Open and almost prevented Sara Fitz-Gerald from winning this crown for a record fifth time. Rachael Grinham overwhelmed qualifier Jenny Tranfield quickly enough to race to the adjoining exhibition court in time to watch the third and last game of her sister Natalie's loss to seventh seed Tania Bailey, who demonstrated the physical presence that brought her to the final of the British Open last spring. The much smaller Grinham tenaciously retrieved, volleyed and re-dropped for all she was worth, but she was out-gunned by Bailey, especially along the left wall, and seemed to always be scrambling to try to stay in the point.

Pamela Nimmo's maneuverability and exceptional wingspan availed her nought against third seed Linda Charman, now fit again after a series of leg injuries (mostly to her pull-prone calf muscles) and deservedly known for her winning the matches she is supposed to win. Charman ground it out, ceding descending totals of points (5,2 and 1).

U. S. National champion, Latasha Khan was byed to the main draw by virtue of this status and that accorded the tourney by the USSRA, whose Board of Directors voted U. S. Open standing for this year's edition, resulting in its being named the Weymuller U. S. Open. Khan performed significantly better than the four other American entries, who between them tallied only 14 total points in their 12 combined games in first-round qualifying Wednesday wipe-outs. But though the three-time and current National champion came close in each of her first two games against Dutch star and fourth seed Vanessa Atkinson, she fell just short in a pair of 9-7 near-misses and these deflating developments presaged the 9-3 third that ensued.

In the remaining two matches in the draw's top quarter, England's Fiona Geaves suffered only a brief third-game let-up in a 9-1 9-6 2-9 9-3 win over her compatriot Rebecca Macree and top seed Carol Owens, the 2000 World Open winner who recently albeit controversially displaced Fitz-Gerald from the No. 1 ranking, dispatched the wonderfully talented Egyptian teenager Omneya Abdel Kawy, who easily won her qualifying matches only to lucklessly have her name be the first one drawn, which landed her opposite Owens. Kawy would have been a dangerous floater had she been positioned anywhere else, but at present her game lacks the physical force to combat Owens, whom she certainly challenged in the 9-5 first game before being shut out during the remainder of their entertaining but pre-ordained meeting.

The quarter-finals will begin at 5 o'clock Friday afternoon, as will the
semis on Saturday, with the final set for 2 o'clock on Sunday.

ROUND OF 16 RECAP

Carol Owens d Omneya Abdel Kawy, 9-5, 0 and 0
Fiona Geaves d Rebecca Macree, 9-1 9-6 2-9 9-3
Vanessa Atkinson d Latasha Khan, 9-7 7 and 3
Rachael Grinham d Jenny Tranfield, 9-4, 5 and 5
Stephanie Brind d Vicky Botwright, 9-7 10-8 2-9 7-2 retired
Linda Charman d Pamela Nimmo, 9-5, 2 and 1
Tania Bailey d Natalie Grinham, 9-4, 4 and 6
Natalie Pohrer d Suzanne Horner, 9-2, 2 and 3

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