SquashTalk>Women's World Open >Womens World round of 16 - Bronstein

[last update was 15-nov-00 ]

Round of 16 day session: Fitz-Gerald, Owens, Bailey breeze

11.13.00 by Martin Bronstein

Eye Group Women's World Open Squash Championship, Edinburgh, Scotland

Martin Bronstein reporting from the Meadowbank Centre in Edinburgh

FITZ IN FINE FORM
With a near faultless performance Sarah Fitz-Gerald made her way into the quarter-finals of the Women's World Open with a 3/0 demolition of England's Jenny Tranfield. From the first ball the former world champion was hitting perfect length and Tranfield was pinned into the back court, sometimes forced to go short where Fitz-Gerald just killed the ball stone dead.

Anything short on the backhand side and Fitz would just "Devoy" it - a winning drop. She had the first game 9-0 in six minutes.

IT STILL IS JUST A MATTER OF LENGTH
Fitz kept the pressure up on Tranfield who simply had nowhere to go. If she tried to go short Fitz killed it, if she tried rallying down the wall her shots were met with crisp volleys. It was 6-0 for the Australian before Tranfield got her first point - and that, symbolically was on a perfect length, about the only way she could have beaten Fitz-Gerald who went on to win the game 9-1 in 5 ½ minutes.

In the third game Tranfield started floating the ball in high cross-courts and Fitz-Gerald, in her eagerness to get at the ball - she can't wait to attack the ball - made a couple of errors. But the pressure was too much to allow Tranfield to keep up this strategy and the inevitable result was a 9-2 five minute game to give Fitz-Gerald the victory..

TRY NOT TO THINK OF THE KNEE
After the game Fitz-Gerald said she was happy with the way she played and went out to attack the ball. "I like the court and it plays true. I still get the occasion twinge from the knee but I walk around a bit and it's Ok.. The specialists tell me that there is nothing wrong with it, but it is still a small nag at the back of my mind.

But I'm getting better; I used to wake up and the first thing I would think about would be my knee. Now I just jump out of my bed. My form depends on whether I can get my brain and body to connect, but here, after my bad performance at the British Open, I am going in with the attitude that I've got nothing to lose. The main thing is for me to not put pressure on myself, " she said.

As for Tranfield, ranked 17 in the world, she was coldly honest about her performance: "Totally outclassed. She is so fast on the ball and her movement is - with Leilani Joyce - the best on the circuit. At my level I have to find a way to move up to where I can handle players like Sarah." Tranfield is studying for her doctorate in sport psychology so if anybody can find the answer, she can.

AWAY THE SCOTS
Pamela Nimmo, the only Scot left in the draw, was dismissed by Linda Charman with almost as much ease. Charman, now number three in the world, plays very good basic game and would get even better results if she volleyed more.

Nimmo, a striking, slim redhead, is slowly climbing the rankings but has yet to reach the standard of consistency to put pressure on people of Charman's stature. It was all over in 32 minutes 3/0 for Charman who now faces Fitz-Gerald in the quarters.

"I know what I have to do against Sarah, but doing it is another thing. You have to vary the pace and mix it up so she doesn't get into her power game. I beat her last year in the British Open and then again in Germany in April, but with Sarah, you never know, "Charman told me after the match.

TANIA KEEPS GOING
Tania Bailey's match against Sabine Schoene did not live up to expectations and the German number one failed to capitalise on a game ball in the second game to even the match. Bailey led 8-5 but Schoene came back to even the game and then lead 9-8 but two more errors allowed Bailey to take the 17 minute game 10-9.

The tale was almost the same in the third game but once again Schoene just fell short and Bailey took it 9-7 to move into the quarters where she will meet Carol Owens, who breezed past Vicky Botwright in three, saying later that she never really got going and would liked to have got a few long rallies under her belt.

For the latest results go to www.squashtalk.com/womensworld

RESULTS: Eye Group Women's World Open Squash Championship, Edinburgh, Scotland

Fourth round, partial results:
Carol Owens (Aus) bt Vicky Botwritght (Eng) 9-3, 9-0, 9-2.
Tania Bailey (Eng) bt Sabine Schoene (Ger) 9-2, 10-9, 9-7.
Linda Charman (Eng) bt Pamela Nimmo(Sco) 9-5e, 9-2, 9-2.
Sarah Fitz-Gerald (Aus) bt Jenny Tranfield (Eng) 9-0, 9-1, 9-2.

3rd round:
[2] Carol Owens (AUS) bt Janie Thacker (ENG) 9-0 9-1 9-4
Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt [14] Claire Nitch (RSA) 9-3 9-6 9-1
[5] Tania Bailey (ENG) bt Senga Macfie (SCO) 9-6 1-9 9-3 9-6
[12] Sabine Schoene (GER) bt Annelize Naude (RSA) 10-8 9-4 9-7
[4] Linda Charman (ENG) bt Rebecca Chiu (HKG) 9-1 9-4 9-6
[16] Pamela Nimmo (SCO) bt Shelley Kitchen (NZL) 7-9 9-4 9-4 10-8
[7] Sarah Fitz-Gerald (AUS) bt Liz Irving (AUS) 9-3 9-0 9-3
[15] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) bt Elin Blikra (NOR) 9-4 9-0 9-2
[10] Stephanie Brind (ENG) bt Natalie Grinham (AUS) 9-5 9-0 9-4
[8] Fiona Geaves (ENG) bt Madeline Perry (IRL) 9-1 10-8 9-0
[11] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Salma Shabana (EGY) 9-4 9-0 9-1
[3] Natalie Grainger (ENG) bt Ellen Petersen (DEN) 10-8 9-7 1-9 9-0
[13] Rebecca Macree (ENG) bt Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) 9-4 9-2 9-7
[6] Suzanne Horner (ENG) bt Maha Zein (EGY) 9-4 9-5 9-2
[9] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt Latasha Khan (USA) 9-1 9-2 9-3
[1] Leilani Joyce (NZL) bt Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 9-2 9-5 9-1