WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: Women's Monte Carlo Squash Classic, Monaco

Quarter-finals:
[1] Linda Charman (ENG) bt [6] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) 9-5, 10-9, 9-6 (60m)
[3] Stephanie Brind (ENG) bt [Q] Alison Waters (ENG) 9-3, 9-6, 9-2 (23m)
[4] Fiona Geaves (ENG) bt [Q] Laura Lengthorn (ENG) 9-0, 9-3, 9-5 (28m)
Nicol David (MAS) bt [2] Rebecca Macree (ENG) 9-4, 4-9, 9-7, 6-9, 9-5 (64m)

David In Goliath Win In Monte Carlo

Unseeded Malaysian Nicol David marched into the semi-finals of the Women's Monte Carlo Squash Classic after upsetting England's No2 seed Rebecca Macree in five games in Monaco.

It was a seesaw battle between the experience Macree, the 32-year-old world No9 fresh from her victory in Sunday's Buler Challenge Cup final in Hong Kong, and Amsterdam-based David, the 20-year-old former world junior champion who is climbing back up the world rankings after a layoff for much of last year.

Macree, last year's runner-up, dropped the opening game but came back to take the second.  The pattern was repeated to take the match into a fifth game.  The decider saw the rip-roaring tussle continue.  First Macree went to 5-1, then it was David's turn to fight back.  After 64 pulsating minutes, the pint-sized Malaysian celebrated a confidence-boosting 9-4 4-9 9-7 6-9 9-5 victory and a place in the semi-finals for the first time.

An elated David said afterwards:  "At 5-1 down in the last I thought, I don't care, let's go for it!"   

David will now face England's fourth seed Fiona Geaves, the 2000 champion who ended qualifier and fellow countrywoman Laura Lengthorn's run with a 9-0 9-3 9-5 win in 28 minutes.

Alison Waters, the English qualifier who claimed the scalp of fifth-seeded Egyptian Omneya Abdel Kawy in the first round, was unable to repeat her giant-killing prowess against compatriot Stephanie Brind.  The third seed, who was runner-up to Geaves in the 2000 final, beat Waters 9-3 9-6 9-2 in just 23 minutes to reach an all-English semi-final against top seed Linda Charman.

The world No5 from Eastbourne in Sussex ended local interest in the event by beating France's 6th seed Isabelle Stoehr 9-5 10-9 9-6 in exactly an hour to reach her third Monte Carlo Classic semi-final.

"I expected to play a long match and was ready to go into a second hour if necessary, but I needed to play more of the right shots," maintained Stoehr.  "I didn't want to leave the tournament so quickly," added the 24-year-old from Tours.