WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: Qatar Squash Classic, Doha, Qatar

Men's 1st round:
Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [5] Jonathon Power (CAN) 8-15, 15-6, 8-5 ret.
Mark Chaloner (ENG) bt [10] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 15-13, 15-8, 13-15, 12-15, 15-6 (98m)
Adrian Grant (ENG) bt [7] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 6-15, 15-6, 15-10, 11-15, 15-12 (111m)
[Q] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [16] Graham Ryding (CAN) 15-11, 15-6, 15-2 (40m)
[4] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [Q] David Evans (WAL) 15-12, 15-6, 15-10 (54m)
[Q] Dan Jenson (AUS) bt [13] Martin Heath (SCO) 15-9, 15-12, 5-15, 15-9 (75m)
Omar Elborolossy (EGY) bt [8] Karim Darwish (EGY) 17-14, 12-15, 17-14, 17-15 (74m)
[Q] Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt [15] Simon Parke (ENG) 15-7, 15-9, 15-7 (33m)
[2] John White (SCO) bt [Q] Peter Barker (ENG) 15-4, 15-7, 15-10 (33m)

Women's 1st round:
[1] Carol Owens (NZL) bt [Q] Tegwen Malik (WAL) w/o
[12] Stephanie Brind (ENG) bt Sharon Wee (MAS) 6-9, 9-3, 9-2, 9-2 (29m)
[8] Tania Bailey (ENG) bt [Q] Rebecca Botwright (ENG) 9-1, 9-6, 9-4 (31m)
[13] Fiona Geaves (ENG) bt Pamela Nimmo (SCO) 5-9, 9-5, 9-1, 9-4 (45m)
[3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Latasha Khan (USA) 9-1, 9-2, 9-2 (23m)
[15] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt [Q] Carla Khan (PAK) 9-7, 9-2, 8-10, 9-7 (60m)
[6] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [Q] Laura Lengthorn (ENG) 9-4, 9-5, 9-2 (29m)
[9] Rebecca Macree (ENG) bt [Q] Alison Waters (ENG) 6-9, 9-6, 9-1, 9-1 (50m)
Nicol David (MAS) bt [10] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) 9-5, 9-5, 9-0 (27m)
[7] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt [Q] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) 9-0, 9-2, 9-2 (25m)
[16] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt Annelize Naude (NED) 3-9, 9-7, 9-0, 9-0 (25m)
[4] Cassie Jackman (ENG) bt [Q] Heidi Mather (AUS) 9-1, 9-4, 9-2 (23m)
[14] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [Q] Amelia Pittock (AUS) 9-6, 9-6, 9-2 (30m)
Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) bt [5] Linda Charman (ENG) 9-5, 10-9, 3-9, 9-5 (67m)
[11] Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt Madeline Perry (IRL) 9-6, 9-2, 9-4 (27m)
[2] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt Rebecca Chiu (HKG) 9-4, 9-4, 9-2 (30m)

Seeds Decimated In Doha

In a day beset by upsets, all but two of the second day's schedule of men's first round matches in the Qatar Squash Classic went against the seedings as world top twenty players like Egyptian Karim Darwish, Malaysian Ong Beng Hee, Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, Scot Martin Heath, Pakistani Mansoor Zaman and Englishman Simon Parke fell by the wayside to lower-ranked opponents.

There were similar collapses in the women's first round as Malaysia's Nicol David and France's Isabelle Stoehr overcame higher-seeded English opponents Jenny Tranfield and Linda Charman, respectively.

Experienced Egyptian Omar Elborolossy engineered perhaps the most significant of upsets when he beat compatriot Karim Darwish, the world No8, 17-14 12-15 17-14 17-15 in 74 minutes of finely-balanced and high-pressure squash.  Darwish, 22, recently succeeded 28-year-old Elborolossy as the Egyptian No1 and led an Egypt squad in October's World Team Championships from which his predecessor had been excluded.  Elborolossy delivered the perfect riposte to the nation's selectors when he later ejected world No1 Peter Nicol in the first round of the Canadian Classic.  "This was a very important match for me," said Omar after his Doha triumph.

Unseeded Mark Chaloner also had a belated message for the selectors who left him out of the England squad in the Vienna championships.  The Lincolnshire lad toiled for 98 minutes to achieve a morale-boosting 15-13 15-8 13-15 12-15 15-6 victory over tenth seed Gregory Gaultier, the Frenchman who was responsible for England's unexpected semi-final exit from the tournament. 

Two other Englishmen joined Chaloner in unscheduled second round berths.   Unseeded Adrian Grant ousted seventh-seeded Malaysian Ong Beng Hee 6-15 15-6 15-10 11-15 15-12 in 111 minutes, while qualifier James Willstrop took just 40 minutes to get the better of Canada's 16th seed Graham Ryding 15-11 15-6 15-2.

Linda Charman was the heaviest casualty in the women's event.  The world No6 from Sussex, victorious in the Monte Carlo Classic less than two weeks ago, crashed out 9-5 10-9 3-9 9-5 to Isabelle Stoehr, ranked 14 places below, to suffer her first opening round exit on the WISPA World Tour since the Qatar Open in October 2001.