WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: Women's Hyder Squash Open, New York, USA

1st round:
[1] Fiona Geaves (ENG) bt [Q] Judith Casbolt (NZL) 9-3, 9-4, 9-2
Lauren Briggs (ENG) bt [6] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) 9-3, 2-9, 9-7, 9-2
[4] Latasha Khan (USA) bt [Q] Meredeth Quick (USA) 9-5, 9-1, 9-3
[Q] Katie Patrick (CAN) bt [8] Runa Reta (CAN) 6-9, 9-1, 10-8, 9-2
[5] Carla Khan (PAK) bt Melissa Martin (AUS) 9-5, 3-9, 9-1, 9-7
[3] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) bt Line Hansen (DEN) 9-1, 9-0, 9-0
[7] Tamsyn Leevey (NZL) bt Rebecca Botwright (ENG) 9-4, 9-2, 9-5
[2] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt [Q] Sarah Kippax (ENG) 9-0, 9-0, 9-4

National Hierarchies Tested In New York

National squash hierarchies were at stake on the opening day of action in the Women's Hyder Open in New York, USA, when fourth seed Latasha Khan faced fellow American Meredeth Quick and eighth-seeded Canadian Runa Reta took on compatriot Katie Patrick.

Four-times US champion Khan repeated her win over Quick in the 2004 national final with a 9-5 9-1 9-3 victory which takes the 31-year-old from Seattle into a quarter-final clash with Patrick, another qualifier.

Patrick, a quarter-finalist in last week's Canadian National Championships last week, pulled off a significant upset when she defeated Reta, runner-up in the same event, 6-9 9-1 10-8 9-2, in 64 minutes.

More national battles will be fought out in the quarter-finals:  England's Lauren Briggs claimed an unexpected place in the last eight after upsetting Egypt's sixth seed Engy Kheirallah 9-3 2-9 9-7 9-2 - and will now face top-seeded compatriot Fiona Geaves, who dismissed New Zealand qualifier Judith Casbolt 9-3 9-4 9-2.

At the other end of the draw, two New Zealanders will battle for a place in the semi-finals when second seed Shelley Kitchen meets Tamsyn Leevey.  Kitchen beat English qualifier Sarah Kippax 9-0 9-0 9-4 while Leevey, the No7 seed, despatched Rebecca Botwright, also from England, 9-4 9-2 9-5.