WORLD SQUASH NEWS
RESULTS: Bright Lights Women's Las Vegas Squash Open, Las Vegas, USA
Semi-finals:
[1] Linda Charman (ENG) bt Lara Petera (NZL) 9-2, 9-4, 6-9, 9-0
[3] Cassie Jackman (ENG) bt [2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) 10-8, 9-6, 7-9, 9-4
Charman & Jackman in All-English Las Vegas Final
Top seed Linda Charman and third-seeded Cassie Jackman will meet in an
all-English final of the Bright Lights Women's Las Vegas Squash Open in
Nevada, USA.
Charman, the world No3 from Eastbourne in Sussex, ended unseeded Lara
Petera's giant-killing run in 42 minutes, though the plucky New Zealander
picked up a game. Despite being in control for most of the match, the
favourite had a lapse in concentration at 6-3 up in the fourth and lost the
game without gaining another point.
Charman went on to wrap up the match 9-2 9-4 6-9 9-0 to earn her second
appearance in the Las Vegas final since 1999. Petera said afterwards: "This
week has been really rewarding. I didn't expect to make the quarters so
making the semis was a real bonus."
The other semi-final was a lengthy battle in which Jackman, the 2000 Las
Vegas Open champion, claimed a theoretical upset over second seed Vanessa
Atkinson to endorse the March world rankings which has the British National
champion ahead of the Dutch No1.
In a see-saw first half of the match, Atkinson was 7-0 up in the opening game
which Jackman fought back to win - then Atkinson reversed the roles by coming
back from 7-1 down in the second game to draw level. After 71 minutes,
Jackman clinched her 10-8 9-6 7-9 9-4 win to reach her third Las Vegas final.
For Atkinson, the match followed an even longer quarter-final the previous
day, and an earlier illness in New York. "I'm knackered," said the 2002
runner-up afterwards. "I just hope that I will have recovered by next
Thursday's first round match in the Texas Open in Dallas."