28-09-2004

Top Seeds Untroubled On Second Day In Amsterdam

Despite playing two ties each on the second day of action in the Women's World Team Squash Championships, none of the top seeds was unduly troubled at the Frans Otten Stadion in Amsterdam. 

Favourites Australia, the title holders and seven-times winners of the event since 1979, crushed both Germany and Switzerland, 16th and 17th seeds respectively, 3-0.  The two Grinham sisters, from Toowoomba in Queensland, dropped only 17 points between them in their set of straight games wins.



"We're not under much pressure at the moment," conceded the Australian team manager and coach Michelle Martin, the former world No1 and three-times world champion who is making her debut in this capacity at the event.  "With Rachael and Natalie at one and five in the world, we're clearly in a strong position - but we can't afford to be complacent.

"I'm finding it quite hard personally, just being here in the position of advisor, helping where I can and keeping all my feelings neutral.  But I'm enjoying it a lot and certainly not feeling as though I want to be out there playing."

England, the No2 seeds and winners of the title five times since 1985, also enjoyed 3-0 wins in ties against 15th seeds Hong Kong and Japan, the 18th seeds. 

Japan, led by left-hander Chinatsu Matsui, ranked 89 in the world, are enjoying their sixth appearance in the event since 1987.  The team's player/manager Miyuki Adachi, aged 44, boasts participation in all but one of her team's appearances in the event since making her debut seventeen years ago in the first!

Later in the day, Hong Kong claimed the first upset in the event, beating seventh seeds Scotland 2-1.  Second string Frania Gillen-Buchert put Scotland ahead with a 9-7 9-4 7-9 10-8 victory over Karen Lau, but Asian Games champion Rebecca Chiu soon brought the 15th seeds back into contention with a 9-1 9-1 9-5 win over Susan Dalrymple in the top string clash. 

The Scottish squad was supplemented on the eve of the event by Louise Philip following the withdrawal of world No20 Pamela Nimmo with severe tonsillitis..  But the 36-year-old from Edinburgh was no match for 15-year-old Annie Au in the decider as the youngster despatched Philip 9-0 9-4 10-8 to give Hong Kong their unexpected win.

After a nervous 2-1 win over neighbours Belgium on the opening day, hosts Netherlands secured two 3-0 wins to strengthen their position in Pool C.  Led by world No3 Vanessa Atkinson in both ties, the squad beat 14th seeds Denmark and 19th seeds Austria - with Atkinson dropping just a single point in her defeat of the Austrian top string Birgit Coufal.

"When Isabelle plays for France, she seems to raise her game a few notches," conceded David afterwards. "She played really well and thoroughly deserved her victory - it just wasn't my day today. We have a day off tomorrow, so I hope to pick myself up and psyche myself up for our later matches against South Africa and Egypt."

The late withdrawal of Scotland's No1 Pamela Nimmo, caused by a cyst on her right tonsil, almost cost the seventh seeds their tie against Japan, the 18th seeds. Wendy Maitland, the newly-promoted top string, had to fight back from 0/2 down to beat Japan's Chinatsu Matsui, ranked 47 places lower in the world, 6-9 5-9 9-6 9-6 9-4.

In the final match, Susan Dalrymple lost 9-2 4-9 9-0 5-9 0-9 to Kozue Onizawa to leave Scotland with a 2/1 victory over their lower seeded rivals.

Qualifying rounds - Pool A:
[1] AUSTRALIA bt [16] GERMANY 3-0 (Rachael Grinham bt Kathrin Rohrmueller 9-4, 9-0, 9-3; Natalie Grinham bt Katharina Witt 9-3, 9-2, 9-0; Melissa Martin bt Carola Weiss 5-9, 9-2, 5-9, 9-2, 9-3)
[9] IRELAND bt [17] SWITZERLAND 2-1 (Madeline Perry bt Manuela Zehnder 9-2, 9-5, 9-0; Aisling Blake bt Gaby Schmohl 6-9, 3-9, 9-5, 9-5, 9-2; Anna McGeever lost to Olivia Hauser 4-9, 8-10, 2-9)
[1] AUSTRALIA bt [17] SWITZERLAND 3-0 (Rachael Grinham bt Manuela Zehnder 9-1, 9-0, 9-0; Natalie Grinham bt Olivia Hauser 9-3, 9-0, 9-1; Amelia Pittock bt Gabi Hegi 9-0, 9-0, 9-0)
[8] CANADA bt [16] GERMANY 2-1 (Runa Reta bt Kathrin Rohrmueller 8-10, 9-5, 9-7, 9-1; Melanie Jans Burke bt Karin Beriere 9-6, 9-7, 3-9, 9-5; Marnie Baizley lost to Katharina Witt 9-5, 5-9, 9-10, 8-10)
    Pool B:
[2] ENGLAND bt [15] HONG KONG 3-0 (Cassie Jackman bt Rebecca Chiu 9-6, 9-5, 9-6; Fiona Geaves bt Annie Au 9-0, 9-1, 9-5; Jenny Duncalf bt Joey Chan 9-6, 9-2, 9-0)
[10] USA bt [18] JAPAN 3-0 (Latasha Khan bt Chinatsu Matsui 9-2, 9-3, 9-0; Meredeth Quick bt Kozue Onizawa 9-4, 9-2, 9-4; Louisa Hall bt Sachiko Shinta 9-0, 9-3, 9-0)
[2] ENGLAND bt [18] JAPAN 3-0 (Linda Elriani bt Chinatsu Matsui 9-1, 9-1, 9-0; Fiona Geaves bt Kozue Onizawa 9-1, 9-0, 9-0; Jenny Duncalf bt Sachiko Shinta 9-2, 9-0, 9-2)
[15] HONG KONG bt [7] SCOTLAND 2-1 (Rebecca Chiu bt Susan Dalrymple 9-1, 9-1, 9-5; Karen Lau lost to Frania Gillen-Buchert 7-9, 4-9, 9-7, 8-10; Annie Au bt Louise Philip 9-0, 9-4, 10-8)
    Pool C:
[3] NETHERLANDS bt [14] DENMARK 3-0 (Vanessa Atkinson bt Ellen Petersen 9-3, 9-4, 9-4; Annelize Naude bt Line Hansen 9-4, 8-10, 10-8, 9-2; Karen Kronemeyer bt Ditte Nielsen 6-9, 7-9, 9-2, 9-2, 9-1)
[11] BELGIUM bt [19] AUSTRIA 2-1 (Kim Hannes-Teunen lost to Pamela Pancis 7-9, 5-9, 6-9; Katline Cauwels bt Birgit Coufal 9-6, 9-0, 1-9, 10-9; Annabel Romedenne bt Ines Gradnitzer 9-4, 9-3, 9-5)
[6] NEW ZEALAND bt [14] DENMARK 3-0 (Shelley Kitchen bt Ellen Petersen 6-9, 9-3, 9-2, 9-1; Tamsyn Leevey bt Line Hansen 9-0, 9-3, 10-9; Jaclyn Hawkes bt Kira Petersen 9-2, 9-0, 9-0)
[3] NETHERLANDS bt [19] AUSTRIA 3-0 (Vanessa Atkinson bt Birgit Coufal 9-0, 9-0, 9-1; Karen Kronemeyer bt Ines Gradnitzer 0-9, 10-8, 9-1, 9-7; Margriet Huisman bt Theresa Gradnitzer 9-1, 9-0, 9-2)