Will Mather looks at the Women’s Draw …

Qualifying starts at 4pm on Tuesday, March 15th at Bukit Jalil. Scanning through the diverse entry list for the WISPA event, some names immediately stand out. Most notably are the outstanding compatriots from India, Dipika Pallikal and Joshna Chinappa. Pallikal was a top junior player in the world and in her first year on the World Tour has already won 2 WISPA titles. Chinappa comes into the event having just won the Windy City Open in the USA.

Joey Chan of Hong Kong will be ready to sprint to the main draw. Perhaps the most dangerous player in qualifying, however, comes in Nour El Tayeb of Egypt. Having first seen her play in the World Junior Championships in Chennai in 2009 (where she lost in the Final), I was impressed by Tayeb’s athleticism and confidence. I fully expect Tayeb to not only make the main draw, but very well push her way to the Semifinals.

First Impressions of Main Draw


Headlining the women’s portion of the 2011 KL Open is local and world squash icon Nicol David. The Penang native, now training in Holland, continues her romp through the Women’s World Tour and maintaining her ranking as World #1. However, all eyes are on the possibility of a second round rematch with her last defeat, World #8 Laura Massaro of England.

The world squash community is salivating at the prospect will be the buzz of the tournament. But first, Massaro must pass a severe test in World #6, Kasey Brown of Australia, just one of several highly anticipated first round matches. Here are some first round projections:


Kasey Brown vs Laura Massaro

Massaro is the newly crowned England National Champion and Cleveland Classic Champion, where she defeated the world’s best players in the process. As a result, Massaro is riding a wave of confidence that betrays her seeding in Kuala Lumpur. However, don’t underestimate the mental aspect of this match. Kasey was the bronze medalist at the Delhi Commonwealth Games and is also generating a following with an intuitive game and much-improved defense. Massaro has enjoyed the taste of victory and will be eager for more, including the opportunity to again face and dismiss the World Champion, David, in front of her home crowd. And let’s be honest, isn’t that the match we all want to see?

Prediction: Massaro will be pressed and will probably take more shots than she ought to due to the stellar-moving Brown. This match goes the distance before Massaro wins 3-2 to in a physically demanding exhibition.

Raneem El Weleily vs Alison Waters

She can hit harder than you… she is better than you. Yes, even with that girly 120 gram, head-light Dunlop in her hand, Alison Waters will put the ball past you easily. Better than that, she is precise and with minimal angle can find the nick regularly. So you don’t want to miss this match when its the clever hitting Egyptian Raneem El Weleily facing her. These two have the potential of putting on a highly entertaining match. I truly enjoy watching them both play and hope it measures up.

Weleily’s racket skills and ambitious play are a great contrast for the disciplined, aggressive game of Waters. You can expect Weleily do diversify her shots and interrupt the great footwork of Waters especially up front where Waters likes to straight and attack the corners with volleys and pace. If Weleily counters with shots she owns like the cross court drops and boasts, it could get very entertaining at Waters’ expense, so if Waters goes to the front, she’ll need to finish it and not provide counter opportunities.

Prediction: After a slow start, Waters wins an aggressive match with a more passive approach, likely pinning Weleily to the back corners then taking the ball early. 3-1 to Waters.


Rachael Grinham vs Low Wee Wern

For a squash enthusiast, these first round matchups are an excellent! By far one of the best draws I’ve seen, this match is a must-see showdown, so the loyal Malaysian followers of squash must be there for this one! Talented local, Low Wee Wern, will have a supportive crowd and a packed corner against the always tough and athletic Rachael Grinham, a regular in the top 5 and a former #1.

Prediction: This match could be the lone upset of the round and will largely depend upon whether or not Low dictates the match, something she has struggled with when playing equal or better players, which are few. Upset? I’ll risk it and say yes – Low is capable of proving she belongs with the best and I think she can crack the top 10 this year. Riding the energy and local support for the KL Open ought to provide the needed motivation for a big win over one of the game’s greats in Grinham.


The Lower Half of the Draw


With the world’s best squash players descending upon Kuala Lumpur, the lower half is wide open. Madeline Perry of Ireland, Camille Serme of France, Omneya Abdel Kawy of Egypt and Jenny Duncalf of England have dutifully earned their position in the draw, but we’ll have to see how qualifying plays out as there are some fantastic matchups that could emerge. We can expect Duncalf to survive through to the semifinals, but it will be a fight to the end.