Three upsets in the first round of the International Des Pyramides in Le Port Marly as Aisling Blake, Omneya Abdel Kawy and Alison Waters upset the seedings … Arthur Curran reports …
Round One:
[2] Kasey Brown (AUS) beat Coline Aumard (FRA) 11/7, 11/3, 7/11, 11/9. 54 mins.
First match up today saw Australian Kasey Brown, ranked 7, against the French wild card entrant Coline Aumard, ranked 42. Kasey raced into a 9/3 lead, Coline pulled back a couple, Kasey got game ball at 10/5 and despite Coline saving two game balls Kasey took the next point and the game 11/7. In the second Kasey dominated throughout, giving Coline very few chances, and she took the game 11/3.
In the third Kasey took an early lead of 5/4 but then Coline got into her stride, and helped by a couple of errors by Kasey, she took the lead at 9/5. Kasey did get one more point then, and saved one game ball, but Coline got the last point needed to win the game 11/7. The fourth game went in patches, Kasey taking a 5/1 lead, Coline pulling back to 5/5, Kasey taking back the lead up to 9/5, Coline again pulling back to 9/9, but she was not quite strong enough to stop Kasey taking the game at 11/9 and the match 3 – 1.
[5] Camille Serme (FRA) beat [Q] Amanda Sobhy (USA) 11/7, 11/4, 11/9. 30 mins.
On the adjacent court we had the No 1 French player Camille Serme, ranked at 9 in the world, against the American qualifier Amanda Sobhy, ranked 28. Playing against a small but very vociferous partisan crowd Amanda took a well deserved early lead of 6/3, but then Camille got into her stride and flew into a 10/6 lead, Amanda saved one game ball but could not save the next as Camille took the game 11/7.
Camille stayed very concentrated in the second, allowing Amanda very few opportunities to get into the game, and she took the game at 11/4. Amanda fought very bravely in the third, the score staying very close until Amanda got in front at 7/6, but Camille was determined not to have to play another game, going up to match ball at 10/7, Amanda saved the first but could not manage another as Camille took the game 11/9and the match 3 – 0.
[Q] Aisling Blake (IRL) beat [3] Rachel Grinham (AUS) 2/11, 9/11, 11/7, 11/9, 11/4. 61 mins
Next up were two very experienced players, with No 3 seed Australian Rachel Grinham, ranked 8, against Ireland’s qualifier Aisling Blake, ranked 26. The first game was really all about Rachel, as she stormed into a 9/0 lead, Aisling then took 2 points but was unable to stop Rachel from taking the game 11/2.
Aisling came much more in to the match in the second game and the score stayed very close all the way through, with Rachel edging it finally at 11/9. Rachel took a good 6/3 lead in the third, but there was then no signs of the upset to come. Aisling really battled from then on to lead at 7/6, Rachel levelled at 7/7 but then Aisling soared through the points to take the game 11/7. The fourth was so closely contested with the lead changing many times, Rachel led 3/1, Aisling took the lead at 5/3, Rachel got one, Aisling got one, Rachel got two to level at 6/6 then got the lead back at 8/7.
Aisling then came out with some superb shots to get to game ball at 10/8, Rachel saved one but Aisling took the next to win the game 11/9 and level the match. Rachel took an early 3/1 lead in the final game but then virtually ran out of steam, and Aisling, covering the court so well and playing lovely shots, finished off the game in wonderful style at 11/4 to take the match 3 games to 2 for a great victory and a huge upset to the seedings.
[7] Low Wee Wern (MAS) beat Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 11/6, 8/11, 9/11, 11/9, 11/3. 67 mins.
On the adjacent court we had two very good young players, as 21 year old Malaysian Low Wee Wern, ranked 14, faced 19 year old Egyptian Nour El Tayeb, ranked at 22. This turned out to be a really good match played in excellent spirit, showing that our sport’s future is in very good hands.
Wee Wern started the stronger, taking a 6/3 lead then 7/5, Nour took one more point but then Wee Wern took the next to win the game 11/6. The next game was much closer as Nour took an early lead of 3/1, Wee Wern came back to lead 4/3, Nour, playing some really exquisite shots, again took the lead at 7/4, Wee Wern fought very bravely to stay in the game but Nour finally broke the deadlock to win the game 11/8.
Once more in the third the scoring was so very close all the way up to 9/9, but again Nour took the edge and finished off at 11/9. As in the third game, the fourth was once more very close with both these fine young players showing great skills and good coverage of the court, and again went up to 9/9, but this time it was Wee Wern who had the edge and took the game 11/9 tolevel the match and go into a deciding game.
Unfortunately it appeared in the fifth that Nour had finally run out of steam and Wee Wern was able to capitalise and take the game 11/3 for a very good win.
Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) beat [6] Samantha Teran (MEX) 7/11, 11/7, 11/7, 11/9. 60 mins
The next match was again two very experienced players , No 6 seed Samantha Teran from Mexico, ranked 12, and Egyptian Omneya Abdel Kawy, ranked 19. Samantha started in good style, building up a lead in small bursts, and took the game 11/7.
Omneya then found her rhythm to take a 5/0 lead in the second, Samantha pulled back slowly to 6/7 but Omneya finished well to win 11/7. The next game was Omneya’s turn to build up a lead slowly in short bursts, as Samantha had done in the first, and she took the game by the same score 11/7.
The fourth game unfortunately turned into what I can only call a disgrace to the sport, with Omneya using deliberate blocking tactics, the referee allowed far too much bad feeling to creep into the game by not taking any action and allowed Omneya on too many occasions to come off the court to discuss decisions with the referee, who was only a metre away from the door, and wasting far too much time.
However, the game itself scoring wise was again very close all the way, and Samantha was leading at 9/7 then Omneya came back to take the game 11/9 and the match 3 – 1.
[4] Natalie Grinham (NED) beat [Q] Line Hansen (DEN) 11/6, 11/3, 11/5. 27 mins.
Meanwhile on the adjacent court we had a very fine match played in really good spirit between No 4 seed Natalie Grinham from Holland, currently ranked at 11, facing the qualifier from Denmark Line Hansen, ranked 27. Line had an early lead of 5/3 in the first, but that was to be the only time in the match when she had the lead.
Natalie, back to her best again after her long lay off, proved far too agile with her great movement around the court and delightful shot making, just proved too strong for Line, who battled really well throughout with scant reward.
[Q] Alison Waters (ENG) beat [8] Donna Urquhart (AUS) 11/4, 11/4, 11/9. 30mins.
Final match on court 2 saw qualifier Alison Waters, ranked currently at 24, rising back up after her injury lay off last year, against Australian No 8 seed Donna Urquhart, ranked 16.
With Alison almost back to her best and Donna seeming a little out of sorts, Alison was far to0 strong and caused an upset to the seedings, although not entirely unexpected, by taking the first two games quite comfortably at 11/4 each, and despite a strong fight back from Donna in the third Alison managed to edge out the winner at 11/9.
[1] Madeline Perry (IRL) beat Sarah Kippax (ENG) 8/11, 11/5, 11/3, 11/3. 54 mins.
Last match on Court 1 saw the first appearance of the tournament’s No 1 seed Madeline Perry from Ireland, ranked No5, playing against Sarah Kippax from England, ranked 23.
It came as a slight surprise that after a very well fought first game Sarah came out on top at 11/8, but unfortunately for her from there onwards Madeline showed all her guile and experience to take the next three games quite comfortably and go through to the quarter finals tomorrow.
Pyramides Gallery
