Grinham Cruises Through Opening Hurghada Challenge

Australia's world No2 Rachael Grinham needed just 21 minutes to despatch her first round opponent Salma Shabana on the opening day's play in the Women's Hurghada Squash International at the Red Sea resort of Hurghada in Egypt.

The summer Egyptian sun shone brightly on several debutantes in this established WISPA World Tour spectacularly staged in the open air on an all-glass court set on a tiny island reached by a wooden footbridge from the Marriott Beach Resort Hohtel.

The newcomers were clearly spellbound by the setting: "This is the most beautiful venue I've ever seen," said Canadian first-timer Runa Reta. "The yachts, Red Sea and resort are awesome."

As darkness fell, the lights from boats bobbing nearby provided a twinkling backdrop to an opening ceremony featuring energetic local dancing - with the WISPA players joining in before their own televised parade preceded the action. The temperature stayed in the mid-twenties Celsius, though tempered by a sea breeze.

Top seed Grinham, who bases herself in Cairo, cruised to a 9-2 9-1 9-1 victory over Egyptian qualifier Salma Shabana, a former world No20, in the final match of the evening - all of which were covered by live television! Shabana, watched by her two-year-old son Marawen, showed that neither motherhood nor the demands of her coaching position at the Maadi Club in Cairo have diminished her appetite as she tried to match the Australian.

The five Egyptian players in the main draw were led off by Engy Kheirallah, who was up against England's Kate Roe, who had come through the qualifying tournament to take on the eighth seed from Alexandria.

Kheirallah, who had beaten the current world number 10 Jenny Duncalf in Washington in March, was simply too steady for her opponent. The reason became clearer afterwards when Roe explained that not only had she not played outside before, but had never competed on an all glass court at all! "It was just so different I felt it wasn't me playing out there. I could see the ball well but my length was terrible," she the 25-year-old from Ilkley in Yorkshire after her 9-3 9-4 9-0 deafeat.

Kheirallah's 1999 World Junior Championship-winning teammate Eman El Amir was next up against fourth seed Pamela Nimmo. The Scot had seen a recent resurgence and this continued despite local support fervently trying to carry forward the Egyptian. Nimmo was too efficient and induced too many errors from El Amir, taking just 25 minutes to register her 9-4 9-6 9-0 win.

Her quarter final opponent would be the victor in the battle between Reta and England's Alison Waters, the seventh seed, which promised to be a tight match. Waters settled to the task immediately and although the rallies were competitive with hands changing to and fro, it was the English girl whose tally slowly rose in each game. After 32 minutes, Waters was able to return to the mainland having secured a berth in the last eight with a 9-1 9-1 9-2 win.