David & Chuah Set Up All-Malaysian Meeting In Penang

Local favourite Nicol David cruised to a straight games win in today's first round of the Women's Hotel Equatorial Penang Open to set up an all-Malaysian quarter-finals clash against Tricia Chuah at the International Squash Centre in Penang, Malaysia.

Penang-based David is looking for a hat-trick of successive WISPA World Tour titles after winning the Qatar Airways Challenge and the Malaysian Open last month. The new world number one beat England's Jenna Gates 9-0 9-3 9-0 and will now face Chuah for the first time since their first round meeting in the KL Open in February last year.

Chuah, the seventh seed from Kuala Lumpur who celebrates a career-high world No29 ranking this month, brushed aside compatriot Siti Munirah Jusoh, a qualifier, 9-0, 9-0, 9-1.

Hong Kong's unseeded Christina Mak pulled off a significant upset when she beat sixth seed Melissa Martin in five games. The Australian also recorded a career-best ranking this month by leaping four places to 27 - but Mak ultimately proved the more powerful as she secured her 6-9, 9-3, 9-3, 8-10, 9-1 victory.

Mak will now meet fellow countrywoman Rebecca Chiu, the third seed who dashed Japan's quarter-final hopes with a 9-5, 9-6, 9-1 defeat of Kawasaki-based qualifier Chinatsu Matsui.

New Zealand's Louise Crome fought back from 2/1 down to upset Australia's fifth seed Amelia Pittock 9-7, 3-9, 7-9, 9-4, 9-3. The Amsterdam-based 28-year-old from Auckland will now face another Australian, second seed Rachael Grinham, who beat Malaysian qualifier Lim Yoke Wah 9-2, 9-6, 9-1.

1st round:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt Jenna Gates (ENG) 9-0, 9-3, 9-0
[7] Tricia Chuah (MAS) bt [Q] Siti Munirah Jusoh (MAS) 9-0, 9-0, 9-1
[3] Rebecca Chiu (HKG) bt [Q] Chinatsu Matsui (JPN) 9-5, 9-6, 9-1
Christina Mak (HKG) bt [6] Melissa Martin (AUS) 6-9, 9-3, 9-3, 8-10, 9-1
[8] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [Q] Delia Arnold (MAS) 9-7, 9-7, 10-8
[4] Sharon Wee (MAS) bt Line Hansen (DEN) 9-0, 9-7, 9-3
Louise Crome (NZL) bt [5] Amelia Pittock (AUS) 9-7, 3-9, 7-9, 9-4, 9-3
[2] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [Q] Lim Yoke Wah (MAS) 9-2, 9-6, 9-1