Turnbull Turns Over Corren

Giant Australian qualifier Nathan Turnbull caused the biggest upset of today's first round of the Clare Valley Australian Open when he ousted fifth-seeded compatriot Mike Corren in Clare, South Australia.

The 1.98 metres (6' 6") tall Queenslander beat New Zealand-based Corren, who appeared to be suffering from a leg injury, 11-10 (5-3), 3-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7 at the Valleys Lifestyle Centre.

"I didn't know he was a bit lame before we started," Turnbull said. "I just had to keep on top and keep hitting good lengths and keep in front of the volleys - it was working well so I'm very happy with that.

"I was happy just to make the first round - I didn't think I'd make it through qualifying to be honest."

The 21-year-old faces Cameron Pilley in the next round after the second seed won a tricky clash against South Australian Luke Margan 11-7, 11-4, 11-10 (3-1).

Pilley hasn't played a competitive match since the Qatar Open in April and said he felt a bit rusty early on. "Luke's a pretty decent player so I knew it was going to be pretty tough," Pilley said. "It was good to get back in the swing of things."

Top seed Stewart Boswell from Canberra also progressed to the next round without too much trouble, beating Queensland junior Zac Alexander 11-3, 11-9, 11-6.

Boswell had too much class and experience for his younger opponent: "It's always good to get the first one out of the way. No matter how much you practise, the object of the first match is just to get the cobwebs out and get a win," said the defending champion.

Top seeds Shelley Kitchen and Kasey Brown were impressive winners in the first round of the women's event.

New Zealander Kitchen disposed of West Australian Cindy Meintjes in straight games 9-1, 9-2, 9-4 while Brown, from the New South Wales town of Taree, was even more emphatic in beating Kiwi Amanda Cranston 9-2, 9-0, 9-0 on a day in which all the women's seeds enjoyed success.

Kitchen said she was pleased with how she played, especially as she'd never heard of her opponent before this week.

"I'd heard from the girls this week that she was pretty good so I was expecting a tough match and it was, particularly for a first round," Kitchen said. "I'd never heard of her before, but I know she's had a couple of good wins recently and has done well against some of the younger girls."

Kitchen now plays New South Wales sixth seed Donna Urquhart in the next round, a player she hasn't met since they were in juniors together.

Urquhart reached the second round courtesy of a win over surprise entrant Vicki Cardwell. An inductee in the Australian Squash Hall of Fame, Cardwell has won the Australian Open five times, most recently in 1989.

She entered this year when there was a last minute withdrawal which left a hole in the draw and said she thought she was competitive "for about five rallies".

"And then of course the lack of fitness and the lack of preparation kicked in, but it was fun for a while," she said. "But I think I'll be paying for it for the next four days," explained the former world No1 after her 9-3, 9-2, 9-1 defeat.

Twenty-one-year-old Brown was far too good for an outclassed Cranston and said she felt in excellent touch against the young New Zealander.

"I wanted to work on a few things and I knew that if you give her a good length she can put the ball away with some nice short shots," Brown said. "I was able to hold her out today."

Brown has spent the past few months training at the Australian Institute of Sport in Brisbane and has only played one tournament recently - the Central Open in New Zealand.

"I had a good win there which prepared me for this, but I've been in Brisbane for a few weeks now as well training with Michelle (Martin), Byron (Davis) and Rod (Martin) in preparation for the Australian Open."

She said beating Australian Open top seed Shelley Kitchen in the Central Open had also helped her prepare for this week. "It definitely gives me a confidence boost - Shelley's been playing really well lately and to get that win gives me a bit of confidence before this one."

Men's 1st round:
[1] Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt [Q] Zac Alexander (AUS) 11-3, 11-9, 11-6 (25m)
[7] Steve Finitsis (AUS) bt Tom Hoevenaars (NED) 11-8, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 (51m)
[4] Aaron Frankcomb (AUS) bt Martin Knight (NZL) 11-7, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7 (85m)
[6] Scott Arnold (AUS) bt [Q] Matthew Karwalski (AUS) 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8 (45m)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt [8] Paul Davis (AUS) w/o
[3] Kashif Shuja (NZL) bt [Q] Steven Robinson (AUS) 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 (28m)
[Q] Nathan Turnbull (AUS) bt [5] Mike Corren (AUS) 11-10 (5-3), 3-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7 (53m)
[2] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Luke Margan (AUS) 11-7, 11-4, 11-10 (3-1) (41m)

Women's 1st round:
[1] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt Cindy Meintjes (AUS) 9-1, 9-2, 9-4 (32m)
[6] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt Vicki Cardwell (AUS) 9-3, 9-2, 9-1 (28m)
[3] Amelia Pittock (AUS) bt Joelle King (NZL) 9-3, 10-8, 9-7 (35m)
[8] Sachiko Shinta (JPN) bt Kirsty Groves (AUS) 9-7, 9-4, 9-1 (21m)
[7] Lisa Camilleri (AUS) bt Jackie Laurenson (NZL) 9-2, 9-1, 9-0 (20m)
[4] Elise Ng (HKG) bt Kerry Wickett (NZL) 10-9, 9-6, 9-0 (32m)
[5] Peta Hughes (AUS) bt Maggy Marshall (AUS) 9-0, 9-2, 9-3 (21m)
[2] Kasey Brown (AUS) bt Amanda Cranston (NZL) 9-2, 9-0, 9-0 (22m)