Kawy & Lengthorn Cause Upsets At Apawamis

Prospects for success in this month's British National Championships took a dive for two of the leading contenders in the first round of the Women's Marsh Apawamis Open when Vicky Botwright and Jenny Duncalf - seeded six and seven, respectively - crashed out of the first WISPA World Tour Gold squash event of the year at the Apawamis Club in Rye in the US state of New York.

Botwright, the world No6 from Manchester, went down in four games to England and Lancashire compatriot Laura Lengthorn-Massaro - reversing the result of their meeting a year ago at the Apawamis Club.

Unseeded Lengthorn's 9-6, 4-9, 9-5, 9-6 win in 55 minutes takes the 24-year-old from Preston through to the quarter-finals, where she will face top seed Nicol David.

The world No1 from Malaysia made a confident beginning to her 2008 WISPA World Tour campaign with a 9-4, 9-3, 9-1 defeat of Egyptian qualifier Engy Kheirallah.

Reigning British Champion Jenny Duncalf's 9-5, 9-3, 9-7 loss to unseeded Omneya Abdel Kawy extends the Egyptian's head-to-head record between the pair to 4/1. Kawy will now face fellow Cairo-based Rachael Grinham, the third seed from Australia who beat New Zealander Shelley Kitchen 9-5, 10-8, 9-2.

1st round:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [Q] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) 9-4, 9-3, 9-1 (33m)
Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) bt [6] Vicky Botwright (ENG) 9-6, 4-9, 9-5, 9-6 (55m)
[4] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt Madeline Perry (IRL) 9-2, 9-4, 9-4 (30m)
[8] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [Q] Samantha Teran (MEX) 9-3, 9-1, 9-1 (20m)
Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [7] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 9-5, 9-3, 9-7 (35m)
[3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Shelley Kitchen (NZL) 9-5, 10-8, 9-2 (39m)
[5] Tania Bailey (ENG) bt [Q] Kasey Brown (AUS) 10-9, 9-0, 9-6 (49m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt [Q] Latasha Khan (USA) 9-3, 9-4, 9-8