Chiu Keeps Home Hopes Alive In Hong Kong

Rebecca Chiu will fly a lone flag for Hong Kong in the second round of her country's biggest international squash tournament after beating South Korea's Song Sun-Mi in today's first round of the Cathay Pacific Gale Well Hong Kong Open, the long-established Tour event which has attracted the world's top men and women.

The former Asian Games gold medallist conquered qualifier Song Sun-Mi 11-9, 11-4, 11-4 - and was expected to join Annie Au, her successor as Hong Kong number one, in the last sixteen of the $74,000 women's WISPA Gold event.

But Au, the 20-year-old 12th seed, crashed out of the event - beaten 4-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6 by unseeded Egyptian Engy Kheirallah.

The 27-year-old from Cairo will go on to meet England's fifth seed Jenny Duncalf - while Chiu will be reunited with Asian rival Nicol David, the world number one from Malaysia who is seeded to win the title for the fourth year in a row. It was David who stopped Chiu in last year's second round.

"It's my annual meeting with Nicol next, we always seem to play once a twice a year and usually here," Chiu told www.squashsite.co.uk later. "Don't ask me what my game plan is - I don't have one! I'll just go on to try my best and see what happens!"

The biggest upset in the women's event was claimed by Australian qualifier Donna Urquhart. Celebrating her 100th match on the WISPA World Tour, the 22-year-old from New South Wales beat New Zealand's Jaclyn Hawkes, the 11th seed, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 - reproducing the same form which saw her reach the quarter-finals of last month's British Open as a qualifier.

A pair of seeds also failed to make the last sixteen in the men's $145,000 PSA World Tour Super Series Platinum event.

England's Daryl Selby maintained the form which has seen him rise to a career-high world No21 ranking by overcoming Finland's 16th seed Olli Tuominen 12-10, 11-9, 13-11 in 63 minutes.

"I'm so happy with this win, it was a big match for me," said the 26-year-old from Essex - who now faces county colleague and England team-mate Peter Barker. The seventh-seeded left-hander despatched French qualifier Renan Lavigne 11-3, 11-1, 11-7.

Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar also recorded a straight games upset, beating Australia's 15th seed Cameron Pilley 11-9, 11-7, 11-4. The 27-year-old world No20, ranked three positions below Pilley, will now face another Australian, David Palmer.

The fifth seed, champion of the event in 2001, saw off Egyptian qualifier Mohd Ali Anwar Reda 11-2, 11-7, 11-4.

Amr Shabana, the defending champion from Egypt who is bidding to win the men's title for the fourth successive year and become the second most successful champion in the event's 24-year history, needed only 28 minutes to conquer Colombian qualifier Miguel Angel Rodriguez 11-6, 11-7, 11-7.

The third seed will now line up against compatriot Mohamed El Shorbagy after the 18-year-old 14th seed defeated Pakistan's Farhan Mehboob 11-8, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8.

The day's most disappointed player will no doubt be Ong Beng Hee, the unseeded Malaysian who kept eighth seed James Willstrop on court for 90 minutes, and recovered from two games down to reach match ball in the decider - but ultimately went down 12-10, 11-4, 9-11, 7-11, 14-12.

The Englishman, twice a semi-finalist over the past three years, will now face Australia's 13th seed Stewart Boswell.

Men's 1st round:
[1] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [Q] Julien Balbo (FRA) 11-7, 11-1, 11-5 (29m)
[11] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Omar Mosaad (EGY) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (47m)
[5] David Palmer (AUS) bt [Q] Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) 11-2, 11-7, 11-4 (34m)
Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt [15] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 (45m)
[3] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [Q] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (28m)
[14] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt Farhan Mehboob (PAK) 11-8, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8 (47m)
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) bt [Q] Renan Lavigne (FRA) 11-3, 11-1, 11-7 (36m)
Daryl Selby (ENG) bt [16] Olli Tuominen (FIN) 12-10, 11-9, 13-11 (63m)
[13] Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt [Q] Stephen Coppinger (RSA) 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 (32m)
[8] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 12-10, 11-4, 9-11, 7-11, 14-12 (90m)
[10] Alister Walker (ENG) bt Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) 11-6, 11-7, 11-2 (32m)
[4] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [Q] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 (27m)
[12] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt [Q] Chris Ryder (ENG) 11-4, 11-9, 11-13, 11-5 (48m)
[6] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Dick Lau (HKG) 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (34m)
[9] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt Joey Barrington (ENG) 11-5, 14-12, 11-6 (47m)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [Q] Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 11-8, 10-12, 11-7, 11-3 (51m)

Women's 1st round:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt Line Hansen (DEN) 11-9, 11-8, 11-7 (28m)
[13] Rebecca Chiu (HKG) bt [Q] Song Sun-Mi (KOR) 11-9, 11-4, 11-4 (21m)
[5] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [Q] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-7, 11-7, 11-8 (25m)
Engy Kheirallah (EGY) bt [12] Annie Au (HKG) 4-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-6 (37m)
[4] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [Q] Orla Noom (NED) 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 (21m)
[16] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [Q] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 11-8, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7 (33m)
[8] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [Q] Emma Beddoes (ENG) 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 (28m)
[15] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) bt Latasha Khan (USA) 11-6, 11-5, 13-15, 11-0 (58m)
[Q] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [11] Jaclyn Hawkes (NZL) 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 (34m)
[7] Madeline Perry (IRL) bt Lauren Briggs (ENG) 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 (30m)
[9] Kasey Brown (AUS) bt Sarah Kippax (ENG) 11-6, 11-8, 5-11, 11-9 (49m)
[3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Delia Arnold (MAS) 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 (20m)
[10] Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) bt Aisling Blake (IRL) 2-11, 12-14, 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 (52m)
[6] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [Q] Sharon Wee (MAS) 11-6, 11-2, 11-6 (18m)
[14] Camille Serme (FRA) bt Joey Chan (HKG) 11-7, 10-12, 6-11, 11-2, 11-5 (50m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [Q] Elise Ng (HKG) 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (25m)