Seeds Safely Through In Dallas

The opening day of action in the Women's Texas Open in Dallas, USA, proved to be successful for the seeds - but the three players who had crossed the border from Canada fell at the first hurdle.

While the WISPA glass court was completing its build in the atrium of the Plaza of the Americas, the first day of the initial round of the WISPA Grand Prix event was taking place at the nearby Downtown Dallas YMCA.

Matches were competitive and much enjoyed by an animated crowd which began looking at the possibility of an upset as Malaysian Sharon Wee demonstrated again how her Belgian training is improving her all-round game. Jenny Tranfield, seeded eight and celebrating her return to the England team for the forthcoming European Team Championships, was battling but outgunned in the first. Tranfield then tightened up and, despite a heavy fall, managed to wrest control to win 2-9 9-0 9-2 9-0 in 55 minutes to book a last 16 slot on the glass.

The English player matches up against New Zealander Shelley Kitchen, the 11th seed who had a more comfortable time against Dane Line Hansen, winning 9-3 9-1 9-0 in 23 minutes.

Also through to the last 16 are Australia's top seed Rachael Grinham, who wasted little time dispatching Alana Miller back to Canada, and 15th seed Tania Bailey, who outgunned English compatriot Laura-Jane Lengthorn 9-4 9-7 9-2.

Katie Patrick, another Canadian who had been voted on to the WISPA Board the day before, found fellow member Natalie Grinham less welcoming on court. Sheer speed and delightful deception led the Netherlands-based Australian to a 9-1 9-3 9-0 victory in 20 minutes.

The younger Grinham sister's last sixteen opponent turned out to be ninth seed Omneya Abdel Kawy, but only after a stirring encounter with Scotland's Pamela Nimmo. The Scot got close in the first and then reached 8-2 in the second on a tide of effective play set against the Egyptian's errors. But then the world junior champion lowered her error ratio amidst her wonderfully wristy play that is so difficult to counter. Having saved two game balls, Kawy took the second with a drop played across the front which died in the opposite nick.

Nimmo was frustrated but managed to channel it into aggressive play in the third and was palpably relieved to take it at the first opportunity, perhaps fearing another comeback. But this was as far as Nimmo could take her opponent. Now the ball was dancing to the Egyptian's tune and Kawy ran away with the fourth to earn a 9-6 10-8 4-9 9-1 victory in 47 minutes.

The third of the Canadian musketeers at least mustered a game. Melanie Jans Burke took until the second game against USA's sixth seed Natalie Grainger to win her first point, then visibly relaxed and began to compete more strongly to win the game and draw level. While Grainger stepped on the gas again to take the third, the resident pro at the Vancouver Lawn Tennis, Badminton and Squash Club was still moving smoothly and stood at 8/7 in the fourth before Grainger finally reeled her in.

The last tie of the top half saw England's Jenny Duncalf book her place in the next round, but she was another who found that there is great depth in WISPA draws these days. Australian Amelia Pittock, ranked 29, battled hard against the English team member. Pittock reached 7-3 in the first and although she lost that one and the two following games it was a stern test for Duncalf.

1st round:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Alana Miller (CAN) 9-4, 9-4, 9-0 (25m)
[15] Tania Bailey (ENG) bt Laura-Jane Lengthorn (ENG) 9-4, 9-7, 9-2 (54m)
[8] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) bt Sharon Wee (MAS) 2-9, 9-0, 9-2, 9-0 (55m)
[11] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt Line Hansen (DEN) 9-3, 9-1, 9-0 (23m)
[3] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt Katie Patrick (CAN) 9-1, 9-3, 9-0 (20m)
[9] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt Pamela Nimmo (SCO) 9-6, 10-8, 4-9, 9-1 (47m)
[6] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt Melanie Jans Burke (CAN) 9-0, 4-9, 9-2, 10-8 (31m)
[10] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt Amelia Pittock (AUS) 9-7, 9-3, 9-0 (40m)