Chinappa Charges To World Championship Breakthrough

In the only upset in the second round of the Orascom Development PSA Women's World Championship, Joshna Chinappa recorded her career-first ever win over England's world No.9 Alison Waters in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of El Gouna to become the first Indian player to reach the prestigious event's quarter-finals for six years.

Underdog Chinappa, the 12th seed ranked 14 in the world, battled from 2/1 down to beat Waters 11-5, 7-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 in 66 minutes, thereby ending a 12-year losing run to the former world No.3.

The triumph takes the 30-year-old from Chennai into the World Championship last eight for the first time in her seventh appearance in the event since 2008.

In a bid to become the first Indian ever to reach the semi-finals, Chinappa will face Camille Serme, the second seed from France who despatched Emily Whitlock, the world No.13 from England, in straight games.

The world No.3 took the ball early to crash in a series of devastating backhand volleys and punished any loose shots from Whitlock in clinical fashion to take an 11-4, 11-6, 11-5 victory.

"I knew she beat Alison at the British Open, so I was focused from the start and didn't want to give her any hope," said Serme. "I came into the match with a clear tactical plan.

"Joshna is a very powerful girl, she hits the ball really hard and I think on that court with the wind it might be tricky to try lobs and shots like that because the ball can go out easily."

England's world No.2 Laura Massaro and Egypt's world No.4 Raneem El Welily will face off in the quarter-finals of a PSA World Tour event for the second tournament in a row after both players prevailed in the last 16 round.

Massaro, 33, from Preston, overcame New Zealand's Joelle King in a tight four-game encounter, hitting consistent lines despite a drop in intensity in the third game, to win 11-7, 11-8, 5-11, 13-11.

"The fourth was really close and I felt like I had pulled away a bit, but then she ended up coming back really well and I was in a little bit of a battle really," said Massaro.

"I think I started quite well. Joelle was a little bit off at the beginning but she began to up her game a little bit. I felt like she started hitting to my forehand a little bit more and was keeping it off my backhand.

"It took me a little while to rejig my plan a little bit and try and figure that out. I was perhaps a little bit edgy towards the end more than anything. Joelle is such a good player, she's so physical and I'm just pleased to get through that in the end."

Massaro defeated El Welily in the last eight of last month's Allam British Open and will look to put in a repeat performance against the former world No.1 after El Welily defeated USA No.2 Olivia Blatchford in a comfortable 3/0 victory.

Blatchford, competing in the second round of the World Championship for the first time in her career, tried in vain to compete with El Welily, but couldn't find any rhythm.

Struggling to adapt to the dead conditions on court early on - particularly failing to hit her targets in the back corners - she gifted control to El Welily. And the Egyptian, with the benefit of a match on the glass court already behind her, settled early, hitting with perfect weight and precision to dictate proceedings courtesy of a sumptuous display that marks her out as a genuine title threat.

"I'm definitely happy with the way I played today," said El Welily.

"It was the first time I've ever played Olivia so to come away with a 3/0 win is pleasing and unusual for me.

"I know she's played on glass courts before but I think the conditions today were very different to what she's experienced before. It's windy on there and you never know what's going to happen with the ball - you have to react and take it as it comes."