Matthew Marathon Ends Boswell's Boston Hopes

England's sixth seed Nick Matthew needed 72 minutes to quash Australian qualifier Stewart Boswell on the opening day of first round action in the US Open at the Murr Center at Harvard University in Boston.

Boswell, a former world No4 who is making a comeback after a back injury, was unable to reproduce the same form which took him to last month's quarter-finals of the British Open, also as a qualifier. Matthew, the world No11 from Sheffield, won the match 11-9 11-10 8-11 11-7 - an almost identical score to his victory over the 27-year-old from Canberra in the English Open in his home town in August.

Matthew's reward is a quarter-final clash with top seed Jonathon Power, the world No2 from Canada who defeated Australia's Cameron Pilley 11-6 11-4 11-5.

A surprise all-English quarter-final will take place following unseeded Bradley Ball's 11-4 11-10 8-11 11-6 upset over Pakistan's eighth seed Shahid Zaman. The 29-year-old from Ipswich will take on Yorkshireman Lee Beachill, the third seed who beat Egypt's Wael El Hindi 11-4 4-11 11-8 11-4.

Local interest in the women's event was given a further jolt when seventh seed Latasha Khan, the six-times US champion from Seattle, lost 3-9 9-5 9-4 9-6 to unseeded Australian Melissa Martin. It was on the eve of the event that favourite Natalie Grainger, the defending champion from Washington DC, was forced to abandon her title defence as a result of a ham string injury.

Men's 1st round:
[1] Jonathon Power (CAN) bt [Q] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (43m)
[6] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [Q] Stewart Boswell (AUS) 11-9, 11-10 (6-4), 8-11, 11-7 (72m)
[3] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt Wael El Hindi (EGY) 11-4, 4-11, 11-8, 11-4 (51m)
Bradley Ball (ENG) bt [8] Shahid Zaman (PAK) 11-4, 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 11-6 (48m)

Women's 1st round:
[2] Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt Amelia Pittock (AUS) 9-3, 9-3, 9-3 (38m)
[6] Sharon Wee (MAS) bt [Q] Nicolette Fernandes (GUY) 9-2, 9-2, 2-9, 9-4 (40m)
[3] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [Q] Lauren Briggs (ENG) 9-8, 9-7, 9-6 (48m)
Melissa Martin (AUS) bt [7] Latasha Khan (USA) 3-9, 9-5, 9-4, 9-6 (47m)