The Gal from Guyana Does it Again

Nicolette Ferandes advanced to the second round at the expense of Annelise Naude. Photo ©Martin Bronstein

She’s small with a big smile when she screws up and  a huge voice which she uses to scream when she screws up badly. My ears are still ringing. And Nicolette Fernandes of Guyana is still smiling after upsetting the 11th seed, Annelize Naude of the Netherlands in four games.

This was easily  Fernandes’ best win of her career; with a rnaking of 38 it was easy to see why she was so very happy at upsetting the world number 15 to move into the second round of this very prestigious tournament.

The unusual aspect of this match was that it was the younger player  who kept her cool and her patience and it was the experienced Naude, who plays at number two for Holland, who tried to finish things too soon.  Fernandez has  a pretty good disposition on court and will smile wrily when she makes a minor error or when the referee gives a doubtful decision against. On the other hand Naude was out of the door after the first point of the first game  questioning a relatively straightforward decision.  It was this constant questioning and ire at the decisions (known in the trade as the Palmer Complex) that  helped to aid in her defeat. The sad thing was that  the referee was right in most of the decisions she questioned. Her objections were just eating away at her confidence.

Shelley Kitchen forced a string of errors from inexperienced Joshna Chinappa. Photo 2006 © ALEX WAN

Perhaps this erosion started as Fernandes  controlled the first game to win 9-6, an unsettling outcome from a qualifier. But Fernandes got to complacent in the second, lost her length  and allowed  Naude to take complete control to turn the match around by winning 9-0. Lauren Briggs (another unexpected winner) was in Fernandes’ corner and simply reminded her about good length and patience.

And she listened: ran to 6-2 lead  and then lead 8-3. Naude would not lie down and gradually clawed her way back to  7-8 surviving eight game balls in the process. Finally Fernandes used her secret weapon – a well-time and beautifully disguised clip boast to win the ninth point and take a well deserved 2/1 lead.

Although Naude can hit some wonderful drops from the back of the court, she still lacks a variety of kills shots which means that when she does get to the front (and one player told me that Naude is slow to the front) she is not terribly dangerous.

Qualifier Reta (l) lost to Rebecca Chiu. Photo 2006 © ALEX WAN

Fernandes looked cool on court but was seriously sweating, necessitating a court-side shirt change.  The fourth game was still hard work but now Fernandes was using the boast to very good effect. She was also very composed, never allowing anything to spoil her equilibrium. When she had the court wide open her attempted drop hit the bottom of the tin, which was she let out this ear-drum breaking scream- but walked back to the service box smiling. She played the next rally  as though nothing had happened and won it.  She went on to win the game after 76 minutes of entertaining sport.

BRIGGS REVERSES HER FORTUNES
Last time Engy Kheirallah, the talented Egyptian number two, met England’s Lauren Briggs, she won 3/0. Today, the slim Miss Briggs reversed the  result and won 3/1. Fact is, had she not  started badly to lose the first game, she could have had a 3/0 result. But after that first game, she played an intelligent, patient game  which finally  frustrated  Kheirallah, the world number 16. 

Lauren Briggs reversed her previous loss to Engy Kheirallah. Photo 2006 © ALEX WAN

Briggs is a compact player, from the same mould as Nicol David. She hits the ball crisply, seemingly without effort, and moves  like a dancer. She was obviously up for it and fit for it. I got the impression she also knew that Kheirallah, like all shot makers, would lose patience. I didn’t count the errors but  I would bet that the Egyptian’s error count was much, much higher than Briggs’ count.

Briggs, a former Neil Harvey pupil has managed to shuck off what she considered Harveyj’s negative approach to squash and now expresses herself  through her racket. Although ranked just 26  Briggs is slowly pulling herself into the top 20 and if she continues to use her intelligence will make the top ten  before 2007 is out. She will now meet Vicki Botwright, the fourth seed, and will make Botgwright work hard for a victory.   Give me odds of three tone and I’ll bet on Briggs.

 

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, PLEASE MEET  A FUTURE WORLD  CHAMPION

Raneem couldn't dent Nicol David's calm precision. Photo 2006 © ALEX WAN

The last time I saw Raneem el Weleily she was small and playing like a demon  to win the world junior championship.  She is still only 16 but she has grown up – now travels without her mother – and filled out. She lost in three straight to the current world champion, Nicol David, as expected, but in doing so exhibited a racket skill and insouciance  that was nothing shot of electric. She ambles nonchalantly around the court as though she is not trying  and cuts and lofts the ball with ease. She had Nicol diving all over the place. No-one that young has the right to wrong-foot the world champion  so often. She will soon be known as the female Amr Shabana  and in about four years will be challenging for the number one spot in the rankings. When she and Omneya Kawy are playing at one and two for Egypt, they will be untouchable.

 

QATAR AIRWAYS CHALLENGE
FIRST ROUND RESULTS
[1]Rachel Grinham (AUS) bt  [Q] Carla Khan 9-5, 9-2, 9-0 (26mins)
[13]Rebecca Chiu (HKG) bt [Q] Runa Reta (CAN) 9-3, 9-4, 9-4  (36mins)
[6]Tania Bailey (ENG) bt Tegwen Malek (WAL) 9-4, 9-5, 6-9, 9-6 (62mins)
[Q]NicoletteFernandez (GUY) bt [ [11]Annelize Naude (NED) 9-6, 0-9, 9-7, 9-7 (76mins)
[3] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt Tricia Chuah (MAS) 9-3, 9-3, 9-0  (25  mins)
[16] Dominique Lloyd Walter bt (ENG) bt Latasha Khan (USA) 9-2, 9-5, 9-7 (35mins)
[7] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt Sharon Wee (MAS)9-2, 9-7, 9-3 (23mins)
[9]Laura Lengthorn (ENG)  bt  Jaclyn Hawkes (NZ) 9-5, 5-9, 7-9, 9-1 9-5 (74 mins)
[14]Isabelle Stoehr (FRA) bt Amelia Pittock (AUS) 9-0, 9-0, ret. 
[5]Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt Melissa Martin (AUS)   9-1, 99-3, 9-0 (20mins)
Lauren Briggs (ENG) bt [12] Engy Kheirallah (EGY)6-9, 9-4, 9-4, 9-3 (51 mins)
[4]Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt  [Q]Sarah Kippax (ENG)   9-4, 9-0, 9-1 (27mins)
[Q]Kasey Brown (AUS) bt  [15]Pamela Nimmo (SCO) 9-3, 6-9,  9-3,9-4 (52mins)
[8]Alison Waters (ENG) bt Suzie Pierrepont (ENG) 9-2, 9-2, 9-0 (17mins)
[10]Shelley Kitchen (NZ) [Q]Joshna Chinappa (IND) 9-4, 9-1, 7-9, 9-4 (42mins)
[1]Nicol David (MAS) vs Raneem El Weleily (EGY) 9-3, 9-3, 9-2 (23 mins)

                    [Main Draw]