England shock as Waters/Duncalf beat Massaro/Perry
By DONNA HELMER in Manchester
Malaysia’s Rachel Arnold and Nicol David defeated third seeds Rachael Grinham and Donna Urquhart 2-1 in the biggest upset on the opening day of the 2017 WSF World Doubles Squash Championships in Manchester.
Eight-time world champion David and Arnold, the sixth seeds, ran out eventual winners with an 11-10, 9-11, 11-8 scoreline against Urquhart and Grinham, winner of two gold medals in doubles competition at the 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Fifth seeds Jenny Duncalf and Alison Waters came from 1-0 down to beat Laura Massaro and Sarah-Jane Perry [5] in an intriguing all-English battle. Having trailed 9-7 in the second, the lower seeds fought back to claim the victory 7-11, 11-10, 11-6.
Top seeded Alan Clyne and Greg Lobban (Scotland) won their first two matches to take them through to the quarter-final stage in the men’s draw, while Joelle King and Amanda Landers-Murphy [1] (New Zealand) also won their opener against Natalie Grinham and Milou van der Heijden (Netherlands).
Men’s top seeds Alan Clyne and Greg Lobban opened up with two solid wins, as did Dutchmen Dylan Bennett and Piedro Schweertman with two seeding upsets that put them in with a great chance of making the quarters.
New English pairing Daryl Selby and Tom Richards fell to Australia’s second pairing of Zac Alexander and former world champion David Palmer. Top Aussie pair Cam Pilley and Ryan Cuskelly achieved two comfortable victories on the opening day.
New Zealand’s Joelle King and Paul Coll, top seeds in the mixed draw, begin their tournament today against Scotland’s Douglass Kempsell and Lisa Aitken.
2017 WSF World Doubles Squash Championships, Manchester: Day One Results.
Men’s Doubles:
M-A [1] Clyne / Lobban (Sco) 2-0 Malhotra / Mangaonkar (Ind) 11/1, 11/6 (29m)
M-A Bennett / Schweertman (Ned) 2-1 [8] Adnan / Yuen (Mas) 11/7, 1/11, 11/8 (50m)
M-A [1] Clyne / Lobban (Sco) 2-0 [8] Adnan / Yuen (Mas) 11/3, 11/8 (35m)
M-A Bennett / Schweertman (Ned) 2-0 Malhotra / Mangaonkar (Ind) 11/6, 11/6 (28m)
M-B [2] Cuskelly / Pilley (Aus) 2-0 Beddoes / Williams (Nzl) 11/7, 11/10 (32m)
M-B [7] Creed / Makin (Wal) 2-0 Brits / Potgieter (Rsa) 11/8, 11/3 (25m)
M-B [2] Cuskelly / Pilley (Aus) 2-0 [7] Creed / Makin (Wal) 11/7, 11/6 (32m)
M-B Beddoes / Williams (Nzl) 2-0 Brits / Potgieter (Rsa) 11/10, 11/6 (30m)
M-C [3] Alexander / Palmer (Aus) 2-0 Herrera / Vargas (Col) 11/8, 11/4 (27m)
M-C [6] Richards / Selby (Eng) 2-0 Kamal / Ng (Mas) 11/7, 11/4 (36m)
M-C [3] Alexander / Palmer (Aus) 2-0 [6] Richards / Selby (Eng) 11/9, 11/8 (42m)
M-C Herrera / Vargas (Col) 2-1 Kamal / Ng (Mas) 4/11, 11/6, 11/7 (41m)
M-D [4] Coll / Grayson (Nzl) 2-0 Kempsell / Moran (Sco) 11/9, 11/6 (44m)
M-D [5] James / Willstrop (Eng) 2-0 Baillargeon / Delierre (Can) `11/7, 11/6 (27m)
Women’s Doubles:
W-A [1] King / Landers-Murphy (Nzl) 2-0 Grinham / vd Heijden (Ned) 11/5, 11/4 (16m)
W-A [1] King / Landers-Murphy (Nzl) 2-1 [8] Cornett / Todd (Can) 5/11, 11/5, 11/9 (37m)
W-B [2] Chinappa / Pallikal (Ind) 2-0 Pelaez / Tovar (Col) 11/4, 11/5 (16m)
W-B [2] Chinappa / Pallikal (Ind) 2-0 [7] Evans / Saffery (Wal) 11/8, 11/7 (20m)
W-C [3] Grinham / Urquhart (Aus) 2-0 Cardwell / Nunn (Aus) 11/7, 11/5 (18m)
W-C [6] Arnold / David (Mas) 2-1 [3] Grinham / Urquhart (Aus) 11/10, 9/11, 11/8 (38m)
W-D [4] Massaro / Perry (Eng) 2-0 Aitken / Hallam (Sco) 11/6, 11/10 (29m)
W-D [5] Duncalf / Waters (Eng) 3-0 Fuller / Tucker (Rsa) 11/1, 11/3 (13m)
W-D [5] Duncalf / Waters (Eng) 2-1 [4] Massaro / Perry (Eng) 7/11, 11/10, 11/6 (39m)
W-D Aitken / Hallam (Sco) 2-0 Fuller / Tucker (Rsa) 11/7, 11/8 (26m)
Mixed Doubles:
X-A Kempsell / Aitken (Sco) 2-0 Makin / Saffery (Wal) 11/3, 11/3 (29m)
X-A [8] Waller / Lust (Eng) 2-0 Potgieter / Milnay (Rsa) 11/5, 11/9 (29m)
X-B Syafiq / Arnold (Mas) 2-1 Delierre / Cornett (Can) 11/9, 2/11, 11/7 (39m)
X-B [7] Creed / Evans (Wal) 2-0 Bennett / vd Heijden (Ned) 11/6, 11/6 (23m)
X-C [6] Malhotra / Chinappa (Ind) 2-0 Leiper / Hallam (Sco) 11/5, 11/6 (22m)
X-C Millar / Landers-Murphy (Nzl) 2-0 Herrera / Pelaez (Col) 11/3, 11/5 (14m)
X-D Baillargeon / Todd (Can) 2-1 Schweertman / Grinham (Ned) 6/11, 11/6, 11/10 (39m)
X-D [5] Selby / Waters (Eng) 2-0 Vargas / Tovar (Col) 11/7, 11/7 (18m)
Official website: www.wsfworlddoubles.com
Follow the action on Twitter with @WSFworlddoubles
Pictures courtesy of England Squash