 |
Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 April 1999 Issue No. 426 
|
||
Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
 |
 |
|
|
Al-Ahram Weekly 22 - 28 April 1999 Issue No. 426
|
||
| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
|
|
|
Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Profile Special Travel Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters
Mrs. Mubarak congratulating winners on their victory
Martin makes it again
By Eman Abdel-MoetiAustralia's Michelle Martin easily defeated her compatriot Carol Owens to capture her second squash World Grand Prix Finals in Hurghada. Martin, a three-time world title holder, beat Owens, ranked No 9 in the world, 9-4, 9-7, 2-9, 9-4 in a best of five-game series.
Cassie Jackman of England beat Natalie Grainger of South Africa 3-0 to take third place. Scores were 9-3, 9-2, 9-6.
Martin collected $7,700 in prize money while Owens pocketed $6,300. Third-place winner Jackman took in $5,250 and Grainger $4,550. Players who finished from fifth to eight place received $2,800 each. Total prize money was $41,000.
Mrs Suzanne Mubarak, who awarded Martin the cup, led the 300 spectators who attended the final.
Pundits had expected Martin, 31, a six-time British Open winner, and her arch rival, former world champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald of Australia, to meet in the final. But Fitz-Gerald was forced to withdraw early in the tournament after suffering from a recurring knee injury. She had beaten Sabine Schonne of Germany 3-0 in the first round before pulling out.
On her way to the final, Martin had beaten Owens 3-0. In all, Martin defeated Suzanne Horner of England, Owens, Leilani Joyce of New Zealand and Jackman. "Those girls want to beat me as much as I want to beat them," Martin had said before the final. Owens beat Joyce and Horner 3-0, lost to Martin 0-3 and beat Grainger 3-2 in the semi-final.
It was Owens' first Grand Prix final and the second time she has faced Martin in a final. Their first final was in the 1997 Heliopolis Open in Cairo. "Playing against Martin creates good competition and it certainly enhances my play," Owens said.
The tournament showed that there was more to squash than just Martin and Fitz-Gerald, a three-time world champion as well. Jackman, 27, is currently at her peak, not because she is getting married in July, but because she had been sidelined for a year. Jackman had suffered an ankle injury in a match against Grainger in the 1998 US Open. She returned to the tour in January. "It really feels good to be playing again," she said.
Grainger, 22, is an up and coming player who will be representing South Africa on a regular basis. Grainger is Africa's only representative on the seven-member board of the Women's International Squash Professional Association.
"I am glad we are producing more players from Africa and I hope there will be more, especially from central Africa, as well as North Africa and South Africa," Grainger said.
It was generally agreed that this Grand Prix was better than last year's because of the weather, which is warmer in April than March, when the 1998 tournament was held. The opening and closing ceremonies -- which saw Nubian dance and oriental music respectively -- also helped generate publicity, as did an exhibition match between Egypt's Ahmed Barada, the world's No 3 player, and Welshman Alex Gough, in the No 6 slot. Egypt's Maha Zein, seeded 26, also played against Jackman in a friendly match.
Reporter Maculy Quin from the Times of London said, "What you managed to do here is blend the beach atmosphere with serious squash... You have the world final. And that has never been achieved before."
Raju Chainani, editor of Simply Squash in Asia, said, "When I first saw the court in front of the Pyramids, I thought this was extraordinary, but when I came here this year, I'm having difficulty deciding which is a better setting." Both journalists had high praise for having the court on the waterfront. "No one has ever seen anything like this before," Quin said. "I'd say: let's do it again."
.
