November 2012

Wee Wern takes China Open title!

Low Wee Wern retains her China Open title after beating Joelle King in a marathon final. After clinching an unexpected straight-games win over No.4 seed Kasey Brown of Australia in the semi-final, the Malaysian came from behind twice in the final to defeat King 11-9 in the deciding fifth game.

Wee Wern started the event with a strong win over experienced Rachael Grinham, before taking five games to overcome Omneya Abdel Kawy, the Egyptian who had dismissed top seed Jenny Duncalf in the first round.

King put up a strong fight in search of her 7th WSA title and has been enjoying some of the best form of her career to date after impressive campaigns in recent months. This form looked to continue as she first defeated Sarah Kippax, followed by No.3 seed Annie Au and No.5 seed Alison Waters on her way to the final.

After the match, Wee Wern spoke of winning the biggest event of her career. She said: “The feeling has not sunk in yet. To be able to win a WSA Gold tournament is just amazing. It’s my first time playing in the final of such a big event, and to be able to win it, even if it’s 11-9 in the fifth, it’s my best one so far!

Final:
[6] Low Wee Wern (MAS) v [7] Joelle King (NZL) 6-11, 11-4, 3-11, 11-3, 11-9 (71m)

Semi-finals:
[6] Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt [4] Kasey Brown (AUS) 12-10, 11-7, 11-5 (39m)
[7] Joelle King (NZL) bt [5] Alison Waters (ENG) 12-10, 11-4, 11-6 (40m)

Quarter-finals:
[6] Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt [Q] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 8-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6, 11-9 (75m)
[4] Kasey Brown (AUS) bt [Q] Aisling Blake (IRL) 11-9, 11-7, 11-5 (49m)
[7] Joelle King (NZL) bt [3] Annie Au (HKG) 11-4, 11-6, 8-11, 11-9 (61m)
[5] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [1] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) 7-11, 11-4, 11-1, 8-11, 13-11 (78m)

1st round:
[Q] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 13-11, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6 (58m)
[6] Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Rachael Grinham (AUS) 7-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-8 (52m)
[4] Kasey Brown (AUS) bt Li Dongjin (CHN) 9-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-3 (40m)
[Q] Aisling Blake (IRL) bt [8] Camille Serme (FRA) 9-11, 11-7, 11-7, 1-11, 12-10 (59m)
[7] Joelle King (NZL) bt [Q] Sarah Kippax (ENG) 11-7, 12-10, 11-7 (60m)
[3] Annie Au (HKG) bt Donna Urquhart (AUS) 11-4, 8-11, 2-11, 11-9, 11-7 (42m)
[5] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [Q] Joey Chan (HKG) 11-6, 8-11, 11-2, 9-11, 11-4 (53m)
[1] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt Samantha Teran (MEX) w/o