Australia’s Kasey Brown claimed the 10th title of her professional squash career and her first since May 2008 when she beat Sarah Kippax of England in the final of the Dayton Open in Ohio on Sunday. Brown, the 24-year-old from Taree in New South Wales, was always in control against the third seeded Englishwoman as she cruised to an impressive 11-9, 11-6, 11-3 win, treating the big crowd to a clinic on how to control a game of squash. Kippax was able to keep pace with the world number 12 in the first game, but she was eventually worn down as Brown dominated the front of the court, never looking in any real danger. The New York-based Brown now heads to Asia where she will play two major tournaments, the Chennai Open in India and the KL Open in Malaysia, before returning to the United States for the Texas Open.
Brown Reaches Dayton Final
Written by Kasey Brown
Sunday, 21 February 2010 20:37
Brown reaches Dayton final
21-Feb-2010 - Squash Australia
New South Wales’s Kasey Brown turned in an impressive performance as she downed powerful Kiwi Joelle King in straight games to reach the final of the Dayton Open women’s squash tournament in Ohio on Saturday. Brown, the world number 12, gained some revenge for her semi-final loss to King at the 2009 Australian Open by beating the 22-year-old New Zealander 14-12, 11-5, 11-7. She will now play Sarah Kippax in the decider after the third seeded Englishwoman saw off local hope Olivia Blatchford 11-6, 12-10, 11-9 in the second semi-final. It is Brown’s 18th final on the women’s professional tour but her first since she finished runner up at the 2008 Australian Open. She won the last of her nine titles in Hong Kong in May 2008, but since then she has consistently been ranked in the top 15 and as a result has played the top tier tournaments, where she regularly comes up against the world’s best players in the quarter or semi-finals. Brown has beaten Kippax in both their previous meetings, the most recent in the first round of the 2009 Hong Kong Open.
Semi-final results – prefix denotes seeding:
1-Kasey Brown (AUS) bt 5-Joelle King (NZL) 14-12, 11-5, 11-7 3-Sarah Kippax (ENG) bt Olivia Blatchford (USA) 11-6, 12-10, 11-9
Australian Open rematch as Brown faces King
Written by Kasey Brown
Saturday, 20 February 2010 20:54
Australian Open rematch as Brown faces King
20-Feb-2010 - Squash Australia
Kasey Brown will play New Zealand’s Joelle King in the semi-finals of the Dayton Open squash tournament in Dayton, Ohio in a rematch of their semi-final clashes at the last two Australian Opens. Brown reached the final four when she outlasted sixth seeded Canadian Alana Miller 11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 13-11 on Friday. King then upset the tournament’s fourth seed, Denmark’s Line Hansen, 11-4, 11-6, 11-5 to move into the semis. In other matches, Queensland’s Lisa Camilleri struggled early against Sarah Kippax and was never in the hunt as the Englishwoman won in straight games 11-5, 11-1, 11-9 to set up a semi-final against unseeded American Olivia Blatchford. It is hard to see either Kippax or Blatchford troubling the winner of the first semi-final between the two trans-Tasman rivals. The top seeded Brown, 24, goes into the clash as the firm favourite after beating her Kiwi rival in three of their four meetings on the women’s tour. However, the 22-year-old King emerged triumphant the last time they met, at the semi-finals of the 2009 Australian Open, and then went on to claim the biggest title of her career when she beat defending champion Annie Au in the final.
Kasey Brown has celebrated a great start to 2010 by cracking the top 10 in the world for the first time on the latest rankings issued by the Women’s International Squash Players’ Association (WISPA). Brown, from Taree in New South Wales, rose one place from number 11, joining Queenslander Rachael Grinham (4) to make it two Australians in the top 10. Malaysia’s Nicol David stayed at number one, ahead of Australian born Dutchwoman Natalie Grinham and England’s Jenny Duncalf. New South Wales’s Donna Urquhart was unchanged at 22, as was Queenslander Lisa Camilleri at 38, while Melbourne’s Melody Francis was up three places to a career-high 59 and Brisbane’s Zoe Petrovansky climbed two spots to a best ever 80. In the men’s rankings, David Palmer, who will retire at the end of the year, remained at number eight. Egypt’s Ramy Ashour became the youngest number one since the legendary Khans – Jahangir and Jansher -- when he jumped four places to displace Frenchman Gregory Gaultier. England’s Nick Matthew was at number two with Egypt’s Amr Shabana third and Gaultier fourth. Canberra’s Stewart Boswell reclaimed the Australian number two mantle when he moved up two places to 15, while New South Welshman Cameron Pilley slipped three positions to 18. Queenslander Steve Finitsis continued his rise, climbing three places to 67, a climb of 20 places over the past two months.
