Fernandes wins qualifier at Monte Carlo Classic
Guyana Chronicle
December 6, 2006
MONTE CARLO, Monaco CMC – Guyanese squash ace Nicolette Fernandes brushed aside her German opponent in the qualifying round of the Women’s Monte Carlo Classic on Monday evening.
Buoyed by her elevation to an all-time high 29th in the world ranking this past weekend, Fernandes was on court for just 24 minutes as she ran past Daniela Schuman in straight games at the Stade Louis II courts.
Fernandes won the match 9-1, 9-1, 9-5.
For the December ratings released last Friday, Fernandes leapt six places up the Women's International Squash Players Association (WISPA) world rankings for her first ever Top-30 rating.
Her rise was mainly triggered by her superb upset win over highly ranked Briton Jenny Duncalf at the Women’s World Open in Belfast last month.
Describing the win as the biggest of her career, the 23-year-old Caribbean champion upset World No.8 and tournament sixth seed Duncalf 9-3, 9-0, 9-7 in the first round of the Women’s World Open.
Fernandes will tackle Italian Manuela Maletta in the second stage of qualifying to get into the main draw of the Monte Carlo Classic this week.
In other first round qualifiers, Canada’s Runa Reta beat Italian Wilma Kirsten 9-0, 9-1, 9-4 in just 16 minutes, and Mexico’s Pan-American Championship gold medallist Samantha Teran got past Soraya Renai, of France, 9-3, 9-3, 9-2.
The Netherlands’ World No.3 Vanessa Atkinson is the tournament’s top seed and Australian Natalie Grinham is seeded third.