KINGSTON UPON HULL, United Kingdom — Laura Massaro, who has unexpectedly developed into the biggest threat to Nicol David's long-term supremacy of the women's game, carried her defense of the British Open title tenaciously into the semifinals. Massaro, the only English woman ever to be both World and British Open champion, now has some of the pressure of expectations from which the Malaysian constantly suffers, but overcame her tension and her compatriot Sarah Kippax in a straight games win. There were moments in the second game, during which the mobile Kippax established a five-point lead, when Massaro had to make extra efforts to control her emotions. But her ultimate success in doing so was well reflected by the 11-8, 12-10, 11-8 score-line. “I feel happy with where I am,” Massaro said, who next plays Raneem El Weleily, whom she beat in last year's semifinals and in the semis of both the last two world championships. These results, however, may serve to increase the focus of the third-seeded Egyptian, who has exceptional racket skills, and who looked impressive in an 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 win over Low Wee Wern, the seventh seeded Malaysian. The leading Malaysian, Nicol David, who hopes to win the famous title back, was due to meet Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy in a repeat of the 2010 world final in an evening quarterfinal. On Thursday, David had coolly carved out an 11-6, 13-11, 11-4 victory over Sarah-Jane Perry. It took the form of exemplary focus and patience, which helped the world No. 1 from Malaysia chisel her way through a difficult second game in which she saved a game point. Had Perry been able to adopt some of those qualities herself, she could have caused David even more trouble than she did; instead she had to settle for what might have been and some idea of what might help her do even better in future. David, too, may take important things from the match. This was her first outing on an all-glass court since losing her world title last month, and she dealt comfortingly well with the uncertainties of new conditions, with a crowd cheering for her opponent, and with important moments in which she let leads slip. “I hadn't played her before, so it was a case of getting used to what she was doing with the ball,” David said. She next plays Kawy after the 11th-seeded Egyptian came from two games down and saved two match points during an improbable survival. These dramas happened in a 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 13-11 victory over Camille Serme, the sixth-seeded French player, who led by 7-6 in the fourth game, by 6-3 in the fifth game, and stood within one good blow of victory at 10-9 and 11-10. Kawy, one of the most skillful wielders of a racket the women's game has seen, saved both of those with outrageous return-of-serve volleys which rolled dead from the nick between the forehand sidewall and the floor. Earlier Alison Waters, the fifth-seeded Englishwoman, and Joelle King, the fourth-seeded New Zealander, came through to contest the other quarterfinal in the same half of the draw. — Agencies
