Fernandes out of China Open after first round

By Avenash Ramzan

Guyana’s top squash player Nicolette Fernandes was knocked out of the China Open in Shanghai after a hard-fought match in the opening round.

The 33-year-old was stretched by Belgium’s Nele Gilis during the 81 minutes game, which she lost two games to three.

Fernandes lost the first two sets 5-11, 8-11, before rebounding to win the next two 13-11, 11-8 to force the fifth set decider. Gilis won the final set 11-6 to deny the Guyanese the gruelling win and a path to the next round of the competition.

Meanwhile, Fernandes has been ranked at number 25 in the world ranking issued by the Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) for September, an improvement of one spot from the August ranking.

Fernandes achieved a career-best ranking of 19 in October 2013, and since then has been in the world top 32.

Photo credit: SquashSite