With Shelley Kitchen setting the tone, New Zealand crushed the United States 3-0 yesterday to make the semifinals of the women's world team squash championship in Amsterdam.
New Zealand, the sixth seeds, will next take on second-seeded England in the penultimate round. Kitchen got New Zealand off to a crackingstart with a 9-7, 9-2, 9-1 demolition of Latasha Khan.
Jaclyn Hawkes then produced a sensational fightback against Michelle Quibell to wrap up the tie. Hawkes dropped the first two games 5-9, 7-9 and trailed 3-0 in the third. But she stormed back to win the game 9-3, and went on to take the next two 9-3, 9-0. New Zealand No 2 Tamsyn Leevey won the best-of-three dead rubber 9-2, 6-9 9-7 against Louisa Hall.
