9.30am
With Shelley Kitchen setting the tone, New Zealand crushed the United States 3-0 today to make the semifinals of the women's world team squash championship, being played in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
New Zealand, the sixth seeds, will next take on second-seeded England in the penultimate round tomorrow morning (5am NZT).
Kitchen got
New Zealand off to a cracking start 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.
England advanced after a nailbiting 2-1 win over the Netherlands, who New Zealand beat 2-1 in pool play yesterday.
Result: Shelley Kitchen bt Latasha Khan 9-7 9-2 9-1; Jaclyn Hawkes bt Michelle Quibell 5-9 7-9 9-3 9-3 9-0; Tamsyn Leevey bt Louisa Hall 9-2 6-9 9-7.
- NZPA
