Kitchen misses out on NZ title, but something is more important

Shelley Kitchen may not have got the fairytale finish she wanted at the A1 Homes New Zealand Women's Squash Open, being  knocked out in the semifinal, but the top Kiwi player ended her campaign on a high note.
She announced her pregnancy with  partner Anthony Ricketts.
"The Open will be my last tournament for a while - I won't be playing New Zealand Nationals this weekend," she said.
Kitchen was intending to defend her title at the  Nationals,  from August 21-25 at Palmerston North, but pregnancy  changed her plans.
"I really just wanted to get through this week. Now I can have a break," she said.
To reach the  Open semifinal was an achievement in itself, Kitchen said.
"I was lucky to win the first round to Annie Au of Hong Kong, and I wasn't expected to win my quarter-final against world No6 Jenny Duncalf from England.
"For me to win that was great."
After a successful start to the tournament, Kitchen lined up on the glass courts at Mt  Maunganui's Bayfair Shopping Centre to play world No3 Natalie Grinham  (the Netherlands) on Saturday.
It was Kitchen's second appearance in a Women's International Squash Players' Association Gold Star semifinal. However, Grinham was too fast and too strong,
winning  11-9, 11-2, 11-7.
"It was a really tough match," Kitchen said.
"If I'd won the first set, it could've been different. I was leading there for a while.
"But she [Grinham] was too good for me on the day."
While there was speculation Kitchen's performances could earn her a higher world ranking, the Kaitaia product said because she had missed two tournaments in Malaysia and Singapore earlier this year due to illness, her ranking would most likely stay the same.
 Kitchen said she was very pleased with her overall performance at her final tournament for a while.
She was also impressed by the number of supporters who came to watch the first NZ Open contested in this country since 1993.
"It was really amazing.
"All the girls from overseas enjoyed themselves and it was really well run," she said.
 NowKitchen can look forward to putting her feet up for a while - at least until the baby arrives.
"The Commonwealth Games are still a goal. "They are not until October 2010, and if everything is still going well and I'm interested in playing squash - which I'm sure I will be - then I would like to go," she said.