Squash: Best close at hand for No 20

By JULIE ASH

With the world's top two squash players living in the same city, Auckland's Shelley Kitchen can never complain of lack of competition.

Ranked No 20 in the world, Kitchen is chasing world No 1 and 2, Leilani Joyce and Carol Owens, who are also based in Auckland.

Kitchen, aged 21, said that although the three did not play one another often, she found having Joyce and Owens on her doorstep an enormous inspiration.

"It is great that they are both in New Zealand," she said. "I train with Carol probably once or twice a week, which is great.

"At the moment, Leilani and Carol, along with Australia's Sarah Fitz-Gerald, are really dominating."

Kitchen, with Joyce and Owens, will compete in the Hong Kong Open starting on Tuesday, where she will be chasing her third international title.

She won the first, the Singapore Open, in June and backed it up with a win in the Malaysian Open a week later.

Her first match in Hong Kong is against world No 13 and former world No 1 Cassie Campion.

"I would have liked to have played someone out of the top 20 first up, but I'm just going to give it everything I have got," said Kitchen.

Leading up to the Hong Kong event, Kitchen has competed in tournaments throughout New Zealand including the Wellington Open, where she finished runner-up to Joyce.

Joyce won 3-1, but it was the first time Kitchen had won a game off Joyce.

"I was pretty happy with that," she said. "I go into games against Leilani with nothing to lose. I know I'm going to get beaten but I just try and play as well as I can.

"She is pretty tough, she plays the game at such a great pace, she's very mobile and very quick. She also reads the game well and hits the ball very hard."

After the Hong Kong Open, Kitchen will compete in the New Zealand Open this month and then the World Open in Australia.

"As soon as I am finished in Hong Kong I'm coming straight home. It is my goal to win the New Zealand Open."

Kitchen is without a coach and said that to stay on top of her game she had to be highly organised.

"Just as long as I organise a match every day and have a couple of gym sessions a week I am okay.

"There are a lot of guys to play. They are so much stronger and faster and although you don't think you are doing well against them, when you come up against a woman you are so much stronger."

Originally from Kaitaia, Kitchen has been competing on the world circuit for the past two years.

She was a member of the New Zealand team that finished third in the world teams championships in Germany in 1998 and said she was in the sport for the long haul.

"I think you need a good personality to do well. You have to be determined to do well.

"It is quite tough and can be quite lonely as you go away a lot on your own and some of the girls quit because of that.

"I definitely want to be the world No 1."