Squash: Kitchen out for revenge at squash nationals

New Zealand No 1 Shelley Kitchen has unfinished business to attend to before returning to the Women's International Squash Players' Association world tour.

Northlander Kitchen has been back in New Zealand for three weeks, staking a claim for a place in the national team for the world doubles championships in Melbourne in January and the Commonwealth Games in the same city two months later.

The world No 13 is set to head offshore for three months, but first there is the small matter of the national championships in Auckland this weekend.

Kitchen, 25, missed out on the title in 2004 after a surprise loss to Wellington's Tamsyn Leevey in the final.

Kitchen wants revenge.

"It was really disappointing to miss out last year," she said.

"I'm determined to make amends ... hopefully I'll get the chance to turn the tables on Tamsyn in the decider."

Kitchen has been seeded at No 1 for the championships with Leevey No 2.

Defending champion Kashif Shuja is again the men's top seed.

The world No 63 is expected to meet world No 76 Callum O'Brien in the final, in a repeat of last year's decider.

Seedings:

Women: Shelley Kitchen (Northland) 1, Tamsyn Leevey (Wellington) 2, Louise Crome (Auckland) 3, Jaclyn Hawkes (Otago) 4.

Men: Kashif Shuja (Auckland) 1, Callum O'Brien (Waikato) 2, Campbell Grayson (Auckland) 3, Josh Greenfield (Central Districts) 4.

- NZPA