Squash: Owens confident she can topple world No 1 at British Open

New Zealand's top player, Carol Owens, is seeded to meet world champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald in the final of the British Open which starts in earnest in London next week.

And she is confident of lifting the trophy after losing the final to Fitz-Gerald last year.

Owens won the world title in Scotland two years ago.

Fitz-Gerald, the gritty Australian and world No 1, is making a return from injury and her form is in doubt.

The tournament starts at the Lambs club, near the Old Bailey in London, and the last week of games will be held at Manchester.

Owens, 31, meets Madeline Perry, of Ireland, in the first round, and if she wins that match, will take on the winner of the match between world junior champion Nicole David or Pam Nimmo, of Scotland, in the second round.

Owens is seeded to meet Linda Charman in the quarter-finals and another Briton, Cassie Campion, in the semifinals.

"I reached the final against Sarah last year but with Sarah having been out injured, this event is really up for grabs. If it all comes together on the day I'm quietly confident," Owens said yesterday.

"I'm reasonably happy with my current form and I don't feel last week's loss in Egypt [in the semifinals to England's world No 9, Natalie Pohrer] will have any negative impact on me.

"The court was very slippery and posed a threat of serious injury, which I wasn't prepared to risk with the British Open and other events just around the corner."

The world doubles is straight after the British Open, followed by the Grand Prix finals in Qatar.

The Grand Prix event is worth US$50,000 ($114,652) and is solely for the top eight in the world.

This year's British Open has struggled with sponsorship, and organisers have come up with just US$30,000 in prizemoney.

"We are definitely playing the British Open just for its prestige," said Owens, an Eden Epsom club member in Auckland.

The final rounds of the tournament will be played at the same venue as the Commonwealth Games in July.

New Zealander Leilani Joyce, the world No 3 behind Fitz-Gerald and Owens, hopes to make a return to the game at Manchester in July following a serious ankle injury which has kept her off court since November.

Owens was crowned world champion in Edinburgh in November 2000 after beating Joyce in the final.

After switching allegiance from her country of birth, Australia, she represented New Zealand for the first time at the world championships in Melbourne last year.

New Zealander Shelley Kitchen is the 13th seed, and plays England's Jenny Tranfield in the first round.

Two other New Zealand players, Lara Petera and Louise Crome, are among the 32 players aiming for eight qualifying spots.

Those games begin this weekend.

Top eight seeds: Sarah Fitz-Gerald (Australia) 1, Carol Owens (NZ) 2, Cassie Campion (England) 3, Fiona Geaves (England) 4, Linda Charman-Smith (England) 5, Stephanie Brind (England) 6, Rachel Grinham (Australia) 7, Suzanne Horner (England) 8.

- NZPA