Squash: King only Kiwi left at World Open

Joelle King is the only Kiwi left at the World Open squash tournament in Rotterdam after a difficult day for the New Zealand players.

The Kiwi No 1 and world's 10th-ranked player defeated Swiss qualifier Gaby Huber 11-7 11-6 11-6 in 35 minutes but will now face tournament second seed Jenny Duncalf from England in the second round. King has been beaten three times by Duncalf in 2011.

Fellow Kiwi Jaclyn Hawkes, 16th in the world, was beaten by rising star Dipika Palikal of India 11-8 9-11 11-8 11-7 in 52 minutes.

It was also a tough day for New Zealand's men's players, with Wellington's Martin Knight beaten by Egypt's Hisham Ashour 11-3 11-8 16-14 in the second round. Knight should see his current world ranking of 43 improve after making the second round.

Results from the World Open squash tournament in Rotterdam this morning (NZT):

Men's singles

Hisham Ashour (Egypt) bt Martin Knight (NZ) 11-3 11-8 16-14

Women's singles

Joelle King (NZ) bt Gaby Huber (Switzerland) 11-7 11-6 11-6

Dipika Palikal (India) bt Jaclyn Hawkes (NZ) 11-8 9-11 11-8 11-7