FROM a record six Malaysian men and women in the main draw of the World Open, only women's World No 1 Nicol David was left standing after the first two days of action in Manchester on Tuesday.

Nicol, attempting to regain the world title she won in 2005 and 2006, was responsible for the exit of one of those Malaysians after the luck of the draw pitted her against National No 2 Sharon Wee in the first round.

The top-seeded Nicol maintained her dominance over Sharon in what was possibly her easiest win yet in their four meetings on the Wispa Tour with a quick 11-6, 11-3, 11-2 victory in just 19 minutes.

But Nicol remained circumspect despite the comfortable nature of her win knowing it could just as well as easily end as she found out last year in Madrid.

"You want to do as much as you can but you also have to play yourself into the tournament so first matches are never easy, especially playing Sharon," said Nicol, who is looking to make up for her second round exit to New Zealand's Shelley Kitchen at the 2007 World Open.
Up next for Nicol is Rebecca Chiu, the World No 14 from Hong Kong, when she takes to the slower all-glass court today having been shunted to the outside conventional plaster courts for her opening match.

"I was just expecting anything when I came to the tournament. It's difficult to start off on the outside courts, but you just have to expect these things to happen.

"You just have to play your game and not think about it," said Nicol, unbeaten since last year's World Open.

Nicol, however, is savouring every moment of the expanded world tournament being jointly held for both the men and women for the first time since 2005 in Hong Kong.

"It's just fabulous to have the men and women together, there's a fantastic atmosphere about the place with all the players supporting each other, men watching the women and women watching the men.

"It's going to be raw in the later stages. I can feel it coming already."

That is something Malaysia's top two men's players will not get to experience after shock early departures for Ong Beng Hee and Azlan Iskandar.

Tenth seed Beng Hee fell in the second round to Egypt's unseeded Hisham Ashour, brother of World No 4 Ramy, 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9 to follow Azlan, who lost in the first round on Monday, out of the tournament.

Qualifiers Delia Arnold and national junior Low Wee Wern also saw their gallant run end in the first round.

Wee Wern, who upset two higher ranked players in the qualifiers, gave 12th seed Kasey Brown of Australia a bit of a fright before succumbing 11-5, 11-13, 11-4, 13-11 while National No 3 Delia held her own despite an 11-7, 11-7, 11-4 defeat to sixth seed Shelley.

RESULTS -- Men 2nd rd: Hisham Ashour (Egy) bt Ong Beng Hee (Mas) 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 11-9; Wael El Hindi (Egy) bt Omar Mosaad (Egy) 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8; Amr Shabana (Egy) bt Borja Golan (Spa) 12-10, 11-7, 11-4; Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt Farhan Mehboob (Pak) 9-11, 11-7, 7-11, 15-13, 11-7; Nick Matthew (Eng) bt Stewart Boswell (Aus) 11-9, 11-6, 11-9; Ramy Ashour (Egy) bt Cameron Pilley (Aus) 11-5, 11-4, 11-3; Peter Barker (Eng) bt Joey Barrington (Eng) 11-3, 11-3, 11-2.

Mohammed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt Thierry Lincou (Fra) 12-10, 11-6, 7-11, 10-12, 13-11; Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Miguel Angel Rodriguez (Col) 11-6, 11-2, 11-3; Davide Bianchetti (Ita) bt Lee Beachill (Eng) 11-9, 11-6, 10-12, 13-11; James Willstrop (Eng) bt John White (Sco) 11-2, 3-11, 12-10, 11-9; Adrian Grant (Eng) bt Jorge Isaac Baltazar Ferreira (Mex) 12-10, 11-2, 11-13, 11-2; Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt Shahier Razik (Can) 11-6, 11-6, 11-3; Karim Darwish (Egy) bt Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak) 11-1, 11-7, 13-11; David Palmer (Aus) bt Jonathan Kemp (Eng) 11-6, 12-14, 11-7, 12-10; Alister Walker (Eng) bt Kashif Shuja (NZ) 8-11, 11-1, 11-5, 11-5.

Women 1st rd: Rachael Grinham (Aus) bt Louise Crome (NZ) 11-7, 11-6, 11-2; Vicky Botwright (Eng) bt Manuela Manetta (Ita) 11-5, 11-7, 11-2; Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt Raneem El Weleily (Egy) 11-3, 6-11, 14-12, 11-7; Kasey Brown (Aus) bt Low Wee Wern (Mas) 11-5, 11-13, 11-4, 13-11; Natalie Grinham (Aus) bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng) 11-5, 11-6, 11-9; Annie Au (HK) bt Samantha Teran (Mex) 11-5, 11-4, 3-11, 11-5; Alison Waters (Eng) bt Latasha Khan (US) 11-9, 11-6, 12-14, 11-4.

Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) bt Sarah Kippax (Eng) 11-5, 11-6, 11-5; Madeline Perry (Ire) bt Engy Kheirullah (Egy) 6-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-5; Shelley Kitchen (NZ) bt Delia Arnold (Mas) 11-7, 11-7, 11-4; Natalie Grainger (US) bt Alana Miller (Can) 11-5, 11-6, 11-2; Jaclyn Hawkes (NZ) bt Vanessa Atkinson (Ned) 11-9, 11-7, 8-11, 10-12, 11-5; Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) bt Line Hansen (Den) 11-6, 12-10, 12-10; Laura Lengthorn (Eng) by Annelize Naude (Ned) 12-10, 13-11, 11-6; Rebecca Chiu (HK) bt Lauren Briggs (Eng) 8-11, 6-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-6; Nicol David (Mas) bt Sharon Wee (Mas) 11-6, 11-3, 11-2.