WORLD number one Michelle Martin stayed on course for her fourth consecutive Grand Prix title with a straight games demolition of England's Sue Wright in the quarter-finals of the women's Pak Fah Yeow Open yesterday, at the Hongkong Squash Centre. The top-seeded Australian was made to fight in the first game when a gutsy Wright, who was carrying an ankle injury, came back from 8-4 down to force a deuce before eventually succumbing 10-9. Martin breezed through the next two games when the hapless Wright virtually lost her maneuverability, winning 9-2, 9-0 to book her place in the semi-finals against Suzanne Horner of England. ''Sue gave me a good run in the first game but she must have had a very sore ankle in the next two as she just threw in the towel,'' said Martin, who has had an easy run so far in the Hongkong tournament. ''But I'm expecting a much tougher match against Suzanne, although I beat her 3-0 the last time we met in the British Open final last month.'' A dejected Wright, who injured her ankle at the Super Squash tournament in Japan last week, said: ''I just couldn't move freely at all. My ankle was hurting and I didn't want to aggravate the injury.'' Horner, whose world ranking has jumped four places to number three in two months, took only a week to avenge for the Super Squash quarter-final defeat by trouncing compatriot Cassie Jackman 9-7, 9-7, 7-9, 9-3. Jackman had chances to win the first two games but faltered at the big points and allowed Horner to come from behind and win. After losing the first point in the third, Jackman struck a purple patch and reeled off eight points without reply. But with victory in sight, she succumbed to a series of mistakes and saw Horner close the deficit to within one point. Jackman pulled out two winners to clinch the game but Horner never let her settle in the fourth and won in convincing fashion. The other two semi-finalists, Martine Le Moignan and Liz Irving, also avenged defeats last week in Japan, beating Heather Wallace and Carol Owens respectively. Second seed Le Moignan of England overcame lapses of concentration in the third and fourth games to beat Canada's Wallace 9-6, 9-5, 5-9, 7-9, 9-0 while Irving crushed fellow-Australian Owens 9-5, 9-1, 9-4.
