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• TODAY • Semis • Quarters • Round Two • Round One • Qual Finals • Qualifying • Howard • En Bref • |
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Howard Harding Reports ... |
Rachael Grinham Wins Historic World Open Title
In tonight's historic final of the Madrid Women's World Open Squash
Championship, Rachael Grinham beat Natalie Grinham in straight games
in the Spanish capital in the first ever world final between two
sisters.
It was the final day of action on the open-air all-glass court set
in the Jardines del Cabo Noval, adjacent to the Palacio Real - in
the first sports event ever to be held alongside Madrid's historic
Royal Palace.
Rachael Grinham, the older of the pair by 14 months, has enjoyed
sensational recent form - her appearance in the Madrid climax being
her fifth WISPA World Tour final in a row and the 44th of her
career. Last month, the 30-year-old Queenslander netted her third
British Open crown after her first defeat of Malaysia's world number
one Nicol David for more than two years.
Natalie Grinham, boasting her 25th Tour final appearance, had
earlier admitted that her record three gold medals at the
Commonwealth Games in her home country last year had been her
'ultimate goal'. But with a runner-up finish in both the 2004 and
2006 World Open finals, it was clear that the 29-year-old second
seed was hoping that it would be 'third time lucky'.
Grinham senior took the opening game for the loss of only four
points - but Natalie came back to take a 4-1, then 6-3, lead in the
second. However, demonstrating the same form which has seen her win
four of her previous five finals, Rachael charged back to take the
game, and then the third, to win 9-4, 10-8, 9-2 in 47 minutes and
claim her first World Open title.
"30 years old, and I've finally won my first world championship!"
said Rachael to the packed and exuberant crowd at the presentations.
"Winning the British Open last month obviously gave me some
confidence - and this will too. This was a championship I really
wanted to win. And I am thrilled to have done it at last!"
Natalie Grinham conceded that she was "not too disappointed to have
lost" - then revealed that she had considered pulling out of the
event at the beginning of the week after sustaining a wrist injury
on the eve of the tournament.
"It eased off as the tournament developed - but I am disappointed
that I couldn't play better tonight. I felt I played much better
last night," said the 29-year-old, now based in the Netherlands.
"But I'm really happy to see Rachael playing well again - she's the
only player on the current Tour who can trick me."
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26-Oct, Day Six -Semis:
Grinhams In World Open Final
Australians Rachael Grinham and Natalie Grinham will
meet for the 16th time on the WISPA World Tour in Saturday's final
of the Madrid Women's World Open Squash Championship. But the
encounter on an all-glass court near the Royal Palace in the Spanish
capital will not only be the pair's first clash in a major Tour
final, but the first ever World Open final featuring two sisters.
It was the second day of action on the open-air all-glass court set
in the Jardines del Cabo Noval, adjacent to the Palacio Real - in
the first sports event ever to be held alongside Madrid's historic
Royal Palace.
In the first semi-final, second seed Natalie Grinham faced
England's Tania Bailey in the pair's fourth meeting in the
semi-finals of a Tour event this year. Grinham junior, the
three-times Commonwealth Games gold medallist from Toowoomba in
Queensland, was in devastating form - brushing aside the fourth seed
from Lincolnshire 9-2, 9-5, 9-7 in 41 minutes.
When asked whether winning the World Open crown was her ultimate
goal, the Netherlands-based Aussie responded: "I've already got my
ultimate goal - winning three gold medals in the Commonwealth Games.
I don't want to put too much pressure on myself - I don’t need to
win every single title there is!"
Tania Bailey, who was struck down by sinusitis on the eve of the
event and had struggled with her breathing throughout the earlier
rounds, conceded that she was not disappointed to lose: "A week ago,
I would have given anything to be in a world semi-final."
"Natalie's got a great chance to win the title - she's probably the
most consistent of the three. But they are all capable of winning -
and it's good for the game that that is the case!" concluded Bailey.
Later, former world number one Rachael Grinham took on fifth
seed Natalie Grainger. Third seed Grinham, aged 30 and based
in Cairo, was looking for her second major title in a month after
winning the British Open in September - and Grainger was hoping for
her first win over the Queenslander in 10 clashes since the World
Open in Qatar five years ago.
Grainger, the Pan American Games champion from Washington DC, darted
to a first game lead - but Grinham took control of the match
thereafter to wrap up a 5-9, 9-6, 9-6, 9-3 victory after 45 minutes.
When asked her feelings about playing her sister in the historic
world final, Rachael said: "I'm sure we both want to win the title -
which neither of us has done before - but, in a sense, the best
thing is us both reaching the final. At least it's going to be one
of us that wins - and whichever of us loses, we won't be as
disappointed as we would be losing to someone else!
Earlier, immediately after hugging Rachael as she came off court,
Natalie was on the phone to their parents down under.
"I've just spoken to Mum and Dad at home," said Natalie later. "Mum
was watching the live scoreboard on a dial-up connection, and I woke
Dad up. He said, 'I thought that might be why you were ringing'!"
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Howard Harding Reports ... |
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25-Oct, Day Five -Quarters:
Grinham Sisters On Course
For World Open Showdown
Australian sisters Natalie and Rachael Grinham are on course
for a showdown in the final of the Madrid Women's World Open Squash
Championship in the Spanish capital after commanding victories in
today's (Thursday) quarter-finals of the sport's biggest-ever
women's event.
 After
two rounds at the city's Club Palestra, action has switched to an
open-air all-glass court at the Jardines del Cabo Noval, adjacent to
the Palacio Real. The 2007 World Open Championship is the first
sports event ever to be held alongside Madrid's historic Royal
Palace.
Second seed Natalie Grinham, twice a runner-up in the event,
recovered from a game down to beat Egypt's seventh seed Omneya
Abdel Kawy 4-9, 9-2, 9-0, 9-4 in 44 minutes. When asked about
her sister Rachael, the older of the 'Toowoomba Twosome' and
surprise winner of the British Open crown in September, Natalie
replied: "In the British Open she played the best she's played for a
long time. She's got the whole game. I just train hard!" Natalie
will face England's Tania Bailey for a place in Saturday's final.
 Rachael
is also celebrating her fourth successive appearance in the
semi-finals - in the opposing half of the draw. The third seed took
only 29 minutes to get past England's Jenny Duncalf, beating
the No9 seed 9-3, 9-2, 9-1.
Asked for her reaction to the shock defeat of world number one Nicol
David by New Zealander Shelley Kitchen in the previous round,
Rachael said: "Nicol had a good run - but I think it is inevitable
that you're going to have a down. You can't keep winning every
match. If we'd played the whole tournament on those indoor courts,
Shelley might be world champion!
Tania Bailey continued her incredible run in the event with a
9-0, 10-9, 7-9, 9-4 defeat of former world champion Vanessa
Atkinson. Struck down by sinusitis on the eve of the
championship, fourth seed Bailey struggled with her breathing in
both victories leading to the quarter-finals but still claimed the
first semi-final place of the day - and the first of her career in
the event.
In the final match of the day, second round heroine Shelley
Kitchen finally met her match in Natalie Grainger when
she went down 9-2, 9-1, 9-0 to the Pan American Games champion from
the USA in just 23 minutes. |
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Howard Harding Reports ... |
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24-Oct, Day Four - Second Round:
Kitchen Sinks Nicol As
World Champion Ends
Her Reign In Spain
 In
one of the biggest upsets in the 28-year history of the event,
Malaysia's world number one and top seed Nicol David crashed
out of the Madrid Women's World Open Squash Championship when she
was beaten in five games by New Zealand's Shelley Kitchen in
a dramatic second round match in the sport's biggest-ever women's
event at Club Palestra in the Spanish capital.
Kitchen romped to a two game lead after just 24 minutes - the two
times world champion only managing to pick up a single point. But
the redoubtable David forced her way back into the match to draw
level.
Order looked as if it was about to be restored when the 24-year-old
Malaysian superstar - widely expected to reach her 18th successive
final on the WISPA World Tour - took a 5-0 lead in the decider.
However, the 27-year-old from Auckland regained the upper hand -
and, after drawing level to six-all in three hands, took the final
three points in a single hand to earn a sensational 9-0, 9-1, 2-9,
3-9, 9-6 victory in 69 minutes.
Nicol David, who also suffered a shock defeat to the New Zealander
in the bronze medal play-off in last year's Commonwealth Games,
conceded that she was "very disappointed".
Kitchen will now meet Natalie Grainger for a place in the
semi-finals. The fifth seed from the USA, winner of the Pan American
Games gold medal in July, despatched Egypt's 13th seed Engy
Kheirallah 9-2, 9-0, 9-0 in just 26 minutes.
There was another upset earlier in the day when ninth seed Jenny
Duncalf beat her England team-mate Vicky Botwright in 48
minutes after the No6 seed retired with a back injury with the score
standing at 9-4, 9-6, 5-3.
Duncalf seemed surprisingly downbeat following the win which takes
her into her maiden World quarter-final: "It's never nice to win
like that - but I thought I played well and deserved to win," said
the 24-year-old from Harrogate in Yorkshire.
One of the bravest wins of the day was achieved by fourth seed
Tania Bailey in the other all-English last sixteen clash.
Struggling for the second day with a recurrence of sinusitis, the
England number one fought back from a game down to beat 11th seed
Laura Lengthorn-Massaro 8-10, 9-5, 10-9, 9-3 in 75 minutes, and
goes on to meet former world champion Vanessa Atkinson.
Atkinson, the eighth seed from the Netherlands competing in her 11th
World Open, was the first player to reserve a place in the
quarter-finals when she beat Australia's 15th seed Kasey Brown 9-5,
9-0, 9-0.
Australian sisters Rachael and Natalie Grinham secured their
places in the last eight with relative ease - third seed Rachael
Grinham fighting back from a game down to beat England's No12 seed
Alison Waters 4-9, 9-6, 9-4, 9-5 in 71 minutes, and younger
sister Natalie, the second seed, knocking out Hong Kong's Rebecca
Chiu, the 14th seed, 9-5, 9-5, 9-4 in 40 minutes.
Tournament action now moves onto an all-glass court sited adjacent
to the Royal Palace (the Palacio Real) in Madrid - the first time in
the city's history that any sporting event has been staged by the
Spanish capital's world-famous Palace.
Natalie Grinham will face Egypt's No7 seed Omneya Abdel Kawy, while
Rachael will take on Jenny Duncalf.
The Queensland sisters agree that the setting will be quite
different: "We all prefer playing on the glass court - it'll be much
fairer for everybody," said Natalie. "Tomorrow will be quite
different, it'll be a lot colder..."
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Howard Harding Reports ... |
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23-Oct, Day Three - First Round:
Bailey Hounded By Hawkes
In Madrid World Open
ENGLAND...
England's fourth seed Tania Bailey looked close to providing
the only upset on the opening day of main draw action in the Madrid
Women's World Open Squash Championship when she squandered a 2/0
lead against unseeded Jaclyn Hawkes to face three game-balls
which would have taken the match into a fifth game decider at Club
Palestra in the Spanish capital.
 It
was clear that something was amiss with the 28-year-old England No1
in the third game after taking the first two for the loss of just
five points. Bailey, suffering with sinusitis, was struggling to
respond to the Hawkes advance as the world No24 from New Zealand
gained the upper hand in games three and four.
But the plucky Lincolnshire lass fought back in the fourth to save
game-balls at 6-8, 8-9 and 9-9 before finally winning her second
match-ball - converting it with the luckiest shot of the match!
Bailey was joined in the last sixteen by all four England team-mates
- Vicky Botwright, the sixth seed; Jenny Duncalf, the
ninth seed; Laura Lengthorn-Massaro, the 11th seed and 12th
seed Alison Waters.
Indeed Bailey faces Lancashire's Lengthorn-Massaro for a place in
the quarter-finals after the 23-year-old from Preston beat Italian
qualifier Manuela Manetta 9-4, 9-3, 9-7.
Botwright and Duncalf will line up in another all-English second
round encounter after Manchester-based Botwright despatched
Malaysia's Sharon Wee 9-2, 9-5, 9-2 in 26 minutes and
Duncalf, from Harrogate in Yorkshire, recovered from a game down to
beat seven times US champion Latasha Khan 6-9, 9-3, 9-1, 9-0
in 56 minutes.
 SPAIN
It only took former World Open champion Vanessa Atkinson 17
minutes to earn a place in the second round of the sport's
biggest-ever women's event when she beat Spanish wild card player
Alicia Alvarez Riaza 9-0, 9-0, 9-1.
Alicia Alvarez Riaza, a 21-year-old from Madrid, was making her
maiden appearance in the world championship - and knew she was not
expected to win.
REST OF THE WORLD...
 Only
an hour after being reunited with the bag which contained her
racquets, squash kit and make-up, fifth seed Natalie Grainger
recorded a 9-6, 9-0, 9-3 win over Mexican number one Samantha
Teran. The bag had failed to materialise on her arrival at
Madrid airport two days earlier from Luton in England.
Nicol David, the world number one from Malaysia who is seeded
to win her third world title in a row, eased to a 9-7, 9-3, 9-0 win
over France's Isabelle Stoehr in 39 minutes. The 24-year-old
defending champion from Penang is expected to win her seventh WISPA
World Tour title of the year.
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Howard Harding Reports ... |
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22-Oct, Day Two - Qualifiers finals:
Tough Battles Resolve
World Open Qualifiers In Madrid
 Players
from seven nations - two from England and one from
each of Netherlands, Italy, New Zealand, Canada, Denmark and
Ireland - claimed places in the main draw of the Madrid Women's
World Open Squash Championship after surviving testing qualifying
finals today (Monday) at Club Palestra in the Spanish capital.
The lengthiest battle saw Louise Crome boost New
Zealand interest in the sport's biggest-ever event by 50% when she
outlasted English fire-fighter Laura Hill 9-6, 6-9, 9-6, 3-9,
9-0.
It took 72 minutes to resolve the clash between Ireland's world No39
Aisling Blake and Canadian Carolyn Russell, ranked
just 11 places below. Blake set off at a blistering pace, winning
the opening game in a whitewash - but the 26-year-old from Sligo
soon found herself 2/1 down going into the fourth game. Blake
regrouped and ultimately pulled off a 9-0, 5-9, 7-9, 9-7, 9-2 win to
qualify for the first time.
England's Suzie Pierrepont claimed the first qualifying slot
after a stunning upset over Malaysia's Tricia Chuah, the
top-ranked player in the qualifiers. It was a relieved and delighted
22-year-old from Sussex who came through - exactly a year after
injuring her heel in the first round of the qualifiers in the 2006
World Open in Belfast, resulting in a layoff of some ten months!
 At
the end of the day, the former European Junior champion was joined
from the qualifiers by compatriot Lauren Briggs after the
28-year-old from Essex beat Pakistan's sole hope Carla Khan
7-9, 9-7, 9-3, 9-2. Briggs, ranked 24 in the world, will face New
Zealand's tenth seed Shelley Kitchen in the first round, while
Pierrepont will take on compatriot and close friend Alison Waters,
the No12 seed.
Manuela Manetta became the first Italian ever to qualify for
the Women's World Open when she beat Ireland's Laura Mylotte
9-4, 9-6, 9-1.
Dutch player Orla Noom, ranked 40 in the world, celebrated
her first success in the qualifiers at her third attempt after
upsetting England's Sarah Kippax, ranked nine places higher.
Kippax fought back from 2/0 down to level the match, but Noom -
despite winning the Leinster Open in Dublin only 48 hours before -
had enough in reserve to pull off a notable 9-3, 9-6, 4-9, 1-9, 9-3
victory in 61 minutes. |
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Howard Harding Reports ... |
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21-Oct, Day One -
First Round Qualifiers:
Spaniards Halted, But Uplifted,
In World Open Qualifiers
...
 Local hopes in the
qualifying event of the Madrid Women's World Open Squash
Championship were extinguished in today's first round at Club
Palestra in Madrid when three players ranked outside the
world's top 200 failed to dislodge their higher-ranked opponents.
But all three were delighted that the sport's biggest-ever event was
being staged in the Spanish capital.
SPAIN...
Barcelona's Elisabet
Sado Garriga, who has represented Spain in 13 successive
European Team Championships since 1995, thrilled the Madrid
crowd when she took the opening game against Canada's Carolyn
Russell. But the experienced world No50 from Vancouver regained
the initiative to storm through to a 7-9, 9-1, 9-2, 9-0 win in 36
minutes.
Laura Alonso Perez ,
playing in only her second WISPA tournament since making her Tour
debut last week in London, offered stiff resistance to Malaysia's
Tricia Chuah - the top seed in the qualifiers - before going
down 9-2, 9-2, 9-0 in 25 minutes. Chuah conceded that her
opponent made her work hard as she was "better than I expected her
to be."
The youngest Spanish hope
was Xisela Aranda Nunez, who extended Ireland's Aisling
Blake for 22 minutes before going down 9-0, 9-4, 9-1.
 Orla Noom,
the world No40 from the Netherlands who arrived in Madrid today
direct from winning the Leinster Open title in Dublin
yesterday, felt as if she was carrying on playing in the same event.
"I must say that I'm
beginning to feel a bit tired now - but I'm definitely happy to get
through," said the 21-year-old from Hoofddorp after beating
England's Georgina Stoker 9-3, 9-6, 6-9, 9-5.
ENGLAND...
Four English players
battled through to Monday's qualifying finals. Exactly a year after
injuring her heel in the first round of the qualifiers in the 2006
World Open in Belfast - and being
out of action for ten months -
Sussex's S uzie Pierrepont had a
comfortable 9-0, 9-1, 9-0
first round win over Dutch player Dagmar Vermeulen in just 18
minutes.
Cheshire's Sarah Kippax
beat France's Celia Allamargot 9-0, 5-9, 9-1, 9-2 - but was
surprised to drop the second game:
Derbyshire fire-fighter
Laura Hill took just 22 minutes to beat Sweden's Anna-Carin
Forstadius 9-1, 9-0, 9-0. "I'm really enjoying playing the
circuit while also working fulltime. In fact, I've taken a week off
work, and am here in Madrid with my boyfriend Kevin. I find it
really good doing things like sight-seeing in places like this - it
works for me and takes the pressure off, helping me to feel fresher
when I get on court," said Hill. |
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