Vassar Class of 32 Open 2003
30 Jan 02 Feb, Poughkeepsie, USA, $18k

Vicky's story:
Rachael was really quick onto the ball and all her shots were coming off - it's not nice to play her when she plays well!! You feel like bambi with  your body going one way and your legs going the other- very deceptive. I had a good tournament though, but it's still disappointing when you lose. Hopefully I can work from this

Rach's story:
I'm really happy with the way my squash progressed throughout this tournament, and glad that I managed to stick to a plan today and get through the final with a good result against Vicky. I've had some tough matches with her in the past when I had been in peak form so I could have expected an even tougher one today considering I hadn't had the best preparation for this tournament (having started back on court after a back injury only 2 weeks before I left for this tour) and also because of how well Vicky had been performing throughout this tournament.
 

• Draw & Results
   

• Reports
   

• 2002 Event

• 2001 Event

jeez, it's dark out here !

photos by Rachael Grinham

1/9, 9/1, 9/6, 9/2

Jenny Tranfield

9/0, 9/5, 9/4

Vicky Botwright

Vanessa Atkinson

Final:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [6] Vicky Botwright (ENG)
9-0, 9-5, 9-4

Grinham Halts Botwright Breakthrough
Top-seeded Australian Rachael Grinham put an end to the giant-killing performance of England's Vicky Botwright when she beat the sixth seed in straight games in the final.

After advancing to her second WISPA World Tour final in two weeks, Botwright was unable to recapture the form she found in the semi-final against No2 seed Vanessa Atkinson and in the quarter-finals against third-seeded compatriot Fiona Geaves. Despite the world No18 from Manchester's great efforts to keep
the ball tight and deep, Grinham controlled the entire match and unleashed a barrage of crowd-thrilling winners from all corners of the court before claiming her 9-0, 9-5, 9-4 victory.

Grinham, the 26-year-old world No8 from Queensland, will be pleased with her 11th WISPA World Tour title - after a shock quarter-final exit in last week's Greenwich Open in Connecticut.

Semi-finals
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [4] Jenny Tranfield (ENG)  1/9, 9/1, 9/6, 9/2
[6] Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt [2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED)  9/2, 9/2, 3/9, 9/7

BOTWRIGHT BREAKTHROUGH
IN POUGHKEEPSIE ...
Vicky Botwright continued her impressive run of form, following up yesterday's defeat of Fiona Geaves with a semi-final win over defending champion and world number five Vanessa Atkinson.

"I'd beaten Fi before, in the National League, but that was my first ever win over someone in the top ten," said Vicky after the quarter-final. "My only other good victory was against Steph [Brind] in the Southport tournament last week, but I'm hoping it's the first of many!!"

Prophetic words from Vicky, as she moves into her second  WISPA final in two weeks. In the final Botwright meets top seed Rachael Grinham, who recovered from losing the first game to Jenny Tranfield.

Rach reports from Poughkeepsie:
I'm definitely feeling much better about myself after today's match, finally started feeling a little confidence in myself again which is what I needed after coming back from injury with hardly any match practise. I got creamed in the first game though which was a bit scary. She came out really hard and fast and the first game was over before I knew it. I think I made the same mistake as yesterday by trying to slow the pace of the fast ball and consequently not attacking anything. The second game turned right around, which I wasn't really expecting either... I got her in the back a little better before moving her forward, and strangely she seemed to slow down really quickly in that game, which I didn't think was like Jenny at all to get tired so early... I have to wonder whether she made herself tired from going at 100 miles an hour in the first game !! Either way, I seemed to be in control of the match from then, except when we were made to stop for 10 minutes in the 3rd game so Jenny could bandage up a bleeding arm. When we restarted I lost the next bunch of rallies and went from 4-1 up to 6-4 down before coming back and winning that game and the next with only dropping a few points.

Quarters:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [Q] Jenny Duncalf (ENG)  9/1, 5/9, 9/3, 9/2
[4] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) bt [7] Engy Kheirellah (EGY)  9/4, 5/9, 9/2, 9/1
[6] Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt [3] Fiona Geaves (ENG)  9/3, 9/1, 9/6
[2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)  9/0, 9/5, 9/2

BOTWRIGHT BREAKTHROUGH
OVER GEAVES
Vicky Botwright scored a breakthrough victory over third seeded compatriot Fiona Geaves in the Poughkeepsie quarter-finals, claiming a first ever win over the world number 10, 9/3, 9/1, 9/6. The win provides a boost for Botwright before the pair meet again next week in the National League, and for the National Championships, where Geaves has beaten Botwright in the quarter-finals of the last two championships.

Botwright will face second seed and defending champion Vanessa Atkinson in the semis, after Atkinson, who last week claimed her seventh Dutch national title, eased past Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy 9/0, 9/5, 9/2.

Top seed Rachael Grinham ended the qualifying run of Jenny Duncalf 9/1, 5/9, 9/3, 9/2 and meets fourth seed Jenny Tranfield in the other semi-final, after Tranfield beat Engy Kheirellah 9/4, 5/9, 9/2, 9/1.

Rach reports from Poughkeepsie:
Got thru my match ok today. Lost the second game I think because I didn't attack at all. I was trying too hard to concentrate on hitting the ball slow, and then when I had an opening was just hitting it back slow again, rather than attacking the opportunity. And she got ahead of me then because she was hitting the winners when given the opportunity. The other 3 games I won with convincing scores but they were tough. I was playing a good game but so was she at the beginning of each game. The 3rd and 4th games especially were close in the beginning, taking more time to get to 3-all then the rest of game did. I guess I just stayed steady and she began to make errors at that point... for whatever reason was fine with me !

 
First round:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [Q] Melanie Jans (CAN)  9-0, 9-0, 9-2
Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [8] Maha Zein (EGY)  9-6, 9-3, 9-3
[4] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) bt [Q] Melissa Martin (AUS)  9-1, 9-7, 9-6
[7] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) bt Vicky Lankester (ENG)  9-4, 5-9, 9-1, 5-9, 9-5
[6] Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt [Q] Amelia Pittock (AUS)  9-7, 9-1, 9-2
[3] Fiona Geaves (ENG) bt Rebecca Chiu (HKG)  9-3, 9-2, 9-5
[5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt Shabana Khan (USA)  9-1, 9-3, 9-1
[2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG)  9-3, 9-3, 9-3

Duncalf Zaps Zein In Vassar
England's Jenny Duncalf pulled off the only upset on the opening day in Poughkeepsie, when she dismissed eighth-seeded Egyptian Maha Zein 9-6, 9-3, 9-3.

Duncalf, the 20-year-old former European Junior Champion from Harrogate in Yorkshire, now meets top-seeded Australian Rachael Grinham, who easily overcame Canadian qualifier Melanie Jans 9-0 9-0 9-2.

An all-English quarter-final beckons between third-seeded Fiona Geaves and  the sixth seed Vicky Botwright. Gloucester-based Geaves despatched Hong Kong's Asian Games champion Rebecca Chiu 9-3 9-2 9-5, while Lancastrian Botwright knocked out Australian qualifier Amelia Pittock 9-7 9-1 9-2.

Four days after their Vassar encounter, Geaves and Botwright will face each other again in the English National League, before heading for glory in the British National Championships in Manchester where local star Vicky will face the defending champion Cassie Jackman after losing out to Geaves for the past two years.

Rach reports from Poughkeepsie:
I've had a good start to this tournament, which is what I needed after losing a little earlier than expected last week. I was feeling really good on court today. Melanie Jans can be a tough opponent, she doesn't attack very much, she hits the ball a lot slower and basically defends well, letting the other person make the mistakes in their own time. But I stayed on top of her the whole time and won convincingly in the end.

Qualifying Finals:
Melanie Jans (Can) bt Eman El Amir (Egy) (1)  9/2, 9/6, 5/9, 9/7
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng) (3) bt Heidi Mather (Aus) (5)  9/5, 9/3, 9/2
Amelia Pittock (Aus) (4) v Samantha Teran (Mex) (7)  9/3, 9/1, 7/9, 9/7
Melissa Martin (Aus) (2) v Christina Mak (Hkg) (6)  9/2, 9/4, 9/6

Qualifying:
Eman El Amir (Egy) (1) bt Dana Betts (Usa)  9/1, 9/4, 9/2
Melanie Jans (Can) bt Karen Kronemeyer (Ned) (8)  9/4, 9/7, 7/9, 1/9, 9/2
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng) (3) bt Carlin Wing (Usa)  9/3, 9/0, 9/0
Heidi Mather (Aus) (5) bt Hope Prockop (Usa)  9/5, 9/1, 9/1
Samantha Teran (Mex) (7) bt Alex Ho (Usa)  9/1, 9/0, 9/0
Amelia Pittock (Aus) (4) bt Emily Morris (Usa)  9/1, 9/0, 9/0
Christina Mak (Hkg) (6) bt Julia Beaver (Usa)  9/4, 9/5, 9/5
Melissa Martin (Aus) (2) bt Sara Wood (Usa)  9/0, 9/0, 9/0

2002 Event
Vassar College Class of '32 Women's Open 2002
New York, USA, 05-08 Mar, $17k

Final:
[2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [3] Rebecca Macree (ENG)  9-1, 9-4, 2-9, 9-5

Macree Mashed As Atkinson Acquires Vassar Title
Vanessa Atkinson, of the Netherlands, used a withering drop shot coupled with some well played volleys to knock off England's Rebecca Macree 9-1 9-4 2-9 9-5 and claim the Vassar Class of '32 title. It was Macree's second successive defeat in the US event's final, and confirmation of the latest WISPA world rankings in which world No10 Atkinson is one place ahead of the profoundly deaf Londoner.

With Atkinson holding a 7-2 lead in the fourth, third seed Macree gave one final gasp to wear down her second-seeded opponent.  Both players moved the other around the court but Atkinson was able to finally fend off the lanky Englishwoman with a nicely played shot that hugged the side wall.

The Vassar trophy represents the six-times Dutch champion's third WISPA World Tour title since joining the tour, and comes just two days before Atkinson celebrates her 26th birthday.

Semi-finals:
[3] Rebecca Macree (ENG) bt [1] Suzanne Horner (ENG)    9-4, 9-2, 9-2
[2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [6] Pamela Nimmo (SCO)    9-3, 9-0, 2-9, 9-4

Quarter-finals:
[1] Suzanne Horner (ENG) bt [7] Engy Kheirallah (EGY)   9-4, 9-6, 9-5
[3] Rebecca Macree (ENG) bt [5] Jenny Tranfield (ENG)   9-7, 9-5, 4-9, 9-7
[6] Pamela Nimmo (SCO) bt [4] Shelley Kitchen (NZL)     10-8, 9-6, 9-1
[2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [Q] Samantha Teran (MEX)  9-1, 9-6, 9-0

1st round:
[1] Suzanne Horner (ENG) bt [Q] Naluge Guy (PNG)    9-2 9-2 9-4
[7] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) bt Marnie Baizley (CAN)   7-9 9-6 2-9 9-0 9-4
[3] Rebecca Macree (ENG) bt Laura Keating (AUS) 9-4 9-5 9-3
[5] Jenny Tranfield (ENG) bt Jenny Duncalf (ENG)    9-2 9-0 9-5
[6] Pamela Nimmo (SCO) bt [Q] Melissa Vacca (AUS)   9-3 10-9 9-4
[4] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt Vicky Lankester (ENG)  2-9 9-3 9-0 9-6
[Q] Samantha Teran (MEX) bt [8] Shabana Khan (USA)  9-3 9-1 9-6
[2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [Q] Runa Reta (USA)   10-8 9-3 9-1

Semi-finals:
[1] Suzanne Horner (ENG) bt [3] Vicky Botwright (ENG)   9-2 9-3 9-1
[2] Rebecca Macree (ENG) bt [4] Latasha Khan (USA)  9-2 0-9 9-2 9-1
Quarter-finals:
[1] Suzanne Horner (ENG) bt [5] Shelley Kitchen (NZL)   9-2, 9-5, 9-3
[3] Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt Louise Crome (NZL) 9-3, 9-7, 9-5
[4] Latasha Khan (USA) bt [8] Wendy Maitland (SCO)  5-9, 3-9, 9-6, 9-4, 9-4
[2] Rebecca Macree (ENG) bt [6] Janie Thacker (ENG)     9-7, 9-5, 8-10, 9-10, 9-3
1st round:
[1] Suzanne Horner (ENG) bt [Q] Engy Kheirallah (EGY)   9-2, 9-3, 9-3
[5] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt [Q] Rebecca Chiu   (HKG) 10-8, 10-8, 9-1
[3] Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt Margo Green (CAN)  9-3, 9-6, 9-3
Louise Crome (NZL) bt [7] Elin Blikra (NOR) 6-9, 9-2, 4-9, 9-1, 9-1
[8] Wendy Maitland (SCO) bt [Q] Christina Mak (MAS) 9-2, 9-6, 9-7
[4] Latasha Khan (USA) bt [Q] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG)  9-3, 9-2, 9-2
[6] Janie Thacker (ENG) bt Shabana Khan (USA)   9-2, 9-0, 9-4
[2] Rebecca Macree (ENG) bt Melanie Jans (CAN)  9-7, 9-7, 9-5