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01/12/2007
WEYMULLER OPEN

Grainger Captures Carol Weymuller Crown

Carol Weymuller Open 2007
27 Nov - 02 Dec $42k
Round One
29 Nov
Quarters
30 Nov
Semis
01 Dec
Final
02 Dec
[1] Natalie Grainger (Usa)
9/4, 9/2, 9/1
Samantha Teran (Mex)
Natalie Grainger
5-9, 9-5, 9-3, 1-9, 9-2
Alison Waters
Natalie Grainger
9-4, 9-1, 9-3
Shelley Kitchen
Natalie Grainger
9-3, 9-4, 9-6
Jenny Duncalf
[7] Alison Waters (Eng)
10/8, 9/5, 9/4
Isabelle Stoehr (Fra)
[4] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl)
9/1, 9/2, 9/6
[Q] Annelize Naude (Ned)
Shelley Kitchen
9-7, 9-10, 9-1, 9-6
Kasey Brown
[8] Kasey Brown (Aus)
9/1, 9/2, 9/4 (48m)
[Q] Manuela Manetta (Ita)
Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl)
1/9, 7/7, 9/6, 9/7, 9/6 (92m)
[6] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (Eng)
Laura Lengthorn-Massaro
9-1, 9-5, 9-1 (29m)
Vanessa Atkinson
Vanessa Atkinson
2-9, 9-3, 2-9, 9-7, 9-7
Jenny Duncalf
[Q] Raneem El Weleily (Egy)
911, 5/9, 9/4, 9/6 (40m)
[3] Vanessa Atkinson (Ned)
[Q] Lauren Briggs (Eng)
9/1, 9/4, 9/0
[5] Jenny Duncalf (Eng)
Jenny Duncalf
9-4, 7-9, 9-3, 8-10, 9-2
Vicky Botwright
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng)
9/6, 9/5, 9/5 (48m)
[2] Vicky Botwright (Eng)

27-Nov, Qualifying First Round:

Raneem El Weleily bt Stephanie Edmison 9-2 9-3 9-5
Annelize Naude bt Victoria Chishimba 9-3 9-0 9-2
Alana Miller bt Neha Kumar 9-3 9-0 9-2 (16m)
Carolyn Russell bt Larissa Stephenson 9-3 9-0 9-5
Manuela Manetta bt Julie Cerullo 9-6 9-2 9-5 (28m)
Lauren Briggs bt Nayelly Hernandez 9-0 9-2 9-1
Amelia Pittock bt Samantha Cornett 9-2 9-0-9-4
Tara Mullins bt Tina Rix 9-0 9-1 9-4 (32m)

Grainger Captures Carol Weymuller Crown
Top seed Natalie Grainger beat England's Jenny Duncalf in the final of the Women's Carol Weymuller US Open Squash Championship to win the WISPA Gold event at Heights Casino in Brooklyn, New York.

The 30-year-old from Washington DC not only becomes the first US winner of the Carol Weymuller title since the inaugural event in 1993, but - since the event was also merged with the US Open this year - she has also reclaimed her country's national open title since winning it for the first time two years ago.

Grainger continued where she left off in the semi-finals - delivering another scintillating performance.  The Pan American Games champion began the match at an incredible pace, with early volleys which took Duncalf by surprise, culminating in a 9-3 first game.

From the beginning of the second game, fifth seed Duncalf started to challenge the favourite by using a mixture of pace and better movement - and also constructed rallies with more patience. 

In the third game, Duncalf clawed her way back into the game from 3-6 down to six-all.  "All of a sudden it looked as if she was going to make another one of her amazing come backs that we witnessed the night before against Vanessa (Atkinson)," said tournament organiser Fiona Geaves.

"But, once again, Natalie remained calm and totally focused and took the game."

The 9-3, 9-4, 9-6 victory earns Grainger her fifth WISPA World Tour title this year on home soil - and the 16th Tour trophy of her career.

Duncalf Digs Deep To Vanquish Vanessa
England's Jenny Duncalf extended her giant-killing run in the Women's Carol Weymuller US Open Squash Championship to reach the final of the WISPA Gold event at Heights Casino in Brooklyn, New York.

After overcoming her second-seeded England team-mate Vicky Botwright in the quarter-finals, the fifth seed from Harrogate in Yorkshire twice came from behind in the semi-final to upset Dutch opponent Vanessa Atkinson, the third seed, 2-9, 9-3, 2-9, 9-7, 9-7.

Duncalf, now in her fifth WISPA World Tour final, will face top seed Natalie Grainger, the Pan American Games champion from the USA who is aiming for her fifth WISPA World Tour title this year on home soil.

Grainger, from Washington DC, denied Shelley Kitchen the best 28th birthday present she could have hoped for when she beat the New Zealander 9-4, 9-1, 9-3.

The win takes the US champion through to her 34th Tour final since 1996.

Grainger and Duncalf's WISPA head-to-head record is 2-2, but whilst the US favourite prevailed in their two most recent meetings, it was Duncalf that triumphed in their previous clash in the US Open, in October 2003.

Duncalf Despatches Botwright In Brooklyn Upset
Fifth seed Jenny Duncalf claimed an unexpected place in the semi-finals of the Women's Carol Weymuller US Open Squash Championship after overcoming her second-seeded England team-mate Vicky Botwright in five games in the quarter-finals of the WISPA Gold event at Heights Casino in Brooklyn, New York.

"I'm glad I won in the end - I felt like I was in control of most rallies but Vicky chases everything down which made the rallies tough," said the 25-year-old from Harrogate in Yorkshire after her 9-4, 7-9, 9-3, 8-10, 9-2 victory.

"I couldn't convert any of match balls in the fourth - but was happy to get a good lead in the fifth which gave me more confidence as the game went on."

Duncalf will face Dutch star Vanessa Atkinson, the third seed who crushed England's No6 seed Laura Lengthorn-Massaro 9-1, 9-5, 9-1.

"I'm really happy to be in the semis, as I have lost in the quarters in the last few events," said the former world champion from The Hague. "I am happy with the way I am playing."

The other semi-final will feature US favourite Natalie Grainger and New Zealand's No4 seed Shelley Kitchen. Grainger, the US champion who is aiming for her fifth WISPA World Tour title this year on home soil, recovered from a game down to survive a five-game battle with England's No7 seed Alison Waters, winning 5-9, 9-5, 9-3, 1-9, 9-2.

Kitchen came through a four-game encounter with Australian Kasey Brown, beating the eighth seed 9-7, 9-10, 9-1, 9-6.

"I got the ball behind her better as the match went on and I took her into the front," said the winning Aucklander. "I'm happy with my game - we play and practice together all the time so we know each others game and what to expect."

Seeds Safely Through In New York
The top eight seeds successfully negotiated their way past first round opponents in the Women's Carol Weymuller Squash Open at the Heights Casino in New York, USA.

Top seed Natalie Grainger, the US champion who is aiming for her fifth WISPA World Tour title this year on home soil, cruised to a 9-4, 9-2, 9-1 win over Mexican Samantha Teran.

"I felt really comfortable and tried to work the rallies," said the world No4 from Washington DC. "She struggles a bit with my game. I varied the pace and put the ball into the spaces."

Grainger, runner-up in the WISPA Gold event last year, is expected to meet England's Vicky Botwright in the final: The second seed battled for 48 minutes to overcome compatriot Dominique Lloyd-Walter 9-6, 9-5, 9-5.

"Dom played really well, I knew it was going to be tough," said the 30-year-old from Manchester. "I played her game to start with - but once I stepped forward it was better."

But Botwright will first have to face England team-mate Jenny Duncalf in the quarter-finals. Fifth seed Duncalf, winner of their last meeting in the World Open in Madrid, removed English qualifier Lauren Briggs 9-1, 9-4, 9-0.

"I'm glad to have started the tournament with a 3/0 win," said the 25-year-old from Harrogate in Yorkshire. "I played quite well - she's a pretty steady player. I felt that I mixed it up quite well. I like the tournament and it's great to be back here in Brooklyn."