04/10/2007
VASSER CLASS OF 1932 OPEN
Rachael Grinham Celebrates Vassar College Victory
Vassar
College Class of 1932
01 - 06 Oct,
Poughkeepsie, NY |
Round One
Oct
03 |
Quarters
Oct 04 |
Semis
Oct 05 |
Final
Oct 06 |
[1] Rachael Grinham
(Aus)
9/4, 7/0, 9/0, 9/0
[Q] Amelia Pittock (Aus) |
Rachael Grinham
9-3, 9-7, 9-5
Rebecca Chiu |
Rachael Grinham
4-9, 9-6, 9-7, 9-1 (59m)
Jenny Duncalf |
Rachael Grinham
9-7, 10-8, 6-9, 1-9, 9-6 (72m)
Natalie Grainger |
[5] Rebecca Chiu (Hkg)
9/6, 9/1, 9/2
[Q] Tara Mullins (Can) |
[3] Jenny Duncalf (Eng)
2/9, 9/2, 9/2, 9/5
Louise Crome (Nzl) |
Jenny Duncalf
9-4, 9-2, 9-3
Line Hansen |
[7] Sharon Wee (Mas)
6/9, 9/4, 9/7, 5/9, 9/7
Line Hansen (Den) |
Manuela Manetta (Ita)
9/4, 9/3, 9/5
[6] Kasey Brown (Aus) |
Kasey Brown
9-2, 9-5, 9-3
Shelley Kitchen |
Shelley Kitchen
9-3, 9-2, 9-6 (33m)
Natalie Grainger |
[Q] Laura Hill (Eng)
9/0, 9/5, 9/2
[4] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) |
[Q] Lauren Siddall (Eng)
6/9, 9/2, 9/3, 9/2
[8] Latasha Khan (Usa) |
Latasha Khan
9-4, 9-4, 9-3
Natalie Grainger |
Tricia Chuah (Mas)
9/3, 9/1, 9/1
[2] Natalie Grainger (Usa) |
Qualifying:
Finals, 02/10
Amelia Pittock (Aus) bt Nayelly Hernandez (Mex) 9-2, 9-2, 9-0
Tara Mullins (Can) bt Margriet Huisman (Ned) 9-7, 9-1, 7-9, 9-7
Laura Hill (Eng) bt Orla Noom (Ned) 9-3, 10-8, 9-0
Lauren Siddall (Eng) bt Aisling Blake (Irl) 1-9, 9-3, 7-9, 10-8, 9-6
First Round 1/10
Amelia Pittock (AUS) bt Genevieve Lessard (CAN) 9-0, 9-1, 9-0
Nayelly Hernandez (MEX) bt Neha Kumar (CAN) 3-9, 9-5, 7-9, 9-4, 9-7
Margaret Huisman (NED) bt Stephanie Edmison (CAN) 9-3,
9-4, 9-2
Tara Mullins (CAN) bt Ileana Novelo (MEX) 9-0, 9-3, 9-5
Laura Hill (ENG) bt Victoria Chishimba (ZAM) 9-4, 9-0, 9-0
Orla Noom (NED) bt Larissa Stephenson (NZL) 9-1, 9-6, 9-1
Lauren Siddall (ENG) bt Fernanda Rocha (ARG) 9-3, 9-2, 9-0
Aisling Blake (IRL) bt Shona Kerr (USA) 9-0, 9-1, 9-3 |
Rachael Grinham Celebrates Vassar College
Victory
In a high-quality climax to the Women's Vassar College Class of 1932
Open, Australian favourite Rachael Grinham needed 72 minutes to
seal victory over second-seeded US star Natalie Grainger to claim
the WISPA World Tour Silver squash title in Poughkeepsie in
the US state of New York.
Grainger led in both of the first two games - and fought back from 4-8
down in the second to draw level in the game. But it was Grinham, the
recently-crowned British Open champion, who claimed the early
advantage by opening up a 2/0 lead - as the packed crowd sensed, perhaps,
that this match would only go another game.
At four-all in the third, Grainger had an excellent spell and went 7-4 up
- urged on by the crowd who wanted to see the match go the distance.
Grinham battled back to 7-6, but the Pan American Games champion from
Washington DC maintained good length on her volleys and powered on to win
the game to reduce the deficit.
"Buoyed by her success, Grainger was like a gunslinger in game four," said
tournament spokesman Tony Brown. The second seed powered to
victory for the loss of just a single point. The players had been on
court for an hour, and it was all tied up at 2/2.
In the decider, Grainger led after the first two points, but the
Queenslander came back to move 6-2 ahead. Grainger managed to battle back
to 6-6 - but when Grinham moved on to match-ball at 8-6, the Australian
took the title when Grainger hit a volley in the front court just inches
from the front wall that came back and hit the American.
"It had been breathtaking action," said Brown after Grinham's 9-7, 10-8,
6-9, 1-9, 9-6 win. "The applause was loud, long and well-deserved. A
great final and definitely the best of the seven that have taken place at
Vassar.
"There were no bad rallies in this final, absolutely none at all. This
was world class squash and these athletes are second to none on this
planet," added the College's Men's & Women's Rugby Coach.
"What a shame that this sport doesn't get the coverage it so richly
deserves. It is powerful and fast-paced. It is skillful and would test
the fittest athletes in the world. Above all it is a huge test of
character and these WISPA players are quite simply superb. It is
inspiring to watch the incredible shot-making and one marvels at the
fitness displayed."
Grinham's success extends her record over Grainger to nine successive Tour
wins since November 2002. The triumph also take her career WISPA title
tally to 26 - four more than her nearest rival, Nicol David, on the
current Tour, and only one behind New Zealander Carol Owens and two
shy of England's Cassie Jackman.
Grinham & Grainger In Vassar College Final
Top seeds Rachael Grinham and Natalie Grainger will contest
the final of the Women's Vassar College Class of 1932 Open after
convincing semi-final victories in the WISPA World Tour Silver
squash event in Poughkeepsie in the US state of New York.
Jenny Duncalf,
the third seed from England described by tournament spokesman Tony
Brown as being "cool as a cucumber", confidently took the first game
against Grinham, the favourite from Australia. The English underdog from
Harrogate in Yorkshire twice led in the second, but Grinham drew level.
The third game proved crucial as world No3 Grinham raced to a 3-1 lead,
only for Duncalf to reclaim the advantage to move 6-3 ahead. But the
Australian, who won her third British Open title last month,
stepped up the pace to clinch the game.
Grinham pounced on the tired and disappointed Duncalf, ranked 12 in the
world, in the fourth game: "A quick fourth game seemed harsh for Duncalf
as she had done so much to make this a good match," explained Brown, the
College's Men's & Women's Rugby Coach.
However, Grinham ran away with it to take the match 4-9, 9-6, 9-7, 9-1 in
59 minutes - and earn a place in her fourth WISPA World Tour final
in a row, and the 43rd of her career.
By contrast, the other semi-final was over in half the time - "and the
rallies tended to be shorter and more direct". Grainger, the reigning
Pan American Games champion from Washington DC, faced fourth seed
Shelley Kitchen, the Commonwealth Games bronze medallist from
Auckland in New Zealand.
Grainger, the 2005 champion, had a simple plan and executed it well. The
US star played a host of long drop shots to the front left corner that
lured Kitchen up, then blasted the ball deep to the back right corner.
Grainger claimed her sixth WISPA World Tour final appearance on home soil
this year after just 33 minutes - the 9-3, 9-2, 9-6 victory also earning
the 31-year-old a place in the 32nd Tour final of her career.
Top Seeds Safely
Through At Vassar College
The top four seeds safely negotiated the quarter-finals of the Women's Vassar
College Class of 1932 Open to earn their anticipated places in the
semi-finals of the WISPA World Tour Silver squash event in
Poughkeepsie in the US state of New York.
Maintaining the form which saw her win her third British Open title last
month, Rachael Grinham despatched Hong Kong's No5 seed Rebecca Chiu
9-3, 9-7, 9-5.
The top-seeded Australian will now face Jenny Duncalf after the third
seed from England ended unseeded Dane Line Hansen's run in a 9-4, 9-2,
9-3 scoreline.
The other semi-final will be a US/New Zealand affair between second seed
Natalie Grainger, the Pan American Games champion from Washington DC,
and fourth seed Shelley Kitchen, the Commonwealth Games bronze
medallist from Auckland.
Kitchen defeated Australian Kasey Brown 9-2, 9-5, 9-3 while Grainger
confirmed her status as the country's top player by defeated US compatriot
Latasha Khan 9-4, 9-4, 9-3.
Hansen
Victory Secures Vassar Quarter-Final
Unseeded Dane Line Hansen claimed the only
upset on the opening day of the Women's Vassar College Class of 1932
Squash Open when she beat Malaysia's No7 seed Sharon Wee to
earn a surprise place in the quarter-finals of the WISPA World Tour
Silver event in Poughkeepsie in the US state of New York.
The 24-year-old from Odense recovered from a game down to take a 2/1
lead. But Wee fought back to level the match, then saved a match-ball at
8-4 in the decider to close the gap to just a single point.
Hansen held out, however, and clinched the match 6-9, 9-4, 9-7, 5-9, 9-7.
The Dane will now face England's Jenny Duncalf, the third seed from
Yorkshire who beat New Zealand's Louise Crome 2-9, 9-2, 9-2, 9-5.
Event favourite Rachael Grinham was given a scare when fellow
Australian Amelia Pittock, a qualifier, took the second game to
level the score in their first round match. The three-time British
Open champion upped the pace, however, and prevented Pittock from
scoring a further point, winning 9-4, 7-9, 9-0, 9-0!
Lauren &
Laura Land Poughkeepsie Places
English duo Laura Hill and Lauren Siddall landed places in
the main draw of the Women's Vassar College Class of 1932 Squash Open
after upsetting higher-ranked opponents in the qualifying finals of the
WISPA World Tour Silver event in Poughkeepsie in the US state
of New York.
Hill, taking time off from her fire-fighting duties in Derbyshire,
defeated Orla Noom, of the Netherlands, 9-3, 10-8, 9-0 and will now
face fourth seed Shelley Kitchen in the first round.
Kitchen, runner-up last year, arrived in New York fresh from her
title-winning victory in last week's Elbow River Casino Calgary Open
in Canada.
Yorkshire's Lauren Siddall twice came from behind to despatch Ireland's
world No34 Aisling Blake 1-9, 9-3, 7-9, 10-8, 9-6. The 22-year-old
from Pontefract goes on to face eighth seed Latasha Khan, the
seven-time US champion from Seattle.
The seventh staging of the Women's Vassar College Class of 1932 Open
is expected to climax in a final between top seed Rachael Grinham
and US star Natalie Grainger. Australian Grinham, who claimed her
third British Open title last month in Manchester, takes on
compatriot Amelia Pittock, a qualifier, in the first round, while
Pan American Games champion Grainger faces Malaysian Tricia
Chuah.
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