14/08/2008
ALEXANDRIA OPEN
Rachael Retains Alexandria Title
Alexandria
Sporting Club Open 2008
Alexandria, Egypt, 08-13 Aug, $25k |
Round One
10
Aug |
Quarters
11 Aug |
Semis
12
Aug |
Final
13 Aug |
[1] Rachael Grinham
(Aus)
11/8, 11/3, 11/8
Laura Mylotte (Irl) |
Rachael Grinham
11/4, 12/14, 11/8, 11/3 (45m)
Laura Hill |
Rachael Grinham
11-6, 11-5, 11-4 (27m)
Raneem El Weleily |
Rachael Grinham
11-5, 11-2, 20-18 (37m)
Vanessa Atkinson |
[5] Sarah Kippax (Eng)
11/8, 11/9, 11/13, 14/12
[Q] Laura Hill (Eng) |
[4] Raneem El Weleily
(Egy)
11/3, 11/4, 10/12, 11/9
[Q] Heba El Torky (Egy) |
Raneem El Weleily
11/9, 11/3, 11/3 (23m)
Orla Noom |
[7] Orla Noom (Ned)
11/5, 11/5, 11/7
Elise Ng (Hkg) |
Annie Au (Hkg)
11/6, 11/7, 11/5
[6] Christina Mak (Hkg) |
Annie Au
3/11, 11/7, 11/7, 8/11, 11/8 (68m)
Engy Kheirallah |
Annie Au
11-9, 11-3, 11-8 (28m)
Vanessa Atkinson |
[Q] Eman El Amir (Egy)
11/3, 11/8, 11/4
[3] Engy Kheirallah (Egy) |
Lauren Siddall (Eng)
10/12, 11/5, 11/7, 11/8
[8] Alana Miller (Can) |
Lauren Siddall
11/1, 12/10, 4/11, 8/11, 11/8 (47m)
Vanessa Atkinson |
[Q] Nour El Tayeb
(Egy)
7/11, 11/9, 11/5, 8/11, 11/5
[2] Vanessa Atkinson (Ned) |
9th August
Finals:
Laura Hill (Eng) bt
Olga Ertlova (Cze)
11/5, 11/4, 11/5
Heba El Torky (Egy) bt Salma Hany (Egy)
11/0, 11/5, 5/11, 13/11
Eman El Amir (Egy) bt
Fiona Moverley (Eng)
11/4, 11/3, 11/9
Nour El Tayeb (Egy) bt
Nouran El Torky (Egy)
11/13, 6/11, 11/9, 11/7, 11/9
Round One:
Laura Hill (Eng) bt Farida El Dahab (Egy)
11/1, 11/7, 11/5
Olga Ertlova (Cze) bt Amanda Sobhy (Usa)
11/3, 6/11, 11/1, 12/10
Salma Hany (Egy) bt
Lucie Fialova (Cze)
11/8, 6/11, 5/11, 11/9, 12/10
Heba El Torky (Egy) bt Sara El Noamany (Egy)
7/11, 11/6, 11/9, 11/4
Eman El Amir (Egy) bt Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy (Egy) 13/11, 11/9,
11/4
Fiona Moverley (Eng) bt Farah Abdel Meguid (Egy)
13/11, 11/9, 11/4
Nouran El Torky (Egy) bt Salma Nasser (Egy)
11/9, 11/6, 11/9
Nour El Tayeb (Egy) bt Eliza Kargioti (Gre)
11/2, 11/2, 11/2 |
Rachael Retains Alexandria Title
After surviving
a marathon third game tie-break, Australia's world champion Rachael Grinham
beat former world champion Vanessa Atkinson in the final of the
Women's Alexandria Sporting Club Open to retain her title in the $25,000
WISPA World Tour squash event at the Alexandria Sporting Club in
Alexandria, Egypt.
Grinham, the
Cairo-based world number three, disappointed the local crowd when she beat
Alexandria star Raneem El Weleily, the No4 seed, in the semi-finals to
reach the 48th Tour final of her career.
Atkinson, the
second seed from the Netherlands, claimed her 34th final appearance after ending
the brave run of Annie Au in the other semi - beating her unseeded Hong
Kong opponent in straight games.
After
dominating the first two games in the final and romping to match-ball at 10-7 in
the third, it seemed likely that the title was back in Grinham's hands. But
Atkinson was not about to concede so easily and levelled the game before
proceeding to three game-balls of her own.
But, at 18-18 -
with the game already achieving the record as the highest 'tie-break' score
since WISPA introduced its Pro-Scoring last month - Grinham held her
nerve to win the next two points to claim her historic 11-5, 11-2, 20-18 victory
after 37 minutes.
Asked about the
marathon tie-break, the runner-up told the media: "I was too tired to think. I
was just trying to hang in there and get some balls back. I felt I played
better and better as I got the match practice and to get used to PAR. That was
the whole point of playing the event."
As for the
winner, Grinham explained about the endgame. "She thought it was over and so
became relaxed. I didn't panic though. In fact I was relaxed today and for the
first time I was confident going short. I was having a really good day until
she picked it up at the end, but I always felt I would get through it even if it
took another game," said Grinham, after winning her first title of the year, but
the 28th of her career.
"Mind you, I
always enjoy playing Vanessa as it is a fair game."
Annie Storms Into Alexandria Semis
Hong
Kong's unseeded Annie Au stormed into the semi-finals of the
Women's Alexandria Sporting Club Open after pulling off a
sensational quarter-final upset over local star Engy Kheirallah,
the third seed, in the $25,000 WISPA World Tour squash event at
Alexandria Sporting Club in Alexandria,
Egypt.
Au, the 19-year-old world No46 who upset top-20-ranked Australian
Kasey Brown in this month's Australian Open final, fought
back from a game down to lead 2/1 before Kheirallah, the world No18,
forced a decider.
After romping to a 7-1 lead, Au had match-balls from 10-4 as her
higher-ranked opponent produced a flurry of winners to reduce the
deficit to 8-10.
But a sensational reverse backhand drop concluded matters for Au who
celebrated a magnificent 3-11, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8 win after 68
minutes.
"I was a bit nervous in the middle but because I had nothing to lose I
didn't worry and I played my best," said Au. "I'm a bit tired so my
fitness has to get better."
Au now faces former world champion Vanessa Atkinson, the second
seed from the Netherlands who beat England's unseeded Lauren Siddall
11-1, 12-10, 4-11, 8-11, 11-8.
Local interest in the semis will be led by Alexandrian Raneem El
Weleily, the fourth seed who beat Dutch opponent Orla Noom
11-9, 11-3, 11-3. El Weleily will face favourite Rachael Grinham,
the Cairo-based Australian who overcame English qualifier Laura Hill
11-4, 12-14, 11-8, 11-3.
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