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Grinham Celebrates Maiden 'Dutch' Success In Paris
World number three Natalie Grinham clinched her first
WISPA World Tour squash title since becoming a Dutch national when she beat
Suzie Pierrepont in the final of the Women's Des Pyramides Open in
the French capital Paris.
A record three-times gold medallist in the 2006 Commonwealth
Games in Australia - the country where she was born and raised - Grinham
became a Dutch citizen last year after living in the Netherlands since 1999.
But, while the 31-year-old former world number two reached five
Tour finals last year - and clinched the European Squash Federation's
European Individual Championship crown in May - WISPA title success had
eluded Grinham until now.
Seeded one, Grinham reached the final of the $26,000 WISPA World
Tour event at Squash Pyramides in Le Port Marly after beating
seventh seed Camille Serme, thereby ending local interest in the
championship.
Her opponent Suzie Pierrepont, the fifth seed from
England, had claimed a surprise place in the climax after surviving two marathon
battles in the previous two rounds - in the quarters upsetting French favourite
Isabelle Stoehr, the No2 seed, in 65 minutes.
But the final was one match too far for the 24-year-old from
Sussex as the experienced Grinham coasted to an 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 victory in 34
minutes.
The triumph marks the 13th Tour title of Grinham's career.
Pierrepont Powers To Pyramides Final
England's Suzie Pierrepont survived her second hour-long
marathon in 24 hours in the Women's Des Pyramides Open in the French
capital Paris to claim a surprise slot in the final of the $26,000
WISPA World Tour squash event at Squash Pyramides in
Le Port Marly.
The 24-year-old fifth seed from Sussex - now based in
Philadelphia, USA - made her breakthrough in the previous round when she upset
second-seeded local favourite Isabelle Stoehr in 65 minutes.
But Pierrepont, ranked 28 in the world, dug deep for the second
time in the event to beat former US champion Latasha Khan - recovering
from a game down to overcome the sixth seed 6-11, 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-9 in 64
minutes.
Now in the seventh Tour final of her career - but the biggest by
a significant margin - Pierrepont will face her toughest test, against Dutch
favourite Natalie Grinham.
The top seed from Almere faced rapidly improving French star
Camille Serme, the seventh seed from Creteil who upset England's third seed
Dominique Lloyd-Walter to make the last four.
Serme stretched the world No3 for almost an hour - but Grinham
ultimately prevailed 11-6, 11-6, 11-13, 11-5 in 59 minutes to reach the 33rd
WISPA final of her career.
Grinham Is Sole
Seed Survivor At Squash Pyramides
After a day of upsets at the Women's Des Pyramides Open,
Dutch favourite Natalie Grinham became the only top four seed to claim
her anticipated place in the semi-finals of the $26,000 WISPA World Tour
squash event at Squash Pyramides in Le Port Marly in the French
capital Paris.
The world No3 from Almere needed just 24 minutes to quash South
African national champion Tenille Swartz, the eighth seed, 11-3, 11-9,
11-3. But Grinham's next opponent will be seventh seed Camille Serme,
the French national champion who crushed third seed Dominique Lloyd-Walter
11-6, 11-6, 11-5 – avenging her loss to the English player in last year's event.
"I'm very happy to have taken my revenge on Dominique, as she
beat me last year here, 3/2," Serme said afterwards. "But on this occasion, I
was able to impose my rhythm and to find some nice shots - even if some were a
bit lucky sometimes.
"I will do my utmost best against Natalie tonight!"
England's Suzie Pierrepont caused the biggest casualty –
battling for 65 minutes to overcome the highest-ranked local player in the
event, second seed Isabelle Stoehr.
"It's so hot here - your skin feels like it's on fire on court:
Neither of us played that well," conceded fifth seed Pierrepont after her 11-7,
12-14, 11-8, 9-11, 11-7 victory. "I've lost so many five-game matches this
season, I was determined not to lose another one!"
The US-based 27-year-old now faces Latasha Khan after the
sixth seed from the USA shocked Line Hansen, beating the fourth-seeded
Dane 13-11, 10-12, 11-7, 12-10 in 64 minutes.
Stoehr Struggles In Pyramides Opener
France's Isabelle Stoehr made it through to the
quarter-finals of the Women's Des Pyramides Open as expected – but the
second seed was taken the full distance by qualifier Maud Duplomb, and
had to fight back from two-games-to-one down before overcoming her fellow
countrywoman in the opening round of the $26,000 WISPA World Tour squash
event at Squash Pyramides in Le Port Marly in the French capital
Paris.
Stoehr's 11-5, 8-11, 10-12, 11-8, 11-8 win in 57 minutes takes
the world No11 from Montpellier through to a clash with Suzie Pierrepont.
The fifth seed also had to fight off a compatriot – but prevailed in just 22
minutes, beating fellow Englishwoman Jenna Gates, also a qualifier, 11-5,
11-3, 11-4.
Top seed Natalie Grinham was also tested in her first
round match. The newly-crowned European Individual Champion – who is still
looking for her maiden Tour title since becoming a Dutch national early last
year – needed four games to overcome Norwegian qualifier Lotte Eriksen
11-2, 11-5, 8-11, 11-5.
The newly-installed world number three will now face eighth seed
Tenille Swartz for a place in the semi-finals. Fresh from winning her
fourth successive South African national title at the weekend, Swartz despatched
England's Lauren Siddall 11-8, 12-10, 6-11, 11-5.
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