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Rachael Grinham Marks 30th Tour Title At Sharm El Sheikh
Australia's
Rachael Grinham celebrated the 30th WISPA World Tour squash title of
her career by beating home hope Engy Kheirallah in the final
of the $29,500 Women's Sharm El
Sheikh Open at Laguna Vista Resort in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
The triumph marks the latest milestone in the formidable career of the
32-year-old Queenslander who collected her maiden Tour title at the Toulouse
Open in March 1998 after winning the World Junior Championship, at
the age of 16, in July 1993. Grinham went on to win the Texas Open,
Kuwait Open and Singapore Open trophies, the World Open crown
in 2007 - and, two months ago in Manchester, picked up her fourth British
Open crown.
Based in Cairo since 2001, Grinham eased into her 54th Tour final after beating
third seed Raneem El Weleily - while, in the other semi, fourth seed
Kheirallah maintained her winning run over Omneya Abdel Kawy by defeating
her higher-ranked compatriot in straight games.
But after a tight first game, it was the top-seeded Australian who prevailed to
win 16-14, 11-6, 11-4 in 52 minutes to strengthen her position as the current
player with the second biggest collection of Tour titles - behind Nicol David,
the world number one from Malaysia who boasts 41.
Grinham & Kheirallah To Meet In Sharm El Sheikh Showdown
Engy Kheirallah
reached the final of the Women's
Sharm El Sheikh Open after upsetting her second-seeded Egyptian compatriot
Omneya Abdel Kawy for the second time this month - and will now face
Australian Rachael Grinham in the climax of the $29,500 WISPA World
Tour squash event at Laguna Vista Resort in Sharm El Sheikh,
Egypt.
Kheirallah, the world No21 from Cairo, was facing her Egyptian team-mate on the
WISPA Tour for the fifth time in four years - and, remarkably, recorded her
fifth successive victory over the world No7 after winning 11-7, 11-5, 11-9 in 43
minutes.
The Alexandria-born fourth seed will now take on top seed Rachael Grinham, the
Cairo-based Queenslander who finished as runner-up in the 2008 championship.
Grinham denied the crowd an all-Egyptian final by beating third seed Raneem
El Weleily - but the 20-year-old from Alexandria battled for 51 minutes and
extended experienced Grinham to two tie-break games before yielding 12-10, 11-6,
10-12, 11-5 in 51 minutes.
Grinham is celebrating the 54th WISPA final of her career.
Seeds Prevail In Sharm El Sheikh
Order was
restored in the
Women's Sharm El Sheikh Open
when all four top seeds secured semi-final slots in the $29,500 WISPA World
Tour squash event at Laguna Vista Resort in Sharm El Sheikh,
Egypt.
Local qualifier
Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy
was unable to reproduce the form she showed when upsetting fifth Lauren
Briggs in the opening round. The 15-year-old from Alexandria faced her
country's top player Omneya Abdel Kawy.
But the No2 seed from Cairo was too strong for the promising teenager, beating
El-Defrawy 11-2, 11-5, 11-5 in 26 minutes.
Alana Miller,
the unseeded Canadian who claimed an unexpected place in the last eight after
upsetting sixth-seeded Malaysian Delia Arnold, was also unable to
progress further.
The 29-year-old from Winnipeg went down 11-7, 11-3, 11-5 to fourth seed Engy
Kheirallah - who will face Abdel Kawy in an all-Egyptian semi-final.
There will be local interest in the other semi too where third seed Raneem El
Weleily, from Alexandria, takes on top seed Rachael Grinham, the 2008
runner-up from Australia.
Miller & El-Defrawy
Shake Up Sharm El Sheikh Seedings
Local qualifier
Kanzy Emad El-Defrawy
was joined by Canadian Alana Miller in the last eight of the Women's
Sharm El Sheikh Open after both produced stunning upsets in the first round
of the $29,500 WISPA World Tour squash event at Laguna Vista Resort
in Sharm El Sheikh, Egypt.
El-Defrawy, a 15-year-old from Alexandria, showed maturity beyond her years as
she despatched England's experienced Lauren Briggs, the 30-year-old fifth
seed from London, 8-11, 11-5, 11-6, 11-9.
The teenager will now face her country's top player Omneya Abdel Kawy
after the No2 seed from Cairo recovered from a game down to beat Dutch opponent
Orla Noom 3-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-4.
Unseeded Alana Miller, 29, from Winnipeg, knocked out Malaysian Delia Arnold,
the sixth seed, 11-6, 11-7, 11-9. Bidding to reach her third WISPA final this
month, Miller will now meet in-form Egyptian Engy Kheirallah, the No4
seed from Cairo who also secured a straight games win in her 11-4, 12-10, 11-8
victory over Australian Lisa Camilleri.
Australia's Rachael Grinham denied the hosts an Egyptian in each of the
quarter-finals when she stopped the Tour's hottest young prospect Nour El
Sherbini.
The 14-year-old from Alexandria, who became the sport's youngest ever world
champion earlier this year after winning the World Junior (U19) Championship
title against expectations, stretched top seed Grinham for four games - but the
32-year-old Queenslander ultimately prevailed 11-8, 11-6, 3-11, 11-4.
Grinham, last year's runner-up, now takes on Ireland's seventh seed Aisling
Blake for a place in the last four.
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