Madeline Perry
has become the latest WSA World Tour player to win back-to-back titles in
2013 following a successful Texas Open campaign.
Just
one seeded player failed to make it past the opening round of the well attended
WSA Silver 35 event, as Misaki Kobayashi beat Samantha Teran
to the quarter-final spot after a lengthy five games.
The Japanese qualifier didn’t fare as well against second seed Jenny Duncalf
in the quarters, with the Englishwoman demonstrating her experience and
quality to reach the semi-final round. Duncalf was joined by the rest of the
top four seeds in the semis, as Natalie Grinham saw off a commendable
challenge from Sarah-Jane Perry in five-games, along with victories for
top seed Joelle King and fourth seeded Madeline Perry.
Grinham’s long quarter-final match did nothing to impact her longevity against
Duncalf in a cat-and-mouse semi-final battle. The Dutch representative came
from a game down against the higher seed and was pegged back again in the fourth
before clinching the deciding fifth game to reach her 44th WSA career final.
Meanwhile No.1 seed Joelle King saw a good start against Perry quickly levelled
by the experienced Irishwoman, who launched an excellent display of cool-headed,
strategic squash to beat the New Zealander, ranked five places higher, in four
games.
It was world No.10 Grinham who started better in the final by clinching the
narrowest of opening games against Perry, ranked just one place behind her.
The
high level of experience from both players was evident to the crowds as Perry
countered in the second, drawing level after another closely fought game. Grinham
responded in kind to take the lead again, but was beginning to show signs of
fatigue in the fourth game, which Perry closed out by the largest margin of the
match so far. A third five-game encounter proved too much for the Dutchwoman,
and Perry closed out the fifth and final game to win her eleventh WSA World Tour
title, her second in succession.
