Natalie Grainger Can't Rise to the Occasion
Rachael Grinham wins Flat Finals
© 2004 Ron Beck, Exclusive to Squashtalk, all rights of reproduction reserved.
November 6, 2004

Rachael Grinham successfully slowed the pace against Natalie Grainger, © 2004 Fritz Borchert

The question coming into the finals was which of these two players would rise best to the occasion. The answer definitively was Rachael Grinham, who earned her second British Open title today.

Natalie Grainger came out hard at the outset, taking an early 4-0 lead and making it look like Rachael might have trouble breaking through.

But while Rachael slowed the game down, and lobbed continuously, both on the serve and during rallies, Natalie provided a whole string of tins which made her job almost impossible. "I know that Natalie is so strong on the T, that I need a way to get the advantage. The lob serve is good on this court. Risky but good. The lights are so bright up there, that the received can loose the ball easily. So I was trying for that. And then I just kept lobbing, to slow her down."

Natalie, who was trying to increase the pace of the match, was unable to keep her drives tight enough, giving Rachael many openings. Rachael's boasts, played off of Natalie's pace, put the nail in the coffin as Natalie was unable to move up front fast enough to combat that strategy.

After the first game, Grinham was completely in control, and Grainger will be disappointed to have come out flat. It was Vanessa Atkinson, in yesterday's semis, who showed how to successfully put Grinham on the defensive, not Natalie Grainger. And Rachael Grinham won her second British Open. "After winning last year, I wanted to show everyone that this wasn't a fluke, she concluded."

[Complete women's Draw]

British Open Finals:

Men's Finals:
[3] David Palmer (AUS) versus [5] Amr Shabana (EGY)

Women's Finals:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) def [4] Natalie Grainger (USA) 6-9 9-5 9-0 9-3

White versus Willstrop at the 2004 English Open - Now on DvD