Grinhams Stand Tall
Sept 14, 2004, Howard Harding; SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2004;
[Also see Bahrain draw and results]

Natalie Grinham reaches the semis in Bahrain; photo © 2004 Debra Tessier for SquashTalk.

Bailey Falls Short in Quarters

Natalie and Rachael Grinham, currently ranked #4 and #1 in the world respectively, both reached the semi final round in the Bahrain WISPA classic tonight.

Natalie will face Cassie Jackman, who is in her first major event since coming back from an achilles injury; while Rachael will face Vanessa Atkinson, who has had the hot hand, winning three recent WISPA events coming into this week's action

The giant killing run of England's unseeded Tania Bailey in the Bahrain WISPA Squash Classic came to an end in the quarter-finals at the Al A' Ali Mall in Manama when she fell to Vanessa Atkinson, the third seed, in straight games.

Atkinson, winner of her last three events, is enjoying a rich vein of form and cantered to a two game lead leaving Bailey chasing shadows. But the former British Open finalist from Stamford in Lincolnshire visibly settled to the pace and edged into a 6-3 lead in the third before being pegged back and eventually losing 9-3 9-1 10-8 in 33 minutes.

However, Bailey was far from downhearted: "These last two matches are the first time that I have played well and felt really well in two years," she said, referring to the series of illnesses and injuries that have plagued her during the period. "It's there and I'm really looking forward to more tournaments and trying to fight my way back into the top ten," added the former world No4.

Atkinson, the world No3 from The Hague, will now meet Rachael Grinham in the semis - "and if it comes anywhere close to their memorable last encounter in the final of the Brunei International in July then the watching enthusiasts at the Al A' Ali Mall will be in for a treat," said WISPA Director Andrew Shelley.

Grinham, the top seed from Australia, reached the last four with a 3/0 victory over Omneya Abdel Kawy, the current World Junior Champion. The Egyptian provided a genuine test for Grinham, playing with patience and placement, only falling behind when she suffered lapses of concentration and rushing too soon to play a winner. This was particularly evident when the scores were tied at eight-all in the third where two tinned attempted drops handed the Australian the match 9-4 9-4 10-8 after 28 minutes.

Both players have similarly wristy and deceptive games, and with Grinham being based in Cairo it may be that their knowledge of each other's game is unsettling. Not so says Abdel Kawy: "We don't actually play very much so we deceive each other a lot."

The bottom half of the draw saw England's No2 seed Cassie Jackman, recently ousted from top spot in the WISPA rankings, pitted against Malaysian Nicol David. In a repeat of their World Open semi final last December, Jackman again prevailed without dropping a game. Rallies were extended, with David fighting against the heavy bombardment that is such a feature of the former world champion's game, but fell away in the third.

"She put me under more pressure, caught me off guard and killed me off," said David, referring to the last game, after her 9-7 9-5 9-1 defeat in 34 minutes.

Natalie Grinham ensured that the top four seeds made the semis - but only after an extended struggle with England's Rebecca Macree. The match featured fine squash but was punctuated with Macree creating occasional traffic problems, some requests for lets that were not likely to be there and a few times adopting an overly physical approach to reaching the ball. Along with this she is a great striker of the ball and first and foremost a genuine competitor.

Even after a gruelling win against Shelley Kitchen the previous evening, Macree was fighting all the way against the fourth-seeded Australian. Let down by the occasional tinned drop and being pinned back by some high quality Grinham lobbing, Macree was within a whisker of taking the match into the fifth game, a territory in which she is very strong. Grinham ultimately prevailed 9-2 3-9 9-5 10-8 in 58 minutes.

"We now wait to see whether none, one - or both - of the Toowoomba twosome make the final; whether Atkinson, the winning machine can keep on track; and if Jackman can take a step towards reclaiming the number one spot," said Shelley. "Two great Bahrain semis are in prospect."

RESULTS: Bahrain WISPA Squash Classic, Bahrain
Quarterfinals:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [9] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 9-4 9-4 10-8 (28 min)
[3] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt Tania Bailey (ENG) 9-3 9-1 10-8 (33 min)
[4] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt [8] Rebecca Macree (ENG) 9-2 3-9 9-5 10-8 (58 min)
[2] Cassie Jackman (ENG) bt [7] Nicol David (MAS) 9-7 9-5 9-1 (34 min)

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