Former South African Natalie Grainger's dismal form since reaching a career-high world No. 4 last month continued in Monaco when too many errors contributed to the top seed's 9/8 9/4 9/3 loss in 34 minutes to her new English compatriot Fiona Geaves in the quarter-finals of the $19,000 Women's Monte Carlo Squash Classic.
Geaves, the 31-year-old world No11 from Gloucester, is the second English player to beat Grainger since the Nottingham-based 22-year-old switched her allegiance to England last month.
Geaves will meet Dutch qualifier Vanessa Atkinson in the semi-finals after the English-born player beat England's 5th seed Sue Wright 9/0 9/5 9/3. Wright, the defending champion from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire, has still not fully recovered from the viral pneumonia which has affected to ears. "I proved that I have come back too early - I've clearly still got a long way to go yet," said the 29-year-old after her 29-minute defeat.
An English finalist is assured in the bottom half of the draw after Norfolk's 2nd seed Cassie Campion secured a comfortable 9/4 9/2 9/3 victory over South Africa's Claire Nitch in 41 minutes, and Sussex-based Linda Charman dismissed veteran Australian Liz Irving 9/4 9/7 9/5 in 39 minutes.
First Round Report
England's world No. 8 Sue Wright, making her first WISPA World Tour appearance
since January after being laid low with a virus, took 91 minutes to overcome
compatriot Rebecca Macree 9/2 6/9 7/9 9/4 9/7 in the first round of the
$19,000 Women's Monte Carlo Squash Classic in Monaco.
Wright, the 29-year-old defending champion from Aylesbury in Buckinghamshire,
now faces Vanessa Atkinson in the quarter-finals after the Dutch qualifier
upset England's third seed Suzanne Horner who retired with an Achilles injury
with the score at 9/4 2/9 1/9 9/2 5/0.
Former South African Natalie Grainger has registered her first WISPA World
Tour win since becoming English at the beginning of the month. The
Nottingham-based world No4, who is favourite to win the Monte Carlo event,
beat French qualifier Corinne Castets 9/2 9/3 9/4. Meanwhile the new South
African No. 1 Claire Nitch removed last year's finalist Sabine Schoene, the
sixth seed, 9/4 9/6 10/8 to set up a quarter-final clash with the English No. 2
seed Cassie Campion.
