Madrid Women's World Open Squash 2007

MARTIN BRONSTEIN REPORTING FROM MADRID SPAIN
QUARTERS OCTOBER 26

GRINHAM SISTERS RULE THE WORLD

On another chilly evening, where the VIPs sat with orange blankets around their legs, Natalie Grinham put on a bravura performance of attacking squash. She attained a standard of accuracy that is rarely seen from an attacking player; Tania Bailey, who has matured into a very shrewd player, could do nothing to counter the drop/drive tactics that Natalie had evolved as a game plan.

Big sister Rachael looked as though she might finally lose to the American number one Natalie Grainger but benefited from the American’s inconsistency to win in four games.

From the very first rally Natalie Grinham showed that she would be attacking the front left corner in order to take Bailey to the front. Very few players attack so consistently, but all the players here know that this glass court on a cold evening encourages drop shots. Grinham exploited the condition to the fullest. She would play two, maybe three shots to the back and then phut! the ball would be cut to the front corner – usually the left but she was equally accurate to the right. If Bailey counter-dropped – unless it was a very good counter – Grinham would be right there to counter an even softer dropshot. Bailey would then try to lift or lob to the back and Grinham was waiting to drive it for a winner. This pattern was repeated throughout the three games and Bailey could only rarely escape from this well-laid trap.

Grinham started quickly and was 5-0 up before Bailey got into gear and hit one of her delicious backhand crosscourt sliders to get hand in. She earned her first point with a long backhand drop but that was about it for the first game. Grinham was ruthless on her volley drops and taking Bailey in to the front and slamming the weak replies for winner to take the game 9-2. It was all over in eight minutes.

Baily started the second in full fighting mood and took a 3-0 lead using all her considerable experience They exchanged points and it seemed as though Bailey was going to handle the Grinham game but from 1-4 Grinham stuck to her game plan – which she revealed later was to avoid the Bailey strength – volleying. Her consistency paid off and she pulled away to win 9-5. Grinham’s drop and drive game was simply too much for Bailey to handle. Her only hope was to play better drops than Grinham and she could not do that.

The third game was a more balanced battle: level at 3-3, Grinham forged to match ball but succumbed to Bailey’s best patch as she pulled all the way back to 7-8. A No Let decision against her gave Grinham the serve and she made sure of the victory with another precise forehand cross court drop. The score pretty much reflected the match and Bailey should have no complaints. Grinham had outplayed and out-thought her. Hopefully she will have learned a lot from this and work on those weaknesses that Grinham had so successfully exploited.

GRAINGER CHANGES TACTICS: RACHAEL WINS

Natalie Grainger took to the court full of confidence tonight and the way she went about overcoming Rachael Grinham was a revelation. She was slamming the ball hard, going for her favourite volley drop winners and handling the famous Grinham soft, slow game with ease. The rallies were short and sharp and full of attack and the game was over in eight minutes , 9-5 in Grainger’s favour. The last time they met, in the Vassar tournament, Grinham had pipped Grainger 9-6 in the fifth. Tonight it looked as though she could reverse the decision.

Sadly she changed her winning strategy in the second game, slowed down and even started playing the Grinham game of slow lobs. And nobody plays that game better than Rachael Grinham. It was a drastic change of fortunes for Grainger and there were times when she seemed to have lost her head. She was even caught flat-footed when Grinham did a bodyline serve. Grainger’s expression of exasperation was plain to see as she flapped at the ball and found the tin.

Trailing 3-8, she finally got back to pasting the ball. Her backhand crosscourt slams were almost as good as David Palmer’s, and whenever she played it she either won the point or had Grinham on the back foot. Grainger climbed back to 6-8 but then lost a dropping duel to lose the serve. Grinham finished the game with another unplayable backhand drive to win 9-6 and tie the match. It was another 8 minute game which indicated just how short the rallies were.

Grainger started the third in positive fashion: she got her second point after three consecutive backhand cross court slams. Grinham got two of them back with back wall boast but the third was simply too vicious and died in the back. Grainger should have lodged this point in her playbook but didn’t. After building up a 4-0 lead, she suddenly stopped pasting the ball and at one point indulged in a slow lob exchange with Grinham. Needless to say Grinham won and then racked up nine points in eleven rallies with her usual array of drops boasts and drives. It wasn’t even hard work – the game had taken seven minutes.

This turn of fortune obviously got to Grainger and damaged her confidence.From being a positive fighter, on her toes and ready to slam everything, she looked hesitant and unsure of herself. The game rapidly ran away from her as Grinham continued her control and precision to get to match ball 8-1. Grainger managed a last-gasp challenge to earn two more points but lost the serve in a vain stretch to get a cross-court volley. The final point was another trademark Rachael Grinham backhand drop and the 45 minute match was over, putting the Grinham sisters into the final of the World Open, their first-ever tour final together. (They played each other in the final of the Commonwealth Games in 2006 when the younger Natalie won).

It will be an interesting final as they train together and know each other’s game. One thing is certain: nobody expected this all-Australian final.

WOMENS WORLD OPEN MADRID

SEMIFINAL RESULTS:
Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt Tania Bailey (ENG) 9-2, 9-5, 9-7 (41mins)
Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt Natalie Grainger (USA) 5-9, 9-6, 9-6, 9-3 (45 mins)

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