[The draw]

Two former world #1s, Natalie Grainger and Vanessa Atkinson won in opposing styles tonight in Greenwich Connecticut to set up an intriguing semi final matchup between those two stars.

Atkinson cruised past Lauren Briggs in straight games, while Grainger battled long and hard to overcome Egyptian Raneem el Weleily.

Tania Bailey, out of action most of last year following knee surgery, took higher-ranked England team-mate Laura Lengthorn-Massaro the full distance in the quarter-finals of the Women's Harrow Greenwich Squash Open before bowing out of the $25,000 WISPA World Tour squash event at the Field Club of Greenwich in Greenwich, USA.

The unseeded 29-year-old made her breakthrough in the first round, upsetting New Zealand's fifth seed Jaclyn Hawkes.  Bailey, who reached number four in the world in 2003, took the first game against Lengthorn-Massaro - but the third seed ultimately prevailed to win 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 9-11, 11-3.

Natalie Grainger, the two-time champion from the USA who is seeded to win the crown again for the first time since 1999, was also taken to five games.  But the Greenwich-based 31-year-old beat Egypt's eighth seed Raneem El Weleily 11-7, 11-6, 7-11, 3-11, 11-2 to set up a semi-final clash with fourth seed Vanessa Atkinson.

Atkinson, like Grainger a former world number one, despatched England's Lauren Briggs 11-4, 11-4, 11-4.

RESULTS:               Harrow Greenwich WISPA Open, Greenwich CT USA

Quarterfinals:
 
[1] Natalie Grainger (USA) def [8] Raneem el Weleily 11-7 11-6 7-11 3-11 11-2
 [4] Vanessa Atkinson (NL) def [7] Lauren Briggs (ENG) 11-4 11-4 11-4
 [3] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) def Tania Bailey (ENG)  10-12 11-6 11-7 9-11 11-3
 [2] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) def [6] Samantha Teran (MEX) 5-11 9-11 11-6 11-6 14-12
 
 
RESULTS: ISDA North American Open
 
Quarterfinals:
P. Price/B. Gould  win 8,15-14,8
 C. Leach/M. Jenson  win 12,8,6
 J. Russell/P. Quick  win (10),(16-18),8,9,9
 Berg/Mudge  win 7,12,13

 

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