WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: Women's Qatar Airways Squash Challenge, Doha, Qatar

Semi-finals:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [4] Nicol David (MAS) 9-3, 8-10, 2-9, 9-1, 10-8 (71m)
[6] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt [14] Tania Bailey (ENG) 9-2, 1-9, 9-2, 9-6 (50m)

Grainger & Grinham In Doha Final

Doha will stage a repeat of last year's British Open final when Australia's top seed Rachael Grinham and USA's Natalie Grainger, the sixth seed, meet in Sunday's final of the Women's Qatar Airways Squash Challenge.

In a dramatic semi-final against fourth seed Nicol David, Grinham saved a crucial match ball at 8-7 in the fifth game decider which would otherwise have put the Malaysian into the final and Dutch rival Vanessa Atkinson at the top of the world rankings. 

However, the plucky Queenslander maintained her focus to clinch the game and the match 9-3 8-10 2-9 9-1 10-8 in 71 minutes to reach her 29th WISPA World Tour final.

"I pushed myself so hard in the fifth, I thought I was going to die," said Grinham to www.squashsite.co.uk.  "I don't normally push myself that hard and I think I would have been extremely upset if I hadn't won.

"In my head, I was praying, 'please please, let me win'!  When you are so close at the end, what else can you do?  But I was lucky, because she had some easy shots, and she tinned them, and that's all due to the pressure of the match," added the Australian who is still seeking her first title win of the year.

Natalie Grainger ended the brave run of England's Tania Bailey, the 14th seed who reached the last four after shock victories over second seed Vanessa Atkinson and seventh seed Vicky Botwright.  Grainger needed 50 minutes to overcome the Englishwoman 9-2 1-9 9-2 9-6 to reach her 24th WISPA final.

"After the first game, I relaxed a little bit, I wasn't as aggressive, as concentrated, and as focused on the ball as I was during the first.  Then I lost my length, and Tania got in front of me, dictated the pace and imposed her game," said Washington-based Grainger afterwards.

"Her backhand volleys and her backhand volley drops are really dangerous, she holds the volley very well up there.  So, if you're not in front, you get in real trouble.  So I had to get on top of her and get there first."