WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: Women's Hurghada Squash International, Hurghada, Egypt

Final:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [2] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 1-9, 2-9, 9-4, 9-3, 10-8 (81m)

Grinham Survives Hurghada Final Marathon

Australia's Rachael Grinham successfully retained her title in the Women's Hurghada International - but the world number one from Queensland had to fight back from two games down, then save a match-ball in the decider, before overcoming local star Omneya Abdel Kawy in an 81-minute marathon final before a packed and partisan crowd surrounding the all-glass court in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada.

Both are based in Cairo - yet are not regular practice partners.  Indeed, Grinham is based at the Heliopolis Club while 19-year-old Abdel Kawy - when not studying accountancy at the city's Misr International University - is at the Gezira Club.  Nine positions also separate the pair in the WISPA world rankings - and both arrived at the final after contrasting semis, the Australian cruising to a straight games win over England's Laura-Jane Lengthorn in 28 minutes while world junior champion Kawy was extended to five games in a 73-minute marathon by another English opponent Alison Waters.

An hour before the start of the match, every single seat in the stand was occupied - while others were standing or hanging from every vantage point, in the hope of a reversal of the result of last year's final in which Grinham dashed Kawy's hopes in three games.

Early rallies were extended as both players became comfortable with the conditions, but soon the teenager took the advantage as Grinham played an unusually defensive game. 

Chants of 'Omneya, Omneya' increased in regularity and loudness as the local star asserted herself, taking the first game for the loss of a single point, then moving 2/0 ahead after clinching the third game ball.

The Egyptian may have had a 73-minute match the night before but her confidence could not have been higher. Surely Grinham would alter her pattern now? If anything rallies were getting longer, but now the local heroine was making errors.

Just as it seemed that she could overtake the Australian, Abdel Kawy seemed to go off the boil again and Grinham moved to game ball.  While the first was saved, the second was won without Abdel Kawy even trying to intercept. The Egyptian had ground to a halt!

It was clear from the frenetic activity in her corner that Abdel Kawy probably had a large burst blister on the ball of her right foot.  Her shoe and sock were off, her father Ali applying a dressing, and she was patched up enough to return for the fourth.
The first few rallies were tentative but soon she was covering the court again. However the deficit grew as Grinham flitted, picking up morsels when they arrived. Though Abdel Kawy picked up a run of three points to uplift the crowd, the Australian levelled the match to disappointed but polite applause.

The Egyptian's right shoe stayed on in the break and battle in the decider started - much to the surprise of the great majority of informed observers who had given short shrift to the challenger. 

Demonstrating remarkable stamina, Kawy went ahead 6-5 when a Grinham lob went long.  A drive which squeezed out of the front wall nick back at Grinham gave her a stroke to go 7-5 - and minutes later a backhand cross court drop gave the Egyptian a match ball.

Shrieks from all over the stands accompanied the tinned drop that would have closed out the match for Kawy.  There was almost silence later when Grinham lobbed perfectly into the forehand corner to move to her own match ball.  Again Abdel Kawy was tempted forward and unable to scrape the ball back and the match was finally in the hands of the defending champion after a 1-9 2-9 9-4 9-3 10-8 scoreline.

At the presentations, Grinham told the crowd and TV audience that she had lived in Cairo for four years, exclaiming "I love you Egypt".

When asked later about being match-ball down, Grinham explained: "I wasn't going to give it away. I told myself no mistakes, if she wants it she is going to have to win it."

A despondent Kawy said:  "She was only defending and I was moving her round and hitting nicks. But she was moving me around too and my plaster was shifting on my blister.  It was hurting and I couldn't move so well in the third.  For the fifth I told myself that I must play like the first two games.  I have to win as today is my day.  At match ball, the dropshot, aarrgghhh! But I am satisfied."