Fourth Final For Grinham & Kawy In Hurghada
Semi-finals:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [3] Engy Kheirallah (EGY) 9-2, 9-7, 3-9, 9-2 (67m)
[2] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [4] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) 9-7, 9-2, 9-3 (28m)
Australia's Rachael Grinham and Egyptian Omneya Abdel Kawy will contest the final of the Hurghada Squash International for the fourth successive year after contrasting semi-final wins in the WISPA World Tour Silver event staged on an all-glass court on The Plaza in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Hurghada.
Title-holder Kawy, the second seed from Cairo, needed only 28 minutes to despatch third-seeded compatriot Raneem El Weleily, the 18-year-old world junior champion from Alexandria, 9-7, 9-2, 9-3.
Winner of the title for the first time last year, Kawy is celebrating her 14th appearance in a WISPA World Tour final.
Top seed Grinham, whose bid for a hat-trick of titles was foiled by Kawy last year, was stretched to four games - and 67 minutes - by her Egyptian opponent Engy Kheirallah in the other semi-final.
Supported not only by the packed crowd, Kheirallah also had her fiancé Karim Darwish, the world No12, in her corner. The 25-year-old from Alexandria led 5-3 in the opening game, but Grinham recovered to win the match 9-2, 9-7, 3-9, 9-2.
Clearly relieved to get home in four games, the Cairo-based Queenslander commented afterwards: "I always have tough games with Engy these days. But today I felt comfortable on the court, it wasn't too hot and I was concentrating well."
After a rest day - while the Hurghada Plaza on which the all-glass court is erected will host a street music festival - Grinham will contest her 39th WISPA World Tour final, but her first this year.