Kitchen Overwhelms Grinham For Place In New York Final
Semi-finals:
[4] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) bt [1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 11-9, 11-9, 11-8
[2] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt [3] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) 11-13, 11-8, 11-3, 12-10
New Zealander Shelley Kitchen scored one of the best wins of her career when she beat favourite Rachael Grinham in the semi-finals of the Women's Carol Weymuller Open to reach the final of the established WISPA World Tour Silver 30 squash event at Heights Casino in New York.
Kitchen, the fourth seed from Auckland, held her nerve throughout the encounter to beat the world number four from Queensland 11-9, 11-9, 11-8.
The Kiwi, now in her 19th Tour final, will now face US star Natalie Grainger for the title.
The second-seeded title-holder from Washington battled for four games to overcome former world champion Vanessa Atkinson, the third seed from the Netherlands, 11-13, 11-8, 11-3, 12-10.
The success marks Grainger's 37th WISPA Tour final - and her third in succession at the Heights Casino in New York.