Lloyd-Walter & Miller In Ohio Final
Semi-finals:
[1] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) bt [3] Manuela Manetta (ITA) 11-4, 11-7, 11-7 (38m)
[6] Alana Miller (CAN) bt Runa Reta (CAN) 11-9, 11-7, 11-7 (40m)
England's top seed Dominique Lloyd-Walter will face sixth-seeded Canadian Alana Miller in the final of the Women's Ohio Open in the USA after both players scored straight games semi-final wins in the inaugural $16,000 WISPA World Tour squash event at Dayton Squash Center in Dayton, Ohio.
Lloyd-Walter won her match in 38 minutes of incredibly steady squash. Her opponent Manuela Manetta of Italy fought hard, enduring long rallies and pushed her game to a high level to try and find a way to break her opponent.
Trading extremely tight length shots down both side walls, making great retrieves and the occasional outright kill shot, third seed Manetta never gave up - but in the end the 27-year-old from Harrow was just too patient and consistent, winning the match 11-4, 11-7, 11-7.
In the other semi-final, two Canadian comrades put aside their friendship for 40 minutes to play in front of the enthusiastic gallery at the Dayton Squash Center. Miller beat unseeded Runa Reta 11-9, 11-7, 11-7. Perhaps Reta's five-game upset in the previous round had taken its toll on the 27-year-old from Ottawa - but the win was a repeat of the outcome in two Canadian Nationals' finals, in 2004 and 2007.
The semi-final successes mark the fifth Tour final appearance for Lloyd-Walter - and the seventh for Miller. However, the Canadian may have a stiff task ahead of her, as Lloyd-Walter has yet to be beaten in a WISPA final.