Perry & Grinham On Course Through Monte Carlo Quarters
by Matt Wagg
November 1, 2012 - Despite a number of surprise results in the first round of the 2012 WSA Silver Monte Carlo Classic, top seeds Madeline Perry and Natalie Grinham remain on course to meet in the final after successfully navigating the early stages.
Both experienced veterans of the WSA World Tour, the tournament favourites dispatched qualifying pair Nouran Ahmed Gohar and Orla Noom to progress to the quarter-finals. Grinham beat Noom in a straight-games encounter, whilst a slow start for Perry saw her come from a game down to defeat fifteen-year-old Gohar in four games on the hour mark.
Two unseeded players and a qualifier caused trouble for some of the other seeded contingent however, as Lucie Fialova of the Czech Republic defeated No.4 Aisling Blake, Tesni Evans beat No.6 Latasha Khan, and Scottish qualifier Lisa Aitken stunned No.7 seed Gaby Huber to add to an unlikely quarter-final draw.
The upsets were to be short-lived though as Aitken, progressing to face top seeded Perry, withdrew from the contest after falling ill. The Irishwoman will now face No.8 seed Heba El Torky, who put down a spirited challenge from Fialova. The Egyptian took 53-minutes to end the Czech’s hopes of another upset, despite late signs of a comeback and a tiebreak last game.
Natalie Grinham ended Tesni Evans’ run in the event, claiming a straight-games win to deny the Welsh player. She will now face Omneya Abdel Kawy in the semi-final stages, after the No.5 seed Egyptian beat compatriot and No.3 seed Nour El Tayeb in a half-hour, four-game contest.
Semi-finals:
18.30 - [1] Madeline Perry (IRL) v [8] Heba El Torky (EGY)
19.10 - [2] Natalie Grinham (NED) v [5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Madeline Perry (IRL) bt [Q] Lisa Aitken (SCO) w/o
[8] Heba El Torky (EGY) bt Lucie Fialova (CZE) 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 13-11 (53m)
[5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 (30m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt Tesni Evans (WAL) 11-4, 11-5, 11-6 (33m)
1st round:
[1] Madeline Perry (IRL) bt [Q] Nouran Ahmed Gohar (EGY) 7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (60m)
[Q] Lisa Aitken (SCO) bt [7] Gaby Huber (SUI) 8-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-4 (36m)
Lucie Fialova (CZE) bt [4] Aisling Blake (IRL) 11-8, 11-8, 7-11, 8-11, 11-8 (79m)
[8] Heba El Torky (EGY) bt Lauren Selby (ENG) 11-9, 11-3, 13-11 (41m)
[5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) bt [Q] Salma Hany Ibrahim Ahmed (EGY) 11-5, 11-6, 11-3 (15m)
[3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt Coline Aumard (FRA) 11-7, 11-7, 13-11 (29m)
Tesni Evans (WAL) bt [6] Latasha Khan (USA) 11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9 (57m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [Q] Orla Noom (NED) 11-5, 11-8, 11-4 (21m)
Back To Main
