Fourth Monte Carlo Success For Grinham
by Matt Wagg 

November 4, 2012 - Natalie Grinham won the Monte Carlo Classic for the fourth time after beating Madeline Perry in Friday's final at the Stade Louis II in Monte Carlo, Monaco. 

The Dutch international, who first won the event in 2006 and later retained the title in 2007, played out an assured campaign in the popular Monaco competition.  She claimed straight game victories in all of her matches on route to the final, dispatching qualifier Orla Noom, Tesni Evans and 2010 champion Omneya Abdel Kawy.

Her final opponent, top seeded Madeline Perry of Ireland, dropped an early game in her first round match against fifteen-year-old qualifier Nouran Ahmed Gohar.  She recovered to win in four games, before gaining a walkover as her second round opponent Lisa Aitken was forced to withdraw from the competition with a virus.

Perry progressed to face No.8 seed Heba El Torky in the semi-final, and after a close tie-break first game, the experienced Irishwoman closed out the victory in three games to ensure her first WSA World Tour final since April.

The top two seeds lined up for the final of the sixteenth Monte Carlo Classic final, and it was the tournament favourite Perry who started brightest to claim the first game.  Grinham got into her stride in the second however, and a narrow tie-break victory for the Dutchwoman pulled her back level.  From there, Perry was unable to get a look in for the rest of the match.  Grinham claimed the third game by a large 9-point margin, and her opponent was well out of the contest as she won the fourth and final game by the same score-line.

It is the 34-year-old’s 18th WSA World Tour title, and her second of the year following January’s Tournament Of Champions victory, proving that the former world No.2 is still very much a force to be reckoned with at the top of the women’s game.

Final:

[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [1] Madeline Perry (IRL)  6-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-2 (35m)

Semi-finals:

[1] Madeline Perry (IRL) bt [8] Heba El Torky (EGY)      13-11, 11-2, 11-7 (31m)

[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [5] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)   11-6, 11-7, 11-9 (28m)

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)

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