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.
*Photos available on emailed request... *
*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)
