Grainger & El Weleily To Meet Again In US WISPA Final

Natalie Grainger is on course to win her third successive WISPA World Tour on home soil in the USA - and will face Egypt's Raneem El Weleily for the second time in a week in the climax of the Women's Betteridge & Breitling San Diego Classic in San Diego, California.

Top seed Grainger, the in-form US champion from Washington DC, conceded just two points in two matches as she romped through to face England's third seed Lauren Briggs in the semi-finals of the new Tour event in San Diego.

Briggs, who had been stretched to five games by Dutch qualifier Karen Kronemeyer in the previous round, was no match for the experienced Grainger, going down 9-0, 9-2, 9-2 as the favourite notched up her 31st appearance in a WISPA final.

Teenager El Weleily, who tested Grainger for five games in last week's Epstein Becker & Green Los Angeles Open final, has also reached the final without dropping a game. And the 18-year-old second seed from Alexandria also faced an opponent who had been taken the full distance 24 hours earlier, Manuela Manetta eventually dislodging India's fifth seed Joshna Chinappa 9-3, 6-9, 3-9, 9-3, 9-4.

But the fast-improving fourth seed from Italy was unable to reproduce the same form in the semis as El Weleily strode to a 9-6, 10-8, 9-5 victory, and her fourth WISPA Tour final.

Semi-finals:
[1] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt [3] Lauren Briggs (ENG) 9-0, 9-2, 9-2
[2] Raneem El Weleily (EGY) bt [4] Manuela Manetta (ITA) 9-6, 10-8, 9-5