Waters Wipes Out World Champion In Amsterdam

England's Alison Waters produced the best win of her career when she upset Australia's world champion Rachael Grinham in straight games to reach the women's semi-finals of the Forexx Dutch Open at the Frans Otten Stadion in Amsterdam.

It was the only upset on the second day of action in mainland Europe's biggest squash tournament which ended with high entertainment and saw another seed stretched to the limit.

Waters, the recently-crowned British National champion from London, was in sparkling form as she despatched world number two Grinham 11-9, 11-6, 12-10 in 35 minutes in the quarter-finals of the $53,500 WISPA World Tour Gold championship.

"My hands are still shaking after that, it was getting very edgy at the end," the 24-year-old told the tournament website www.dutchopensquash.nl immediately after coming off court.

"I thought I was so close to winning at 6-0 in the third, then I made a few errors to let her back into it but still got to 8-4 and I was thinking 'I can't lose this now', but she came back and then gave me those last two points," added the eighth seed who celebrated a career-high world No8 ranking this month.

It was a surprisingly downbeat performance by the World Open champion from Queensland who arrived in Amsterdam fresh from victory in the last month's Alexandria Sporting Club Open in Egypt.

"I didn't feel I was properly there today, I wasn't able to focus well enough and was making wrong decisions," explained third seed Grinham. "Even at the end I was able to rally more and get back into it by playing more defensively, then played those two stupid shots to lose it when I knew that type of shot wasn't working for me today. It was clearly her day today."

There no such worries for Rachael's younger sister Natalie Grinham, however. The second seed won her all-Dutch clash with Vanessa Atkinson, beating the former world champion 11-4, 11-7, 6-11, 11-5.

Earlier, fourth seed Natalie Grainger, from the USA, brushed aside an out-of-sorts Jenny Duncalf, the fifth seed from England.

Defending champion Nicol David, the Amsterdam-based world number one from Malaysia, looked to be cruising to victory against Laura Lengthorn-Massaro - but the Englishwoman battled back to make it a very even contest as she levelled. It took a good start in the fifth for the top seed to hold onto her title, ultimately needing exactly an hour to win 11-5, 11-4, 9-11, 9-11, 11-6.

In the men's $30,000 PSA Tour event, all the top seeds came through, including Dutch champion Laurens Jan Anjema, and Amsterdam favourite John White, who put on a fabulous late-night show with Miguel Angel Rodriguez - the sixth-seeded Colombian making his PSA Tour debut in Europe - to round off the day.

Earlier in the evening Anjema was made to work hard by Italian ace Davide Bianchetti before securing his place in the semi-finals, where he will face his training partner Cameron Pilley who recently moved to The Hague. The Australian overcame a shaky start to overcome Dutch number two Dylan Bennett in straight games.

Tournament favourite Nick Matthew secured a second comfortable win after a nine-month lay-off due to a shoulder operation. The Englishman proved too strong for South African Jesse Engelbrecht, romping home to a 11-6, 11-5, 11-7 win.

Matthew, the 28-year-old world number eight from Sheffield, will now take on 35-year old White for a spot in Sunday's final.

Women's quarter-finals:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [6] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) 11-5, 11-4, 9-11, 9-11, 11-6 (60m)
[4] Natalie Grainger (USA) bt [5] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 11-8, 11-3, 11-2 (24m)
[8] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 11-9, 11-6, 12-10 (35m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [7] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) 11-4, 11-7, 6-11, 11-5 (40m)

Men's quarter-finals:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [8] Jesse Engelbrecht (RSA) 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 (39m)
[4] John White (SCO) bt [5] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) 11-3, 4-11, 11-8, 11-7 (39m)
[3] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [7] Dylan Bennett (NED) 12-10, 11-1, 11-4 (39m)
[2] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt [6] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) 11-9, 11-9, 8-11, 11-6 (81m)