Shelley Shaken By Gritty Grinham

Rachael Grinham is on course to reach the final of the BBQ Women's Seoul Open for the second successive year - but the second-seeded Australian twice had to come from behind, then save a match-ball, before overcoming New Zealander Shelley Kitchen in today's quarter-finals of the $60,000 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event being staged on an all-glass court sited in front of the Hyundai I-Park Mall in Yongsan Plaza in the South Korean capital Seoul.

It was a roller coaster - seventh seed Kitchen not only returning some of Grinham's audacious offerings, but dominating many rallies too. After Grinham has twice countered Kitchen's leads, the Kiwi led 9-7 in the decider before reaching match-ball at 10-9. Here, Grinham looking as if she was in casual knock-up mode, flicked the serve from close to the back wall towards the tin.

It was never destined to make the front - but by a millimetre it did, and out of the Kiwi's reach too. Match ball saved, and another gut-wrenching boast took the former world champion to her own match-ball. A rasping cross-court voided that. But at 12-all, a snatched Kitchen drive went into the tin. The final act was another feathered backhand drop from Grinham - and the Queenslander had squeezed through 6-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8, 14-12 in 67 minutes.

"I was lucky to get out of that," admitted Grinham, who had lost to Kitchen in their previous meeting in New York in November. "When I hit the return on match ball I was sure it was down. The moment I struck it, I called myself so many names and then it went up!"

Grinham's semi-final opponent will be Jenny Duncalf, the No4 seed from England who won a high-quality match against Madeline Perry. Perry, the sixth seed from Ireland, has held steady at number nine in the world all this year, but a last 16 loss in last month's Texas Open had threatened to knock her back. But a difficult first round hurdle here against Jaclyn Hawkes had been cleared.

But Duncalf was vibrant around the court, and got the breaks too. Perry could conceivably have been aspiring towards the possibility of a three-nil win had she converted the game points she held in the almost identical first two games. But it was the world No6 from Yorkshire that prevailed 13-11, 12-10, 12-10 in 44 minutes.

"I felt good, though Madders is very strong on the ball - especially when she is balanced and punishing you with low hard shots," said Duncalf afterwards. "I tried to mix it up better, and I did play the big points well and not give too much away."

In the top half, it was business as usual for defending champion and top seed Nicol David. The Penang powerhouse started slowly against England's fifth seed Alison Waters - but when she picked up the momentum during the second half of each game, became more of a potent force and difficult to stay with.

Londoner Waters, who has regained the number five slot this month, is not only steady but an accomplished, hard-hitting and tight performer - but there is still daylight between David and the rest of the group.

Waters had leads of 10-8 in the first game and 10-7 in the third - but it was Malaysia's world number one who triumphed 12-10, 11-5, 12-10 in 40 minutes.

"I'm disappointed," said Waters. "I think that I missed a good chance to do well against Nicol, but she makes every rally so hard when she is down. She puts in the big rallies then. At least I felt I gave her a good challenge and didn't make it easy for her - something to build upon!"

The final encounter would have been billed as an all-Australian affair until Natalie Grinham completed her move to become a Dutch national a year ago. Kasey Brown still has 'AUS' after her name, and after this match a zero too, while Grinham junior has a three!

Natalie Grinham has been quietly moving through the field and clearly has her eyes set on reclaiming the title that she won in 2007. The world No4 beat Nicol David in the final that year, and this time will have to beat her in the semis if she is to get a hand on the BBQ Seoul Open trophy.

Quarter-finals:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [5] Alison Waters (ENG) 12-10, 11-5, 12-10 (40m)
[3] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [8] Kasey Brown (AUS) 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (30m)
[4] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [6] Madeline Perry (IRL) 13-11, 12-10, 12-10 (44m)
[2] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [7] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) 6-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8, 14-12 (67m)