Grainger Begins 2005 Campaign On Home Soil

US squash star Natalie Grainger begins her New Year campaign on home soil as top seed in the Women's Vassar College Class of 1932 Open, which gets underway today in Poughkeepsie, NY, following the completion of the qualifying event.

After enjoying a highly-successful run on the WISPA World Tour late last year, with victories in the Atlanta Masters and US Open and a final berth in the British Open, the world No6 from Washington DC was taken ill at December's Qatar Classic and forced to miss the World Open in Malaysia.

Grainger faces Canadian qualifier Katie Patrick in the first round after the 26-year-old from Edmonton beat USA's Lily Lorentzen 9-3 9-0 9-3 in the qualifying finals.

Country successes were reversed in another qualifying final when USA's Louisa Hall beat Canada's Tara Mullins 9-3 9-1 9-2 to earn a first round clash with Ireland's fifth seed Madeline Perry.

England's Fiona Geaves is the No2 seed in the event and expected to meet Grainger in Sunday's final.

Qualifying finals:
Katie Patrick (CAN) bt Lily Lorentzen (USA) 9-3, 9-0, 9-3
Louisa Hall (USA) bt Tara Mullins (CAN) 9-3, 9-1, 9-2
Manuela Manetta (ITA) bt Jana Smeralova (CZE) 9-6, 9-1, 5-9, 9-5
Suzie Pierrepont (ENG) bt Marnie Baizley (CAN) 9-2, 4-9, 9-5, 10-9