Home Hopes With Vanessa In Dutch Open

Home hopes in the Mamut Dutch Open now rest exclusively on the shoulders of Vanessa Atkinson after the world champion from The Hague defeated Scotland's Pamela Nimmo in straight games in the women's quarter-finals in Almere.

After a nervous start, and a tough second game, top seed Atkinson overcame Nimmo 9-6 10-8 9-3 to set up a semi-final clash with third seed Nicol David, the in-form Malaysian who has just risen to a career-high No3 in the WISPA world rankings - just one place behind her Dutch rival.

David, the 21-year-old former world junior champion who is now based in the Netherlands, was too strong for opponent Fiona Geaves, brushing aside the eighth seed from England 9-0 9-4 9-4.

Dreams of an all-Dutch women's final were dashed by England's fourth seed Linda Elriani who needed four games to despatch Dutch No2 Annelize Naude, the seventh seed, 9-6 9-5 4-9 9-4. Elriani now faces Australia's defending champion Natalie Grinham, the Almere-based second seed who defeated England's fifth seed Jenny Duncalf 9-6 9-0 9-5.

Gavin Jones missed out on a second successive appearance in the men's final when he was beaten in four games by Italy's Davide Bianchetti. The sixth-seeded Welshman went down 11-2 11-5 7-11 11-4 as fourth seed Bianchetti claimed his place in the semi-finals for the first time.

Bianchetti will now meet Frenchman Stephane Galifi for a place in the final. The eighth seed beat Stacey Ross, the unseeded Englishman who upset title-holder Laurens Jan Anjema in the opening round, 11-10 11-8 11-4.

The other semi-final will be an all-English affair between top seed Bradley Ball and seventh seed Ben Garner. Ball took 90 minutes to beat fifth-seeded Canadian Shahier Razik 11-9 11-8 1-11 11-8 while Garner ended qualifier Scott Handley's run in an 11-9 11-10 11-2 scoreline.

Men's quarter-finals:
[1] Bradley Ball (ENG) bt [5] Shahier Razik (CAN) 11-9, 11-8, 1-11, 11-8
[7] Ben Garner (ENG) bt [Q] Scott Handley (ENG) 11-9, 11-10, 11-2
[4] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) bt [6] Gavin Jones (WAL) 11-2, 11-5, 7-11, 11-4
[8] Stephane Galifi (FRA) bt Stacey Ross (ENG) 11-10 (4-2), 11-8, 11-4

Women's quarter-finals:
[1] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt Pamela Nimmo (SCO) 9-6, 10-8, 9-3
[3] Nicol David (MAS) bt [8] Fiona Geaves (ENG) 9-0, 9-4, 9-4
[4] Linda Elriani (ENG) bt [7] Annelize Naude (NED) 9-6, 9-5, 4-9, 9-4
[2] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt [5] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) 9-6, 9-0, 9-5