New Venue Hosts All-English Semi-Finals In Greenwich

With the worst rain and wind storms for 100 years causing widespread power cuts in the US state of Connecticut, play in the Women's Harrow Greenwich Open was transferred overnight to the brand new Greenwich Country Club, where four English players fought through to the semi-finals of the WISPA World Tour event.

Alison Waters, the fifth seed who was voted WISPA's 'Most Improved Player of the Year' last month for the second successive year, pulled of the biggest upset when she downed USA's second seed Natalie Grainger.

The 21-year-old Londoner fought back from a game down to beat the world No7 from Washington 6-9 9-2 10-8 9-6, and will now meet Laura-Jane Lengthorn in the semi-finals.

Lengthorn, the seventh seed from Lancashire, was a game behind and 2-8 down in the second when opponent Tania Bailey, the fourth seed also from England, was forced to concede the match when suddenly taken ill.

The other semi-final will feature top seed Linda Elriani, from Sussex, and Yorkshire's Jenny Duncalf. Elriani, seeking her third successive Greenwich title, beat Scotland's Pamela Nimmo 9-6 9-2 9-5, while
third seed Duncalf defeated US-based English player Fiona Geaves, the eighth seed, 9-5 9-4 9-2.

Quarter-finals:
[1] Linda Elriani (ENG) bt Pamela Nimmo (SCO) 9-6, 9-2, 9-5
[3] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [8] Fiona Geaves (ENG) 9-5, 9-4, 9-2
[7] Laura-Jane Lengthorn (ENG) bt [4] Tania Bailey (ENG) 5-9, 2-8 ret.
[5] Alison Waters (ENG) bt [2] Natalie Grainger (USA) 6-9, 9-2, 10-8, 9-6