12:14 am
13 Dec 2024

Grant Stretched In Two-Hour Wolverhampton Marathon

15 Sep 2007

England's second seed Adrian Grant endured a two-hour marathon men's quarter-final in the Wolverhampton Open before overcoming Italian number one Davide Bianchetti to reach the last four of the UK's biggest club-based squash championships in Wolverhampton, England.

From a game down, the 26-year-old Londoner fought back to win 8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 10-11 (2-4), 11-7 in 120 minutes - a match which was not only the second longest of his career, but the second longest on the Tour this year.

"There was always going to be a lot of talk on court between us," said Grant, the first black player to represent England. "There is a bit of history between us and at times the talk outshone the squash. The most important thing was the win - and to play that poorly and still win can't be that bad!"

Grant will face fourth seed Cameron Pilley for a place in the final after the 6'3" Australian defeated Egyptian Omar Abdel Aziz 11-6, 11-10 (2-0), 11-6.

Top seed Lee Beachill, the three times British National Champion, twice Commonwealth Games Gold Medallist and former world No1, defeated fellow Englishman Bradley Ball with another impressive display, winning 11-9, 3-11, 11-10 (3-1), 11-4 in 59 minutes. The Yorkshireman will face Borja Golan in the semi-finals after the popular third seed from Spain brushed aside England's seventh seed Stacey Ross 11-6, 11-6, 11-3 in just 38 minutes.

In the women's event, England's defending champion Laura Lengthorn-Massaro cruised into the semi-finals with a confident 9-1, 9-4, 9-0 win over French qualifier Camille Serme.

"I feel really comfortable playing here," said the second seed from Preston in Lancashire. "I've never played Camille before and was unsure exactly what to expect. My length was good from the beginning and I was really pleased with how I played overall," added the 23-year-old.

Lengthorn-Massaro will face Dutch opponent Orla Noom, who knocked out India's No7 seed Joshna Chinappa 1-9, 9-4, 10-9, 9-2 in 46 minutes.

Top seed Madeline Perry from Ireland overcame an impressive Tenille Swartz from South Africa, but not without dropping a game. The Irish No1 and world No8 showed great composure in a challenging fourth game to close-out the match 9-2, 9-0, 9-10, 9-2.

Perry's semi-final opponent will be third seed Dominique Lloyd-Walter who defeated English compatriot Laura Hill 9-4, 9-5, 10-8 in 66 minutes.

Men's quarter-finals:
[1] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt [5] Bradley Ball (ENG) 11-9, 3-11, 11-10 (3-1), 11-4 (59m)
[3] Borja Golan (ESP) bt [7] Stacey Ross (ENG) 11-6, 11-6, 11-3 (38m)
[4] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) 11-6, 11-10 (2-0), 11-6 (50m)
[2] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt [6] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) 8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 10-11 (2-4), 11-7 (120m)

Women's quarter-finals:
[1] Madeline Perry (IRL) bt [8] Tenille Swartz (RSA) 9-2, 9-0, 9-10, 9-2 (52m)
[3] Dominique Lloyd-Walter (ENG) bt Laura Hill (ENG) 9-4, 9-5, 10-8 (66m)
Orla Noom (NED) bt [7] Joshna Chinappa (IND) 1-9, 9-4, 10-9, 9-2 (46m)
[2] Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG) bt [Q] Camille Serme (FRA) 9-1, 9-4, 9-0 (39m)