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TODAY in Amsterdam - Sat 6th, Semi-Finals |
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Pilley denies Dutch Double
Natalie Grinham avenged the defeat of her older sister Rachael,
beating Alison Waters to reach her third Dutch Open final - her
first as a Dutch player - but LJ Anjema's attempt to make
it a Dutch Double was derailed by Australian Cameron Pilley.
Grinham made a slow start, but once she got into her stride she
always looked the likely winner against the British National
Champion. In the final she will face defending champion and
world number one Nicol David, whose speed of movement and shot
proved too much for Natalie Grainger, who twice came so close to
taking a game but just fell short.
Pilley also dropped the first game but then proceeded to dictate
against a tiring Anjema - who had a desperately hard match
yesterday - despite the urging of the large crowd at the Frans
Otten Stadion.
His final opponent will be top seed Nick Matthew, who continued
his return from injury against John White who, like Grainger,
came close in two of the three games.
So, one new name on the trophy is guaranteed tomorrow, and if
the Dutch fans have their way, maybe two ...
[1] Nicol
David (Mas) bt [4] Natalie Grainger (Usa)
11/9, 11/5, 11/8 (32m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt
[8] Alison Waters (Eng)
9/11, 11/7, 11/5, 11/8 (51m)
[1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [4]
John White (Sco)
11/9, 11/4, 11/8 (38m)
[3] Cameron Pilley (Aus) bt [2]
Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned)
5/11, 11/9, 11/8, 11/6
(81m) |
ForeXX EXXtras
Head to Head |
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[2]
Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt [8]
Alison Waters (Eng)
9/11, 11/7, 11/5, 11/8 (51m)
Natalie
goes one better
Where 'big sis' Rachael failed yesterday, Natalie Grinham went
one better as she beat Alison Waters to reach her first Dutch
Open final - having been beaten by her sister at this stage last
year.
She didn't start well though, as the Englishwoman, moving easily
and striking the ball well, controlled the first game, building
a 10/4 lead. We've seen some big comebacks on the women's side
here this week and Natalie almost managed another, falling one
short as she tinned a long dropshot attempt at 9/10.
But she had built the momentum now, and carried that through the
rest of the match. Whereas in the first it was Alison
controlling and Natalie scampering, the roles, if not reversed,
were definitely different.
Natalie pulled away from 7-all in the second, took a quick 5/1
and 7/3 lead in the third, and built a similar advantage in the
fourth. She was making less errors and Alison more, but from 7/4
each of the next six points were won on unforced errors, three
apiece.
The final rally was a monster, but Natalie raced in on Alison's
counter-drop to punch it straight down the line, leaving her
opponent stranded and herself in the final.
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 "We
were both very nervous at the start, and the ball was flying so
I couldn't really try anything short.
"My legs felt heavy too at the start, I really wasn't enjoying
that first game, getting beaten. She has a beautiful stroke, and
her volley is so good, she can hit so many winners, if you put
it loose you just have to hope she hits the tin.
"Towards the end of the first I relaxed and started moving
better, and as the ball got slower I was able to do more with it
and start moving her around more."
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[3]
Cameron Pilley (Aus) bt [2]
Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned)
5/11, 11/9, 11/8, 11/6
(81m)
Cameron denies Dutch Double
Laurens Jan Anjema started out like a train, and it looked as
though he was going to breeze into a second straight Dutch Open
final, with Cameron Pilley looking a little flat.
A game and 6/3 down didn't look a good place to be, with LJ in
full flow and the crowd behind him, but slowly the Australian
began to find his form and LJ was having to work harder and
harder.
Cameron pulled back to 9-all, won the game on a stroke and a
tin, and the tide had turned. For the next two games it was
Cameron in charge, with LJ seemingly tiring, not surprisingly
considering the amount of work he was having to do.
There was an air of inevitability about the last game, with LJ
always behind, conceding too many strokes as he struggled to get
clear. Two strokes took Cameron to match ball at 10/6, and a
final tin from LJ put the Dutch dream on hold for another year.
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"He played well in the first, came
out at 100 miles an hour and dominated the game. He started the
same in the second too, I had to change something. I
straightened up and kept it tighter at the back, stopping him
from playing his winners.
"I had a good lead in the second and he pegged a few back, and
again in the fourth at 10/6, I knew I couldn't afford to relax,
he can get a run of four points just as easily as I did.
"We've been training together for a few months now so we know
each other's games well. Usually when we play it's 3/2 to get it
3/1 was a bonus.
"Delighted to reach the final and I hope to play well tomorrow."
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[1]
Nicol David (Mas) bt [4] Natalie
Grainger (Usa)
11/9, 11/5, 11/8 (32m)
Nicol speeds on
Natalie Grainger knows how to beat Nicol David, she blitzed her
for two and a half games in the 2007 British Open, but then
Nicol knows how to beat Natalie as she overran her her in this
year's British.
This match fell somewhere between those two. The pace was high
from the start, and it was relentless.
Grainger's hitting power held sway at the start as she held the
lead all the way, but Nicol's retrieving kept her in it and she
levelled at 9-all. Two straight drives that left Natalie
stranded clinched the game, much to the American's annoyance.
Nicol pulled away from 5/4 to take the second, moving at speed
and hitting low and hard. The third saw the same pattern, Nicol
pulling away from 3-all, but this time Natalie managed to
recover. 9/5 didn't look good, but as she pulled back point by
point she pumped her fist, we knew she wanted this.
But at 9/8 a dropshot clipped the tin, and on matchball Nicol
fired another low, straight drive past past a stranded opponent.
The world number one, unbeaten since last October, has been
tested in each round here, but is getting better round by round
...
 "Like
any tournament, hopefully you play better in each round, and I
felt I was moving well and hitting the ball well today, better
than in my previous matches.
"I knew that Grainger would come out firing, so I had to be
ready to match the pace from the start. She loves a fast game
and when you put it on her racket she'll put it away so you just
have to keep it tighter and tighter."
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 "Just
one or two missed points at crucial times, it could have been
different …
"I'm much happier than when I played her in the British Open. I
got my tactics mixed up there and she got on top so quickly and
I panicked. This time I tried to play my game from the start and
take her on at pace.
"I'm disappointed to lose 3/0, I should have taken at least a
game, probably the first, and you can make it happen from there.
"She hit some good width though, like the last point where it
was past me before I could react, but I've got some good things
to take away from this and I'll be working hard over the next
five weeks building up to the worlds …"
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[1]
Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [4] John
White (Sco)
11/9, 11/4, 11/8 (38m)
One too far for White
All the elements were there for an intriguing matchup, one of
the game's greats in his twilight years against one of the
current stars coming back from injury. And it didn't disappoint.
While the entertainment value wasn't up to White's
quarter-final, there were plenty of moments that had the crowd
in stitches, not least the final few points where an exhausted
Australian was kept on a string by an opponent revelling in
being back on court, knowing there was little danger of losing
from the position he was in.
"He's a murderer," the MC told John at the end of the match. "I
wouldn't go as far as that, an animal, for sure," was the reply,
and it was true enough.
John started with a barrage of winners, but once Nick had picked
up the pace and taken the first there was only one likely
winner.
The second came easily to the Englishman, and although he always
led in the third, John hung in, especially in those last few
rallies, all marathons where he grimaced on every shot and
looked in danger of collapsing at any time, but somehow kept
going.
The crowd loved it, Nick did too, and so in a masochistic way
did John. But it's Nick in the final ...
 "I
thought I had a good game plan, to keep it basic, be patient and
slow it down, but I didn't see the ball for the first five or
six points! I was really just waiting for him to hit a winner,
so I had to change and go for some shots myself.
"We had a lot of fun out there, even though it's deadly serious.
You have to laugh at some of the shots he pulls out, he's
certainly an entertainer. I certainly enjoyed those last few
rallies, where he was so tired ... I think it's called not
playing for eight months!"
"I'm looking forward to a good final. I've been getting better
in each match, and I'm realising how much I've missed it while
I've been out. I hope I can keep playing without another
long-term injury, and continue to a stupid age like John!"
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