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30-Oct: Final:
[2] Nicol David (Mas) bt [3] Natalie Grinham
(Aus)
5/9, 9/6, 9/4, 9/3 (60m)
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Heights Casino
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Weymuller Title for Nicol
Julian Wellings reports from Heights Casino
Nicol David seemed to show no ill effects of a very tough 90 minute
semi-final the night before, showing the same familiar spring in her step
- as did Natalie Grinham, both showing incredible athleticism in a
first game that saw Natalie find the fine form she showed against Jenny
Duncalf in the quarters.
Natalie re-discovered the good width and length and showed more confidence
at the front than she did in her semi-final against Isabelle Stoehr. Her
consistency and good shot selection was enough to take the first game 9-5
against Nicol, who was seemingly getting herself into the match in
familiar fashion - by losing the opening game.
Nicol came back in the second, cut down on the errors and took the ball
earlier, just as she had the night before, Natalie stayed with what had
worked in the first game, but was starting to do more of the running as
Nicol began to dictate more of the rallies and took a tough second game
9-6, to draw level at one-all.
 This
time Nicol carried her momentum into the third game and continued to move
Natalie from corner to corner and although Natalie had her moments, the
signs were that she was having to work too hard for it. This seemed to be
true when Natalie, who fought to stay with Nicol to 4-4, lost the game in
one hand 9-4 as Nicol maintained the pressure.
In the fourth Nicol seemed a little over confident at the beginning,
giving Natalie a few errors and a small window of opportunity to get
herself back into the match. But as they traded hand outs in the early
part of the game the signs were again that Natalie was working too hard
for her points and would struggle to keep it up.
 Nicol
had shown throughout the week that when she absolutely needed to she could
find what was necessary and at 1-3 she did more than that, she raised the
pace significantly and very impressively at this late stage of the event,
to go straight through in one hand 9-3, for her second straight tournament
win - repeating her British Open triumph of two weeks ago - and her
seventh major
title of the year.
It was a great finish to what had been a high level, very competitive week
and a great advert for the women's professional game.
Julian Wellings |
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29-Oct, Semi-Finals:
[3] Natalie Grinham (Aus) bt [8] Isabelle Stoehr
(Fra)
10/9, 6/9, 9/2, 9/1 (65m)
[2] Nicol David (Mas) bt
[4] Vicky Botwright (Eng)
5/9, 9/1, 3/9, 9/6, 10/8 (90m)
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Heights Casino
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Grinham & David move
into Weymuller final ...
Julian Wellings reports from Heights Casino
After two dramatic semi-finals at the Heights Casino in Brooklyn, New
York, Natalie Grinham and Nicol David will stage a repeat of
their recent British Open final for the 2005 Carol Weymuller crown.
Grinham wears down Stoehr
Grinham came through a tough test from an in-form Isabelle Stoehr.
Isabelle carried the momentum of her great win over world champion Vanessa
Atkinson the previous night, taking command of the 'T' and setting up the
rallies to feed her lethal volley drops. Natalie was struggling to find
the width she had the previous evening which worsened the situation for
her.
 Isabelle
should have won the first game, leading 8-6 but typically Natalie used her
speed and determination to fight her way back to win it 10-9.
The second game was essentially the same except this time Isabelle managed
to close it out 9-6. However Natalie re-grouped well and started to find
the better the width she needed in the third, just as the effectiveness of
Isabelle's attack started to weaken and took it 9-2.
The effort of the previous night and Natalie's determination to extend the
rallies, took its toll and Isabelle started to go for shots from out of
position which inevitably led to errors from the Frenchwoman's racket.
Natalie maintained the momentum to win the fourth 9-1 and move into her
first Weymuller final.
Nicol sneaks past Vicky
This was the match of the tournament so far, and the longest.
Vicky Botwright played very well and is arguably enjoying the best
form of her career. As in their recent British Open quarter-final, Vicky
started very quickly and Nicol again seemed to start slowly, as she did in
her previous two matches.
Vicky took advantage, set a high pace, moved well to the front and looked
for early straight drop opportunities and deservedly won the first game
9-5.
Nicol adjusted, hit more straight, took the ball earlier and took control
of the 'T', while Vicky struggled with the new pressure as Nicol won 9-1
to draw level.
Nicol lost her focus in the third and seemingly abandoned what had worked
so well in the previous game. Vicky regained the 'T', and the
opportunities for her very reliable straight drops returned. While Nicol
tried to get back the momentum, Vicky's confidence had returned and she
stayed in control to take the 3rd 9-3.
 Nicol
again adjusted well and returned to her plan of the second game, but was
having a tougher time now as Vicky's confidence was high and she was doing
a good job of keeping the pressure off with some very tight play down the
back-hand wall. The fight for the 'T' was much more even but Nicol did
enough to win the game 9-6 and seemingly take control of the match again.
However Vicky showed her strength and came out better in the fifth, taking
a 4-1 lead, but as Nicol had shown already in this match, just when she
needed it, she steadied her game to get herself back to 5-5. They traded
many hand-outs, Vicky edged to a 7-5 lead and then 8-7 matchball.
Nicol, again, when she needed it most played some of her best points to
draw level and close out the match 10-8 in the fifth. |
Isabelle in Brooklyn #2:
Out but far from down ... |
[3] Natalie Grinham (Aus) bt
[8] Isabelle Stoehr
(Fra)
10/9, 6/9, 9/2, 9/1 (65m) |
Hi
Fram, Yes, I’ve lost…
 I’m
disappointed, I could have led 2/0... I felt good physically, and I
actually felt better in my shots than against Vanessa… I knew that
Nat was going to test me to see if I had recovered from my match,
and she started rather fast from the beginning of the game…
Then I feel that she worked a bit more when she realised I was well
in the match.
My game plan? I knew her strengths: speed and her court coverage. So
I had to try to use my technique to score, control the T and expect
the ball to come back… and again… and again… When you mentally
prepare yourself for a marathon, you accept more easily to have to
win the point several times…
 But
if I was able to control the T, I could cause her some problems. I
lacked confidence, and most of all, I was surprised to lead 8/6 in
the first, and instead of finishing it off, I let her back in the
game. I got another game ball at 9/9, I’m ahead in the rally, and I
make a big unforced error… At that level, against such a player, it
is not allowed. You DO NOT do unforced errors…
In the second, I felt fine, I was pretty relaxed, and I think she
may have taken the foot off the accelerator a bit. I played on at
the same pace, trying to take the T, to volley, to attack. Anyway,
it’s not as if I had many choices, playing the ball up and down the
wall bores me, and if I wanted to win the point, I had to attack.
And you do not win against Natalie Grinham by lengthening the
rallies, she loves it too much, running!
In the third, I was content to have taken a game too much, I’m
afraid. She played better, put me under pressure by a good weight on
the ball, better length. I was on the backfoot, didn’t volley
enough… I was passive… I did let go in my head, maybe also
physically?? The match was not as tough as it was with Vanessa in
the last two games. She had the mental ascendancy, and I could never
come back…
 Of
course I’m happy with my tournament, I hadn’t played at such a level
for a long time, if ever! I hope it’s a click that will make me go
forward and win more matches at that level. I’ve seen what I’m
capable off, I’ve seen what I need to work on, and it’s encouraging
for the future…
It was a great pleasure to be able to express myself on the court,
to be able to develop the kind of game I like, attacking… It feels
good after a year that wasn’t that easy… I hope it’s the beginning
of a new adventure…
Now, I’m on my way to Paris, and Tuesday, I’m playing the Dutch
league. Guess against whom? Yop, Vanessa. On the way to the same
Merry go round…
Thanks to all the people who have been supporting me, I received a
lot of emails and texts…
Bye Fram
Isabelle Stoehr |
Isabelle in Brooklyn #1:
Stoehr Shocks World Champion |
[8] Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) bt
[1]
Vanessa Atkinson
5/9, 5/9, 9/6, 9/3, 9/3 |
 Carol
Weymuller Open
2005
25-30 Oct, New York, USA, $31.5k |
Round One
Oct
27 |
Quarters
Oct 28 |
Semis
Oct 29 |
Final
Oct 30 |
[1]
Vanessa Atkinson (Ned)
2/9, 9/3, 3/9, 9/5, 9/0
Fiona Geaves (Eng) |
Vanessa Atkinson
5/9, 5/9, 9/6, 9/3, 9/3
Isabelle Stoehr |
Isabelle Stoehr
10/9, 6/9, 9/2, 9/1 (65m)
Natalie Grinham |
Natalie Grinham
5/9, 9/6, 9/4, 9/3 (60m)
Nicol
David |
[8]
Isabelle Stoehr (Fra)
9/5, 9/0, 9/5
[Q] Lauren Briggs (Eng) |
[3]
Natalie Grinham (Aus)
9/1, 9/1, 9/3
Meredith Quick (Usa) |
Natalie Grinham
9/4, 9/1, 9/4
Jenny Duncalf |
[5] Jenny
Duncalf (Eng)
9/4, 9/5, 9/5
[Q] Latasha Khan (Usa) |
Alison
Waters (Eng)
9/6, 9/2, 9/5
[8] Annelize Naude (Ned) |
Alison Waters
9/7, 9/4, 9/5
Vicky Botwright |
Vicky Botwright
5/9, 9/1, 3/9, 9/6, 10/8 (90m)
Nicol David |
Rebecca
Chiu (Hkg)
9/1, 9/0, 9/3
[4] Vicky Botwright (Eng) |
[Q] Amelia Pittock (Aus)
9/4, 9/2, 9/0
[6] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) |
Shelley Kitchen
7/9, 9/6, 9/5, 9/5
Nicol David |
[Q]
Melissa Martin (Aus)
9/6, 9/1, 10/8
[2] Nicol David (Mas) |
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Qualifying Finals (26-Oct):
Amelia Pittock (Aus) bt Laura Lengthorn (Eng)
9/5, 7/9, 9/7, 6/9, 9/5
Latasha Khan (Usa) bt
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng) 5/9, 9/6, 9/4, 9/3
Lauren Briggs (Eng) bt
Sharon Wee (Mas)
9/5, 7/9, 4/9, 9/2, 9/4
Melissa Martin (Aus) bt
Pamela Nimmo (Sco)
9/1, 9/7, 9/4
Round One:
Laura Lengthorn (Eng) bye
Amelia Pittock (Aus) bt Karen Kronemeyer (Ned)
9/2, 9/1, 9/6
Latasha Khan (Usa) bt Laurence Bois (Fra)
9/1, 9/4, 9/3
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng) bt Katy Brewster (Usa)
9/1, 9/1, 9/2
Lauren Briggs (Eng) bt Manuela Manetta (Ita)
9/2, 9/5, 9/5
Sharon Wee (Mas) bt Britt Hebden (Usa)
9/1, 9/0, 9/2
Melissa Martin (Aus) bye
Pamela Nimmo (Sco) bt Magaly Velez (Ecu)
9/1, 9/2, 9/0
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28-Oct: Quarters:
[8] Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) bt [1]
Vanessa Atkinson
5/9, 5/9, 9/6, 9/3, 9/3
[3] Natalie Grinham (Aus) bt [5] Jenny Duncalf (Eng)
9/4, 9/1, 9/4
[4] Vicky Botwright (Eng) bt Alison Waters (Eng)
9/7, 9/4, 9/5
[2] Nicol David (Mas) bt [6] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl)
7/9, 9/6, 9/5, 9/5 |
Heights Casino
ISABELLE IN NY...
Hi Fram,
How are you? Still overworked???
Here is some news of New York. I started the tournament rather well,
I won my match against Lauren Briggs. The score lies, as Lauren
played extremely well. She is a good player, and outside the court,
we get on very well. It was a very pleasant match, during which I
knew I shouldn't lose my focus as she could start giving me trouble
at any time.
The courts are warm, so the rallies are on the long side, and I knew
she had a long game the day before, and that she may be getting
tired... But I had good confidence in my game, and felt well
throughout.
Now, against Vanessa? Hard, VERY hard. She IS the world champion,
so... But then again, I saw her at the Dunlop British, and I knew
that maybe, she was not feeling at the top of her game at the
moment.
She played very well in the first two, I on the other hand was
making far too many mistakes to hope to take the games. I tried to
impose my game, to volley, to make her move, but she was too present
on the T, she wouldn't let me do what I wanted, I couldn't score, so
I was going for shots, out of frustration, in a hurry, and obviously
would make the error...
At 2/0 down and 6/6, I didn't give up. I still believed I had a
chance, although she was points away from the match. I could feel an
upset was still possible, she was the one making mistakes now, I
could see her bent in two between serves trying to catch her breath.
Her attitude on court had changed, and I decided to give it all, to
have no regrets. Laurence Bois, my compatriot, who was supporting
and advising me during the games told me at the end of the third
"Whatever happens, you must keep on making her do the work, she is
starting to get tired..."
I win the third 9/6, pfuit, one game in the bag. The rallies are
long, tiring, grinding, but I still believed I could do it... I kept
on remembering that she had had a long encounter with Fiona the day
before, another trump up my sleeve..
 Contrary
to what the score implies, the final games lasted a long time, and
it has to be said that Vanessa never gave up. I had to work very
hard indeed. At 6/3 in the fifth, I thought I could never finish her
off, I could feel the tension, the pressure you get at the end of
matches. But thank God she eventually made an error on match ball.
It was over. Sigh of relief.
I had a lot of pleasure playing, it was so comforting to have a
victory like that after my miserable British Open. I was happy with
my performance. Now, I like and respect Vanessa a lot, she is a
great Champion and if I won today, tomorrow is another day..
Talking about tomorrow, I'm playing Natalie Grinham in the semis,
another match where I've got nothing to lose...
I feel good, I recovered fine I think, and I don't fancy stopping
the journey there... Why end a nice stroll?
Speak with you soon, Framboise
Isabelle Stoehr |
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Stoehr Shocks Atkinson
In Weymuller Quarters
Julian Wellings reports from Heights Casino
 In
one of the best results of her career, France's Isabelle Stoehr
beat world champion Vanessa Atkinson in a stunning five-game upset at the
Heights Casino in New York to reach the semi-finals of the Carol Weymuller
Open.
The First two games were closely contested and just a few extra errors
from Isabelle was the difference as Atkinson took a two game lead.
The tide switched the other way in the
third with Atkinson making a few more errors and starting to look a little
tired after a tough match against Fiona Geaves in the first round.
 Isabelle
took control after winning the third, growing in confidence and her
natural shot making ability was fed by her rising momentum, while Vanessa
got more edgy and more tired as the match progressed,
ultimately capitulating as eighth seed Stoehr
claimed her morale-boosting victory.
Stoehr now meets Natalie Grinham, the third seed from Australia who
despatched England's fifth seed Jenny Duncalf in three games. This was a
very strong, controlled performance from Natalie and virtually error free.
Natalie stayed very patient but positive, moved very well, hit with good
width and length, and forced Jenny into errors. It was a longer match than
the score suggests.
Botwright & David
to meet again
 The
other semi-final will feature Malaysia's second seed Nicol David
and England's fourth seed Vicky Botwright, a repeat of their
British Open quarter-final.
Botwright took on fellow Englishwoman Alison Waters. The match started at
a fast pace with both playing well. Alison took the lead 7/4 before
falling heavily while stretching to the front forehand corner. Vicky
maintained her good form while Alison seemed distracted by the fall and
took the first game 9/7. Vicky continued to put the pressure on and moved
well to the front putting in good drops, and Alison never seemed to get
back the fluid movement she had in the early part of the match as
Botwright ran out a 9/7, 9/4, 9/5 winner.
 David
reached the semi-finals after fending off a bold effort from New Zealand's
Shelley Kitchen. Shelley started very well, hit the ball with a lot of
pace and while Nicol came back towards the end of the first game, Shelley
was able to close it out.
Nicol, as bouncy and as lively as ever, didn't seem to have the measure of
her shots at the front and was a little more error prone than normal - but
she had enough control and movement to just stay ahead in each of the last
three games, but was definitely made to work for it.
 |
27-Oct: Round One:
Waters Downs Naude
In Weymuller Opener
 England's
Alison Waters caused an upset on the opening day of action in
the Carol Weymuller Open in New York when she defeated seventh seed
Annelize Naude in straight games in the first round at Heights
Casino.
Waters, the 21-year-old world No16 in her first appearance in this
established event on the WISPA World Tour, despatched her Dutch
opponent – ranked two places higher - 9-6 9-2 9-5 to earn a
quarter-final clash with compatriot Vicky Botwright. The
fourth seed from Manchester beat Hong Kong's Rebecca Chiu 9-1 9-0
9-3.
Favourite Vanessa Atkinson was made to fight for her place in
the last eight by England's unseeded Fiona Geaves. Clearly
benefiting from 'home advantage', the 37-year-old from Gloucester -
who is now a coach at the Heights Casino - twice led in the match
before the world champion from The Hague enforced her authority to
win 2-9 9-3 3-9 9-5 9-0.
Brooklyn gears up for
Weymuller 2005 ...
 The Heights Casino Club in Brooklyn is the setting for the Carol
Weymuller Open, one of the longest-running events in the USA, which in
recent seasons doubled as the Women's US Open.
Top seed is Holland's world champion Vanessa Atkinson, who is
expected to meet Malaysia's British Open Champion Nicol David in
Sunday's final.
Many of the players arrived in New York from Jamaica, including Fiona
Geaves, the new Heights Casino coach (and the 1993 champion here) who
will no doubt be busy organising as well as playing ...
 Recent
Finals:
2004: [3] Natalie
Grainger (Usa) bt [4] Linda Elriani (Eng)
6/9, 9/4, 9/6, 9/4
2003: [6] Cassie Jackman (Eng) bt [1] Carol Owens (Nzl)
9/5, 5/9, 4/9, 9/7, 9/5
2002: [1] Carol Owens (Nzl) bt [7] Tania Bailey (Eng)
9/7, 9/2, 10/8
More history on
www.carolweymuller.com
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