Calgary crown for Aussie star Rachael Grinham
Australia’s former world number one Rachael Grinham rolled back the years to claim her 33rd WSA World Tour title in 16 years when she beat Hong Kong’s Joey Chan in the final of the Calgary CFO Consulting Services event in Canada.
Top seed Grinham, who celebrated her 37th birthday earlier this year, reached the climax of the WSA Tour 15 event at the Calgary Winter Club without dropping a game.
Chan, the second seed who was just nine years old when Grinham began her formidable WSA Tour title run at the Toulouse Open in March 1998, also made the final after winning all her matches in straight games.
But Grinham, currently ranked 16 in the world, was too strong for the 25-year-old world No25 – needing just 28 minutes to wrap up her 11-8, 11-7, 11-9 title triumph over Chan.
The win strengthens Grinham’s position as the current WSA player with the second highest Tour title total – ahead of third-placed compatriot Lisa Camilleri, with 21, and behind Malaysia’s world number one Nicol David who boasts 73 titles.
Semi-finals:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [5] Victoria Lust (ENG) 11-4, 12-10, 11-9 (30m)
[2] Joey Chan (HKG) bt [3] Emma Beddoes (ENG) 11-4, 11-6, 11-5 (31m)
Final:
[1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) bt [2] Joey Chan (HKG) 11-8, 11-7, 11-9 (28m)