Manetta and Crome Put Up Valiant Resistance     [The Draw]

Tested Teran Takes LA Title

Despite enduring a 99-minute semi-final in the Women's Epstein Becker & Green Los Angeles Open, top-seeded Mexican Samantha Teran survived a 70-minute final to win the $20,000 WISPA World Tour squash event in its second year at Los Angeles Athletic Club in Los Angeles.

Opponent Louise Crome, the third seed from New Zealand, tried to mix it up during the match - but Teran maintained her characteristic hard-driving game-plan, putting the Kiwi under relentless pressure.

Teran got off to an excellent start, quickly going 8-1 up.  But Crome battled to stay in the game, and only after 12 game balls did the 27-year-old from Mexico City take the lead.

The favourite again took a quick lead in the second before taking the game - but Crome achieved the same in the third to reduce the deficit.  Teran survived several brutal rallies in the fourth before eventually celebrating her 9-3, 9-4, 5-9, 9-2 victory - the 11th Tour title of her career and the fourth this year.

"Louise is difficult to play, she has very good technique and hits the ball hard so I had to really work to win that one," Teran told www.squashsite.co.uk afterwards.  "I think I played better than I did yesterday, I had to think more, otherwise it would have been even longer.

"This is my favourite event - it's not too far from home and there's lots of Mexicans here to support me.  We even went out for some Mexican food last night!"

Crome conceded that Teran played well:  "I knew that Samantha would be driving the ball hard and low, that's her game, so I changed my game plan for today and I was trying to slow it down and control it, but it's so hot on there and it was hard not to get drawn into that game."

The triumph seals Teran's status as the top twenty player with the best win average on the WISPA World Tour:  With only two losses in her 13 final appearances, the world No20 boasts an 85% success rate - ahead of Malaysia's world No1 Nicol David at 67%; Dutch star Vanessa Atkinson (61%); Australian Rachael Grinham (59%); USA's Natalie Grainger (50%) and world No2 Natalie Grinham (41%).

Teran and Crome now head to Pachuca for the Women's Harrow Mexican Open which gets underway on Thursday (3 July).  Aucklander Louise Crome, the third seed, and top seed Teran could again meet in the final.

SEMIS: Teran & Crome Win to Reach LA Final

Teran avenged last year's quarter-final when she beat fourth seed Manuela Manetta.   While Manetta needed 70 minutes to achieve her 2007 upset, it took 99 minutes this time for the 27-year-old from Mexico City to overcome the top-ranked Italian 8-10, 9-0, 9-7, 6-9, 9-6.

Whilst Teran survived a 120-minute battle on the WISPA Tour earlier this year (beating USA's Latasha Khan in the Liberty Bell Open), the LA semi was the longest match of Manetta's career.

"I wanted to set a record time before we go to 11 scoring!" Teran said afterwards.  "No, seriously, I tried everything and she tried everything - it was a very close match.  When I was up I knew I couldn't relax as she would be coming back, and when I was down I became more determined not to let her get away.

"I'm used to playing very long matches, since in Mexico I play a lot with the men and the courts are very hot there too.

"It's nice to win, but I never thought about revenge for last year.  It was just a good match, and I'm really pleased to be in the final."

The other semi-final was wrapped up in less than a third of the time!  Louise Crome was in scintillating form as she despatched Ireland's fifth seed Aisling Blake 9-0, 9-5, 9-0 in just 32 minutes.

Blake had claimed her unexpected place in the last four after upsetting second seed Latasha Khan in the previous round.

"I felt really focused today, I don't really know how it happened but the basis of my game was to drive it low and hard and pin her in the back corners, and it was working really well," explained the 30-year-old from Auckland.

"I lost to her 3/2 in February, and when we train together it's always close, we always give 100% even in training, so I'm really pleased to make the final - it's one of my biggest.

"I lost to Samantha the only time I played her, a couple of years ago, so I'm looking forward to meeting her again."

RESULTS:      Women's Epstein Becker & Green Los Angeles Open, Los Angeles, USA

Final:
[1] Samantha Teran (MEX) bt [3] Louise Crome (NZL) 9-3, 9-4, 5-9, 9-2 (70m)

Semi-finals:
[1] Samantha Teran (MEX) bt [4] Manuela Manetta (ITA) 8-10, 9-0, 9-7, 6-9, 9-6 (99m)
[3] Louise Crome (NZL) bt [5] Aisling Blake (IRL) 9-0, 9-5, 9-0 (32m)

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