The top two seeds will decide the final of the A1 Homes New Zealand Women’s Squash Open at Mt Maunganui tomorrow.

Top seed and world number two, Natalie Grainger (USA) will meet the world number three Natalie Grinham (NED) in the Gold Star WISPA event, the first time the New Zealand Open has been contested since 1993.

Grinham ended the run of New Zealand’s Shelley Kitchen in straight games in today’s second semifinal after Grainger won her semi in three games over talented Egyptian Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egypt).

It is the biggest Gold Star event in which Kitchen has ever made a semifinal and will boost her from her current ranking of 10 in the world.

Earlier Grainger beat Kawy in straight games 11-8 11-5 11-9 on the glass court at Bayfair.

The final of the one-star New Zealand Men’s Classic is an all-kiwi affair with second seed Martin Knight taking on Auckland’s Campbell Grayson, who upset No 1 seed and New Zealand champion Kashif Shuja.

Earlier Knight, the Wellington-born, Auckland-based player, accounted for Australia’s Matthew Karwalski in straight games 11-7 11-8 13-11

The A1 Homes New Zealand Women’s Open is being staged for the first time in 16 years, with the NZ$82,000 prizemoney e vent one of a handful of Gold Star level events on the world circuit this year. It has attracted seven of the world’s top-10 ranked players.

The New Zealand Men’s Open is a level-one world ranking event which carries prizemoney of $15,000.

Results, Women’s semifinal :

[1] Natalie Grainger (USA) beat Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 11-8 11-5 11-9.

[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) beat [7] Shelley Kitchen (NZL) 11-9 11-2 11-7

Men’s semifinal

[2] Martin Knight (NZL) beat [4] Matthew Karwalski (AUS) 11-7 11-8 13-11.

[3] Campbell Grayson (NZL) beat Kashif Shuja  (NZL) 13-11 8-11 11-4 11-8