RESULTS: Champion Fiberglass Women's Texas Squash Open, Houston, USA
Final:
Joelle King (NZL) bt [1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9
New Zealand outsider Joelle King crowned a sensational week in Texas by winning the biggest WISPA World Tour squash title of her life - beating experienced top seed Rachael Grinham in the final of the Champion Fiberglass Women's Texas Open, the $26,700 event at The Downtown Club at the Met in Houston, USA.
The unseeded 21-year-old from the North Island town of Cambridge carved her way through the WISPA Silver 20 field in magnificent style, first beating fourth seed Tania Bailey, then fifth-seeded Australian Donna Urquhart, before ousting sixth seed Dominique Lloyd-Walter to reach the final.
King had beaten Grinham, the 33-year-old former world number one and world champion, in their last meeting – but it was on home soil, in the first round of the New Zealand Open last August.
But the rapidly-improving Kiwi, who celebrated a career-high world No23 ranking this month, was able to reproduce the same confident form as she battled to an 11-8, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9 victory over the world No5.
King becomes the first New Zealander to win the Texas title since Carol Owens in the first two events in 2002 and 2003.
The triumph takes King's career WISPA Tour title total to five, from only six final appearances!