New Delhi: Dipika Pallikal became the first Indian ever to reach the summit clash of a Silver event when she clinched a three-set thriller against New Zealand's Jaclyn Hawkes to march into the final of the Tournament of Champions squash meet in New York on Thursday.
Seventh seed Pallikal, India's top-ranked female player, overcame a spirited challenge from fifth seed Hawkes to prevail 11-5 14-12 11-9 in the first semi-final of the USD 27,000 WISPA Silver event at Grand Central terminal.
In the final, Pallikal will meet second seed the Netherlands' Natalie Grinham, who edged past Egypt's Nour El Sherbini 6-11 11-5 11-5 7-11 11-4 in the other women's semi-final.
The final match-up will be a test of experience versus youth as 33-year-old Grinham, a four-time former World Open finalist, and 20-year-old Chennai sensation Pallikal will be out to stamp their supremacy over each other.
Against the New Zealander Hawkes, the world No. 15 Pallikal was especially effective when stepping in to take an early volley - a playing pattern that was the hallmark of her current coach Sarah Fitz-Gerald.
After coming off the court, Pallikal's competitive instincts were evident.
"I won't be happy until I have finished my job and won the tournament," she said. "I've been on the tour since I was 16 and coaches have always been telling me 'you're getting there, you're getting there. I was thinking 'when am I going to get there?' So I am glad things are starting to fall into place."
En route to her final appearance, the Indian defeated Olivia Blatchford of the USA 3-0, followed with a superlative performance against fourth seed Australia's Donna Urquhart in the quarter-finals, before ending the challenge of Hawkes in the last-four stage.
If Pallikal wins, it will be the sixth WISPA title of her career. She won three times last year, which helped her to break into top-15 in the world rankings.
In the USD 115,000 men's event, world champion Nick Matthew and James Willstrop, who recently ousted him from the world No. 1 ranking, will renew their rivalry in the final of the first World Series tournament of the year.
Matthew defeated Greg Gaultier, the former world number one from France, 11-8 11-9 9-11 11-4 while Willstrop outplayed outplaying Daryl Selby, the British national champion, 11-2 11-3 11-3.
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