LIVERPOOL, May 12 — Malaysian top seed Nicol David put in a powerful performance to beat Natalie Grainger in the women's semifinals yesterday and set herself up for a third British Open squash title. She meets England's Jenny Duncalf in the final.

Grainger, the Manchester-born fourth seed from the USA, led 5-2 in the first game - but only scored one further point in the match as Nicol took control and stormed to a 9-5, 9-1, 9-0 victory in just 27 minutes.

"I got my momentum midway through the first game and started playing a much more attacking game," said Nicol who suffered a shock defeat in the 2007 event.

"It took a while to get a feel of my game, my timing and seeing the ball, but once I started coming back in the first I picked it up from there. My confidence was up and I was going for my shots from then on.

"I can feel the difference in my game now, attacking when the chance is there. It's the game I played against Natalie in Apawamis and Malaysia – if you give her an inch she'll take it, so I wanted to get in front of her and take it before she had the chance to.

"I am really pleased, it's the British Open so when you get through to the final it's a real thrill and you just want to push through to the end now."

Grainger paid tribute to Nicol for playing "really well" and said: "I think Liz (Irving, Nicol's coach) puts the fear of god up her whenever she plays me, I don't seem to get the crosscourts she feeds other players!

"She was just keeping it very tight down both sides and I was trying to make too much out of nothing, giving her too many chances, but she did play well."

Duncalf, from Yorkshire, beat French qualifier Isabelle Stoehr 4-9, 9-3, 9-6, 9-6 after 73 minutes to claim a maiden place in the women's final.

Duncalf, the world number eight who had never before lost to her lower-ranked opponent, admitted that she was "a little bit edgy" in the early part of the match against Stoehr - and dropped the first game. But the 25-year-old fifth seed fought back and finally converted her fourth match ball in the fourth game.

"I'm ecstatic to be in the final - this has to be the best result of my life," added Duncalf.

The men's title will be contested by England's James Willstrop and Australia's three times champion David Palmer.

Willstrop, the world No 3, overwhelmed Frenchman Thierry Lincou 11-7, 11-3, 11-7 in 50 minutes to reach the final for the second time while Palmer went through 11-7, 3-11, 4-8 after Egyptian Karim Darwish retired with an injured knee.

For more information on the British Open, visit its official website.