Canada's Samantha Cornett claimed
the biggest WSA World Tour title of her life when she beat
Pakistan's Maria Toorpakai Wazir in the final of the CSC
Delaware Open, the WSA Challenger 10 squash event in its
fifth year at Vicmead Hunt Club in Wilmington in the US
state of Delaware.
Second seed Cornett, the world No.32 from
Ottawa, secured her anticipated in the final without dropping a game -
overcoming third-seeded New Zealander Amanda Landers-Murphy in
the semi-finals to reach the 11th Tour final of her career, and her
third in Delaware.
By contrast, Toronto-based Wazir battled
through the qualifiers before beginning a sensational giant-killing run
through the event after scalping Tesni Evans, the top seed from
Wales, in the opening round.
The powerful 24-year-old from Peshawar
went on to take out Egypt's fifth seed Nouran El Torky, then
Welsh opponent Deon Saffery, the No.4 seed, to earn her second
shock appearance in a WSA Tour final this year!
After Cornett took the first game, Wazir
quickly opened up an 8-2 lead in the second before closing out the game
to draw level.
24-year-old Cornett reclaimed the lead
after taking a hard-fought third game.
"In the fourth,
Cornett looked like a woman possessed,"
said tournament promoter Ray Chan-A-Sue.
"She came out and kept the pressure up from the previous
game, really moving Toorpakai and pouncing on anything loose.
"A tiring Toorpakai had finally run out
of tricks and was done and dusted. Cornett closed out the game and
clinched her first Delaware title on her third try."
Cornett was delighted
with her fifth and biggest WSA Tour title: "I
really enjoyed the match today, and felt quite calm and in control of
myself. This helped me a lot especially as points started rolling away
from me and toward her.
"I was able to focus
on what was important in the moment, which was a combination of strategy
and managing my energy levels,"
continued the Canadian number one.
"In the second game she made me do a lot
of work, and I knew that was not how I would win the match, so I turned
around in the third and fourth and did that right back to her - an
adjustment I'm proud of!
"Maria and I both had a big week of
squash and I'm pleased to have finished the week on such a solid note.
"This whole week has been so enjoyable,
from the Vicmead Hunt Club atmosphere, to my beautiful billet family,
the Wards, to the great squash I've played. One of my very favourite
tournaments!! Right up there with Cayman Islands, even though it's the
dead of winter here, it's that good!!"