03/08/2008
SINGAPORE MASTERS
Nicol David Masters Singapore To Claim 30th Tour Title
Singapore
Masters 2008
Kallang Centre, 28 Jul to 02 Aug, $53k |
Round One
30 Jul |
Quarters
31 Jul |
Semis
01 Aug |
Final
02 Aug |
[1] Nicol David (Mas)
11/5, 6/11, 11/6, 11/3
Engy Kheirallah (Egy) |
Nicol David
11-4, 13-11, 11-6
Jenny Duncalf |
Nicol David
11-9, 11-9, 11-7
Madeline Perry |
Nicol David
8-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8 (39m)
Rachael Grinham |
[5] Jenny Duncalf
(Eng)
11/7, 12/10, 11/3
[Q] Orla Noom (Ned) |
[4] Tania Bailey (Eng)
7/11, 11/8, 11/8, 11/8
Rebecca Chiu (Hkg) |
Rebecca Chiu
11-7, 11-8, 11-9
Madeline Perry |
[6] Shelley Kitchen
(Nzl)
12/10, 11/9 11/5
Madeline Perry (Irl) |
[Q] Line Hansen (Den)
11/4, 11/1, 11/4
[8] Alison Waters (Eng) |
Alison Waters
7-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7
Rachael Grinham |
Rachael Grinham
12-10, 10-12, 11-6, 11-4
Omneya Abdel Kawy |
[Q] Alana Miller (Can)
11/2, 11/6, 11/6
[3] Rachael Grinham (Aus) |
[Q] Lauren Briggs (Eng)
11/1, 11/7, 11/3
[7] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) |
Omneya Abdel Kawy
6-11, 11-1, 11-3, 13-15, 11-5
Isabelle Stoehr |
Isabelle Stoehr (Fra)
5/11, 11/9, 11/8, 4/11, 13/11
[2] Natalie Grinham (Ned) |
Qualifying: 28-Jul, Round One:
Sharon Wee (Mas) bt Joannah Yue (Sin)
11/4, 7/11, 11/7, 11/1
Alana Miller (Can) bt Kar Yan Koh (Sin)
11/6, 11/4, 11/4
Lauren Briggs (Eng) bt Delia Arnold (Mas)
11/9, 11/7, 7/11, 11/7
Lim Woke Yah (Mas) bt Eman El Amir (Egy)
w/o
Orla Noom (Ned) bt Siti Munirah Jusoh (Mas)
11/4, 11/13, 11/8, 4/11, 11/8
Wee Wern Low (Mas) bt Louise Crome (Nzl)
7/11, 11/6, 11/7, 6/11, 11/9
Line Hansen (Den) bt Dipika Pallikal (Ind)
11/6, 11/9, 11/7
Raneem El Weleily bt Hengameh Habipour (Iri)
11/1, 11/1, 11/2 |
Nicol David Masters Singapore To Claim
30th Tour Title
World
number one Nicol David beat world champion Rachael Grinham
in the final of the Women's CIMB Singapore Masters to retain the
$53,500 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event title - and mark up
her 30th Tour title win at the Kallang Squash Centre in
Singapore.
It was a thrilling encounter in front of a packed crowd - and in an
intense opening game, Australian Rachael Grinham showed gritty
determination to take the early lead.
But David, the world number one from Malaysia who is unbeaten on the
Tour since last October, dominated the second and third games.
However, the 31-year-old Queenslander pushed David all the way in the
fourth before the Malaysian master finally emerged the champion for the
second year in a row, winning 8-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8 in 39 minutes.
"I was quite happy with the way I played today," said Grinham after her
47th appearance in a WISPA final. "It was better than the last time I
played Nicol in Malaysia, although I made some silly mistakes today
which I feel may have cost me the game.
"Also I am getting used to this new scoring system and that will take
some time. Right now, I feel I rather panicked on court as the game can
swing very quickly."
The victory marked David's eighth successive WISPA World Tour title win
- and the 30th of her career. It also extended her winning streak on
the Tour to 34 matches.
"It was a good game and Rachael was on fire today, but I kept my focus
and determination," explained the 24-year-old from Penang. "I’m really
excited to have won and it always feels good to be able to play in
Asia. It’s always good to be close to home.
"These past two weeks have been great," added David, who won the
Malaysian Open crown on home soil just seven days ago. "I’m
grateful for the support from the fans and sponsor CIMB, doing what we
can to grow the sport here in the region. I just want to thank everyone
for everything and hope to come back again."
Nicol David & Rachael Grinham In
Singapore Masters Final
World
number one Nicol David (left) and world champion Rachael
Grinham (below) will contest the final of the Women's CIMB
Singapore Masters after surviving contrasting semi-finals in the
$53,500 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event in its second year at
the Kallang Squash Centre in Singapore.
Grinham, the third seed from Australia, put on a dominant display
against her Egyptian opponent Omneya Abdel Kawy in the first
semi-final. The world number three showed her elite technique to outplay
her seventh-seeded opponent.
Grinham displayed her relentless determination by coming back after
being on the verge of losing, to take control of the first game. To her
credit, Abdel Kawy elevated her intensity to take the second game but
fell in the last two as a calf strain evidently slowed down her speed on
court - leaving Grinham a 12-10, 10-12, 11-6, 11-4 victor.
"I’m very happy to reach the final in this tournament as it is the first
major final I have
achieved in a while," said the 31-year-old Queenslander. "It was a tight
game and for a moment there, it was getting very close.
"Winning games like this always gives you the confidence to carry on
into the finale," added Grinham, now in the 47th Tour climax of her
career.
In the other semi, Malaysian favourite Nicol David took on unseeded
Madeline Perry, from Ireland. The defending champion took the match
without dropping a game, defeating her surprise opponent Perry 11-9,
11-9, 11-7 in 36 minutes.
"Madeline played very well and she pushed me all the way but I made sure
I was always a level ahead throughout," explained the world's best
player afterwards. "I kept a clear eye on the ball and got to play the
shots I wanted to."
Looking ahead to her opponent in the final, Nicol said: "Games with
Rachael are always tough. We played in the semi-finals last week in
Malaysia and I always know I must prepare myself to expect anything when
I step onto the court with her."
David, one win away from the 30th WISPA title of her career, is
celebrating her 44th appearance in a Tour final.
Perry Progresses Into Singapore Semis
Unseeded Madeline Perry achieved her best run in a major
tournament since recovering from a serious head injury last year when
she reached the semi-finals of the Women's CIMB Singapore Masters
after beating Hong Kong's Rebecca Chiu in straight games in the
quarter-finals of the $53,500 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event
in its second year at the Kallang Squash Centre in Singapore.
The former world No6 from Northern Ireland was in sublime form -
beating former Asian Games champion Chiu 11-7, 11-8, 11-9 to
reach her first WISPA Gold event semi-final since February 2006.
Perry,
currently ranked 15 in the world, now faces favourite Nicol David,
the world number one from Malaysia who is expected to win her eighth
Tour title in a row in Singapore.
David (left) showed her class in the final match on the all-glass court,
convincingly beating Jenny Duncalf of England. After being
pushed to a tie break by the fifth seed in the second game, the
24-year-old from Penang took the match 11-4, 13-11, 11-6.
"It certainly wasn’t easy in there and Jenny put up a good fight - but
she made a couple of flaws in between where I got the chance to quickly
seize the opportunities and take control of the game," said the
Malaysian star.
"I will continue to perform to the best of my abilities for the
semi-finals and look forward to having as exciting a day as I did
today."
Earlier
Rachael Grinham, (right) the third seed from Australia, kept up
her fine form in the tournament by beating England’s No8 seed Alison
Waters to be the first person to reach the semi-finals. The world
champion dropped the first game before coming back to take the next
three games to win 7-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-7.
The Cairo-based Queenslander now faces Egyptian number one Omneya
Abdel Kawy after the seventh seed ended the sensational run of
Isabelle Stoehr in five games. The unseeded French champion was
unable to match the display she showed 24 hours earlier against second
seed Natalie Grinham, going down 6-11, 11-1, 11-3, 13-15, 11-5 to
the higher-ranked Kawy.
Stoehr Stuns Second Seed In Singapore Upset
Unseeded French
champion Isabelle Stoehr pulled off a sensational upset in the first
round of the Women's CIMB Singapore Masters by beating second seed
Natalie Grinham to claim an unexpected place in the quarter-finals of the
$53,500 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event in its second year at the
Kallang Squash Centre in Singapore.
Australian-born Grinham, the world No2 now representing the Netherlands,
took the first game before Stoehr stormed back to take the next two. However,
Grinham valiantly played through an injured ankle and drew level - but the
29-year-old from Montpellier maintained her focus to clinch a stunning 5-11,
11-9, 11-8, 4-11, 13-11 victory.
It was Stoehr's second successive win over Grinham after the former Australian
retired injured during their quarter-final meeting in the British Open in
May.
Stoehr now faces Omneya Abdel Kawy after the seventh-seeded Egyptian made
short work of Lauren Briggs from England, winning 11-1, 11-7, 11-3.
Natalie’s sister Rachael Grinham had a distinctly better evening on the
court. The world champion from Australia eased past Canadian qualifier Alana
Miller 11-2, 11-6, 11-6.
But there were two further upsets when England's fourth seed Tania Bailey
and sixth-seeded New Zealander Shelley Kitchen fell at the first hurdle.
Bailey, in only her second tournament since a four-month layoff following knee
surgery, took the opening game against Rebecca Chiu. But the unseeded
29-year-old from Hong Kong struck back to win 7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8.
Aucklander Kitchen was looking for her third successive Tour win over
Madeline Perry. But the unseeded Irish champion, also returning to full
fitness after an injury layoff, stormed to a 12-10, 11-9, 11-5 victory to set up
a quarter-final clash with fellow non-seed Rebecca Chiu.
The much anticipated game of the night was between Malaysia’s world number one
Nicol David and unseeded Engy Kheirallah. The Egyptian put up a
good fight but was unable to match David's fierce stamina as the event favourite
waltzed to a 11-5, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3 win - and her 31st successive Tour match
victory.
Miller Masters Malaysian In Singapore Qualifying Upset
Canadian Alana Miller secured the scalp of a player ranked 19
places higher when she upset Malaysia's world number 20 Sharon Wee
in the qualifying finals of the Women's CIMB Singapore Squash Masters,
the $53,500 WISPA World Tour Gold event in its second year at the
Kallang Squash Centre in Singapore.
Miller showed great determination after coming back from losing the
first game to take the next two. Wee drew level, but the 28-year-old
from Winnipeg fought back to claim an impressive 5-11, 12-10, 11-7,
7-11, 11-6 victory - and a surprise place in the main draw, where she
will meet Australia's world champion Rachael Grinham.
There was also an upset in the final match of the day when Line
Hansen, from Denmark, took on Egypt's Raneem El Weleily,
ranked 26 in the world. The 25-year-old from Odense, ranked two places
lower, beat El Weleily 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 and will now face England's
Alison Waters, the eighth seed.
Malaysia's Nicol David is seeded to retain the title she won last
year. The world number one from Penang takes on Egypt's Engy
Kheirallah in the first round in a bid to extend her 30-match
unbeaten run on the WISPA World Tour. Victory in Singapore would give
the 24-year-old her eighth Tour title in a row - but the 30th of her
career.
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