PBA-Nusmetro
Asian Championship,
Penang, Malaysia
Malaysia
Celebrate Unexpected Asian Championship Double
The 2011
PBA-Nusmetro Asian Squash Championships produced a dream home double for
host nation Malaysia - but whilst world number one Nicol David was
expected to win the women's title at the new Nicol David International Squash
Centre in her hometown Penang, few would have bet that the men's
crown would go to Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan, a 3/4 seed from Terengganu
in north east Malaysia.
Nicol David
swept through the high quality women's field to reach the final without dropping
a game.
By contrast,
her opponent Annie Au, the No2 seed from Hong Kong, had taken 86 minutes
to overpower rising Malaysian star Low Wee Wern - also from Penang -
12-10, 10-12, 13-11, 12-10.
Spurred on by
a passionate and loyal crowd that included her family - and in the squash
facility that bears her name - David was relentless and never allowed world No10
Au into the match.
"Annie is a
player that, if you let her get into her rhythm, it becomes a very different
game," said the Malaysian superstar after her 11-3, 11-2, 11-5 triumph in just
23 minutes.
"I wanted to
make sure she didn't!"
Nicol David
has been unbeaten in the event since first competing in the 1998 championships
in Kuala Lumpur as a 14-year-old. The 2011 title extends her reign to eight
successive titles!
It was after
upsetting Pakistan's No2 seed Farhan Mehboob in four games in the
semi-finals that Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan, ranked 45 in the world, reached
the men's final for the first time.
His opponent
was seasoned compatriot Ong Beng Hee, the event favourite from Kuala
Lumpur who has only once failed to reach the final since 2000 and won the title
four times in a row until 2006.
Men's
Quarter-finals:
[2] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt [9/16] Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) 11-8,
11-8, 11-4 (46m)
[3/4] Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt [5/8] Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS)
11-9, 11-5, 3-11, 11-8 (71m)
[5/8] Siddharth Suchde (IND) bt [3/4] Abdullah Almezayen (KUW)
12-14, 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8 (68m)
[1] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt Elvinn Keo (MAS) 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 15-13
(51m)
Semi-finals:
[3/4] Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt [2] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) 11-8,
9-11, 11-8, 11-9 (52m)
[1] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt [5/8] Siddharth Suchde (IND) 11-6, 11-9,
6-11, 10-12, 11-4 (89m)
Final:
[3/4] Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt [1] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-7,
7-11, 11-7, 11-8 (64m)
Women's
Quarter-finals:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [5/8] Joey Chan (HKG) 11-6, 11-6, 11-7
(31m)
[3/4] Delia Arnold (MAS) bt [5/8] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 9-11,
11-7, 5-11, 11-5, 11-9 (75m)
[3/4] Low Wee Wern (MAS) bt Siti Munirah Jusoh (MAS) 11-8, 10-12,
11-8, 11-2 (48m)
[2] Annie Au (HKG) bt [5/8] Song Sun-Mi (KOR) 11-3, 11-6, 11-8
(30m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [3/4] Delia Arnold (MAS) 11-7, 11-4, 11-6
(26m)
[2] Annie Au (HKG) bt [3/4] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 12-10, 10-12,
13-11, 12-10 (86m)
Final:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [2] Annie Au (HKG) 11-3, 11-2, 11-5 (23m)
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