Nicol
David Back In Charge With 'A Great Feeling' At The Malaysian Open
Malaysian squash star Nicol David admitted today that it was 'a
great feeling' to regain the Women's CIMB Malaysian Open title -
avenging her final defeat last year by beating defending champion
Raneem El Weleily to claim the trophy for the eighth time since
2005.
The
world number one from Penang was celebrating her 11th successive
appearance in the final - and was arguably more determined than ever
before to secure her country's prized title after the shock 2012 victory
by Egyptian El Weleily.
David
dropped just one game en-route to the final of the WSA World Series
event - beating her semi-final opponent Camille Serme in straight
games in 42 minutes at the Curve Shopping Mall in Petaling
Jaya, Selangor.
But El
Weleily, the third seed from Cairo, was taken the full distance in the
other semi before finally overcoming England's higher-ranked Laura
Massaro in a 78-minute marathon.
"In
last year's final, Raneem probably played the match of her life,"
reported event spokesman Andrew Cross. "Could she repeat that
performance in this year's final? Nicol looked determined today and a
very large vocal crowd had turned up to watch her play the final - it
was the busiest I have seen the venue with lots of people wanting to get
a glimpse of Nicol.
"Nicol
(pictured above, right, in the final) started better with Raneem
almost playing catch up throughout the whole opening game. Raneem was
hitting more tins than winners and that was the story throughout most of
the match. Nicol won the opening two games and in the third Nicol
started well taking a lead to 8-3 then converting this to 10-3.
"Raneem
wasn't quite finished as she started to fight back - but it wasn't
enough as Nicol won the game to clinch the match."
An overjoyed David was thrilled with
her 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 triumph in 34 minutes. "It's great to win it this
time around, in the Malaysian Open - and finally got a good win in
Malaysia after a year," the new champion told
squashstars.com
later.
"It's
such a great feeling! And I think it's one of the biggest crowds ever at
the Malaysian Open.
"With
Raneem having a big match yesterday, I think she felt it a little bit
today. I just had to take advantage and come out firing. I'm just happy
to win it three love!"
The
win, David's first ranking title of the year, takes the 30-year-old's
career Tour tally to 67 titles - 35 more than
her nearest rival!
Nicol
David Makes It An 11th Successive Malaysian Open Final
Malaysian squash star Nicol David delighted the packed and
partisan crowd surrounding the all-glass court in the Curve Shopping
Mall in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, today when she beat French
rival Camille Serme to reach the final of the Women's CIMB
Malaysian Openfor the 11th year in a row!.
It was
back in 2003 that the 19-year-old qualifier reached the event's final in
her home country's capital city for the first time - three years later
taking over the world number one ranking and retaining it until this
day!
In
today's semi-finals, the 30-year-old top seed faced outsider Serme, the
No10 seed from Creteil near Paris who upset fourth seed Alison Waters
en-route to the last four.
After
coming through a close first game, David (pictured above, right, with
Serme) took control and closed out the match 12-10, 11-7, 11-6 in 42
minutes.
"The first game was really close,"
David said
later. "I was really happy to get through the second - and got a lot
more control in the third.
"Camille is a fighter and is coming on strong so I needed to be sharp
and alert," added David, now in the 86th Tour final of her career. "I'm
pleased to be in the final and I'll give it my best tomorrow."
David
will meet defending champion Raneem El Weleily in a repeat of the
2012 final which ended the Malaysian star's seven-year grip on the
title.
The
third-seeded Egyptian upset England's world No2 Laura Massaro -
but needed five games and 78 minutes to prevail 8-11, 11-9, 12-10,
10-12, 11-9.
Massaro, the reigning British Open champion, saved a match-ball in the
fourth to force the decider - and saved two further match-balls in the
fifth before former world number two El Weleily clinched victory.
"That
was a very, very, very long match," said the relieved 24-year-old from
Cairo later. "I think I played OK, and she played really well as well.
It could have gone either way.
"I had
to give it everything I had - but I am so happy to be in the final,"
said El Weleily, celebrating her 15th Tour final.
Massaro added: "Raneem played really well. I'm obviously disappointed to
lose but she is so talented and if you don't play the right tactic you
get punished."
Massaro
Stretched In Malaysian Open Quarters
England's world No2 Laura Massaro acknowledged that Joelle
King 'made it really hard for me' as she battled for five games to
overcome the New Zealander in today's longest quarter-final of the
Women's CIMB Malaysian Open Squash Championship at the Curve
Shopping Mall in Petaling Jaya in Selangor.
The
second seed from Preston, who had reached the last eight without
dropping a game, was pushed from the off by fifth seed King, the
24-year-old world No5 eager to make the semi-finals for the first time.
Massaro (pictured above, right, with King) lost the opener after
a tie-break - but fought back to take a 2/1 lead. But again King
countered to draw level. England's recently-crowned British Open
champion had the upper hand in the decider, however, finally closing out
the match 12-14, 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-3 in 69 minutes.
"I managed to play really well in the
fifth game and won that fairly comfortably," Massaro told
squashstars.com
later. "The other four games were quite tight.
"Joelle played great - the match was really tough the whole way through.
She made it really hard for me - and that's what these matches are all
about."
Massaro, in the semis for the second year in a row, now meets No3 seed
Raneem El Weleily, the defending champion from Egypt.
England's former world No2 Jenny Duncalf boasts a 5/3
head-to-head Tour record over El Weleily - and duly took the opening
game. But the 24-year-old from Cairo, who won the pair's last encounter
at the British Open in May, began to take control of the match
and after 39 minutes wrapped up a 4-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-5 victory.
"It
was a really tough match today against Jenny," said the title-holder
(pictured above, foreground, with Duncalf). "I had a really, really,
really slow start - but luckily I managed to get back into it.
"You
never know how it's going to go against Jenny - I think we have similar
games and tactics. I think I'm very lucky to be through today and look
forward to tomorrow."
Second
round giant-killer Camille Serme continued her fine form in the
event by beating England's 16th seed Sarah-Jane Perry 11-8, 9-11,
11-3, 11-9 in 50 minutes. The 10th seed from France caused a mighty
upset 24 hours earlier by ousting fourth seed Alison Waters.
"I
thought my game was a bit less good than yesterday - but I still managed
to win 3/1 and am very happy to be in the semi-finals," said the
24-year-old European champion from Creteil.
"In
the second game, she played really good shots and I lost a bit of my
length and made a few mistakes. The fourth was really important and I
was so happy to win the last game."
Before
a packed crowd at the end of the evening, event favourite Nicol David
survived an all-Malaysian clash with fellow Penangite Low Wee Wern(both pictured above), beating the sixth seed 11-4, 11-6, 3-11,
11-5 in 56 minutes.
It was
world number one David's fifth Tour win over Wern - but the first in
which the Malaysian No2 had taken a game. David is now one match away
from a remarkable 11th successive appearance in the final.
Serme
Sinks Waters In Malaysian Open Upset
Alison
Waters,
the world No4 from England who has reached at least the quarter-finals
in her last 12 WSA World Tour events, today crashed out of the
second round of the Women's CIMB Malaysian Open Squash Championship
in Kuala Lumpur after an impressive performance from Camille
Serme, the world No12 from France.
It was
after an injury-affected 2010 and 2011 that Londoner Waters slumped to
44 in the world - but bounced back stronger than ever at the beginning
of last year, winning five Tour titles in six months and soaring back to
a world ranking just one position short of her career-high world No3.
But
today belonged to European champion Serme, whose effective use of lobs
and drop shots in the last 16 round of the third WSA World Series
event of the year at the Bukit Jalil National Squash Centre saw
the 10th seed clinch a shock 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 win in 48 minutes - her
career-first victory over 29-year-old Waters.
"I
thought I could win this match and I knew I had to show her I could win
the match," explained the French number one from Creteil afterwards. "I
wanted to try and get inside her head a bit by reducing my errors."
"I
feel very happy with my win today and with the way I played. I had never
beaten her before so I knew it was going to be tough!
"But I
managed to play the right tactic plan and I was feeling good physically.
I was pushing hard so I'm glad I won at the end."
Serme
will now play her third English opponent in the event after
Sarah-Jane Perry, the Birmingham-born 16th seed ended Joey Chan's
run by beating the unseeded 25-year-old from Hong Kong 11-9, 11-6, 5-11,
11-8.
"Good
match for me," said Perry. "I've never played Joey before - she is
nimble and fast around the court, so I had to be in the best of form to
beat her. It's my first time here and I'm enjoying it.
"I've
not really been on the tour for long because of studies, so getting into
the quarters is a good result for me."
Top
seed Nicol David, the Malaysian star whose first round win
yesterday was enough to ensure a remarkable 87th successive month at the
top of the women's world rankings next month, moved comfortably into the
quarter-finals after an 11-5, 12-10, 11-6 win over career-long rival
Omneya Abdel Kawy.
The
victory over the 11th seed from Egypt sets up an all-Malaysian affair at
the Curve Shopping Mall in Petaling Jaya against fellow
Penangite Low Wee Wern.
Sixth
seed Wern needed 73 minutes to subdue ninth-seeded Australian Kasey
Brown 9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-3.
"The
season is really kicking off now at this CIMB Malaysian Open and we'll
be moving over to the glass court at The Curve Shopping Mall," said
David after today's match.
"I'll
be playing Low Wee Wern tomorrow in the quarters. It's been some
time since we've played each other in competitions and suddenly I'm
playing her for the second time within the last two weeks - at the
Nationals and at this tournament. Should be a good match out there
tomorrow!"
England team-mates Jenny Duncalf and Laura Massaro also
reserved their anticipated places in the last eight - No7 seed Duncalf
beating Australian rival Rachael Grinham 11-7, 3-11, 11-7, 11-5
in the pair's 17th Tour clash since 2003, and second seed Massaro ending
the run of Guyana qualifier Nicolette Fernandes 11-5, 11-5, 11-7
after 40 minutes.
"Today
was the round of last 16 and I was playing Nicolette Fernandes
from Guyana," explained world No2 Massaro in a blog from the event. "She
had a great win in the first round beating the seeded Donna Urquhart
3/0 so I knew she was in form and playing well.
"I
respect Nicolette a lot as she is over in Harrogate a lot where we both
train with David Pearson. Although I haven't been on court with
her I see her professionalism and this made me take the challenge of
playing her very seriously.
"Tomorrow I'm up against world number 5 Joelle King from New
Zealand at 2pm on the glass court at the Curve Mall."
King,
the fifth seed beat Hong Kong's Annie Au 13-11, 11-8, 11-9 -
while third seed Raneem El Weleily single-handedly carried
Egyptian intertest into the last eight by beating India's Dipika
Pallikal 11-4, 9-11, 11-7, 11-2.
Fiery
Fernandes Makes Malaysian Open Last 16
Guyana
qualifier Nicolette Fernandes produced the biggest upset in
today's opening day of main draw action in the Women's CIMB Malaysian
Open Squash Championship in Kuala Lumpur when she dismissed
Australia's 15th seed Donna Urquhart to secure an unexpected
place in the last 16 of the third WSA World Series event of the
year at the Bukit Jalil National Squash Centre.
The
Toronto-born 30-year-old - who celebrated a career-high world No23
ranking this month - beat left-hander Urquhart (pictured above,
right, with Fernandes), currently ranked only five places higher,
11-3, 11-7, 11-8 in 31 minutes.
"I've
had a great few months at home training with my coach, Carl Ince," said
the jubilant Fernandes after one of the best wins of her career. "It was
nice to end the summer with the Caribbean Championships being held at
home and the team doing so well!
"Since
then I've been in England working with David Pearson. Carl and
David complement each other so all in all it's been a great off season.
This is my first tournament back so I'm just really excited to play
tournaments now!
"Today
I played three solid games - it was good to get back into it after at
the start of the season."
Fernandes, making her maiden appearance in the Malaysian Open, now plays
Laura Massaro, the world No2 from England. Massaro, playing in
her first Tour event since May when she became the first English winner
of the British Open since 1991, defeated US qualifier Latasha
Khan 11-5, 11-5, 11-6.
"The
last time I lost to Laura - so this time I want to do better and we will
see what happens tomorrow," added Fernandes.
Another upset took place later in the day when two-time quarter-finalist
Madeline Perry, the No8 seed from Ireland, lost out to unseeded
Hong Kong opponent Joey Chan.
"Joey
took the opening game and then continued this in the second, working the
court using her boast effectively," said event spokesman Andrew Cross.
"In the third, Madeline changed her game and this won her the game - but
Joey came back to win the fourth for a place in the second round."
Chan,
the world No20, later recalled how she was determined not to repeat a
previous mistake in KL when she was leading by two games: "I was a bit
more patient this time and at 2/0 up I relaxed a bit - but then I
remembered what happened last time when I was 2/0 up against Alison
(Waters) in the CIMB KL Open, and lost 3/2.
"Usually I've lost to Madeline in three games - so this time it's nice
to win," added the 25-year-old after her 11-9, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5 victory
in 52 minutes.
The
match of the day for most of the crowd took place when top seed Nicol
David, the Queen of Malaysian squash, took to the court for her
first round match against qualifier Lisa Aitken, the former
Scottish international making her debut as an English player.
Bidding to reach the final for a remarkable 11th successive year, and
win the title for a record eighth time, David brushed Aitken aside 11-4,
11-6, 11-7 in 35 minutes.
The
world number one from Penang now renews her career-long rivalry with
Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy, the 28-year-old from Cairo whom she
first met in the British Junior U14 Open final in January 1997!
The pair has since met 17 times on the WSA Tour, including three times
in the Malaysian Open.
Seasoned campaigner Abdel Kawy faced young compatriot Nour El Tayeb.
The unseeded 20-year-old, ranked 19 in the world, twice led Kawy - and
held a match-ball in the fourth game.
But
11th seed Kawy, a former world No4, called upon all her experience to
force a decider - and went on to win 6-11, 11-8, 6-11, 13-11, 11-4 after
63 minutes.
New
English Star Lisa Aitken Draws Malaysian Queen Nicol David In KL
Lisa
Aitken
celebrated her maiden appearance in English colours today by beating
Australian Melody Francis in straight games in the qualifying
finals of the CIMB Malaysian Open Squash Championships in
Kuala Lumpur.
But
the former Scottish international was then drawn to meet Malaysia's
'Queen of Squash' Nicol David - the
world number one who is seeded to reach the final of the third WSA World
Series event of the year for the 11th year in a row, and win the title
for a record eighth time!
Harrogate-based Aitken, the 23-year-old world No43, became the
lowest-ranked player to qualify after her 22-minute 11-6, 11-6, 11-2 win
over Francis, ranked just five places lower.
David,
competing in her first Tour event since reaching her 30th birthday, will
be eager to make amends for the shock defeat in her country's biggest
tournament in last year's final. The record seven-time world champion
from Penang is expected to meet Laura Massaro, the second seed
from England, in Sunday's final at the Curve Shopping Mall in
Petaling Jaya in Selangor.
Massaro opens her 2013 campaign against US qualifier Latasha Khan,
the indefatigable 40-year-old world No30 from Seattle who ousted local
hope Zulhijjah Binti Azan 11-9, 11-2, 11-7 in 25 minutes.
Egypt's reigning champion Raneem El Weleily is the event's third
seed - positioned in Massaro's half of the draw - and takes on Indian
number two Joshana Chinappa in the first round.
Guyana's Nicolette Fernandes will make her debut in the
championship after despatching Malaysian Teh Min Jie 11-9, 11-7,
7-11, 11-0 in today's qualifying finals. Now celebrating a career-high
world No23 ranking, Fernandes faces Australia's 15th seed Donna
Urquhart.
Local
hopes in the main draw were boosted when Delia Arnold survived
the qualifiers in an 11-6, 10-12, 11-5, 11-4 defeat of Hong Kong's
Liu Tsz-Ling. The KL-born 27-year-old, celebrating her fifth
appearance in the main draw since 2008, will take on Australia's No9
seed Kasey Brown.
Qualifiers also emerged from Japan, South Africa and Egypt - in addition
to a second from England in the shape of Emma Beddoes, who beat
Hong Kong's Tong Tsz-Wing 11-9, 11-3, 11-7.
Misaki
Kobayashi
became the sole Japanese representative in the main draw after defeating
local junior Nazihah Hanis 11-2, 11-7, 11-3 - while Siyoli
Waters also carried a lone flag for South Africa after seeing off
Malaysia's Sivasangari Subramaniam 11-9, 11-4, 11-7.
And
Heba El Torky boosted the Egyptian count in the event to four when
she overcame New Zealander Megan Craig 11-2, 12-10, 4-11, 11-7.