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31-Jul, Final:
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [3] Alison Waters (Eng)
18/16, 11/9, 12/10 (63m)
Nicol stays perfect in Lion City
Philip Goh reports
How do you play an opponent who's beaten you 14 times in a row?
 You
try your hardest and make the most of your chances. But hard as she
tried, Alison Waters walked away from the glass court at
Leisure Park Kallang knowing she'd given her all but it was not good
enough to stop World No. 1 Nicol David from winning her
fourth straight CIMB Singapore Women Squash Masters title.
In truth, Waters had her chances and the first game was in many ways
the decider. With both players at their freshest, the game settled
into a battle of attrition with David conceding an early 5-2 lead,
giving up five straight points with uncharacteristic loose shots.
With the Englishwoman 9-5 up, the referees called a let decision
which ended with the point being replayed, and Nicol staved off
disaster by pushing the Londoner to 9-9. Waters had her first game
point at 10-9 which she failed to convert. And she went on to have
five more, not succeeding in winning any, as David found her way to
level off each one of them. At 17-16, David got her second chance,
and closed the door.
After a 27-minute struggle, when Waters could have been a game up,
she was instead one down.
"That's why Nicol is the World No.1," said Waters. "She just doesn't
stop running and she plays those big points just a little better."
 Make
no mistake, the result shows a straight-games win to David but it
was no walk in park. 9-9 in the second game, and 10-10 in the third
gave Waters plenty of positives as she looks forward to recording
her first career win against the Malaysian - the record now stands
at no wins after 15 meetings.
"Each time I play her I feel like I am getting a little closer. But
Nicol's so good and retrieving, she is so fast and gets to
everything. You just have to play so many shots to get a winner,"
Waters said.
Commenting after the game, WISPA Principal Natalie Grainger
complimented both players on a high quality match. "These girls are
are at the top of their games. But Nicol's just a bit better than
the rest at the moment and Alison showed here today that she can get
to game points. She needs now to go and think about how to go from
10 to 11, how to convert those chances when they come."
As for Nicol, it was hard work at the start, but she knew she was in
control, helped by a partisan crowd in Singapore. "It's great to
play in Asia with the crowd behind you. I was feeding off them
throughout the match and they helped to put that extra spring into
my step."
Bringing the tournament to the people has been a great hit -- the
glass court is not a new idea but it is certainly one that needed to
be repeated in Singapore. With S$300,000 invested in a lease-to-buy
deal for the glass court, squash fans can be certain there will not
be another 12-year absence before the court is seen in public again.
 Some
400 spectators enjoyed the action this year, which also went out
'live' on television across Southeast Asia. And Grainger sees the
potential for the event to grow.
"The reception this year has been tremendous and the SSRA can
certainly grow this event. Perhaps the success this year could see a
bidding war from the shopping malls in Singapore for the next
edition. I understand there is a huge complex with a casino in town
which can certainly accommodate this event," Grainger said with a
twinkle in the eye.
The Marina Bay Sands integrated resort hosted a glittering first
class fencing event just the night before, and they could certainly
do with a little bit of magic from the ladies. Success guaranteed!
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Photo Album
Natalie Grainger
with Philip Goh
Battle of the Sexes2 |
 Singapore
Masters 2010
26-31 Jul, Singapore, $53k |
Round One
28 Jul |
Quarters
29 Jul |
Semis
30 Jul |
Final
31 Jul |
[1] Nicol David (Mas)
8/11, 11/5, 11/7, 11/4 (42m)
Raneem El Weleily (Egy) |
[1] Nicol David
11/7, 11/5, 11/6
[7] Kasey Brown |
[1] Nicol David
11/7, 3/11, 11/4, 11/6 (50m)
[6] Madeline Perry |
[1] Nicol David
18/16, 11/9, 12/10 (63m)
[3] Alison Waters |
[7] Kasey Brown (Aus)
11/3, 12/14, 11/6, 11/7 (55m)
Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl) |
[4] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy)
7/11, 11/7, 4/11, 11/9, 11/9 (46m)
[Q] Annie Au (Hkg) |
[Q] Annie Au
9/11, 12/10, 11/9, 11/4
[6] Madeline Perry |
[6] Madeline Perry (Irl)
12/10, 5/11, 11/1, 11/5 (36m)
[Q] Low Wee Wern (Mas) |
Donna Urquhart (Aus)
11/7, 11/3, 6/11, 10/12, 11/8 (48m)
[8] Camille Serme (Fra) |
[8] Camille Serme
12/10, 11/3, 9/11, 11/6
[3] Alison Waters |
[3] Alison Waters
11/4, 5/11, 11/5, 11/13, 11/4 (58m)
[2] Rachael Grinham |
[Q] Rebecca Chiu (Hkg)
11/2, 11/6, 11/9 (26m)
[3] Alison Waters (Eng) |
[Q] Delia Arnold (Mas)
8/11, 7/11, 11/2, 11/7, 11/2 (45m)
[5] Natalie Grainger (Usa) |
[5] Natalie Grainger
11/5, 11/3, 11/7
[2] Rachael Grinham |
Pamela Chua (Sin)
11/3, 11/2, 11/2 (18m)
[2] Rachael Grinham (Aus) |
27-Jul, Qualifying Finals:
Annie Au (Hkg) bt Line Hansen (Den)
11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 11-9 (38m)
Low Wee Wern (Mas) bt
Nour El Sherbini (Egy) 11-5, 9-11, 12-14, 11-9, 11-8
(85m)
Delia Arnold (Mas) bt
Aisling Blake (Irl)
13-11, 11-5, 4-11, 11-13, 14-12 (52m)
Rebecca Chiu (Hkg) bt
Joey Chan (Hkg)
2-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-2, 11-2 (40m)
26-Jul,
Qualifying Round One:
Annie Au (Hkg) bt Josefa Bertilsson (Swe)
11-1, 11-3, 11-4 (25m)
Line Hansen (Den) bt Mao Shihui (Sin)
11-4, 11-5, 11-3 (26m)
Low Wee Wern (Mas) bt Tenille Swartz (Rsa)
11-8, 11-9, 11-9 (34m)
Nour El Sherbini (Egy) bt Joelle King (Nzl) 11-6, 8-11,
6-11, 11-7, 12-10 (68m)
Aisling Blake (Irl) bt Siti Munirah Jusoh (Mas)
11-3, 11-6, 11-7 (32m)
Delia Arnold (Mas) bt Jerryca Teo (Sin)
11-4, 11-1, 11-2 (25m)
Joey Chan (Hkg) bt Amanda Sobhy (Usa)
11-8, 8-11, 11-7, 11-9 (37m)
Rebecca Chiu (Hkg) bt Olga Ertlova (Cze)
11-7, 11-8, 11-2 (24m)
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Photo Album
Battle of the Sexes2
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30-Jul, Semis:
[3] Alison Waters (Eng) bt [2] Rachael Grinham (Aus)
11/4, 5/11, 11/5, 11/13, 11/4 (58m)
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [6] Madeline Perry (Irl)
11/7, 3/11, 11/4, 11/6 (50m)
Nicol on course for Singapore
four-peat
Philip Goh reports
 The
streak stands at 15 - that's the number of matches Nicol David
has won in a row in the CIMB Singapore Women's Masters.
And if the Malaysian World Number One makes it 16 tomorrow she would
complete the four-peat that her fans in Singapore would want her to
do. Correction, they EXPECT her to do.
No disrespect to England's Alison Waters who stands in
David's way in the 2010 final, but the Penang lass showed yet again
why she is the hardest player to beat on the WISPA Tour.
Up against Madeline Perry in the semi-final, David came
through 11-7 in the first game before dropping the second 11-3. A
change of tactics saw her regaining control and win the next two
games comfortably, 11-4, 11-6.
Whereas her fans in Singapore almost expect her to cakewalk her way
past ANYONE, the Malaysian knows better. And she treats every single
opponent with the respect they deserve, and therefore does not let
up even for a single minute.
 "These
girls are good, and they will capitalise on any chances, so I have
to keep it tight and work the ball around the court consistently,"
said David. "Especially with this point-a-rally scoring system, you
cannot take it easy at all."
And she had reason to be careful with Perry, who came from two games
down to beat her in the quarter-finals of the British Open last
September. This time, she quickly worked out what went wrong in the
second game and made the adjustments.
 Said
Perry: "I thought I had the chance when I took that game. Even when
Nicol slowed the game down, I was in front and volleying, and able
to get the points. But in the next two games she kept me to the back
of the court and that made things a lot harder."
Underlining how difficult it was to play David in this region were
several decisions that went against her. But the Northern Irish
player did not think refereeing was an issue, and saved her comments
on her own game.
"I'm pleased with how I played here, I'm happy with my movement, and
can head to the Australian Open feeling positive about my squash,"
she concluded.
One streak was broken tonight when, for the first time since the
tournament started in 2007, there will not be a Grinham in the
final. With Natalie, the 2009 and 2007 finalist, now a proud mother
of a two-month old baby boy, it was left to older sister Rachael
Grinham to keep the streak going.
 A
semi-final appearance was the best Rachael could manage, going down
in five games to England's Alison Waters. But the 33-year-old saw
plenty of positives despite the loss.
"I felt better here compared to last week in Malaysia when I lost in
the first round. It's always tough against Alison and whenever I
could get her out of the 'T', I was in there," Grinham said. "I got
a bit excited in the fifth game, went for my shots too soon, and
after dropping a few quick points, things just spiralled out of
control."
As for Waters, she's glad to be back to her best after two months on
the sidelines with tendonitis in her Achilles.
 "I'm
moving well again and there was lots of retrieving in the game
against Rachael. I had match balls in the fourth game, and was in
control in the fifth. It's really good to get a tough match to
prepare for the final," Waters said.
It will not be easy for Londoner, she's not beaten David in 14
career meetings and last week in Kuala Lumpur David took it in four
games after a tough battle at the start.
She will need to bring all her game, and more, to deny David a
fourth title in Singapore, a 20th straight WISPA win, and a fifth
Gold level title this year ...
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29-Jul, Quarter-finals
Nicol in ominous form as top seeds
reach the final four
Philip Goh reports
Top seed Nicol David turned in a composed performance to
despatch World No 9 Kasey Brown 11-7, 11-5, 11-6 to reach the
final four of the CIMB Singapore Women's Masters 2010.
 The Malaysian World number one stayed patient throughout the
40-minute encounter, working long rallies to her advantage and
making her Australian opponent work just a little harder to keep up.
At times it was almost brutal as David kept her mistakes to the
minimum and never allowed Brown to get comfortable in the four-sided
glass court at Kallang Leisure Mall
Brown was magnanimous in defeat: "Nicol is just super quick around
the court. I had a game plan in mind but didn't execute it properly.
She wasn't giving much away at all throughout the match, even when I
was trying to slow the game down."
"At times it felt like I had to win the rallies several times over
just to win a point!" the player from Taree added.
 The win sets up an intriguing semi-final for David against Northern
Ireland's Madeline Perry who ended Annie Au's run in
Singapore 9-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-4.
Ten months ago, the Penangite suffered one of her four defeats in
2009 to Perry in the quarter-finals of the British Open. But she is
not about to let memories of the 76-minute match in Manchester play
on her mind.
"I bounced back quickly from that defeat and went on to win the
World Open right after that. Right now, I'm feeling fit and am
staying focused for the next match," said David.
The other semi-final will be between second seed Rachael Grinham
and England's Alison Waters, who's seeded third.
 Waters came through a third game wobble to beat France's Camille
Serme in four, the first meeting between the two in 18 months.
And Serme saw positives despite losing: "I have improved a lot in
the last year, and I always want to meet the higher-ranked players
to see how much I've closed the gap with them."
Commenting on the match with Waters, the Frenchwoman said: "I had a
bad start in game four, and that put a stop to my comeback."
And just as the first three editions of the Singapore Masters final
have been won by David, they have invariably featured one of the
Grinham sisters. World no three Rachael made sure that
could still happen, trumping WISPA Principal Natalie Grainger
in 20 minutes.
 "It was never going to be a long match with Natalie," said Grinham,
"she always goes for her shots and even if we went to five games it
would be quick."
Looking ahead to her encounter with Waters, the 33-year-old from
Toowoomba said: "Alison creamed me in our last three or four
matches, and she's in pretty good form. So I'm in for another tough
match tomorrow."
"I'm still getting back to full match fitness having not played
tournaments since April, and lasted one match in Malaysia last
week," she added.
The Australian's quick wins over Singapore'a Pamela Chua in round
one, and against Grainger, would hardly have given her the workout
she needed.
"Maybe I'll practice with Nicol tomorrow morning seeing as Alison's
likely to get her hits with Madeline."
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Battle of the Sexes2 |
28-Jul, Round One:
Au stuns Omneya in Singapore
Philip Goh reports
 Hong
Kong's Annie Au stunned Egypt's World No 6 Omneya Abdel Kawy
in biggest upset of the first round at the CIMB Singapore Women's
Squash Masters 2010.
The 21-year-old twice came back from a game down to push the match
to a fifth game. In the decider, Au got herself to the brink of
victory at 10-6 before nerves took over. Omneya took three straight
points to narrow the score to 10-9 but that was as close as the
Egyptian got as Au took the winning point to record her first
victory over a top 10 player.
It was Au's first competitive meeting with the enigmatic player from
Cairo, and one which she did not wish for, given her dismayed
reaction last night after being drawn to face Omneya.
But that's all forgotten now as the 2008 WISPA Young Player of the
Year continues to consolidate her position as Hong Kong's leading
player, with veteran Rebecca Chiu set to retire after November's
Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
"I was nervous in the first game and could not catch Omneya's shots.
But I told myself not to give up and just concentrate and play a
good game," said Au with a rare smile.
Her quarter-final assignment does not get easier as she will face
sixth seed Madeline Perry who despatched Malaysia's Low Wee
Wern in four games.
 Hong
Kong Squash Association Head Coach, Tony Choi, is pleased
with Au's continued progress: "Annie's had a good lead-up before
this tournament with wins last month in Kuwait and France, so she is
physically and mentally in tune. There was really no pressure on her
facing a top ten player like Omneya and I'm happy she managed to
pull off the win."
No joy, though, for Chiu as she went down tamely to Alison Waters
in straight games, while second seed Rachael Grinham ended
the home challenge by outclassing Pamela Chua.
For Chua, who's heading back to California soon to resume her
Mathematical and Computational Studies at Stanford University, the
18-minute workout emphasised the difference between her, a varsity
player, and Grinham, a fulltime touring professional.
"Rachael is very skilful and has a wide array of shots. I found it
hard to work out where the next shot was coming from," said Chua,
Grinham, though, was complimentary.
"There were no easy points, Pamela was in the rallies and I couldn't
let up for a minute," said the 2007 World Open champion. "She moves
and hits well but she's got to play more of these matches to get
used to the intensity."
 WISPA
President Natalie Grainger came through a 45-minute battle
with Malaysia's Delia Arnold. The 33-year-old fought back from two
games down to win a match that got a little testy towards to end.
"I haven't played that much lately, so it was a matter of finding
the right shots and getting the fluidity back, and even adjusting to
seeing the ball early," said the US-based player. "I'm really
pleased to be able to come back into the game with a change of
tactics, and simply hitting the ball a little deeper."
Grainger will meet Grinham next in a battle of the former World no
ones.
 The
pick of the first round matches saw France's Camille Serme
taken to five games by Australian Donna Urquhart. The unique match
turned into a real battle of wills between two supremely fit and
highly athletic players.
World no 10 Serme breezed through the first two games before handing
back her advantage to a determined Urquhart, ranked eight places
below her. The Frenchwoman's concentration seemed to flit in and out
but she managed to stay focused long enough to win 11-8 in the fifth
and set up a meeting with Waters.
 Australia's
Kasey Brown started proceedings at Leisure Park in Kallang with
a four-game win over trans-Tasman rival Jacklyn Hawkes. And the name
of her opponent was confirmed seven matches later in the day's final
tie featuring World no one Nicol David against Egypt's Raneem
El Weleily.
Nicol is the draw at this annual tournament where she is adopted as
a local by Singaporean fans. And she gave them a scare by dropping
her first game 8-11 to El Weleily. The 26-year-old from Penang duly
sharpened her focus - and her game - to motor through to the final
eight.
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Battle of the Sexes2
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27-Jul:
El Sherbini wins fans as Malaysia
sends two more into the Main Draw
Philip Goh reports
 It
was nearly 11pm when Annie Au saw her name drawn first out of
the box by the tournament chairman Raymond Tan. And the Hong Kong
player's reaction indicated she'd have preferred to face someone
else other than fourthth seed Omneya Abdel Kawy in the first round
of the Main Draw.
Indeed, it was scant reward for the 21-year-old who defeated
Denmark's Line Hansen to kickstart proceedings on Day Two of the
CIMB Singapore Women's Squash Masters 2010. Starting her match at
6.30pm, Au was always on top against her taller opponent, and
despite dropping the second game, she edged a competitive encounter
in 38 minutes.
Then came the three-and-a-half hour wait for Au as the next three
matches all went the distance.
For a second night in a row, Egypt's Nour El Sherbini was involved
in a five-game tussle, and though she won many fans in Singapore,
her campaign was halted by Malaysia's Low Wee Wern. The
14-year-old former World Junior Champion drew gasps from the fans
with her audacious shot-making but made crucial errors on the big
points and paid the price
El Sherbini said: "All the games were so close, I felt I could win
this one but took too much risk on the big points. Matches like
these can only make me improve more as a player."
As for Low, she credited her victory to her ability to stay
confident and steady, and earned a meeting with 6th-seed Madeline
Perry.
"This is one of the hardest matches I've ever played," Low said of
her first encounter with El Sherbini. "I told myself to be patient
when I was two one down, and played the crucial points better than
Nour."
Delia Arnold made it two for two for Malaysia, edging a
fractious encounter with Ireland's Aisling Blake. The Malaysian
number two took the first two games but Blake fought back in the
next two to force the decider.
In WISPA World Rankings, these two players are only three positions
apart and the when the dust settled, it was the higher ranked Arnold
who came through 14-12 in the fifth. Her first round opponent will
be the WISPA Principal herself, Natalie Grainger.
In the battle of the Hong Kong players, it was the veteran who
triumphed over the young star. The business-like match was high on
efficiency and low on drama, with Rebecca Chiu besting Joey
Chan 11-2 in the fifth game.
The World No 19 will have her hands full against tournament third
seed Alison Waters.
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Battle of the Sexes2 |
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Battle of the Sexes2
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26-Jul:
Hong Kong Treble as
El Sherbini upsets King
Action
got underway in Singapore as the CIMB Singapore Women's Masters
is played for the first time in a four-sided glass court.
Set up in a shopping mall, the court drew in curious onlookers and
squash fans alike as this is the first time since 1998 that a glass
court has been utilised for a tournament in this city state.
But there was no joy for fans rooting for the two Singapore players
in the qualifying draw. Wildcards Mao Shihui and Jerryca
Teo were no match for their more experienced rivals, Mao losing
in three games to Dane Line Hansen to open the proceedings,
and Teo not able to keep up with Malaysia's Delia Arnold.
No shame though for the Singaporean part-timers who pick up
invaluable experience from their opponents who are seasoned
campaigners and fulltime professionals.
 The
upset of the day was served up by Egypt's former World Junior
Champion Nour El Sherbini. The 14-year-old took New Zealand's
Joelle King to the fifth game, then came from 8-10 behind to prevail
12-10. The 68 minute tussle was easily the match of the day.
Malaysians Low Wee Wern and Siti Munirah Jusoh experienced
contrasting fortunes, with Low despatching South African Tenille
Swartz in straight games, while Siti fell to Irish lass Aisling
Blake, also in three games.
Joey Chan kicked off a Hong Kong trifecta to wrap up the
action at the Leisure Mall. Chan traded the first two games with
recently-crowned World Junior Champion Amanda Sobhy, then relied on
her greater experience to edge the next two games for the win.
World No 19 Rebecca Chiu had little problem brushing aside
Olga Ertlova of the Czech Republic, and it was left to Annie Au
to complete the HK treble which she duly did by outclassing Sweden's
Josefa Bertilsson.
There will not be three Hong Kong players in the Main Draw, however,
as Chiu will line up against Chan tomorrow. Chiu is ranked 10 places
above Chan and a battle between the veteran and the promising young
star who recently won the national title for the first time will be
one to watch. |
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Preview
The fourth edition of Singapore‟s world-class squash tournament
is set to blow squash fans away with its stellar international
line-up of the world‟s best women squash players, and a perfect
solution to showcase its thrills and spills: an all-glass squash
court for the first time in 12 years, at the Leisure Park
Kallang.
Set to take place from 26 – 31 July, squash fans are in for a
spectacular visual treat as seven out of top ten women players
reconvene at the CIMB Singapore Women‟s Squash Masters 2010 to
battle their ways to the top.
For the second year running since the inception of the
tournament in 2007, Singapore will be represented by three local
players: Pamela Chua, Jerryca Teo, and Mao Shihui.
All eyes will be on current world number one woman squash
player, Malaysian Nicol David, as she returns to defend her
three-time championship title. Nicol is CIMB Group‟s very own
squash ambassador, and boasts the longest run at the top of the
world rankings with 44 WISPA (Women‟s International Squash
Players Association) Tour titles under her belt.
Commented Nicol, who last month celebrated her 50th month as
world number one according to WISPA‟s June Women‟s World Squash
Rankings, “The CIMB Singapore Women‟s Squash Masters 2010 is a
key event for squash players and fans everywhere, and I am
excited to be back to compete once again with my counterparts.
Last year was exhilarating and I was able to secure a hat-trick
victory at the tournament. In preparation for this year‟s
tournament, I have been training hard and am definitely looking
forward to another victory!”
Determined to upset Nicol‟s plans, and present at the
tournament, will be the players Rachael Grinham (World No. 3),
Alison Waters (World No. 5), Omneya Abdel Kawy (World No. 6),
Madeline Perry (World No. 7), Kasey Brown (World No. 9) and
Camille Serme (World No.10).
Mr Desmond Hill, President of the Singapore Squash Rackets
Association (“SSRA”), said, “We are very honoured to organise
the fourth edition of the tournament, and to host all these
world-class athletes as well as avid squash fans for the CIMB
Singapore Women‟s Squash Masters 2010. With our special
all-glass squash court this year, squash supporters can expect
an unparalleled live squash tournament and we expect the
atmosphere to be tremendous. We are very grateful to our Title
Sponsor CIMB Group for sharing our vision of rejuvenating the
interest in the sport of squash in Singapore.”
The CIMB Singapore Women‟s Squash Masters 2010 will be played on
a single-knockout basis with 12 of the 16 players in the Main
Draw already determined. Notably, Singapore squash player,
Pamela Chua, has already been predetermined to play in the Main
Draw.
A 16-player Qualifier scheduled for 26 and 27 July will
determine the remaining four qualifiers for the Main Draw.
Amongst players who will be present are the recently-crowned
World Junior Champion, Amanda Sobhy, and the youngest World
Junior Champion, Nour El Sherbini, who won the title last year
at the age of 13. There will also be a strong Asian contingent
in the qualifiers represented by three players from Hong Kong,
three from Malaysia and two from our very own Singapore –
represented by Jerryca Teo and Mao
Shihui.
Ms Carol Fong, CEO of CIMB Securities Pte Ltd, commented, “This
is our fourth consecutive year as Title Sponsor since the
tournament‟s successful inauguration in 2007, and we are
delighted to be such a big part of this dynamic international
sporting event.
“We are committed to developing the sport of squash in the
region, and identify with the sportsmanship, tenacity, and
determination that driven young upstarts embody. We hope that
through our support, many others will be inspired and more can
be groomed. We would also like to thank our partner SSRA for
their unwavering support in making this tournament a success in
Singapore.”
This tournament, organised by the SSRA and sanctioned by WISPA,
boasts a total prize money of US$53,500 (inclusive of players‟
compensation). Additionally, the tournament provides players the
opportunity for points towards the WISPA World Rankings.
Locally, broadcasts of the Semi-Final as well as Final of the
CIMB Singapore Women‟s Squash Masters 2010 will be shown on
Starhub‟s SuperSports Arena at the following time slots:
Semi-Final: Same day delayed broadcast on SuperSports Arena from 9.30
pm onwards.
Final: Live broadcast on SuperSports Arena from 2 pm onwards.
Live broadcasts of the event will be shown in
Indonesia, Hongkong,
Malaysia and the USA as well.
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