The Malaysian crowd getting ready.

The Stompers charging up the atmosphere before the big finals.

The BIG awaited match between World number one and two promised to be a spectacular match. Although Nicol had won 16 of their previous 18 meetings, Jenny showed some excellent form at the end of 2009, defeating Nicol in two consecutive tournaments. However, following those two losses, Nicol won the next two matches after—in 2010 at the Chennai Open and Cayman Islands Open.

The epic 72 minute match.

Jenny, donned in a purple Adidas top, was the first to serve. The game started off rather evenly with both girls looking in top form. Nicol kept volleying while Jenny was slowing it down. Jenny was playing some good boasts with Nicol saving them one by one, lobbing the ball to the back each time. At 10-6, Nicol returned Jenny’s excellent volley nick with a nice drop shot to take the first game 11-6! The second game started off well for Jenny with a 4-point lead over Nicol at 6-2. Dressed in a trendy and chic grey Adidas dress, Nicol was seen puffing her cheeks, working hard to take points off her opponent. At 10-6, with game ball to Jenny, Nicol makes a stretch but misses it, and Jenny evens the score tally to 1-1. The third set started off with a stroke to Nicol as Jenny hit the ball back at herself. Many low backhand drives from Nicol and some long fantastic rallies put Nicol in an 8-5 lead. Nicol eventually takes the set 11-7, making it 2-1.

Jenny, looking for an opening.

Both ladies were doing lots of running around the court in the fourth set. There was some scrambling around the court by Nicol when she tripped over Jenny and accidentally hit the ball before she could ask for a let. The referees decided on a “no let” call. A dissatisfied Nicol tried to make her case but the point was given to Jenny and the score was leveled at 7-7. The game turned very similar to the point-for-point game between Nicol and Alison. Jenny finally won the game in extra points at 12-10.

Nicol, making her move.

Pressure was mounting on both players as they moved into the fifth game. Nicol sent some strong dead shots to the back of the court, taking a 3-0 lead. Jenny seemed to be making some errors on the tin and soon enough, Nicol was way ahead with a 9-3 lead. Jenny kept fighting and took Nicol to 5-10 but the game ended with a stroke in Nicol’s favour, making it six Malaysian Open titles in a row for the world champ! “Hard match again. Jenny just played some amazing shots that’s irretrievable. I just knew I had to work hard again. Just glad to win it! Now with my first win in Malaysia for the season, I hope to bring the momentum over to Singapore. Looking forward!”

Congratulations, to both Nicol and Jenny for a game well played!

Azlan Iskandar made it a double victory for Malaysian Squash as he won the Men's category against a feisty Tarek Momen of Egypt in straight sets—11/5, 11/6, 11/8 (37 minutes).

The Semi Finals showdown has resulted in 3 Egyptian finalist with 1 lone Malaysian survivor. Don’t have the live telecast? Join us in our Live Blog for the Finals, TOMORROW (Saturday, 20th March 2010)!

Results from the Semis:

Women’s:

Omneya Abdel Kawy beat Jenny Duncalf 11/3, 11/8, 11/9

Nicol David beat Alison Waters 11/3, 11/7, 11/5

Men’s:

Karim Darwish beat Azlan Iskandar 11/6, 11/6, 11/7

Ramy Ashour beat Ong Beng Hee 11/5, 8/11, 11/6, 11/7

Finals:

3PM (Malaysian Time): Karim Darwish vs. Ramy Ashour

4PM(Malaysian Time): Nicol David vs. Omneya Abdel Kawy

The SquashStars.com crew will resume blogging live this evening for the semifinals of the KL Open from Berjaya Times Square! Click on the box below for the live commentary and score updates. Guest panelists include Ronald Fauvel, Coach Liz, Allan Soyza and many more.

Semifinals Line up:

1. *Nicol David (MAS) (1) vs. Alison Waters (ENG) (3)

2. Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) (4) vs. Jenny Duncalf (ENG) (2)

*Squash Stars Ambassadors

It was an evening of enthusiasm, nostalgia and bittersweet emotions yesterday as history was made at the National Sports Complex in Bukit Jalil. Datuk Nicol David was honoured by the National Sports Council as the main court at the National Squash Centre was named after her.

The vibrant event kick started with a grand welcome for Datuk Nicol as she walked through a guard of honour hoisting squash racquets. Dignitaries present included Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek, Deputy Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Razali Ibrahim, NSC Director-General Datuk Zolkples Embong and Olympic Council of Malaysia (OCM) President Tunku Tan Sri Imran Tuanku  Ja’afar.

Prior to the officiation, a video presentation of Nicol’s childhood days and her journey in squash were screened featuring insightful interviews from her parents and school teachers. As the Sports Minister officiated the ceremony, naming the court “Nicol David Arena”, the loud cheers from the crowd surpassed the sounds of the vibrant fireworks. Nicol was clearly overwhelmed as she couldn’t hold back her tears. It was a proud moment for Nicol and her parents as they stood on the podium, taking in the moment and accepting the honour, support and encouragement that came from the crowd comprising of supporters from all walks of life.

The Nicol David Gallery behind the main squash court displays her numerous trophies and medals, outfits from previous tournaments and pictures from her early days in school and in squash.

A group of 40 young supporters of Nicol from Hope Worldwide were thrilled to be able to meet her during the fan session along with many other supporters who showed up to honour the Queen of Squash. The 1-hour “Meet the Fans” session organised by Squash Stars enabled fans to ask Nicol questions and receive autographed T-shirts and posters.

In sum, it was a memorable evening honouring excellence in sportsmanship and a tribute to a deserving star – Nicol David.

Photos courtesy of Azuan Ahmad Zahidi

Hi everyone,
Squash Stars is currently looking for volunteers to cover two major events for 2009 – the British Open and World Open.

You could assist us with:
1) Writing summaries at the end of each tournament day
2) Live blogging / tweeting the matches for our Squash Stars
3) Updating the final scores of the matches played.

Volunteers will receive a limited edition Squash Stars tee, to be collected from Ms. Nicol David herself.

Events details:
iSPORTgroup British Open 2009
Qualifying rounds: Sept 9 – 10
Main Draw: Sept 11-14
Venue: National Squash Centre and The Northern Club, Manchester.

Forexx Women’s World Open Squash 2009
Qualifying Rounds: Sept 20 – 22
Main Draw: Sept 23 – 27
Venue: Frans Otten Stadion, Amsterdam.

For those who are interested, please contact us through email at admin@squashstars.com, drop us a line on Facebook, or leave us a comment right here on our site.

It was a Saturday afternoon at 2pm when everything kicked off at the Center Court in Bukit Jalil. My main racket sponsor, Prince organized state juniors and other clubs linked with the brand to come join in the fun. A lot of kids and their parents came by to take part in this clinic and I was pleased to see a great turn out.

Firstly, I was introduced on court to demonstrate a 10 minute solo exercise showing some brief solo drills most commonly used during training. Afterwards, one of the Malaysian players who plays the PSA tour, Leroy joined me to show a couple more drills with two people on court.

Now we bring on the kids. I got to work with 10 kids doing a 15 minute feeding session with them and to my surprise, they seem like they’ve done this before! Good technique and mostly impressed that one of them was aged 6 and was striking the ball with good timing.

Next up,  5 different kids lined up to play a 5 minute game to see who could get the most points during that time and the winner gets a prize. That was a tricky one because there were 5 of them making me run around the court! One of the boys got to 10-8 and the time ran out. Lucky me there was a time limit.

The last bit of the session on court was a 3 quarter court game with 10 more kids and the ages varied a lot this time. We had a laugh.

My time on court was over and it was now the parents and kids’ chance to win some prizes including some SquashStars T-shirts. A lot of happy kids and parents went back with a pressie from Prince after they answered some quiz questions.

We ended with some Q & A from some keen parents and kids while I gave a little insight of how squash has played such a big part of my life. Right after I finished my bit, the Center Court suddenly went pitch black and I was greeted with an early Birthday greeting from my sponsor sneekily surprising me with a cake and flowers. It was a surprise for sure!

After a thorough clinic with everyone, we got onto the autograph and photo session. It was nice to see so many enthusiastic kids willing to be here and parents giving them the support they need.

Thanks Prince for the continuous support you have given me these past few years and giving these kids a chance to enjoy this sport with me.

Hi all,

Squash Stars and Prince will be hosting a squash clinic on Saturday the 15th, at the Center Court in the Bukit Jalil stadium.

The clinic, targeted to juniors, will be conducted by current world champion Nicol David, who will be sharing her vast knowledge of squash.

Be there at 2pm to learn from the most succesful Malaysian squash player of all time – don’t miss it!

Hand crafted banner by the kids of Penang Squash Academy

In a drive to include everyone who was present at the event, a large pinup board was installed for everyone to personally pledge their support for the sport. Alongside the young and old, we are pleased to say that the State Executive Councillor for Youth and Sports Lydia Ong Kok Fooi, who officiated the World Squash Day celebrations in Penang, also pledged her support for the Squash for 2016 movement by signing on the board.

Face painting by Cheryl David (Nicol's sister)

Activities were organised for squash enthusiasts of all ages. From colouring contests and a treasure hunt for the kids to mini squash tournaments and raffle draws for the teenagers and adults. For those who wished to showcase their squash skills, they were challenged to participate in “Aim the Target” and “Pot a Shot”, games that tested speed and accuracy of the participants on the squash court. There were also free balloons and face painting provided by SRAP to lend a carnival feel to the event.

Guests were also able to challenge the professionals to a quick game of squash.

Non: Deal or no deal?

Low Wee Wern, British Junior Open Champion 2009, were among the pros present alongside, Kosuke Moukawa and Misaki Kobayashi—Japanese players who are currently training in Penang. The crowd was further entertained with an interesting doubles match between squash coaches of the Penang Squash Academy, Aaron Soyza and Khoo Teng Hin against the event emcee, Non (Aanont Wathanasin, also the TV host of Deal or No Deal, Malaysia) and his squash partner, Thomas. This game was captivating as Aaron & Teng Hin played with only one racquet! On an interesting note, Non once represented Johor in squash. Therefore it was quite a spectacular game with Non and Thomas, giving Aaron and Teng Hin a good run for their money—winning the game 11-7. As a token of appreciation, the visitors were later presented with a limited edition Datuk Nicol David encased, autographed squash ball.

No, the pretty girl is not for auction.

The highlight of the day was the auction of Nicol David Memorabilia. Among the items up for bid were Nicol’s winning racquets from the British Open 2005 and Malaysian Open 2007 alongside various outfits from winning tournaments. Nicol herself was also put on auction which was won by the SRAP Chairman, Datuk Lim Tiong Chin and his friend Thomas who will be sharing a 45-minute squash session and lunch date with Datuk Nicol for RM2,400. Datuk Lim, who would not have any problem arranging a meeting with Datuk Nicol commented that he participated in goodwill to help boost the funds collected for the ‘Squash for 2016’ campaign fund. The auction was conducted by the emcee for the day, local radio deejay and squash enthusiast, Non, who incidentally won the bid for one of the items—Nicol’s Malaysian Open Top.

RM10706 in just a day!

Finally at 6pm, it was announced that Penang alone has successfully collected a whooping RM10,706—thanks to the generosity of all squash fans and Penangites present at the event. The total funds collected for the event will be forwarded to the Squash for 2016 fund to further our Olympic dream!

We would like to thank everyone who was present at the event—it wouldn’t have been an overwhelming success without you.

Note: Photos are with thanks to Azuan from NDOnline! Thanks, Azuan for the great photos.

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