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).

CIMB Malaysian Open 2010: Semi final highlights

Great crowd! Photo with thanks to GlennGuan of TheStar.

“…she went down fighting to the very last point…”

Jenny Duncalf bt. Raneem El Weleily 11/8, 11/5, 8/11, 12/10 (54 mins)

After dispatching two higher ranked players, Raneem seemed to be in good shape to pose a decent threat to Jenny Duncalf, seeded second in this tournament. Jenny started off strongly in the first two games while Raneem was trying to get her rhythm. Raneem made some nifty shots but hit a number of tins as well, giving away the first two games 8-11 and 5-11 respectively.

Raneem’s mental strength and determination took her through the third game with a 11-8 win. If there’s anything we’ve learned about this young lady is that she has an admirable “never say die” attitude. In the fourth set, Raneem pushed Jenny to extra points but Jenny held on to her game plan and worked her way to seal a place in the final with a 12-10 victory over the 21-year old Egyptian fighter.

Jenny now takes the head-to-head with Raneem to 4-0 but a strong point has certainly been made to the other players on the circuit of Raneem’s prowess.

A pleased Jenny said, “I had a great start in the fourth, no pressure at all, then she turned up the pace and it took me by surprise, really. I was very fortunate to put it away and I look forward to playing in my first final here in Malaysia. It has been a great tournament and a great crowd!”

“…and then the crowd went wild!”

Nicol David bt. Alison Waters 14/12, 12/10, 6/11, 11/7 (64 mins)

Photo with thanks to GlennGuan of TheStar.

The match between Nicol and Alison was expected to be an interesting one but it was a treat to the crowd when the first game itself was battled point-for-point. After trailing Alison for most of the game, Nicol was awarded a let at 10-10 but the end was not in sight yet. The scores were evened at 11-11, then 12-12 and Nicol went on to take the first game 14-12 with a tight forehand drive.

The second game looked pretty much like the first one. It was nailbiting to say the least! Alison played a tight game and Nicol was kept on her feet, retrieving every shot that came off Alison’s racquet. Once again, Nicol was trailing 7-10 and it seemed that the game would go Alison’s way. A determined Nicol took it one point at a time and went up 2-0 with a 12-10 win in the second game.

Fitness levels of both players were stretched today as the rallies were long and hard but both of them remained persistent and focused. This time around, Alison produced some amazing forehand winners and did not allow Nicol to play another game of cat and mouse, emerging as the winner in the third game at 11-6.

The scenario in the fourth game was slightly different—Nicol looking more focused and vicious, while Alison showed some signs of fatigue. At 9-7, Nicol led the game and was awarded a stroke when Alison hit the ball back at herself. It didn’t take too long from then for Nicol to wrap up the match at 11-7, to make a date with Jenny in the final tomorrow.

It was a game of high quality squash tonight between these two girls and definitely an entertaining one for the audience.

Nicol spoke to SquashStars after the match… “She just played a really good match—just solid squash. I was really trying to dig in deep to stay with her… really glad to pull it off to play in the finals tomorrow. It’s always good matches with Alison.”

Don’t forget to catch the final tomorrow at 4pm (GMT +8) for another thrilling match between the World Number 1 and 2!

CLICK HERE FOR THE LIVE BLOG. STARTS @ 3:00PM MALAYSIAN TIME

Tournament article archive:
• Cream of the Crop at Malaysian Open 2010
• The Online Contest — Make your Predictions!
• Highlights from Qualifiers, Round 1
• Highlights from the Qualifiers, Round 2
• Highlights from the Quarter Final
• Semi Final Live Blog
• Semi Final Highlights

Click to join in the conversation!

View full draw here.

Malaysian TV, Astro Arena will be airing the tournament live on Channel 801.

Click below to join in the conversation now!

View full draw here.

Malaysian TV, Astro Arena will be airing the tournament live on Channel 801.

CIMB Malaysian Open 2010: Quarter final highlights

Jenny proved too good for Malaysian rising star.

English Dominated Semi-Finals tomorrow. Can they be stopped?

It’s impressive how the English have dominated squash. With a total of 4 players in the main draw; 3 being the top seeds in the tournament—2 managed to fight their way up to the semi final of this tournament! It is safe to say that they are looking at hoarding a pile of medals in the upcoming Commonwealth Games, October this year. How many English girls did you predict would make it through to the semi final, here?

Jenny Duncalf bt. Low Wee Wern 11/5, 11/6, 11/3 (36 mins)
Jenny Duncalf stamped her mark of authority on court today. She definitely looked more comfortable on the court from the beginning of the match, leading 6-0 in the first set. The second set saw Wee Wern equalizing it at 5-5 but Jenny carried a good momentum right through the match. It’s definitely a great experience for Wee Wern being on the glass court and the quarter final of a tournament for the first time. Jenny faces, Raneem El Weleily, tomorrow.

Omneya, looking fitter but not playing her usual game.

Alison Waters bt. Omneya Abdel Kawy  11/4, 11/3, 3/11, 11/4 (38 mins)
Omneya seemed a little out of sorts today, possibly a little shaky from her 5-setter game yesterday—looking to find her rhythm in the first and second sets. Alison was consistent and was leading strongly throughout with Omneya making some unforced errors.

The third set saw a more familiar Omneya Abdel Kawy on court—taking charge from the first point to the last and sealing it with a beautiful backhand drop shot to the front corner. Then came the fourth set where Alison stepped up 2-notches. She was just too fast and it was already too late for Omneya as Alison took a strong lead at 6-3, dropping only 1 point before calling it a day at 11-4. A very convincing win, for Alison.

That's 2 in a week for Raneem, will Jenny be next?

Raneem’s at it again!

Raneem El Weleily bt. Laura Massaro  11/6, 7/11, 7/11, 11/4, 13/11 (51 mins)
The first surprise of the day came from Raneem El Weleily who performed superbly against a higher seeded, Laura Massaro. Despite Laura’s best efforts in the 2nd and 3rd sets, the fourth set saw Raneem racing ahead and winning it with a breathtaking dropshot to the front. The fifth game was a nail biter where Raneem seemed to be taking more risks and playing winning shots every chance she got. At 5-5, Laura made a costly mistake which allowed Raneem to lead ahead, 8-5 before she fought back. At 11-11, Raneem was scrambling up and down the court—winning rallies and finishing the game at 13-11 as Laura hit the last point into the tin. It was a wonderful game of squash, where the better player came out on top.

A jubilated Raneem spoke personally to SquashStars later, “I’m really happy to have won today. It’s my first time to make it to the semis in a big tournament. I’ve played Laura 3 times this year. Two of it was 3-2, very close. This was a tough match even mentally. Once you get to the point of winning you start thinking if you’re going to win, and lose focus, then you have to reboot all over again. Really close today but I made it.”

Congratulations, Raneem!

The Flexible French: Camille awed the crowd with her long reach.

Nicol for the home stretch

Nicol David bt. Camille Serme  11/4, 11/4, 11/8 (29m)
The last game of the day started at 9.20pm with Nicol literally stretching the new WISPA top 10 entrant—Camille Serme—to the hilt. The first set saw Nicol taking an early lead with relentless assaults while Camille tried to find her rhythm. Camille then led the second set with a fantastic (and long) rally, taking a short lead at 3-4 when Nicol tinned it. However, an undeterred Nicol, picked it up without dropping anymore points to finish it at 11/4…again!

The third set saw a very determined Camille leading the scoreboard with some of those wonderful long lunges of hers. It was quite an even play, up till 6-6 when Nicol took charge to finish the game. A very happy Nicol commented, “Was fired up to play on the glass court and felt focussed throughout the match. It’s her first time playing the quarters in Malaysia and I knew she’d go for it if she had a chance. Glad to win it in 3 games, but it wasn’t easy.”

No it wasn’t, Nicol—but the challenge from Camille really showcased some beautiful squash to complete the quarter final! Till tomorrow—await our LIVE BLOG!

Malaysian TV, Astro Arena will be airing the tournament live on Channel 801.

CIMB Malaysian Open 2010: Round 1 Highlights

The junior faces of women’s squash are definitely rising up to the challenge this Malaysian Open. If you have participated in our Online Contest—predicting the outcome of this tournament, you would be kicking yourself now due to some shocking defeats witnessed here this afternoon at the National Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil. Click here for a full view of the draw.

Wee Wern delivered the first shock of the day!

Shock #1: Low Wee Wern bt Natalie Grainger  9/11, 11/8, 11/7, 12/14, 11/7 (52 mins)
Round 1 started off with an upset by local talent Low Wee Wern who tamed former World No.1, Natalie Grainger in 5 games to progress to the quarter final of the tournament. Kudos to Wee Wern for a match well played—a little unfortunate for Natalie who is trying to make a comeback after a long hiatus plagued with injuries. A very ecstatic Wee Wern, spoke to SquashStars.com after her match, “Just really happy with the result because I didn’t really expect to win. I knew I had a chance, but didn’t really expect myself to win it. I will be playing Jenny Duncalf tomorrow—lost to her in the HK Open last year 3-0, but I’m playing well now so I will give my best and see what happens!”

Raneem's first victory over former World No. 1, Rachael Grinham.

Shock #2: Raneem El Weleily bt. Rachael Grinham  12/10, 14/16, 11/9, 12/10 (49 mins)
Raneem created the second major upset in the women’s draw as she sent squash veteran, Rachael Grinham packing. The Egyptian had to endure three games with extra points against a more seasoned Rachael but did well to progress with a 3-1 win. “I’ve never beaten Rachael before. Played her six to seven times. We always have close matches. She has great technique. Usually I get frustrated after the first few games. This time round, I tried to change that and tried not to get stuck in her pace. Glad it worked out and happy to win it!” Raneem meets Laura Massaro in the next round—let’s hope she has a strategy to work Laura too!

Camille going for the shot!

Shock #3: Camille Serme bt Madeline Perry 11/2, 5/11, 11/6, 11/5 (44 mins)
The third and final upset of the day was pulled off by Frenchwoman Camille Serme as she eliminated higher seed Madeline Perry with a 3-1 victory.  The first game was fully controlled by Camille with Madeline struggling to get her footing right. However, Madeline came back strong to take the second game. Camille’s long-reaching stretches proved too good as she took the 3^rd and 4^th games.

And then, there were some close calls:

Laura and Dipika, both fighting for every ball.

Laura Massaro bt Dipika Pallikal 9/11, 11/9, 9/11, 11/8, 11/9 (61 mins)
Laura was challenged by the upcoming Indian junior with a close scoreline in all 5 games—making this the longest match for Round 1. Laura’s calm demeanor served as a stark contrast against young Dipika’s mounting frustration on court. India’s rising star played well to make it this far and is definitely the player to watch in future professional circuits. Ironically, this is Laura’s first tournament after her ankle injury earlier this year against Jenny Duncalf in the KL Open quarter final round. She is now scheduled to meet another up and coming squash talent, Raneem El Weleily in the next round.

Omneya Abdel Kawy bt Kasey Brown 8/11, 11/8, 7/11, 11/9, 11/3 (55 mins)
This game was a close battle between the world number 6 and 9—the match was pretty even over 5 games with Omneya finishing on top. Sweet victory indeed for Omneya as she lost in the same round, at the same tournament last year to Kasey Brown with a 3-0 scoreline!

Alison Waters bt Tania Bailey 10/12, 11/5, 12/10, 11/6 (50 mins)
Alison took the lead in this great English battle against the Captain of the English Women’s Team with a 3-1 victory. “The last time I played Tania… has been a while now, probably 2 years ago here in Malaysia and it was a 3-2 and Tania won it. It (This) was a tight match. Two of the games were 12-10, she got tired at the end which was good for me. Been having a good couple of months off… has been good. Glad to be back on court, really.”

Business as usual:

Jenny Duncalf bt Jaclyn Hawkes 11/6, 11/3, 11/6 (30 mins)
This match went according to seeding with Jenny having a seemingly good match over Jaclyn with a 3-0 win. Jenny is looking very dangerous and in good shape—and is predicted to make her way to the final showdown. But first, she has to overcome a very confident, Low Wee Wern tomorrow.

Nicol David: The Smiling Assassin

Nicol David bt Joelle King 11/7, 11/5, 11/4 (31 mins)
Nicol’s speed was definitely put to test today as Joelle moved the ball well all around the court, making Nicol work hard for her points. The first game started off pretty evenly with Nicol doing most of the running but by midway, Nicol was hitting well and pulled away.

The next two matches saw many tins from the Kiwi. Shortly into the second game, Joelle’s left ankle seemed to have given way as she dropped to the ground briefly. She was up on her feet soon enough and continued play but Nicol upped her level to make quick work of Joelle in 31 minutes. Satisfied with her own performance, Nicol commented, “Was well eager to play today especially not playing tournaments the last 2 months. Playing Joelle for the first time was new to me. First game, we had some close, hard rallies­—the other two games, I worked hard to keep the ball moving and felt better on the ball. Very happy with this first round match.”

CIMB MALAYSIAN OPEN 2010: Highlights from the Qualifiers

This year’s qualifiers has been one of the most exciting yet, with all the top juniors showcasing their skills.

Watch out for Joelle King, Nicol!

Despite her spirited fight against up and coming New Zealander Joelle King, talented Joey Chan saw an early exit in the first round. Joelle has been performing really well, even beating top seed Rachael Grinham to win the Texas Open Championship earlier this year! From the back, she could be easily mistaken for Shelley Kitchen as she too displays the same hard hitting style and lanky physique. This Kiwi is definitely going to give defending champion Nicol David a good fight in Round 1 of the main draw.

This one is a hard worker. We overheard Raneem ask for a ball to practice right after one of her matches.

Another impressive qualifier is Egyptian, Raneem El Weleily who fought off both Malaysian veteran, Sharon Wee and 14-year old compatriot, Nour El Sherbini to claim a spot in the main draw. She will be going up against the very tricksy Australian—Rachael Grinham, in the first round. We predict, Raneem is going to give Rachael a good run for her money tomorrow.

Besides her Bollywood good looks, Dipika Pallikal plays a mean game of squash.

India’s Dipika Pallikal also played some impressive squash especially in the first round of qualifiers against an experienced Aisling Blake of Ireland. Dipika showed nerves of steel when she saved 5 match balls in the fourth set and frustrated Aisling out of the qualifiers in the 5th. In the second round, her skilled court play at the front earned her a spot in the main draw. Kudos to her Malaysian opponent Siti Munirah Jusoh who outplayed a very experienced Rebecca Chiu in the first round, only to be thwarted by Dipika in the second. Dipika will meet 8th seed, Laura Massaro in the main draw.

Tania after her hip arthroscopy, last year. Congratulations on your recovery, Tania!

Lastly, England’s Captain, Tania Bailey beat local favorite Delia Arnold and the fiesty Donna Urquhart of Australia with very convincing scorelines. Tania is showing good form despite having just recovered from a hip surgery last year! We look forward to seeing Tania hold her ground against her higher seeded compatriot, Alison Waters, tomorrow.

Need a new squash racquet? You can win one RIGHT HERE!

Win a Prince EXO3 Rebel squash racquet.
Join the contest here!

Other Malaysian Open 2010 articles here:
• Cream of the Crop at Malaysian Open 2010
• Highlights from the Qualifiers: Now It’s on to the Main Draw!
• SquashSite’s Coverage: Click here for the predictions to help you with our online contest!

The Malaysian Women's Team

The Malaysian Women’s Squash team comprises of Nicol David, Delia Arnold, Low Wee Wern and Sharon Wee. This squad will be representing the nation in the upcoming Commonwealth Games in Delhi and Asian Games in Guangzhou.

Delia Odette Arnold comes from a Eurasian-Chinese mixed parentage and hails from the capital of Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur. Delia’s biggest win to-date was her victory over then world number 14, Rebecca Chiu of Hong Kong to bag the NSC Satellite No. 2 title in August 2008. Currently ranked number 21 in the world, this Malaysian number 2 enjoys shopping and music, and will be vying for her first CIMB Malaysian Open title.

Low Wee Wern, a Penangite, trains with former national Aaron Soyza. She is only the second Malaysian after Nicol to win the British Junior Open Under-19 in 2009. Wee Wern’s younger sister, Low Wee Nee also represents Malaysia in the junior squash team. Sponsored by Technifibre, Wee Wern received her first wild card entry for the CIMB Malaysian Open 2010 which will be held next week at the Curve.

Sharon Wee Ee Lin is the most senior player in the women’s squad. She was born and raised in the historic state of Malacca and has been representing the Malaysian senior team in squash since 1997. Sharon reached her highest world ranking of 18 in December 2006. Currently training in Malaysia and Antwerp, Sharon brings to the team wisdom and experience from her many years in the squash circuit.

Squash 101:

Apart from the game, squash is also a term used for a vegetable!

Aisling Blake, born in Dublin, is Ireland’s No. 2 in women’s squash behind compatriot Madeline Perry. She started playing squash at the age of eight and had a strong junior career, including winning the Belgian Junior Open and Irish Nationals several times.

Since finishing a business degree in 2004, Aisling is now based in Amsterdam and trains in the well-known Squash City club under the tutelage of Liz Irving, who is also the coach of World No. 1 Nicol David.

Aisling broke into the WISPA top 30 in 2009 and is currently ranked No. 24. The latest feather to her cap was the Hemubo Squash Trophy 2010 win over Lauren Siddall of England. Apart from squash, Aisling enjoys reading and spending time with family and friends.

Aisling in action

Squash 101:

When playing doubles in squash, the court is wider than the court size used for singles.