Squash Stars » Seoul Open 2009

Nicol Wins Seoul Open 2009

Elaine — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 14:59:00 +0000

Nicol's Got Seoul!

SEOUL OPEN 2009—38-minutes, that was how long it took to take down the giant killer Jenny Duncalf. The 26-year old English lass admitted to making more errors than she had hoped for in the biggest final of her career. “I wasn’t really into it in the first, I knew I needed to be more confident of my shots in the second—and I did start seeing it and timing it well. She was taken a bit by surprise I think, but it is a fine line and you cannot fire the ball like that for a whole match.”

On the other side of the court, Nicol David claims her 52nd Tour title, beating Rachel Grinham’s long-standing 51 Tour titles. An enthusiasted Nicol quipped, “Jenny started playing so well that I knew I had to keep working her. It feels really good to have kept the title, especially as everybody is so enthusiastic in Seoul. It is what we play for!”

Seoul Open 2009 is only the fourth Tour event to be staged in South Korea—an initiative by the Seoul Sports Council to help to raise the profile of Squash in the country. “The greatest merit of this Open is that the event penetrates into the daily city-lives of the citizens. We are hoping that Seoul Women’s Squash Open will help Squash succeed in the bid for Olympics in 2016,” explains Mr Lee Jang Ho the Secretary General of Seoul Sports Council.

Nicol’s road to the finals:

Round 16-2: Beat qualifier Annie Au of Hong Kong, 11-4, 4-11, 11-6, 11-7
Quater Finals: Beat 8th seed Alison Waters of England, 12-10, 11-5, 12-10
Semi Finals: Beat 3rd seed Natalie Grinham of the Netherlands, 11-4, 11-6, 11-8
Finals: Beat 4th seed Jenny Duncalf of England, 11-6, 3-11, 11-6, 11-4

Final Showdown with Jenny Duncalf

Nicol David — Sun, 07 Jun 2009 13:56:00 +0000

It was a cool evening today on the glass court but both Jenny and I are fired up to get it going in this final.

The ball was dying at the back corners a lot more today from my drives that came in well in the first game. Jenny did the same thing in the second game and was attacking from the back too. She didn’t make any errors and went right through that game on a high.

Now it was up to one of us to take that control off each other. Some nice winners from Jenny and a couple of retrieving shots from me that made the rallies harder each time. I stepped up a little bit to get by and also continued that sort of game in the fourth.

In the middle of the fourth game, I had better control on the ball than the last two games that gave me a string of points with some errors coming from Jenny. I won the match from Jenny’s forehand drop in the tin to take the Seoul Open title.

Such a fantastic venue with an enthusiastic bunch of supporters cheering us on throughout the week. Now for some kim chi soup for the grand finale…

Semis with Natalie Grinham

Nicol David — Sat, 06 Jun 2009 15:51:00 +0000

Every seat around the glass court was filled—the crowd was up for a fun show tonight. Natalie got a quick 4-point lead, straight of the mark in the first game but I was playing really steady squash that fired me through the game to 10-4.

Another fine run on my side while Natalie was taking it up a notch in the second. There were tough rallies—both of us getting to every shot possible but I kept my focus together to bring me to a 2-0 lead.

Natalie would not give anything anyway in the third when she played some winning shots to level the game to 7-7. The last few points were crucial and I made a point to go for it. I’m pleased to win 3-0 against Natalie because both of us will keep on going right till the last point.

I battle Jenny Duncalf in the finals tomorrow, so keep on the look out.

Quarters with Alison Waters

Nicol David — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 16:23:00 +0000

After some entertaining matches earlier in the other half of the draw, it was my match up with Alison and the match kept the spectators on the edge of their seats again. It was a close one.

Alison playing consistently until 7 points while I was finding my footing on the court. Somehow I really didn’t want to let it go and I worked my heart out to equal the scores and eventually winning that game only just.

My legs were moving better in the second game and I felt that I was working her more this time. I got a good lead and took that game to make it 2-0.

In the third, I had a feeling that Alison will be coming back strong. She got ahead again but the rallies were long at the tail end of that game. I saw a glimpse of hope after winning one of our longest rallies of the evening at 10-7 down to take the match.

Watch out for more news tomorrow when I face Natalie Grinham in the semi finals.

My first time against Annie Au

Nicol David — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 14:07:00 +0000

The start of a brand new tournament and this time on a glass court outdoors with cameras roaming the court to get the best view of the matches. After a delightful opening ceremony, I was up after the first match was played.

The court was working my way as I played right into my game in the beginning. This happened the other way round when Annie used the court to her advantage playing winners from every space in the court to win the second game.

In the third set, I had to increase the intensity and kept her moving. She still played her shots but finally made her first error in the last game.

I’m very pleased to win this first round match against a left-handed player as I was expecting anything to happen while we were on court.

Next up is Alison Waters from England…

Annyeong haseyo from Seoul!

Nicol David — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 15:01:00 +0000

Nicol & Samantha, roomies in Seoul!

I’m back at Seoul for the 3rd year in a row. I’ve always liked how this city grows each time I come back. New buildings, discovering more massive shopping malls in parts of Seoul I haven’t been yet and trying out new Korean delicacies that are well tasty.

Coming into Seoul 4 days earlier has given me a bit more time to get into the swing of things plus venturing out more before the tournament just to explore what’s in store in this vibrant city.

The Best Western Hotel Kukdo has been happy to house us again for the second time and we instantly made ourselves at home to the familiar rooms. Being in the center of the city (that’s what I think) has made it easier for us players to get around, especially with their efficient subways and taxis available at every corner.

It’s shopping galore here and I think I’m going to take get into a frenzy tomorrow afternoon after my training with fellow Squash Star Samantha Teran on the glass court outside the I-Park Mall, Yongsan Station. Wonder what I’ll purchase this time.