Back in Chennai again to compete in the Asian Championships. This time it was a little different because I was playing for the Malaysian team. Quite a nice feeling and I fed off the energy the team had to offer.

The Malaysian Team

A lot of the other teams we met here at the Asians do not have the same luxury to play the PSA or WISPA tournaments like us Malaysians so it was great to see the excitement when they were competing in this event.

The tournament keeps on growing each time I compete—and everyone kept reminding me that I’ve played this tournament for 14 years already.  A little hint of how old I am now!

INDIVIDUALS

Day 1

I played Gu Jinyue from China in the first round, then Elise Ng from Hong Kong in the second round. Interesting seeing the Chinese involved in squash and with their background in Badminton, they applied themselves well. Elise put together some good rallies and I had to put the ball away from her control.

Day 2

Song Sun Mi from Korea was a determined player and kept working the ball nicely with some Badminton influences as well with the volleys. We had some long rallies and I kept my focus in the end of each game to win it 3-0.

Day 3

Dipika Pallikal was growing with confidence with the home crowd behind her and I knew I had to keep the pressure on. All throughout the match, I could feel her taking her chances when she could but I made sure in the last game to not let her in.

Day 4

Rebecca Chiu and I have been in the Asian finals so many times and this one seemed like how we always played. She took on the openings and most of her shots were winners. I tightened up my game a bit more and brought the pace up. A few errors from her and moments later, I regained my Asian title once again.

Speech with Major Maniam

Prize presentation

THE TEAM EVENT

Day 5 – Malaysia vs. Korea (1. Song Sun Mi, 2. Park Eun Ok, 3. Kim Ga Hye)

I rested today while the team played well to beat Korea 3-0. Delia won in a convincing manner in 3 games. Wee Wern was still getting into her rhythm in the first game but regained her form to win 3-1 and Sharon came through with a clean 3-0 win.

Day 6 – Malaysia vs. Japan (1. Misaki Kobayashi, 2. Miwa Maekawa, 3. Kozue Onizawa)

We fielded the full team to prepare for our cross over match. Delia started off with a solid display to win 3-0, I had a nice flow through my match winning in straight games and Wee Wern took it on for the team to finish it in 3.

Day 7 – Semi Finals: Malaysia vs. Hong Kong (1. Rebecca Chiu, 2. Annie Au, 3. Joey Chan)

Playing Hong Kong in the semis was a completely different situation for us. The Malaysian girls were set to give it their all. Wee Wern worked hard to get her first game. Joey started attacking more but Wee Wern went for the grind til the end but lost 3-1. My turn to get going and I was firing all the way through to win 3-0. Delia went on next and Annie was on the ball today. Delia kept pushing through and wanted it badly but Annie just managed to squeeze in the victory for the Hong Kong team.

Group photo with the Consular of Malaysia

A great experience for the team and a good display of their determination that will take them far.

The overall results having Mohd Azlan Iskandar win the Men’s title was a treat but Pakistan was better on the day of the finals in the team event and Malaysia took second place. Pakistan are tough competitors and fair play to our team who gave it their best.

Now I’m onto a good two months of training in Amsterdam to build up for next season starting from the Malaysian Open. See you there!!

In this week’s StarGazer Interview:
Natalie Grainger, USA

Meet our charismatic WISPA President!

STARGAZER : Hope you’re doing well now after some time away from the WISPA circuit to recover from the injury you had last year. Can you explain how the injury occured and how you are coping at the moment?
NATALIE : I played my last match in August last year at the New Zealand Open against Natalie Grinham in the finals. I had been suffering with what the doctors thought was plantar faciitis, but after New Zealand, I had an MRI and the tendon was torn. So I had a PRP injection in my heel, was put in a big boot for a month and I had to wait for it to heal. It took longer than expected, but I am now better and back on court enjoying my squash.

STARGAZER : How’s it like being back in the tournament scene?
NATALIE : A couple of weeks ago I played in my first tournament in 8 months at Cayman Islands. I lost to Isabel Stoehr in the last 16, she played very well. It was tough out there, and I was lacking match fitness, but I had one match ball, which I couldn’t convert! The match was hard, so I felt good about competing at that level again. I now have a few months before I look to compete in anything again, which will allow me some more time to get back up to speed.

STARGAZER : What is your toughest match so far in your career?
NATALIE : I have played many tough matches in my career, and they have been tough for different reasons. But one player in particular stands out for me, we always seemed to have battles—Carol Owens. She no longer plays on the tour, but we had huge matches in the semis of the Grand Prix finals, quarters of the British Open, finals of Qatar, finals of TOC, but the one that really stands out for me was in the semi finals of the World Open in Qatar 2002. Carol had just moved into the world #1 position for the first time in her career, she went 2/0 up and I managed to haul the match back to 2/2 and then won the 5th 10/8 to set up another one of the toughest matches of my career with Sarah Fitz-Gerald, who was looking for her 5th World Open title. She got it, but we played for 76 minutes, at a very high pace, neither one of us liked to slow things down all that much! She then decided to retire from the game, I was gutted; I’d placed a target on Sarah’s back and now there was no target!

STARGAZER : Apart from being a squash player, you’re also the President of WISPA. How do you manage this while you’re competing?
NATALIE : I tend to do quite a lot of work for WISPA in my role as President, and other things that I am involved in while I am on the road, as it is a part of my regular life. But I like to catch up with players and friends that I have come to know in my time on the tour and WISPA duties in different places. I also like to see something of a city that I am visiting!

STARGAZER : Can you give us some insights of your routine at a tournament.
NATALIE : Wake up, breakfast, work for a little, practice, shower, work a little more or go and do something, lunch, relax, visualize my game, nap for 30-45 mins, read, listen to music, knit (this is a new hobby I have just taken up!) pack my squash bag, check my grips and strings, start getting in the right mood to compete (excited and focused), make the bus to the courts/walk/taxi/subway whatever the best mode of transport is… dump my bag at the venue, go check on the other matches that are going on, check if things are running on time, then find a quiet place to chill before getting warmed up for my match. Dinner afterwards! Then sleep!

With Peer at the Starfish Great Hearts Foundation Centre, Ruta Sechaba (for kids who lost their parents to AIDS.)

Cage diving with the great whites in Gans Baai, South coast of South Africa.

STARGAZER FACT FILE:

Name : Natalie Grainger
Age : 32
Nationality : American (South African!)
Home State/Town/City : Manchester, UK
Current World Ranking : 12
Coach : Peter Briggs
Racquet : Harrow
Favorite Squash Player of All Time : Don’t have one.
Proudest Achievement : To have my parents and friends respect me.
Favorite Tournament : Cayman Islands, Qatar, US Open.
Favorite Food : Medium rare burger with gorgonzola cheese and ketchup, well done fries.
Favorite Holiday Destination : Going home to South Africa (Garden route coastline and safari!)
Favorite Color : Blue/Turquoise, Pink, Golds

Connect with Natalie on her Facebook Page!

It was a gorgeous setting with the glass court at Camana Bay this year. Everyone who came to watch last year at the South Sound Squash Club was excited that this tournament was raised up to a Gold event. Thanks to Dan Kneipp for making it worthwhile for everybody. Most of the world’s top 10 players were around and the buzz was on.

I was glad to be back here again to their lovely beaches and chilled out atmosphere. The moment I arrived on the island, I felt like I was on holiday. However, there was a lot of squash lined up and I was geared up to play outdoors at the new location.

Liz and I training at Camana Bay

Round 1

It was a new experience for me to play Jaclyn Hawkes this time around. Just before the start of our match, 4 friends of hers from New Zealand performed the ‘Haka’ while I stood there on court facing them—certainly a new form of warm up for me! I was flowing well for my first day on the glass court and Jaclyn was finding her way in the match. This gave me an opportunity to play my game to win 3-0.

Video: Nicol David faces the Haka in Cayman

Quarter Finals

I came out strongly in the first two games and Camille Serme kept the rallies in play really well. In the third game, both of us were trying to out position each other—there were some intense rallies. Towards the end, we had a monster rally that ended with a cross court drop from me to win the match in 3 games.

Semi Finals

Rachael Grinham was working the court well with some hard hitting shots while I kept to it with a similar pace in the first game. There was a mix of shots from the both of us and I could feel the crowd getting into the match just from their reactions after each rally. In the second and third games, I was moving and placing the ball much better. Rachael took the lead in the third game but I stuck in there to win in 3.

Finals

There was a moment in the match when all I could feel was the crowd closing in on the court—completely engrossed with the way we played. It was a clean game of squash with highly intense rallies. Jenny Duncalf was keeping steady in the first two games but at the end of each game, I played some winners that went my way to get the 2-0 lead. She made a couple of errors in the third game and I kept pushing through til the very end to win the match and title.

It was such a pleasure to play in the Cayman Islands in front of an enthusiastic crowd. I had a great tournament and look forward to joining the Malaysian team in Chennai for the Asian Championships next week.

At Stingray City after the tournament

]]> http://squashstars.com/my-caribbean-experience/feed/ 0 http://squashstars.com/cayman-islands-open/ http://squashstars.com/cayman-islands-open/#comments Tue, 13 Apr 2010 23:45:59 +0000 Alana Miller http://squashstars.com/cayman-islands-open/

Sometimes squash players are the luckiest in the world. Right now there is no doubt that the WISPA women playing in the Cayman Islands Open 2010 are fortunate to be enjoying the island life and Caribbean hospitality. We have been taking in all the activities around the sea and loving our time here.

Me and the girls, out in the sun, at Cayman Islands.

This morning I snorkelled with six of the players at a club member’s dive centre in the heart of Cayman. I enjoyed seeing colourful fishes and sea life and relating them to the characters of the movie Finding Nemo. Since I’m new to snorkelling my mind was carried away with the gorgeous sea life and then sent into a panic either because I couldn’t see the shoreline or because suddenly a wave of salt water entered my breathing piece. Overall the experience was a positive one but I am not ready to go scuba diving yet.

In addition to enjoying the creatures of the sea, we have spent time on the beach. At any one point during the day you will find at least a half dozen players sunning themselves on the sand. Sam Cornett and Miranda Ranieri, the other Canadians in the draw, maximized their time on the beach and on their over sized floating bicycle and almost missed their flights off the island.

We do play squash here too. I won my first round of qualifying in three games over Siyoli Waters of South Africa then lost to Wee Wern of Malaysia. Since I am just coming off a hip injury I am pleased with my result. My flight back to Winnipeg is tomorrow. I am reluctant to leave the island but keen to get back to training for my upcoming events.
Cheers from way down south!

Follow Alana on her Facebook FanPage, here!

In this week’s StarGazer Interview:
Alana Miller, Canada

Alana Miller, Squash Stars Ambassador & Canada's top female player.

STARGAZER : How was training, building up to your first tournament?
ALANA : My training was great, leading up to the Greenwich Open, and the Burning River in Cleveland. In the past I usually take ten days away from squash around Christmas but this year I chose to continue to train through the holidays so that I would feel strong, fit and confident for my tournaments in January. In the Greenwich Open I played well and fought hard in the second round of qualifying before going down to Aisling Blake in five games. Unfortunately in the next days, when taking advantage of the many training partners in Greenwich, I strained my piriformis muscle—a muscle around my butt. A few days later, I travelled to Cleveland with the intention of competing but pulled out once my strain was diagnosed by a doctor.

Although I was disappointed to miss one of the best tournaments on the calendar, my decision to pass on the competition was a good one because I was able to be home to receive treatment. My athletic therapist is a miracle worker when it comes to healing injuries because with only two and a half weeks of massage and electric therapy, I was ready to compete in the Dayton Open. I would have liked more match play before the tournament but I played well to push Kasey Brown to four close games in the quarter final.

Now I have a few weeks left to train before my next tournament and I am working on my speed to the front of the court.

STARGAZER : Did you enjoy the event?
ALANA : My first event of 2010 was the Harrow Greenwich Open and I loved the event. I was billeted with a great family who took great care of me. And once the tournament was over, a few players and I spent a night in New York City where I saw my first Broadway show—Memphis, and enjoyed a delicious Italian dinner.

STARGAZER : Are your matches getting more competitive at the moment amongst your peers?
ALANA : Yes my matches are getting more competitive. I feel like the level on the WISPA tour is improving and more players are playing at a high level. The matches are closer and longer. Personally, I feeling like I am closing in on players ranked higher than me but am being pushed by those ranked below me. The competitive matches make the tournaments interesting as the seeded players are not always coming out on top.

STARGAZER : What was your toughest match so far in your career?
ALANA : I have had many tough matches but the toughest match I have ever played was at the Canadian Nationals in 2004. I played Runa Reta in the final and since we grew up playing juniors together, we had a well established rivalry. This match was the first final for both of us at the senior level so we battled nerves and each other on the court. I pushed my hardest mentally and physically that day. I realized after that match, the tough training that was needed to compete at the senior level.

2004 Canadian Champions Graham Ryding ( Men's Champion) Peter Ward (President Squash Canada) and Alana Miller (Women's Champion)

STARGAZER : Can you give us some insights of your routine at a tournament.
ALANA : My routine at tournaments varies slightly but generally on match day, it involves a morning practice, a long stretch, an afternoon of relaxing and then an evening match. In the afternoon I like to sleep or read or socialize.

STARGAZER : Any new year’s resolution?
ALANA : Yes, always a new year’s resolution. In 2010, I vow to book my flights early to take advantage of the advanced booking prices.

STARGAZER FACT FILE:

Name : Alana Martha Miller
Age : 29
Nationality : Canadian
Home State/Town/City : Winnipeg, MB
Current World Ranking : 38
Coach : Trevor Borland
Racquet : Black Knight
Favorite Squash Player of All Time : Nicol David because of her outstanding skill and grace on court and for her modesty off court.
Proudest Achievement : Winning a gold medal in the team event at the 2007 Pan Am Games.
Favorite Tournament : I have many but I love the tournaments when I am billeted with a lovely family with kids who are excited about squash. In terms of location, I love warm weather. I am looking forward to going to Texas and Cayman Islands.
Favorite Food : Chocolate
Favorite Holiday Destination : Florida
Favorite Color : Pink

Follow Alana on her Facebook FanPage, here!

Time flies when you’re having fun with squash. It felt like I was at the Berjaya Times Square playing the K.L. Open only a few months ago but it’s been a year already. Lessons learned since my last encounter here in this venue and I was certainly looking to go for it this time around.

All who have followed the live chats during the tournament must have had a clear idea of what was going on throughout the week but this is just me giving a little insight from inside the court.

Round 1

Started at Bukit Jalil with Jaclyn Hawkes on the side courts after Delia Arnold and Alison Waters’ monster match. Both of us were eager to get going, working the rallies mostly to the back. Neither of us wanting to step away from the middle of the court and were trying to move each other out of position. The first two games were close throughout but I stepped up a little more in the third and got more control on the ball to win the match.

Quarter Finals

After my win in Chennai against Kasey Brown, I knew she wasn’t going to let up this time. She imposed her game right from the word “go”. We kept to every rally with high pace hitting and the first two games went into tie breakers. I managed to stay with her til I won those games. By the third game, I gave it another big push and she made a few mistakes from some outstretched positions, which got me a lead and a win.

Semi Finals

I knew Alison Waters had two 5 setters before this match but there’s no stopping her when she’s on a roll. That made me more aware to get my act together during this match. Each rally was tough but it worked out well for me as the intensity increased constantly. My movements and shots were in sync and I was very pleased with the outcome of the match, beating her in straight games.

Finals

This match up with Omneya Abdel Kawy is the second time we’ve met in the finals since the Hong Kong Open. She is up for anything and I was gunning for it too. The crowd was roaring more than I’ve ever imagined it. She didn’t quite get into her game and went for a couple of shots that hit the tin. I took the advantage and got through the first two games, keeping a steady game plan. In the third game she may have relaxed and went for more shots especially when I was 10-7 match ball up. She had nothing to lose and managed to equal it 10-10. The next couple of rallies were intense and a very late call from the referees against her got me to another match ball position. The last rally, I made a final drive down the line to win the title.

Overjoyed by my second title of the year and winning this K.L. Open title back has a special feeling to top it all. Thank you for following us at SquashStars’ live chat sessions throughout the tournament and for supporting me always!

Next up, Manchester Invitational Doubles at the end of the month partnering Ong Beng Hee in the Mixed Doubles in preparation for the Commonwealth Games. Should be a sight to see!

Nicol & Omneya at the prize giving ceremony.

The SquashStars.com crew will be blogging live from the quarterfinals of the KL Open from Berjaya Times Square, tomorrow! Click on the box below for the live commentary and score updates. Guest panelist will include Ronald Fauvel, Coach Liz and many more.

Quarterfinals Line up:

1. *Nicol David (MAS) (1) vs. Kasey Brown (AUS) (8)

2. *Samantha Teran (MEX) vs. Alison Waters (ENG) (3)

3. Madeline Perry (IRL) (5) vs. Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) (4)

4. Laura Massaro (ENG) (6) vs. Jenny Duncalf (ENG) (2)

*Squash Stars Ambassadors

Nicol the artist!

The SquashStars team was invited to an exclusive party at Equatorial Hotel, Kuala Lumpur last night for the unveiling of Nicol David’s personal website. Among those present were her coach Liz Irving, Squash Stars Samantha Teran and Aisling Blake and English player Lauren Briggs. Other familiar faces included the team from Malaysian Squash; Ronald Fauvel, Allan & Aaron Soyza and Low Wee Wern.

In her small speech and presentation to a group of 15 close friends and sponsors, Nicol excitedly spoke about how she collaborated with a designer friend in Amsterdam to create her long awaited website. It was definitely a proud moment for Nicol as she spoke about the different design elements incorporated and how she personally drew each and every one of the icons seen on her newly launched website.

Nicol also shared on her site, how she made it to become who she is today by breaking it down to 5 elements. In her own words, “A squash player is made up of different qualities. Power, Skill, Creativity, Mental Toughness, Drive and Passion. Some of us have a favourite but my aim is to bring everything to be at the same level with my Passion. This site will allow me to share with everyone what makes me a squash player and more…”

Everyone present were utterly impressed by the amazing photographs of Nicol taken by Amsterdam-based designer, Kris Franks. Nicol regaled how they waited for the light to stream into Kris’ apartment window for the photo shoot. What was even more impressive was the fact that Kris didn’t need to use a tripod to capture those amazing shots! Talk about steady hands!

Congratulations, Nicol—for adding another notch to your list of talents and achievements! We’re mighty proud of you and we hope to see more of your design work to come!

Click on the snapshot of Nicol’s web below to find out more about the queen of squash, in her own words!

Nicol sporting a cute jacket and black top, proudly displaying her work of art.

nicoldavid.com

The start of the tournament season finally arrived for me!

It was good to see familiar faces and to be back in the competitive scene at my very first tournament of the year. Everyone was ready to step on court to get the ball rolling in the new tournament addition to the WISPA calendar.

The squash players were put up at the Courtyard Marriott Hotel where we were treated like royalty the moment we set foot in the hotel. Their staff greeted us with such warmth and looked after our every need—you can truly sense their genuine hospitality.

The tournament was held at the Indian Squash Academy by the Squash Rackets Federation of India. The academy boasts their very own 4-glass-wall show court and 7 courts with moveable walls to convert into doubles courts. A very impressive venue and a striving squash academy.

The Malaysian team and Sam at the Indian Squash Academy

Here are my personal reflections on all the games I played at the Chennai Open:

Round 1 Playing Dipika Pallikal from India in Chennai on the show court was an attraction for the local supporters coming to cheer for their local hero. The crowd was getting into the match and Dipika was stepping up her game right through. I stayed with my game plan and kept it going at my own pace. She gave her best performance and I had to work to win the match 3-0.

Quarter Finals After training with Samantha Teran in Amsterdam before this tournament, I was drawn to meet her here in the quarter finals. There were moments at the end of the first and third game where the scores were close between us but I made sure to focus well at the crucial points. She made a few errors and I clinched victory in the end.

Semi Finals I had to play Kasey Brown in the semis. It was her first time stepping onto the glass court while I had 2 matches here already. I felt more comfortable with the conditions and started off strong from the start of the match. She was still working her way into the match and I wanted to keep the intensity going. My movements worked well and a few unforced errors on her part gave me a good run throughout the match.

Finals  It’s another match up against Jenny Duncalf but this time, in the finals. I was glad to be in the finals and gave it my best shot. There were some solid rallies and both of us were trying to put the ball away at every opportunity possible. Some of Jenny’s shots just missed and hit the tin. At times I took my chances and it went my way. I was pleased with my focus and performance overall.

Most of the Malaysian squash players were still around supporting Ong Beng Hee and I when we won our individual titles. It was a nice ending to the Chennai Open.

Looking forward to the KL Open now… it’s good to be home.

My first Chennai Open Trophy

Click here to join Nicol’s Facebook Fanpage, now!

The crowd filling up the hall

This is my first experience at an F1 event and the best part of it is that it’s being launched by our very own Malaysian Entrepreneur Dato’ Sri Tony Fernandes for this year’s first ever Malaysian/British team for the F1 circuit. I took a trip to London from Amsterdam to witness this extraordinary event, which was history in the making.

At London’s Royal Horticultural Hall, the crowd was anxiously waiting to step into the hall. The technical people of the event were doing some tests to make sure everything ran smoothly. As we got in, the buzz got more intense. One last test run with the lighting for 200 global media crew to get their settings ready for the unveiling.

Dato’ Sri Tony began by addressing the key people that played a big role in the making of the F1 Lotus team and how it all began.

The F1 Lotus Team

The complete team made up of 3 drivers, their chief technical officer and partners were present on stage for the unveiling of the brand new F1 Lotus car. Each one was given some time to share their thoughts with everyone present at the event.

Dato’ Sri Tony then treated his staff who had worked hard to achieve this fantastic accolade by continuing the celebrations with other family members and friends.

A spectacular event headed by a truly driven Malaysian entrepreneur and I feel very privileged  to be part of it all. Cheers to an exciting journey for team Lotus Malaysia in 2010!

At the Launch