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!!

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/turning-back-time-at-berjaya-times-square-kl/ http://squashstars.com/turning-back-time-at-berjaya-times-square-kl/#comments Tue, 23 Mar 2010 02:28:19 +0000 Nicol David http://squashstars.com/?p=1715

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 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

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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

Vicki Cardwell and me at Westerfolds

It’s 2010 and I’m here in Melbourne having a fantastic summer of training and experiencing the happenings in Melbourne city. As you know this is the best time of the year to be here and what better way to spend it than training with former World Champions who happen to live here!

First week—I was training with former World Champion and 4-time British Open Champion, Vicki Cardwell at her club in Westerfolds. Her son Josh and daughter Sarah are in the squash circuit and I had a chance to get on court with Josh while training with other players working with her. She shared a lot of her experience while she was competing and it was great that she was willing to work with me.

Sarah Fitz-Gerald and me at the Kooyong Classic Tennis

After a week with Vicki, I was back in MSAC and Moorabbin following up my training with Sarah Fitz-Gerald, 5-time World Champion and 2-time British Open Champion. This is my fourth summer in Melbourne now and Sarah is always so welcoming. We’ve been working together with another squash player from South Africa, Cheyna Tucker while training with the group of players Sarah gets together for us. I always look forward to her experience—it’s a treat to be on the same court as her.

While I’m mainly here for Squash, another great part of being here in the summer would have to be the tennis events! Sarah was invited to a President’s Lunch at the Kooyong Club while the Kooyong Classic tennis tournament was going on and another squash friend of hers got tickets for us to watch the Australian Open tennis. We saw nearly all the top players at Kooyong and witnessed Rafael Nadal doing the opening match for the evening at the Rod Laver Arena. We had another squash friend of ours who plays a major role in the World Squash Federation and a loyal Hong Kong squash representative, Heather Deayton, join us to enjoy the tennis action at the Australian Open. The atmosphere is awesome that is why I always try my best to go every year.

Sarah, Cheyna and me at the Kooyong Club

Heather, Sarah, Cheyna and me at the Rod Laver Arena

As summer flew by, I met a lot of new people, took comfort with familiar faces and came across plenty of activities—all lined up to keep this city vibrant during the summer. I am looking forward to more training that is come during my stay here til the end of the month.

G’day to all from Down Under!

It’s been a year full of excitement for 2009 and the best part is that there will be plenty more in store in 2010. Just before I say farewell to 2009, here’s my fond memories of this year …

- My first time to the Cayman Islands was like being in paradise and to win the title there in front of such an enthusiastic crowd was a treat.

- After a while not being back to Texas, I finally made it back there to see more familiar faces I missed and also winning the title in Plano for the first time.

- Touring around Switzerland and Rome with the WISPA crew to do a WISPA promotional squash tour leading up to the Squash 2016 Bid.

- Was honoured a place out of 6 to represent the WSF team doing the presentation for the Squash 2016 Bid in front of the Executive Board of the IOC in Lausanne. The most nerve wrecking moment of my life but truly a memorable experience.

- Experiencing the World Games in Taiwan with the various other multi sport games involved all gunning to win a medal for their country.

- My sister’s wedding in Penang after the Malaysian Open and before the Singapore Open was such a joy to be part of and to witness everyone enjoying the  celebrations.

- The World Open win in Amsterdam in front of my second home crowd and with my parents around was just another dream come true.

- Having a court named after me in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur was something I couldn’t comprehend especially at the time. I was so overwhelmed!

- Snowing during the festivities and experiencing a Christmas celebration by the woodfire in the UK gives a warm tingly feeling all over.

And last but not least my sister’s English wedding with her family in law and friends here at their house. It’s New Year’s Eve and it’s going to be a lovely get together with close friends, family and everyone who are gearing up for 2010!

Cheers to all and thank you once again for your support always!!

My coach, Liz and I at the Brooklyn Museam

As the tournament began, my focus was fully on the tournament ahead at Brooklyn Heights. Brooklyn is a nice quaint neighbourhood where everybody seems to know your name and starts greeting you as you walk along the streets. You feel at home straight away and the best part about this tournament is the players were home-stayed throughout the week. I was lucky that the Mendez family was looking after Annelize and myself—treating us like royalty and feeding us well too. Now, we’re set to go…

Opening act—Round 1 with Emma
Played Emma Beddoes for the first time and was keeping a great momentum throughout the match. She played a long match with Squash Stars Line from Denmark the night before so that may have given me more chances to play my game and win it in straight sets.

Quarter Finals against Vanessa
Vanessa Atkinson and I have had past experiences playing each other so there was a good chance it was going to be a close match. She moved the ball well while I tried to step up my game with her. In the third game, she was leading 10-8 but I wasn’t going to let that game go. Off the return of serve at 10-10, I hit a forehand drop shot that rolled out of the nick. I took advantage of the lead and won 12-10 to win the match.

Semi Finals and it’s Jenny
It’s Jenny Duncalf in my third tournament in a row and she was geared up for it. Firing everything from the very start till the end without any mistakes. I was working the court but any slight opportunity that presented to her, she took it. That day was her day and some unforced errors from me didn’t help get me out of the situation. Just one of those days losing 3-0. I will take this experience and move forward now.

It sure was a worthwhile trip being in a city like New York where there’s plenty to do. One can only wish there was more time to discover the city better. This gives me a good excuse to come back here again so I can do better in this tournament next time round.

Next week: Off to Doha for the Qatar Classic!

It sure has been an interesting weekend for me here in New York City. I flew in the day before Halloween and the family I’m staying with in Brooklyn Heights while I compete at the Carol Weymuller Open had saved me a pumpkin to carve on Halloween morning. Their family have made it a tradition and it was lovely of them to include me in their pumpkin carving ritual. I think the pumpkins came out nicely. What do you think?

Can you guess which one I carved! Clue: Witches brew!

The next highlight of my weekend was the New York City Marathon on Sunday. A good group of us which included fellow Squash Star Annelize Naude, my coach Liz and some other friends were cheering on our friends who were running that day. It was fantastic because I got great complimentary tickets from Asics (Thanks, Asics!) and got to be right at the finishing line of the marathon! It was amazing to see everyone who were involved in the marathon giving their heart and soul to cross the finishing line. We had a fantastic view of the runners whizzing by Central Park and got to witness first hand the buzz and the emotions that filled the air as the runners were greeted by their families and friends at the finishing line.

At the finishing line!

Next up! To the United Nations HQ! The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) of Malaysia got in contact with the Headquarters of UNDP in New York City and arranged for me to meet the UNDP’s Spokesperson and Senior Adviser of the Communications Office at the UN Plaza across the impressive UN Building! I’m glad I was given this opportunity to meet the spokesperson, it definitely gave me an insight of their future plans for my position.

The UN Building!

Apart from all those major events, I managed to squeeze in a little sightseeing, sampled some great food, and window shopped too. I am just loving the vibe of what this city has to offer. Still, there’s more in store and that is the tournament that is coming up tomorrow (Thursday)! So for now, it’s back to squash!

The city of Hong Kong brings such nostalgic feelings every time I come back. Winning my first World Open title in 2005 is still vivid in my mind. Now, 4 years later , Hong Kong becomes the highlight again for the Men’s and Women’s squash calendar.

A little insight of what went on during the week :

Round 1

My first meeting was with a fellow Squash Stars Ambassador from Denmark—Line Hansen and she really played out of her skin that day. Every shot she went for came in. I knew at times when she was leading, I had to keep my composure and play the big points well. That’s how I managed a 3-0 win.

Round 2

After playing Rebecca Chiu in nearly every Hong Kong Open, I think she was expecting to bring her game up for her home crowd that day. I sensed she was about to give it a big push with the local supporters cheering her on but I had to make sure I kept my game together. Everything worked well for me as I got a better feel of the court after my first round.

Quarter Final

Another meeting with Jenny Duncalf in the Quarters and this time you could see she wanted it badly. She had some amazing shots coming in the first few rallies, then she kept wanting to do more. The pace was fast and the ball kept coming back so I used my time better on the ball to place my shots well throughout the match. Some unforced errors from her gave me some leverage but in the third she pushed hard to keep it a close one.

Semi Final

Just fresh from beating Alison Waters 3-2 the day before, Laura Massaro was on the glass court with me at the Plaza Hollywood to start the semis day off live on TVB Pearl Hong Kong. The atmosphere was buzzing with enthusiastic squash fans and curious shoppers who stopped to watch the game. It felt like being back in Malaysia, playing at the Curve or Berjaya Times Square. Laura got off to a good start as I was still trying to get going on the glass court. There was a moment in the first game where I found my movement and feel of the ball all at the same time and took it on immediately. Despite me winning the first 2 games, Laura never gave up and was leading 10-9 game ball in the third. It leveled to 10-10 after the ball was lost in between the seats outside the court and we had to change to a new ball. An odd bounce from my shot and 2 long rallies later, I got the match.

Final

The last match of the tournament and I’m up against Omneya Abdel Kawy who beat Rachael Grinham 3-0 in the other semis. Omneya came out with everything she had and threw shots like no other squash player can. She’s a natural talent and I had to be ready for unexpected shots coming from this shot maker. My game and focus were at its’ peak and I could hardly remember my whole match. I went onto the court just keeping that ball going and the pace was fast! If I had lost my focus off the ball, it would have sped past me in the blink of an eye. Great match from the two of us and definitely more to come.

It’s hard to believe that it’s been 5 years since winning here at the Worlds and to win this Hong Kong Open title 4 times in a row, I must say that this city has something special that keeps me going… I think it’s the food and the shopping too!

Cheers to everyone who’s been following the updates. See you back here again from Brooklyn Heights, New York for the Carol Weymuller Open come early November.