Today’s gold medal matches produced a few surprises, but none as big as the unexpected stellar performance displayed by Hong Kong’s surprise gold medallist Rebecca Chiu.

Hong Kong is not favored to win gold in any of the Asian Games events, although with a spot in today’s final Rebecca Chiu must have figured she had a chance. She played the game of her life. The experts were not giving Chiu much of a chance against the supremely talented Nicol David.

David had steam rolled the opposition this week, and showed no signs that she was ready to slow up going into today’s final. But Chiu, quite familiar with the slow playing Hong Kong Open all-glass court, volleyed well and played precision volley drop clingers that David only barely got to. That being said, Nicol was not playing her “A” game today. “I got a bit sloppy at the important stages in each game, and that’s what cost me the match.”

David committed unforced errors at 7-7 in the first and third games. After saving four match balls, David was not able to pick up a Chiu clinging drop, sending the 50-person-strong Hong Kong cheering section into a thunderous celebration as they quickly gathered round Hong Kong’s new hero.

This was the first significant loss ever suffered by David in Asian events since winning the Asian Junior Championships' title twice, the senior title three times and the Asian Games gold medal in 1998.

David, the 19-year-old world No19 from Penang who put her name in the world squash record books last year when she became the first player to claim the world junior title for a second time, was competing in Busan for the first
time since claiming a silver medal in the Mixed Doubles in the Commonwealth
Games in England in August.

Chiu's win, reversing the result of the 1998 Asian Games final, was her first
over David in four meetings this year, and revenge for two further losses in
Asian Championships' finals.

Ong Beng Hee (Malaysia) beat two Zamans in 24 hours to take Asian Games Gold. (photo © 2002, Gerry Gibson for SquashTalk)

Just prior to today’s match, Ong Beng Hee commented that he considered himself lucky to be going for gold after his close call against Shahid Zaman yesterday. Maybe that’s why he spent about 40 minutes on court with coach Jamshed GulI prior to the women’s final. Today, luck didn’t figure into the equation, as he convincingly tore apart a visibly frustrated Monsoor Zaman by scores of 9-0, 9-7, and 9-0, earning him the Asian Games gold that he failed to bring home four years earlier. The final was a similar storyline to their most recent encounter at this year’s Hong Kong Open. It was obvious from the get-go that Zaman was not comfortable on the slow all-glass court. Unlike compatriot and cousin Shahid, Monsoor was unable to apply any measure of pressure to Beng Hee. Beng Hee was at the ready each time Zaman sent him forward, countering Zaman’s readable drops with counter cross-court flicks to win points outright. There was a glimmer of hope for Zaman with the scored tied at 7-7 in the second, but Beng Hee was all over anything that Zaman played short. Ong was not to be denied on this day.

Asian Games, Squash Singles Finals:
Womens:
Rebecca Chiu 3 Nicol David 0; 9-7, 9-5, 9-7
Mens: Ong Beng Hee 3 Monsoor Zaman 0; 9-0, 9-7, 9-0

Final MEDAL Results
Men
Gold Ong Beng Hee (Malaysia)
Silver Monsoor Zaman (Pakistan)
Bronze Mohammed Azlan Iksander (Malaysia)
Shahid Zaman (Pakistan)
Women
Gold Rebecca Chiu (Hong Kong)
Silver Nicol David (Malaysia)
Bronze Lee Hae Kyung (Korea)
Sharon Wee (Malaysia)