Vanessa Stands Tall
Dec 11, 2004, by Colin McQuillan Reporting from Kuala Lumpur; SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2004;

Vanessa Atkinson Scores Landmark Victory  [draw]

Vanessa Atkinson Handcuffed World #4 Natalie Grinham photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert

Vanessa Atkinson enjoyed a dominating outing, photo © 2004 Fritz Borchert

ATKINSON DOMINATES NATALIE
Vanessa Atkinson, the likeable, intense redhead from The Hague, Netherlands, completed a long journey that began more than ten years ago in Doordrecht, Holland by winning the World Squash Championship today in Malaysia in emphatic fashion. It was a great moment for Vanessa, for the Dutch squash programs, and for her coach Liz Irving.

In so doing, Atkinson finally wrested the world championship away from the stranglehold on the title held firmly by Australia, England and New Zealand since the title was first awarded in 1979. No player outside those countries has ever won the title.

It took Vanessa Atkinson just 30 minutes today to secure the KL Women’s World Open Championship title with a powerful 9-1 9-1 9-5 thrashing of Australia’s Natalie Grinham from the all-glass showcourt of the Malaysian national Squash Centre in Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur. She had similarly dominated Natalie's sister Rachael in the semi finals.

“I love this court. I wish I could wrap it up and take it with me to every tournament,” the tall redheaded 28-year-old told SquashNow. “My head feels like cottonwool. I have no way of judging how I feel about becoming world champion. It is not something I ever really expected to happen.

“When people ask about ambitions and targets, it is easy to say you want to be world champion. Dealing with it actually happening is something else.”

The actual happing included successive pulverizing wins over the Grinham sisters who have move to the head of the international scene in recent times. The third seeded English born Dutch No1 needed just 23 minutes to deal with Rachael Grinham, the top seeded World No1 in their 9-0 9-2 9-2 semi-final and knew exactly how to handle the fourth seeded Natalie after Nicol David extended the second semi-final to five hard game over 88 minutes.

“Actually my game plan had nothing to do with the fact that Natalie would have to be tired,” Atkinson said. “You have to keep Natalie out of the front court to stop her attacking and you have to finish rallies cleanly to stop her using her speed against you.

“Last time we played she beat me in the semi-finals of the Dutch Open, so this is not a bad revenge. Given the choice at the time, I would probably have chosen the World Open title.”

Both players are based in Amsterdam. Ironically the huge improvement in Atkinson’s game this year owes much to the work she has done with Jan-Willem Koopman on core strengthening and leg speed and she was passed on to Koopman by Natalie’s boyfriend, Dutch No1 Tommy Berden.

The change has taken Atkinson into a series of finals through the year and brought her into direct confrontation with the Grinnhams. This is the first time she has beaten both the sisters in the same tournament.

It was plain from the outset of the final that it would take an extraordinary happening to stop her becoming the first Dutch world squash champion, although when Chris Clark, the Hong Kong based referee who was handling his last international match, ruled an obvious stroke situation in the top right corner as a mere let with Grinham leading 1-0, such a possibility loomed momentarily larger.

Clark began what has been a spectacular squash career through Ireland, England, Malaysia, Australia and Hong Kong back in the 1980s. He says his first refereeing job was a women’s final of the Malaysian Open back then, so going out on a Women’s World Open Final seemed suitable. Those who have watched him over the years welcomed the signature style of that first call.

Atkinson just smiled and accepted the mistake, allowing Grinham only two more serves as she carved her way to 9-1 in nine minutes.

She went to 8-0 in the second before allowing another serve against her, then closed that game out in just eight minutes. Her coverage of the court, turning in the center, reaching into the corners and recovering were all sublime. Her shots were strong, free swinging deliveries that sent the ball unerringly into the spaces and gaps that Grinham’s labouring rallying produced.

For a dozen rallies at the start of the fifth game, it seemed the game little Australian might find another well of energy, as she did at least twice in her marvelous semi-final against Nicol David. But, in fact, the points for her 4-0 and 5-1 lead only twice came from her own racket. The difference was errors from Atkinson as she looked at victory and tried to grab at it a bit too quickly.

“As soon as I got my patience back in place and began rallying properly, I got control of the match back again,” she explained.

Four unforced tinned errors and a tired leaning wave at a ball passing her on the forehand side showed just how tired Grinham was. She retrieved another point at 5-5 when one of her trademark backhand drops evaded Atkinson’s racket, then served again at 5-6 after a flashing backhand crosscourt drive died in the back corner. But that was it. Atkinson took her first World Open title finishing with a classic backhand volley drop shot and the skinniest of backhand boasts.

“I think the hardest part might have been knowing Jahangir Khan was watching from behind the court. It is a bit intimidating with him watching everything you do,” Atkinson admitted. “But this tournament went perfectly for me and I hope this is just the first of many world titles for me. Next I want World No1. Then I want the British Open. Then I want the grand Prix Finals. Then another World Open.

“And I want to do it all on this marvelous Malaysian court.”

Atkinson, a quiet and focused competitor on tour, is a welcome new figure on the podium for women's squash. It is absolutely crucial for the long term success of the women's tour to show that top performers can come from outside of the UK, Australia and New Zealand.

Atkinson, who is a total product of Dutch Squash, though her coaches have come from New Zealand (Rory Watt) and Australia (Liz Irving), brings a new dimension to world women's squash. And she is certain to spark strong publicity for squash within intensely sports-conscious Holland. And most important for the WISPA tour, she is a world champion early in her career who is likely to stay around the tour for some years to come.

Women's KL World Open Squash Championship
Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Final Result:
[3] Vanessa Atkinson bt [4] Natalie Grinham (Aus) 9-1 9-1 9-5 (34m)

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