Nicol David: Ready for Prime Time
June 6 2005, by SquashTalk
Squashtalk Independent News; © 2005 SquashTalk LLC

[Women's Draw] [Mens Draw]
NICOL DAVID COMES FROM BEHIND TO CLAIM A SIGNFICANT WIN
Final Reports Mamut Dutch Open Squash 2005

Bradley Ball wins Men's Title over Italy's Bianchetti

Malaysia's Nicol David and England's Bradley Ball survived two dramatic five-game finals of the Mamut Dutch Open Squash Championships to lift the women's and men's titles, respectively, in Almere.

It was a very significant week for Asian superstar Nicol David, who not only won in a field crowded with four of the top six women but also at the beginning of the week reached a career-high No3 world ranking announced by WISPA on Jun3 1st. David's #3 ranking has been hailed in her home country's sports press hyperbole as "the best ever position by a Malaysian sportsperson".

Perhaps more significant than the press's exuberance is David's impressive wins over Vanessa Atkinson and Linda Elriani in succession. These wins set up an intriguing battle for world number one over the fall WISPA season, where Rachael Grinham, who is looking very vulnerable at times, will need to defend against Vanessa Atkinson, who has proved she can consistently beat Grinham, her sister Natalie, who also has scored several wins over her sister, and Nicol David, who is beginning to reach the promise that was attributed to her play after her total dominance of the world junior ranks several seasons ago.

Clearly motivated to show her stuff in her adopted training ground of the Netherlands, third seed David trounced local heroine Vanessa Atkinson, the top seed and world champion from The Hague, in the semi-finals to make a statement to the Dutch redhead's hold on the world number two ranking.

However, in the final against fourth seed Linda Elriani - the British national champion from England who pulled off an upset over Australian title-holder Natalie Grinham in the other semi-final - David fell two games behind as the experienced 33-year-old world No6 from Eastbourne took control.

But in the third game, the 21-year-old from Penang began to make her mark, taking the ball earlier as Elriani started to show signs of fatigue. The Netherlands-based Malaysian took the game and dictated the pace in the fourth to force the match into a fifth-game decider.

Elriani threw everything she could into the final game, but the petite Asian raced away from 3-3 to clinch the match, and the title, 4-9 2-9 9-3 9-3 9-3. It was David's third WISPA World Tour title of the year, and the sixth of her career.

The men's final also featured a player buoyed by a career-best world ranking in the latest list: Top seed Bradley Ball rose to a career-high 24 in the June Dunlop PSA list and was eager to claim his first title of the year. His opponent Davide Bianchetti, the fourth seed from Italy, took the opening advantage, winning the first game after 25 minutes.

It was only seven minutes later, however, that Ball evened the score - but in the topsy-turvy encounter, it was the Italian who won the third game and looked likely to go on to win the title.

However, Ball is known for never giving up and fought his way back into the match by winning the fourth game. The 28-year-old from Ipswich in Suffolk maintained his momentum in the decider to register a 9-11 11-1 5-11 11-6 11-6 victory and claim his first Dutch Open crown, and the 11th PSA title of his career.

RESULTS: Mamut Dutch Open Squash Championships, Almere, Netherlands

Men's final:
[1] Bradley Ball (ENG) bt [4] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) 9-11, 11-1, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6

Women's final:
[3] Nicol David (MAS) bt [4] Linda Elriani (ENG) 4-9, 2-9, 9-3, 9-3, 9-3

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