(updated 20-mar-10 13:43 )  

Top Seeds Triumph In KL Open

Top seeds Nicol David and Ramy Ashour triumphed in today's (Saturday) final of the CIMB KL Open, beating their opponents in straight games in the finals on an all-glass court at Berjaya Times Square in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur.

It was a sensational sixth title for national heroine Nicol David, and a successful return to the winner's podium after the world number one's shock defeat in the women's final last year.

David, celebrating her tenth appearance in the KL Open final since her making her first in 1999 as a 15-year-old, was in control from the outset, beating her career-long Egyptian rival Omneya Abdel Kawy 11-4, 11-2, 13-11 in 31 minutes.

Abdel Kawy, the fourth seed from Cairo, reached the final of the $53,500 WISPA World Tour Gold event against expectations after upsetting England's No2 seed Jenny Duncalf in the semi-finals.

The final of the men's $50,000 5-star PSA World Tour event was an all-Egyptian affair between Ashour, the world number one, and his Cairo compatriot Karim Darwish, the second seed.

Ashour, boasting his sixth final appearance in his last seven PSA Tour outings since November, became the first Egyptian to win the title since 2007 after beating the world No5 in three close games, 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 in 41 minutes.

The win takes 22-year-old Ashour's collection of PSA Tour titles to 15 – and is sure to strengthen his grip on the top position in the Dunlop PSA world rankings.

RESULTS:         CIMB KL Open Squash Championships, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Men's final:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [2] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-8, 11-8, 11-9 (41m)

Women's final:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [4] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY) 11-4, 11-2, 13-11 (31m)