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1999 EVENT
History

Kawy, David charge into final confrontation

Martin Bronstein, Squashtalk reporter on the scene in Penang's Squash Centre.
[also: Pool Draws]

All content © 2001 Squashtalk

by Martin Bronstein, Penang, 20 July 2001
All content © 2001 Squashtalk. Photos © 2001 : Ho Kah Yeow for SquashTalk

OMNEYA AND NICOL PROVE THEIR CLASS VERY VERY SHORT AND NOT VERY SWEET.
I have no objection to short squash games if both players are playing brilliantly. This was not the case in either of the semi-finals, both of which ended in easy 3/0 victories and in which the longest game lasted eight minutes. Omney Abdel Kawy was her usual untroubled brilliant self in beating Tricia Chuah, Malaysia's number two, and Nicol David was her usual invulnerable self in almost destroying England's Jenny Duncalf in 18 ½ minutes of actual playing time.

FIND THE COURT
The semis were played in the National Sporting Arena , a cavernous 20,000 seater with enough flooring for 30 glass courts. So one looks pretty lost and despite the half decent crowd of Malaysians hoping to see both of their player go through to create an-all Malaysian final, it was very hard to get any semblance of atmosphere.

DON'T BLINK OR YOU'LL MISS A GAME
Chuah started well going to a 3-0 lead and then Kawy started to hit the ball. Sometimes with full swing, sometimes with a snap and sometimes with the merest flick of her wrist. In two hands she was home 9-3, the whole process having taken six minutes.

You have to keep reminding yourself that Omneya is still just 15 years old because she plays with the aplomb and confidence of a veteran. There were no nerves and despite the experts and their dire prognostication about her knock knees, she moves pretty well. There was hardly a time that Chuah's short stuff caught Kawy out. But there were about 27 times that Kawy's array of shots (coupled with her remarkable squash brain) left Chuah standing, helpless.

Chuah settled down in the second and, with the help of some winning boasts and a couple of strokes, she led 5-2. (There were seven strokes in this game: at the manager's meeting last night there was a consensus that too many strokes and easy lets were being awarded. This somehow had not filtered down to the referees). Omneya started her comeback with a delayed backhand boast followed by a low drive and then a Chuah error and they were level.

Chuah got service back on a Kawy error and went to a 7-5 lead when the service changed hands three times. Kawy got the serve on a stroke, got to 6-7 on backhand drop and then another stroke and she was level again. Chuah served for the game but lost out at the front left corner. She had made this mistake time and again, a cross court drop into that left corner and there was Kawy with the softest of counterdrops to take the point. Kaway levelled and then took the game 10-8. There had been 30 rallies in the game which had last eight minutes. About 16 second a rally.

The third game was an embarrassment; 4 1/2 minutes in length with Chuah at one point losing the flight of the ball - she had no idea where it had gone. She was dominated by that Kawy racket and wanted to go home, which she did as soon as possible after losing it 9-1. Kawy yesterday would not tell me her secret game plan for her match today. Now she did: "I had to take her to the front of the court, where her replies are not good and then I would use my skills to kill the ball," she said. Which was a pretty good summation of the facts. "I prefer the glass courts, when I put the ball into the nick they stay there," she said, as she left to get tomorrow's secret plan from her coaches, one of whom is Ahmed Tahir, the former pro player. That should be interesting…

DUNCALF NICOL'D AND TIMED
I felt even sorrier for Jenny Duncalf than I did Chuah. She was still loose in her shots and overwhelmed by playing on a glass court. She hit the ball out of court at least ten times - to a point of embarrassment. Nicol David was totally focussed and simply cut the English girl to bits: 9-1 in the first game in under five minutes, 9-1 in the second in four minutes and 20 seconds and 9-3 in the final game in just over six minutes. In truth this was a senior player against a junior and Duncalf could not handle the speed the pace or the tactics.

A TOP 16 PLAYER
David Campion, the England manager was full of praise for David. "Nicol is playing to world top sixteen standard. In fact any player in the WISPA top ten will find her a tough opponent. Jenny struggled with the pace and she struggled with the court. Juniors don't play on glass courts that often and she only had 45 minutes on it this morning. She wasn't seeing the ball and Nicol was playing too fast for Jenny who could not extend Nicol," he said.

"David's shot selection is unbelievable - at 17 years old she's incredible. Every champion has to have that little something special in their head, and Nicol's got it. If she plays like that in the final tomorrow, Omneya will not be able to stop her."

SEMI-FINALS RESULTS
Nicol David (Mal) bt Jenny Duncalf (Eng) 9-1, 9-1, 9-3.
Omneya abdel Kawy (Egy) bt Tricia Chuah (Mal) 9-3, 10-8 , 9-1.

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