M'sia Squash Queen Nicol Wins Her Fourth British Open Title

KUALA LUMPUR, May 21 (Bernama) -- Malaysian squash queen Nicol David swept aside Egyptian teenager, Nour El Sherbini in the final to win her fourth British Open squash championship, Sunday. In the competition held at the glass court mounted at the O2 Arena, London, Sunday night (2pm local time), the 28-year-old world number one defeated her challenger in straight sets 11-6, 11-6 and 11-6. "Although it was a 3-0 win, it was not an easy win. She (Nour) was so fired up, playing some good shots. She definitely will be gunning the top position in years to come. I have to be aware of it. "It is nice to recapture the trophy. I have lost it before and it was not an easy situation when losing the title a few times," said Nicol in an interview after winning her fourth British Open title aired on Astro Supersport tonight. Nicol had won the British Open in 2005, 2006 and 2008 and finished runner-up in the 2007 edition when she was defeated by Australia's Rachael Grinham in the final. She was surprisingly beaten by Ireland's Madeline Perry in the quarterfinals of the 2009 edition. The British Open made its return this year after a two-year lapse. Meanwhile, the 16-year-old Nour, who become the youngest ever British Open women's finalist and the first Egyptian to enter the finals, noted that the final against Nicol was a tough encounter for her. "She (Nicol) was tough. All my games have to be right," she said. The 16th seeded player had to face a tough passage in her first appearance before booking her berth in the final, en route to beating the fourth, seventh and fifth seeds. "This week was an amazing one for me when I defeated much stronger players. Hopefully I will come back better next year," said Nour. -- BERNAMA