David Romps To Qatar Airways Challenge Triumph In Hyderabad

Malaysia's Nicol David fought back from a game down to beat Australia's defending champion Rachael Grinham in four games to win the women's Qatar Airways Challenge in Hyderabad, India.

The third biggest WISPA World Tour squash championship of the year has been staged on a revolutionary glass-floored glass showcourt erected in front of the Falaknuma Palace, an historic building set on a hill overlooking India's fifth largest metropolis.

It was the third time in as many days that world champion David had been forced to climb back after losing the opening game. But after levelling the match by taking the second game, the top seed and world No2 romped to a sensational 4-9, 9-5, 9-0, 9-0 victory in 54 minutes without conceding a single point in the final two games.

"I learned from the second game as the match progressed," David told www.squashsite.co.uk afterwards.

"I started to make her run around the court - I could sense her gasping for breath. The scoreline makes it look as if the last two games were one-sided, but it was much harder than that," explained the 22-year-old from Penang after clinching her 11th WISPA Tour title - and repeating her victory over Grinham in last December's World Open final in Hong Kong.

The victory takes David ahead of world number one Vanessa Atkinson in the latest world rankings points tally. But, despite her Dutch rival having to pull out of the Hyderabad event with a back injury, David and Atkinson are due to battle for honours in the CIMB Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur later this month - and the outcome of this will determine the final placings for the next world ranking list which will be published on 1 August.

Final:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [2] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 4-9, 9-5, 9-0, 9-0 (54m)