O3 Switch Takes Duncalf Back Onto Winner's Rostrum

England international Jenny Duncalf has become the latest Prince star to return to winning ways after switching to the brand's new O3 racquet technology.

Seeded six in the 2007 British National Championships in Manchester - where she was using the new O3 Black racquet for the first time in an event - Duncalf made her breakthrough where she upset defending champion Tania Bailey, the top seed and England number one, in a 63-minute quarter-final marathon after coming back from a game down.

In the semi-finals, the 24-year-old from Yorkshire was two-games-to-one behind against the in-form Irish champion Madeline Perry, but fought back to beat the third seed in five games.

In a dramatic final against fourth seed Alison Waters, Duncalf dropped the first two games and stared defeat in the face. But the plucky Prince player dug deep to turn the match around - and, after 74 minutes, clinched a sensational 5-9, 6-9, 9-3, 9-0, 9-3 victory, and her maiden British National title.

"Jenny has been through a really low patch recently - dropping from 6 to 12 in the world rankings," said Prince Sports Europe International Player Promotions Manager Andy Bunting.

"But this incredible win is testament to the tremendous hard work she has put in over the past few months - the way she played was outstanding, she looked fresh throughout the tournament. And after helping her beat three world top ten players in quick succession, the new racquet seems to have given Jenny a new lease of life," added Bunting.

Duncalf's success in her first appearance with an O3 racquet mirrors success achieved by fellow Prince players Peter Nicol and Nicol David.

Peter Nicol, who topped the world rankings for 60 months, ended a six-month title drought when he picked up the O3 Tour - winning two major titles, the World Games and English Open, within a month. The Englishman went on to win two gold medals in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia, bringing his Games haul since 1998 to four gold medals!

Within days of first moving to the O3 Tour, Malaysia's Nicol David won her maiden British Open title - and went on to reach number one in the women's world rankings, a position she has now held for ten months. In the 16 months since adopting the O3 Tour, the Asian sensation has won 11 major titles, including both the British Open and World Open twice.

John White, who extended his association with the brand for a further two years last month, has also switched to the new O3 Black racquet. The Scot made his O3 Black debut at the Dayton Open in Ohio, where he reached the final against his seeding. White was also runner-up in the men's British Nationals in Manchester.

The O3 Black racquet joins the O3 Tour and the O3 Silver in the Prince squash range this year. Boasting the same 470 sq cm head-size as the O3 Tour, the O3 Black weighs only 135 gm. Suggested retail price is 189€.

Prince's new O3 breakthrough is the first significant development in racquet technology since the late eighties when racquets changed from wood to graphite. The O3-engineered racquets provide a large sweet spot in a manoeuvrable and aerodynamic frame. Prince re-engineered traditional pin-sized string holes into giant O-Ports, providing total string freedom for a livelier response across the entire string bed. This expands the conventional sweet spot in racquets by up to 54%, turning it into a Sweet Zone!