Crome Shines With O3 Speedport

New Zealand star Louise Crome is the latest player to enjoy her best run on the international squash Tour after switching to the latest Prince O3 Speedport racquet technology.

The 30-year-old from Auckland picked up her maiden WISPA World Tour trophy in March 2007, just after first signing to Prince.

But this year, after switching to the O3 Speedport Black racquet, Crome claimed her biggest title at the Vietnam Open - then last month clinched the Welsh Open crown in Cardiff.

And, just three weeks later, Crome progressed beyond her seeding in the Epstein Becker & Green Los Angeles Open to reach the biggest final of her career in California.

Seeded three, the Kiwi crushed Ireland's Aisling Blake in the semi-finals - then extended Mexican favourite Samantha Teran to four games before bravely bowing out in 70 minutes in the 12th Tour final of her career.

The unexpected success takes Crome to a career-equalling No25 in the July world rankings.

After taking up squash at the age of 12, Crome enjoyed a highly successful junior career - winning the won the U17, U19 and U21 national NZ titles as well as leading New Zealand to third place in the World Junior Championships in Sydney in 1995.

After graduating from Auckland University with a Bachelor of Commerce in Information Systems and Graduate Diploma in Marketing, Crome worked for more than three years as a graduate management trainee with Air New Zealand.

Lured back to squash, Crome became a full-time player two years ago - and was selected for the NZ team in the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne where she came fourth in the Women's Doubles.

Currently based in Amsterdam, Crome is coached by Liz Irving - who also coaches world number one and fellow Prince player Nicol David.

The Prince O3 Speedport line is the latest development in the brand's O3 Technology - the most radical innovation in racquet design since the transformation from wood to graphite, which has led to unprecedented success in tennis, squash, badminton and racquetball.

The core O3 premise revolves around oversize string holes (O-Ports), which improve aerodynamics. By refining the size, location, and shape of these ports, Prince has been able to dramatically increase racquet speed.

The new string holes, called Speedports, are sculpted like the air intake ducts on fighter planes and high-performance sports cars. They allow more air to pass through the frame more quickly, dramatically reducing aerodynamic drag.

O3 Speedport racquets are up to 24 percent faster through the air than traditional frames - increasing racquet head-speed through the entire swing pattern.

Louise Crome joins Nicol David and James Willstrop - ranked one and three, respectively, in the world - who are also enjoying rich veins of form with Prince O3 Speedport Black racquets.