Nicol David Honoured By WISPA

After winning this year's British Open and World Open against the odds within two months - and clinching next year's world number one ranking for the first time after the latter - Malaysian squash star Nicol David might be forgiven for thinking that no further success could come her way this year.

However, fellow members of the Women's International Squash Players' Association have overwhelmingly voted the 22-year-old from Penang as the WISPA Player of The Year for 2005.

"It was a runaway triumph for Nicol, who won six WISPA titles - as well as the World Games gold medal in Germany - before taking the World Open title in Hong Kong earlier this month," said WISPA Chief Executive Andrew Shelley.

"Nicol David has transcended the usual popularity squash players achieve in their home countries with such success. She has been headline news on both the front and the back pages of the Malaysian media over the past month, and even the country's Prime Minister has acknowledged that Nicol is 'now more famous than me'!"

It was a double triumph for England's Alison Waters who narrowly beat Italian Manuela Manetta and Egyptian Engy Kheirallah to win the WISPA Most Improved Player for the second year in a row. The 21-year-old from London has shown ever increasing improvement in quality of her play and competitiveness by ending the year fifteen places higher up the rankings over the 12 months to finish just outside the top ten in twelfth spot.

The destiny of the WISPA Young Player of the Year award was never in much doubt: Raneem El Weleily, the 16-year-old holder from Egypt enhanced her burgeoning reputation by taking the World junior title while combining a life on the WISPA World Tour with that of continuing her studies.

Each winner will receive a complimentary return flight during 2006 from WISPA sponsor Qatar Airways to help them as they compete on the Tour.