Nicol David Masters Singapore To Claim 30th Tour Title
3 Aug 2008
World number one Nicol David beat world champion Rachael Grinham in the final of the Women's CIMB Singapore Masters to retain the $53,500 WISPA World Tour Gold squash event title - and mark up her 30th Tour title win at the Kallang Squash Centre in Singapore.
It was a thrilling encounter in front of a packed crowd - and in an intense opening game, Australian Rachael Grinham showed gritty determination to take the early lead.
But David, the world number one from Malaysia who is unbeaten on the Tour since last October, dominated the second and third games.
However, the 31-year-old Queenslander pushed David all the way in the fourth before the Malaysian master finally emerged the champion for the second year in a row, winning 8-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8 in 39 minutes.
"I was quite happy with the way I played today," said Grinham after her 47th appearance in a WISPA final. "It was better than the last time I played Nicol in Malaysia, although I made some silly mistakes today which I feel may have cost me the game.
"Also I am getting used to this new scoring system and that will take some time. Right now, I feel I rather panicked on court as the game can swing very quickly."
The victory marked David's eighth successive WISPA World Tour title win - and the 30th of her career. It also extended her winning streak on the Tour to 34 matches.
"It was a good game and Rachael was on fire today, but I kept my focus and determination," explained the 24-year-old from Penang. "I'm really excited to have won and it always feels good to be able to play in Asia. It's always good to be close to home.
"These past two weeks have been great," added David, who won the Malaysian Open crown on home soil just seven days ago. "I'm grateful for the support from the fans and sponsor CIMB, doing what we can to grow the sport here in the region. I just want to thank everyone for everything and hope to come back again."
Final:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [3] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 8-11, 11-3, 11-5, 11-8 (39m)