Nicol David Delights New York Squash Fans

Despite the stormy and snowy evening, world No1 Nicol David thrilled her fans in New York City with her long-awaited debut at the J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions on the iconic ToC glass court at Grand Central Terminal.

The Malaysian superstar demonstrated her complete mastery of all facets of the game of squash as she defeated Hong Kong's Annie Au 11-4, 11-4, 11-6 in the opening round of the first Women's Squash Association (WSA) Gold event of the year.

David had been quite busy since arriving in the Big Apple and her itinerary on Monday included a visit with renowned modern artist Frank Stella, who has also been a squash promoter. "It was fascinating to hear him talk about how he comes up with his ideas," said the squash star who likes to draw in her free time. Nicol also made time to visit the young women participants in StreetSquash, a Harlem-based youth enrichment programme.

"But as soon as David entered Vanderbilt Hall to play on the Grand Central glass court, her razor-sharp focus was all about squash," reported event spokesman Beth Rasin. "The seven-time World Champion was deliberate in every step of her pre-match preparation and when she stepped on court, there was no question as to who was the boss out there."

David's match strategy was classic - hit the ball to good length, and then place it short. "The corners on the court are pretty dead which worked to my advantage," said the 30-year-old from Penang later. "Annie can be dangerous when she gets the ball in the middle of the court and I definitely did not want to let her in the match."

David's quarter-final opponent will be her younger countrywoman Low Wee Wern who despatched American veteran Latasha Khan 11-6, 11-7, 11-5. "It was a bit scrappy out there," said the Malaysian number two. "It took a little while for me to find my length."

Low is experiencing the good and the bad of starting the year with a personal best world No6 ranking. "It is good to be ranked six in the world, but there is also the pressure to keep my ranking high," said the young Malaysian, who is now looking forward to her quarterfinal contest with David.

"I saw Nicol win the World Junior Championship in 2001 in Penang when I was 10 years old," noted the 23-year-old whose hometown is also Penang. "To now be able to challenge her on court instead of sitting outside watching her play is a true privilege."

Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) v [8] Low Wee Wern (MAS)
[4] Alison Waters (ENG) v [Q] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG)
Madeline Perry (IRL) v [5] Camille Serme (FRA)
[2] Laura Massaro (ENG) v [6] Joelle King (NZL)

Official event website: www.tocsquash.com

Image courtesy of SquashPics.com