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27 Sep 2009
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Forexx
Women's World Open Squash Championship, Amsterdam,
Netherlands
Nicol David Wins
Fourth World Open Title
 Defending
champion Nicol David destroyed Dutch dreams of local
success in the Forexx Women's World Open Squash 2009
when she beat Netherlands number one Natalie Grinham
in the final of the $118,000 WISPA World Tour event
at Frans Otten Stadion in Amsterdam.
The
Amsterdam-based Malaysian now becomes only the third player
in the history of the championships to win four titles,
alongside Australia's Sarah Fitz-Gerald and New
Zealander Susan Devoy.
But it was second
seed Natalie Grinham, showing the form of her life in these
championships, who set the early pace in the 30th
international meeting of their career - dropping just three
points en-route to taking the first game.
Midway through the
second game, it was again Grinham who looked to be heading
to victory - a win which would have been her first over the
long-time world number one since April 2007, and one which
would have reduced the 22-7 head-to-head lead that Nicol had
as the pair took to the court.
 But the balance of
play swung towards the favourite at 7-6 up in the second:
David won the next four points to draw level, and soon
established a 7-1 lead in the third.
Grinham,
the former Australian who became a Dutch national last year,
snatched a further two points before David again rattled off
four points in a row to lead 2/1.
Thought by many to
be hot favourite to win the title for the first time in her
fourth final, Grinham established leads of 4-1, 6-3 and 8-6
in the fourth game - but a determined David just didn't give
up.
Two lengthy and
crucial rallies saw the score move to eight-all - then two
winners from David followed by a miss-hit by Grinham took
David to match-ball at 10-8.
 Seconds
later, referee Chris Sinclair awarded the Malaysian a stroke
- and Nicol David raised her arms in delight and relief to
celebrate her astonishing
3-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-8 title
triumph after 51 minutes.
"I knew it was
going to be tough - I felt those eight-all and nine-all
points were so crucial," said the new champion, former
winner of the crown in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
"I needed that
second game. After she won the first, I just didn't want
her to get any more confidence.
"I just knew that
the rallies would go on and on."
 Nicol
David, the 26-year-old from Penang who this month became the
third longest holder of the world number one ranking of
all-time, arrived in Amsterdam with her invincibility
slightly shattered after losing in the quarter-finals of the
British Open.
"To come back from
last week and win my fourth world title means a lot to me,"
added David.
"I'm so happy. I
just don't know what to say."
Natalie Grinham
was clearly devastated by the defeat: "I'm still thinking
about the game," said the 31-year-old from Almere shortly
afterwards. "I wish there was more to play.
"When I think of
how sick I was at the start of the year, being able to get a
silver medal in the worlds is a great achievement in a way -
I'm really delighted to be competing again at such a high
level.
"But I've been
second three times already, and I didn't come here to be
second again, so of course I'm disappointed.
"I thought I was
definitely up there."
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