Squash: David earns shot at revenge

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Squash: David earns shot at revenge

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Nicol David reached the quarter-finals of the World Open Squash Championship.

04 November,2011 03:35 am

World champion Nicol David earned a chance of potential revenge when she reached the quarter-finals of the World Open in defence of her title here on Thursday.Davids 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 win over Nour El Sherbini, the 16-year-old world junior champion, brings a repeat encounter with Kasey Brown, the much improved sixth-seeded Australian who beat her at the US Open in Philadelphia in August.The Amsterdam-based Malaysian won with an impressively creative display, showing how she has added stroke-playing ability, especially with volleys and tight drops, to her supremely athletic game.Earlier, Brown also beat a developing young Egyptian as she earned her chance to beat David again.But her victory over Raneem El Weleilly, the 22-year-old former world junior champion, was a difficult test of her temperament as the match went the full distance.Browns ability to apply pressure by taking the ball early and recovering fast to the central court position only just prevailed, in an excellent contrast of styles, by 4-11, 11-7, 11-4, 6-11, 11-8.El Weleillys ability to conjure magical winners threatened to turn the match around when she came from 2-9 to 8-9 in the decider, until Brown suddenly killed off the revival.She did that with a perfectly weighted return of serve, which was boasted off the side wall for a clean winner, and then with a forehand drive that died on a perfect length.I was trying to push forward and not let her into it, but some of the time it was getting a bit nervy there, said Brown.I have had a good run since the US Open, and I have to thank my coach Rodney Martin a lot for that. So I feel ready to play Nicol again.