Au halts Nicol's journey in US Open

Malaysian squash queen Datuk Nicol David's journey in the 2017 US Open was checked by Hong Kong's player which denied her entry to the quarter-finals.

In the second round match held on ASB Glass Court at Philadelphia's Drexel University on Monday, Hong Kong's Annie Au took the lights in the first two games, opening each with 5-0 leads.

Nicol, 34, the eight-time world champion and world No. 6, appeared to be on the brink of a swift defeat but regained her composure while Au's accuracy began to fade in the third and fourth.

The momentum shifted again in the fifth when Au's shot-making got back on target as the world no. 9 clinched the match with 11-5, 11-5, 10-12, 8-11 and 11-7 after 56 minutes.

It was Au's first victory against Nicol in their eighteenth PSA match up and her first career victory on the U.S. Open ASB GlassCourt.

"I'm so happy to have finally won against Nicol! We've played so many times over the years, she's beaten me every time in PSA and in Asian games, Asian Champs, Asian Teams, and I'd never even taken her to five games before!" Au said, as quoted in the tournament official website, www.usopensquash.com.

The 28-year-old will take on world number four, Laura Massaro of England in the quarter final match on Wednesday.

Earlier, the two time champion won an all-English tussle with Emily Whitlock 13-11, 11-6, 11-6 to reach her ninth straight U.S. Open quarter-final.

-- BERNAMA