Nicol fails to retain British Open squash title

Malaysia's world number one Datuk Nicol David failed to retain the British Open Squash Championship title after losing to England's Laura Massaro.

In today's final at Pontefract in West Yorkshire, England, Nicol was shocked by Massaro with a 4-11 score in the first set but she made it 1-1 when she took the second set, 11-3.

However, Nicol appeared to have lost her momentum in the other two sets which saw Massaro sealing the match with 12-10 and 11-7 in 53 minutes.

For the record, Nicol has won the British Open four times in 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2012.

"Basically, I was more watching what she was doing, and not concentrating on my shots. She was playing well, and I was trying to play better. But her length was better, and she was getting everything back. All credit to her, she just played better.

"You should never think that things are going to go your way when you are playing against Laura, you have to keep on your toes at all times, and she proved it again today. Oh yes, I will be back," the competition's official website, www.britishopensquash.net/blog/ quoted Nicol as saying.

It was the second time Nicol lost to Massaro after losing in the semi-finals of the 2013 CIMB Kuala Lumpur Open Squash Championships, so far this year.