Nicol to use national meet to tune up for PSA World Series Finals

The 33rd National Squash Championships which started today at the National Squash Centre in Jalan Tuanku Abdul Halim, here would serve as a warm up tournament for Datuk Nicol David as she gears up for the PSA World Series Finals in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, next month.

The national squash queen noted that she was delighted to make a comeback to the national championships which will be held until Friday after a three-year absence due to other commitments.

She also hoped that national youngsters like S. Sivasangari, Zoe Foo Yuk Han and Aifa Azman would step up and give a stiff competition against the national elite players.

"It is good that our aspiring young players would also take part in the tournament to see where we at now... Hopefully this tournament will give a boost for the next batch of young players who will come through and take national squash to a better level," said Nicol who was crowned as the national champion thrice - 2010, 2011 and 2013.

Nicol who is also the CIMB brand ambassador was speaking to reporters when met at the CIMB booth during the 2017 Graduate Aspire and Postgraduate Career Fair at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, here, today.

Based on the draw, Nicol received a bye in the opening round and will meet the winner between Chan Yiwen and Aika Azman in the quarter-finals on Wednesday.

On the Dubai meet, Nicol said she would not place high hopes considering all top eight players under the Road to Dubai Standings would feature in the tournament which takes place from June 6-10.

She, however, reiterated to give her best though facing a topsy-turvy performance which saw her manage only a single title this season - the Ciudad de Floridablanca squash tournament in Colombia - last month.

"For me, I'm hoping to improve my (world) ranking from the current sixth position...it's going to be a strong contention since the top eight players under the Dubai Standings will be gunning for glory in the tournament," Nicol said.

The 33-year old Penangite who is still seeking her first Professional Squash Association World Tour title this season also revealed that she would face a compact schedule after the Dubai meet where she would compete in a few other tournaments including the 2017 World Games in Poland in July, World Doubles Squash Championships in England (August) and the China Open in September.

-- BERNAMA