Nicol wins National Squash Championships for fourth time

Malaysian squash queen Datuk Nicol David lived up to expectations with a sizzling display en route to claiming her fourth title in the 33rd National Championships at the Jalan Duta Squash Centre, here Friday.

Nicol, the top seed in the tournament who had won the title in - 2010, 2011 and 2013 - showcased a solid performance right from the start as she disposed national junior Rachel Arnold 11-4, 11-7,11-5 in the final of the women''s premier category.

Speaking to reporters later, Nicol said she was delighted to recapture the national title after withdrawing in the 2014 edition with a back injury and skipping the last two years due to other commitments.

She also praised young and upcoming national junior players including Rachel who showcased a commendable performance in the annual tournament.

"I''m just happy to win this tournament ...I have not played against Rachel for a long time and to see her progress well is a good thing," said Nicol.

"I think our junior players have improved a lot lately and what they need is exposure at high level competitions.They have proven themselves by producing good results for the country at junior level and we must encourage them to push to another level," added Nicol who pocketed RM4,000 for her feat.

Meanwhile, national number two Ivan Yuen ended his barren run after stunning reigning champion and two time champion, Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan in the men''s premier category.

Yuen, however had to go the distance before stunning Mohd Nafiizwan, winning 10-12, 11-3, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9 to receive the winner's purse of RM4,000 while the latter had to settle for RM2,000 as the runner-up.

Speaking of the victory today, Yuen said he was extremely delighted to claim the national title after having failed in previous attempts.

"Winning the national championships will certainly boost my confidence for two upcoming tournaments in New Zealand, next month," said Yuen who lost to the same opponent in last year''s final.

All losing semifinalists in both men''s and women''s premier categories received RM1,000 cash. - BERNAMA