Nicol aims to make up!?
Nicol aims to make up for defeat by Grinham in last year’s final
A better prepared world number one Nicol David will be gunning for revenge in the British Open squash championships, which begin today at the Liverpool Cricket Club.
Nicol has spent the last two months working on the weaker areas in her game and will be eager to make up for her shock defeat by Australian Rachael Grinham in the final in Manchester last year.
Nicol, who is in her third year at the top of the world rankings, is expected to reach the final for the fourth successive time.
Gunning for third title: Nicol David, the top seed for this year’s women’s event of the British Open squash championships which starts in Liverpool today. She is looking to win her title title.
year-old was bidding for a hat-trick last year but could not finish off Rachael despite holding match point.
“I have added things to my training to strengthen one or two areas,” said Nicol in the tournament website www.britishopensquash.com.
“But I know that focusing on any one rival would be distracting,” s”You just realise that you have to put up with whatever happens and be ready for anything,”
Nicol added that she was well prepared for the prestigious tournament even though it is being held earlier than its traditional schedule between July and August.
“My training is done and I just have to make sure everything is in place.
“You prepare yourself for anything, knowing all these things occur and learning what you can do and don’t do in a tournament,” she said.
Nicol, who showed her form by beating the younger sister of Rachael, Natalie, in the Kuala Lumpur Open two months ago, will start her campaign against a qualifier. And she has a relatively easier path to the final than Rachael.
Nicol is tipped to play against sixth seed Shelley Kitchen of New Zealand in the second round. The Malaysian fell to the Kiwi in the second round of the World Championships in Madrid last year.
Nicol is expected to play against either fourth seed Natalie Grainger of the United States or seventh seed Vicky Botwright of England.
Third seed Rachael, who also opens against a qualifier, may play against second seed Natalie in the semi-finals.
The Malaysian men in the tournament are Ong Beng Hee, Mohd Azlan Iskandar and Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan.
Gunning for third title: Nicol David, the top seed for this year’s women’s event of the British Open squash championships which starts in Liverpool today. She is looking to win her title title.
year-old was bidding for a hat-trick last year but could not finish off Rachael despite holding match point.
“I have added things to my training to strengthen one or two areas,” said Nicol in the tournament website