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[1]
Nicol David (Mas) bt [3] Rachael
Grinham (Aus)
9/4, 9/1, 9/6 (34m)
A 'Home' title for Nicol
If it couldn't be a Dutch winner, the crowd at the Frans Otten
Stadion got the next best thing when Nicol David claimed the Forexx
Dutch Open title this afternoon, beating Rachael Grinham in straight
games, her 14th straight victory over the world number three.
Rachael made the better start, leading 3/0 in the first, but it
didn't take Nicol long to get into her game, levelling at 4-all, and
after a few lengthy rallies she struck out to take the game in a
single hand.
The second was one-way traffic as Rachael tried all her tricky
shots, but found everything coming back, with interest. It all went
quiet towards the end of that game as it looked as though Nicol
would run away with it.
But after a series of handouts to start the third, Rachael got off
the mark in a rally where she slowballed Nicol several times, and
continued to use that tactic as she slowed Nicol's progress. 3-all,
4-all, 5-all, 6-all. Rachael hardly hit the ball hard once, giving
Nicol no pace to feed off.
As she said afterwards though, that tactic can keep you in a game,
but it's not a way to win, and sure enough Nicol gradually imposed
her game again, and from 5-6 down the world champion finished the
match off with aplomb.
 "It's
great to win here in Amsterdam where I feel so at home. Instead of
staying at a hotel I just come in from my home, or get a friend to
drive me. It's a great crowd with lots of my friends here so I used
that energy to help me during the match.
"She broke my rhythm a bit in the third, but that's what she does
and I'm used to it, I just had to get my focus back. It's much
warmer and bouncier today so I needed to get onto the ball early to
be able to put it away.
"I'm really pleased with my game this week, but we'll work on a
couple of minor things before the British Open, which is one of the
highlights of the year, all building up to the World Open in Madrid
where I can hopefully do well again.
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 "I
felt something in my ankle yesterday, so strapped it as a
precaution. I wasn't moving as well as yesterday but I'm not sure if
that was because I was tired from yesterday's match or because of
the ankle. But Nicol's pace is so much faster anyway, it's always
going to be harder.
"In the second she started reading all my crosscourts and ran away
with it. I slowed it down in the third, trying to save energy and
catch my breath, but also trying to break up her rhythm. You can do
that for a while, but she always picks up the pace again.
"I'll stay here in Amsterdam for a while, do some training with
Natalie to prepare for the British, and maybe between us we can come
up with a plan to beat her!"
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Somebody stop her!!!
Sima Pad-Bod on the women's final
  The
beginning of the first game saw Rachael take an early lead of 3/0.
But Nicol soon went for her winners, collecting
three successive points levelling with a clean forehand trickle
boast. At four all, a combination of pace, accuracy, and
intelligence made up a fantastic performance from both players,
which ended up in Rachael’s favour. Nicol’s racket found the tin
going for a drop shot from the front left corner.
The next rally finished when Rachael’s lob from the front left
corner touched the out line. Then after Nicol soon managed to save a
game ball with a sharp drop shot from the left back corner, as
Rachael placed the ball twice in the tin when going for boasts and
once rebounded the ball out and conceded the game 4/9.
 It
took Rachael plenty of brutal rallies to win the first point of the
second game. But Nicol’s winners were just so good that Rachael
couldn’t do much to take anything back from her, as she was going
for the points one after the other. At 1/6 Rachael hit the ball in
the tin for the first time in the second game, then giving out the
next point on a stroke, giving Nicol a second game ball, which she
took well with a lovely backhand crosscourt from the middle.
After exchanging half a dozen serves, this time it was Nicol’s turn
to go for the first point of the third game. Both players came up
neck to neck and the score was levelled five times to reach 6/6 in
the third. When Rachael’s backhand drop shot from the left front
corner touched the tin, it took Nicol only two more rallies to
become the Forexx Dutch Open ’07 champion with two crosscourt
winners. |
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Tommy prepares the team for the final day ... |
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[1]
David Palmer (Aus) bt [3] Laurens Jan
Anjema (Ned)
15/13, 1/11, 13/15, 11/2, 11/6 (97m)
Palmer dashes Dutch hopes
It was looking good for a home victory when LJ Anjema was 10/5 up
against the world champion in the first game. The packed crowd at
Frans Otten Stadion were getting ready for a big cheer when their
favourite took the lead, but as David Palmer pegged him back, point
by point, the tension grew.
The tension turned into a groan when David took the first 15/13, but
the crowd was quickly back in good voice as LJ came out in the
second, firing in winners that gave him a 7/0 lead. Even David
Palmer struggles with that sort of deficit, and he let the game go.
The third was a thriller in the same vein as the first. Level all
the way, this time it was LJ who saved two game balls. The crowd
roared several times as he saved or won game balls with outrageous
shots, but were denied the biggest cheer - LJ won the game with a
lucky nick at the back of the court. Another groan, an apology from
LJ, but the crowd's favourite was in the lead.
But the effort had taken its toll. LJ had blitzed the second, now it
was David's turn in the fourth. A quick 6/0 lead was decisive as LJ
let the rest of the game go. The momentum was with him now and David
wasn't about to let up. 4/1, 8/3 and 10/4 he led the decider, and
although LJ saved a couple of match balls, a comeback like the first
game was never going to happen.
 "What
a tough match. He played great, it's never easy playing in front of
your home crowd, it can either inspire you or pressurise you, but it
worked for him, he came out firing. He's not far off the top ten
when he plays like that. We've been training together for six
months, all our practice matches seem to go to five too.
"I was lucky to win the first, that was crucial in the end. I'm
happy to win, living in Antwerp and the number of times I've played
here means I have a lot of friends here, and it's been a great
tournament, all credit to the sponsors, Tommy and his team."
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 "I
had chances in the first, I should have won it from 10/5 up, but
that's typical of David, he's the best competitor out there under
pressure on the big points, and whether it's 10/9 or 10/1 you have
to win it.
"That was probably crucial. I reaped the benefit of how I played the
first in the second, that was probably the best game of squash I
played in my life, and then the third was brutal, I was lucky to win
it on that bounce at the back.
"That cost me so much. I didn't start well in the fourth so I let it
go, but it was hard to get going again in the fifth. I did towards
the end, but it was too little too late …
"Congratulations to David, he's such a great champion and training
with him is really great for me. I love to be with the best of the
best, that's how you improve yourself. I know what I need to do to
be better, it's just mental, but I'm nearly there, I can feel it …"
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