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[1]
Amr Shabana (Egy) bt [3] David
Palmer (Aus)
11/7, 11/3, 8/11, 11/6 (67m)
[4] Ramy Ashour (Egy) bt [11]
John White (Sco)
11/3, 8/11, 11/8, 11/9 (52m)
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [6]
Natalie Grainger (Usa)
9/4, 9/0, 9/2 (30m)
[2] Natalie Grinham (Aus) bt
[5] Vicky Botwright (Eng)
9/4, 9/1, 9/3 (33m) |
FINALS DAY:
17.30:
Women's final
19.00: Men's Final
Closing Ceremony |
Dream finals for Kuwait
The world number one against the world junior champion, both
hugely popular throughout the Middle East, and the
year-long-unbeaten world champion against the triple
Commonwealth Gold winner who has pushed her to the limit in two
thrilling recent matches.
What better finals could any tournament put down on its
wish-list, especially here in Kuwait, and for the largest men's
prize ever offered.
That's what was delivered tonight after four semi-finals at the
Al Qadsia Club that kept a large crowd well entertained well
into the night.
Roll on tomorrow ...
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[1]
Nicol David (Mas) bt [6] Natalie
Grainger (Usa)
9/4, 9/0, 9/2 (30m)
Nicol lives up to top billing
When Nicol David is on song her opponents must feel that there's
nothing they can do to win a point, nothing they can hit that
she can't get. After a competitive opening to the match Natalie
Grainger probably got that feeling mid-way through the second
game of the first semi-final at the Qadsia Club.
 In
fact Natalie won the first three points, the third with an
acrobatic volley kill that demonstrated her attacking intent.
Nicol went into comeback mode, keeping the ball long, keeping
Natalie behind her, and after 15 rallies she levelled at 4-all.
After that she decided to play some shots, and reeled off five
quick points in a single hand to take the lead after 14 minutes.
Natalie took the first rally of the next game, Nicol the
following ten, as the American started to guess - often wrong -
and go for winners - that often hit the tin.
There wasn't much that Natalie could do. She kept working hard
until the last couple of points, but it seemed that nothing she
could do was putting Nicol under significant pressure. A reflex
boast at full stretch that left Natalie stranded seemed to sum
it up, and two points later it was all over.
Just before going on court Nicol was informed that she had
become Sports Personality of the Year back home in Malaysia, and
she lived up to that billing today. |
 "That
was good intelligent squash, she played the court well and it
shows she doesn't always have to reply on running. Natalie's a
solid player, give her an inch and she'll tear you apart, but
Nicol controlled her well."
 "I
knew that I had to be on, you can't give her any room , even a
slight opening and she goes for it. I played it steady at the
start, really making sure I kept her behind me, then started
playing it short when I'd worked a good position.
"I'm pleased with my game, I'm getting more comfortable on the
court and mybody is getting more comfortable too.
"Hopefully I can play that well or better tomorrow ..."
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[2]
Natalie Grinham (Aus) bt
[5] Vicky Botwright (Eng) 9/4, 9/1, 9/3
(33m)
Anything you can do …
There was an uncanny resemblance between this match and the
previous women's semi-final. A competitive opening after which
the nimble higher-seed dictated affairs, leaving her opponent
struggling to find any answers.
Vicky didn't play badly, but Natalie was a nippy as ever, ran
everything down and made Vicky work just as hard, moving her all
over the court but with little reward at the end of the rallies
for the Englishwoman.
So the stage is set for a final between the world number one and
two, who, in Belfast and Kuala Lumpur, played out two of the
most enthralling - and longest - women's matches in recent
history ...
Here's hoping for a repeat ... |
 "I
thought I played ok in patches, but she was just too good
tonight. I was feeling the pressure and felt a bit tired, but
even at the end I was hitting some good shots but they just kept
coming back.
"I'm looking forward to Qatar now, I had a good time there 18
months ago."
Vicky Botwright
"Too good, she's
in good shape. She likes to keep her game plans secret, but it's
no secret that she's quick and she likes to play all around the
court."
Tommy Berden
"I was really focused out
there and I thought I played well. Hoping not to let anyone down
tomorrow and hope we have another good match."
Natalie Grinham |
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[1]
Amr Shabana (Egy) bt [3] David
Palmer (Aus)
11/7, 11/3, 8/11, 11/6 (67m)
Shabana wins world
champion duel ...
When you put two double
world champions on court you're prettymuch guaranteed a quality
match, and that's what the crowd - and it was a good crowd
tonight - at the Al Qadsia Club got.
Shabana, enjoying the majority of the support, made the better
start, always keeping a few points ahead and it wasn't until
halfway through the third game that Palmer got on equal terms
for the first time,at 5-all.
This was a crucial period, and with both players sensing it the
lets and collisions became more frequent - six lets at 5-all
alone - with both players appealing wide-armed to the three
referees each time.
The deadlock was broken with a couple of strokes against the
Egyptian, who promptly tinned the last four balls as Palmer
pulled one back.
The fourth was similar - 5 lets at 5-all - but this time it was
Shabana who broke free, swapping the errors of the previous game
for some delightful winning drops as he advanced to yet another
major final.
 "I
had to make a good start, he's very strong mentally, he's not
going to give you any points and if you let him get on top of
you you're in trouble.
"I could feel that he was a little tired, but then he got his
second wind at the end of the third and I thought 'oh my god',
you're always more dangerous when you've got your second wind.
"He got me involved in those attacking rallies he likes, but I
managed to slow down, started breathing easier and got back into
control towards the end."
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 "I
felt a bit flat at the start after last night's match, maybe 10%
down but you can't afford to be 1% down against him. I felt I
was always playing catchup, but I did my best and hung in there
as long as I could.
"The first matches were the costly ones, I dropped too many
games while he always wins them easy which is why he's fresher
at the end of tournaments.
"I'm happy with how I played, but I still feel I've got a bit of
catchup after missing training earlier in the year. But that's a
good indication of what I've got to do, where I have to improve
and I'll be trying to beat him in Qatar."
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[4]
Ramy Ashour (Egy) bt [11] John
White (Sco)
11/3, 8/11, 11/8, 11/9 (52m)
Ramy wins White shootout
I must admit I missed the first game of this much-anticipated
clash - two players with outrageous shotmaking skills and a mere
fourteen years between them.
By the time I returned from the tournament office to post the
previous result (no connection in the court area) the first game
was over. "Describe the game in five words," I asked Khalid Q,
who has been organising everything for us this week. "It didn't
last very long," was the answer.
When the second game started I quickly saw why. These two were
going for everything, as soon as they possibly could. It was a
real shot-feast, with long rallies measured on just two hands,
and there weren't many of those.
It was great entertainment, at times they were standing across
the service line slugging it out toe-to-toe, at others they were
careering around the court at breakneck speed before hitting
another winner (I got to write "kill" a lot more than normal,
that's for sure).
The players sitting around me were loving it - "silly stuff",
"freak show", "shootout", "no way", were just some of the
comments.
For the record, Ramy took the first easily, John cracked more
winners in the second, and led 9/7 in the third as Ramy had him
on the floor several times before sneaking it.
If the fourth was a little less frantic, perhaps both realised
that a place in the final of the richest event ever staged was
beckoning.
It was still entertaining, rallies would suddenly explode into
life after a modicum of patience, but it was the young Egyptian
who lasted the pace better. As John, bending over after each
point as he hadin Canary Wharf, fired two final attempted
winners into the tin the crowd erupted, in appreciation of a
magic match, and in anticipation of more fireworks tomorrow ...
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 "It
was enjoyable, but unfortunately that's what happens when you
play a 19-year-old with plenty of energy - he needs to conserve
some!"
 "He
played really well, he was going for everything and I had to
really push to bring him back into my game.
"The last two times we played it was 3/2 but this one was much
harder, it was really enjoyable too.
"Now it's the battle again, Amr's beaten me three times so I'
really excited to get another match against him in such a big
event. He's my bigbrother, we tain together and know each
other's games so well, I just hope everybody enjoys it tomorrow
...
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