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Sat 8th July,
SEMI-FINALS: |
Today in Hyderabad from
Steve
Cubbins and Alex Wan |
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[2] Nicol David (Mas) bt [5] Jenny Duncalf (Eng)
5/9, 6/9, 9/6, 9/3, 9/0 |
Nicol leaves it late
It was an error-prone Nicol David who took to the court tonight
against a Jenny Duncalf playing at her best.
 The English girl, appearing in her first major semi-final, wasn't
doing anything spectacular - she didn't need to, but she was playing
good, tight squash, keeping the world champion behind her and forcing
errors from the Malaysian's racket.
Jenny did what was required, kept it steady and waited for the
opportunities or the errors. Most of the rallies were fairly short,
and she was soon 8/2 up in the first.
Although Nicol rallied briefly it was too late, and the pattern
continued continued through the second, 9/6 to Jenny, and into the
third. It continued all the way to 6/1, with Nicol not being allowed
to string two good points together.
If Nicol was to stage one of her famous comebacks it was now or never. She
hit the ball noticeably higher on the front wall for the next few
rallies, and slowly started to establish some sort of control.
By the time Nicol had levelled Jenny was being worked harder and
harder, struggling to contain her opponent's movement and growing
confidence.
And sure enough the pressure told. Nicol took the third to stave off
the upset, and was never seriously troubled in the next two games as
tiredness took it toll and Nicol wrapped them up in double quick time.
So Nicol's bid to regain the world number one position from the absent
Vanessa Atkinson is still on track, just, and Duncalf can be rightly
proud of her week in Hyderabad,
 "Jenny
played really well. She came out at 100mph, was moving the ball
around well, onto everything quickly and putting it just where she
wanted.
"I was trying to do stuff rather than making her work harder and
ended up making mistakes. To be honest, I was watching and
admiring her game more than playing my own!"
"At 6/1 down I knew that giving points away wasn't an option any
more, I had to just keep the rallies going, keep her behind me and
make sure she made the first mistake.
"Once I started to get in front I got more confidence to play my
shots, and she started to get tired."
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 "I
started off playing well. I know she's a bit of a slow starter and
loves it when the ball's played across the middle, so I tried to
keep it straight and keep her behind me.
"At 6/1 up I was starting to think about the win, but also about
how good she is at comebacks. When she's on a roll she's hard to
stop so I knew that this was my chance.
"When she came back to take the third I started to feel tired, and
in the end I just didn't have the legs any more.
"I'm pleased to have got to the semis and I've really enjoyed the
tournament."
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The Grinhams look on |
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[2] Rachael Grinham (Aus) bt
[3] Natalie Grinham (Aus)
9/4, 4/9, 9/4, 9/2 (55m) |
Rachael's turn
"It's my turn," declared Rachael after the semi-final lineup was
finalised last night.
 In
fact Rachael is well ahead in the series - Natalie has only beaten her
big sis twice in WISPA events, three times in all, but
everyone remembers the last one, the Commonwealth Games final, so no
wonder Rachael wanted this one.
It was a topsy-turvy match. First one then the other would win a
string of points, with the rallies crafted from their full repertoires
of shots. They know each others' games so well, sometimes anticipating
perfectly, but other times being stranded as the unexpected shot was
played.
They took it in turns to win the first three games, each for the loss
of four points, and when
Rachael took a lead in the fourth after getting the better of some
typical scrambling rallies, the die was set and the champion would
defend her title.
Rachael's semi-final against Nicol in last year's challenge was a
classic ... let's hope for another tomorrow.
 "It
just depends on who's sharp on the day. We always try different
things because you know what she'll expect you to do so you try
something else.
"Rachael played an awesome game against Tania, and I told her that
she couldn't possibly play like that two days in a row, but I
think that backfired on me because it made her more determined to
play well again."
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 "I
told you it was my turn!"
"Because we know each other so well we notice when the other
changes her game plan.
"Natalie was on top at the start forcing a fast pace, so I managed
to control it by lobbing more. Then she got comfortable with that
and got on top again so I had to change my game again and managed
to take the third.
"We were both a bit tired in the third and fourth, we were just
hanging in there and trying not to make mistakes.
"For me to win like that after a hard match yesterday is good. I'm
happy with my form at the moment. It's my first final for a while,
I just hope I can get pumped up for it and keep my form.
"I am the defending champion, after all ..."
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Alex on the Semis ... |
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[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt
[5] Jenny Duncalf (Eng)
5/9, 6/9, 9/6, 9/3, 9/0 (64m)
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Duncalf Just Short
 Jenny
Duncalf yesterday dislodged Vicky Botwright to make what was her first
major semi final. Tonight, the petite English girl was three points
away from another feather on her cap. Having won the first two games
against the rather unsettled Malaysian world champion, Duncalf had
carved a well deserved 6-1 lead in the third. With the Duracell Bunny,
one can never write her off until the match is over, and today she
showed the world why.
Point for point she fought back, amidst shouts of “come on” in between
rallies. By the time she drew level, it was very clear Duncalf was
running out of steam and couldn’t match the superior fitness and pace
of my fellow Malaysian. Mentally, I believe that had Duncalf got
another point, it would have been a much tougher road for David to
come back.
After sneaking the third game, the next two were a breeze for the
Malaysian. David finds it hard to get into her comfort zone, but once
she is in it, it’s pretty hard to get her out of it. David was simply
moving Duncalf all around and all the running surely took its toll on
the English lady. She was slowing down and tinning the ball a lot more
often in a bid to get some winners, sometimes forcing it.
If there was a match here that shouldn’t have a loser, this would be
my pick. It’s great to see my countrywoman reach the final, but I
cannot help but feel rather sad that Duncalf had to walk out and not
come back the next day. It’s been a great tournament for Duncalf, and
it’s nice to see her go this far. With David and Duncalf both at 23,
we can look forward to a great rivalry in the years to come.
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[2] Rachael Grinham (Aus) bt
[3] Natalie Grinham (Aus)
9/4, 4/9, 9/4, 9/2 (55m)
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Rachael Gets Her Revenge
The Grinham sisters last met in the Commonwealth Games final in
Melbourne, where younger sibling Natalie beat Rachael, en route to one
of her three gold medals there. This was set to be a great clash but
somehow it didn’t quite live up to my expectations. There was
beautiful squash, but just not as closely contested as I had hoped
for. One commendable thing about matches between these two sisters is
that they are always very fair, so you will not expect any ridiculous
asks for lets, and they would play the ball each time.
 Natalie
is always a tough competitor on court and she showed it yet again
today, chasing down every deceptive shot her elder sister threw at
her. Compared to Rachael’s other opponents, Natalie seems to have done
the best, knowing most of the time where the ball was going to be
directed.
Play was close in the first two games, going one a piece to both the
sisters. But it was Rachael who looked more devastating, hitting a lot
more winners compared to Natalie. In the third and fourth, Rachael was
always having the upper hand and Natalie was finding the tin on many
of her shots. Match and a date in the final for Rachael at the end it
was.
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