World Champion Nicol David Out In US Open Quarters -
Beaten In Four By Australian Kasey Brown
from DailySquashReport.com
photos courtesy Steve Cubbins
October 4, 2011 - Five-time world champion Nicol David of Malaysia has been knocked out of the 2011 WISPA US Open after a stunning, four-game quarterfinal defeat yesterday at the hands of 26-year-old sixth-ranked Kasey Brown of Australia.
The final tally for Brown, in 59 minutes, was: 11-9 6-11 11-9 11-4.
Going into yesterday’s match, David had beaten Brown nine straight times without a loss.
David has had a stranglehold on the world number-one ranking for an incredible 67 months, since January of 2006.
She captured the WISPA Gold $75,000 Australian Open title in August without dropping a game, an event where Brown lost in the 2nd round.
David was the only top-10 player, however, who bypassed the September women's warm-up event to the US Open, the $60,000 Weymuller Open in New York, which was won by Raneem El Weleily over Jenny Duncalf, with Brown reaching the semis.
In yesterday’s quarter, David appeared to seize the momentum when she steadied her game to even the match at 1-all, but Brown hung in with solid up-and-down-the-walls production, converting a stroke and a length-winner at 9-all in the third to take a 2 games to 1 lead.
Brown appeared to break Nicol’s spirit at that point, as she stormed to an 8-0 fourth game lead before finishing it off 11-4.
“I started well, then got a bit passive in the second,” Brown told usopensquash.com. “I knew I had to come out and attack again in the third, then did the same in the fourth where everything just came off for me.
“She got a few points back, and I told myself to just keep steady and not change the game that had got me there – I know I have a bit of a reputation as a choker, so I was determined not to let it happen.
“Today was all down to my coach (1991 World Men’s Champion) Rodney Martin, he’s been working with me for eight years now, and in the past year or so we’ve been working here in America with a really good group. Without him I wouldn’t have been here, and I certainly wouldn’t have won that match … it feels great when everything you’ve been working on comes together!”
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