Laura Massaro Upends World #1 Nicol David In $70K Malaysia Semifinals
by Kng Zheng Guan for The Star
March 30, 2013 KUALA LUMPUR - For the first time since 2004, world No. 1 Nicol David will not feature in the final of a home squash tournament after Laura Massaro sent her packing in the semi-finals of the CIMB KL Open at the Berjaya Times Square yesterday.
Massaro, the world No.3, was in scintillating form as she won 10-12, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 in 67 minutes, much to the disappointment of the home crowd. This defeat means that Nicol will miss out on the final in a home tournament for the first time since 2004. The Penangite was last beaten in the semi-finals of the World Open that year, which was held in KL, before making 17 consecutive finals on home ground.
This is also the second straight home defeat Nicol has suffered, having lost in the final of the Malaysian Open last year. Coincidentally, Nicol’s defeat also means that there will be no Malaysian – man or woman – in the final for the first time since the tournament’s inception in 1999.
“It’s tough and definitely disappointing to lose in front of the home crowd but it happens. I always want to do my best but it just wasn’t my day,” said Nicol.
The 29-year-old Nicol had the better start against Massaro though, pushing her to all corners of the court and just about did enough to take the first set 12-10.
She carried the form into the second set to take a 4-1 lead but a series of errors allowed Massaro to storm back to win 11-6.
It was close in the third set until 7-7 but once again errors crept in and Massaro seized the advantage to pull ahead to win 11-8.
The English woman was riding high on confidence now and was dictating the pace, leading 7-1 in the fourth and eventually sealed victory as Nicol just couldn’t halt her momentum.
“My focus was just up and down and I was making too many errors in the match,” explained Nicol. “Credit to Laura though. She was sharp and forced those errors onto me. She’s not the world No. 3 for nothing. She also found her rhythm on the court earlier than me and after that it was just hard to stay on. It’s always hard to lose at home but I’m going to take it in my stride, go back and work harder. I’ll definitely come back stronger next time,” added Nicol.
Meanwhile, Massaro admitted she was not at all surprised at beating Nicol, despite her head-to-head record of just 4-18.
“The match was long enough for me to realise that I was actually winning,” beamed a delighted Massaro. “It’s been a while since I’ve beaten Nicol in a tournament and I’m quite pleased at my performance.”
Meanwhile, it will be an all-English final as Massaro will take on Alison Waters, who defeated New Zealand’s Joelle King 12-10, 11-5, 12-10 in the other semi-final.
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