Fiona takes out top seed Lisa Camilleri on the way to Tasmania title
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad Correspondent
After being out of the world rankings for two-and-a-half years, England’s Fiona Moverley has marked a sensational return to the WSA World Tour by winning the Women’s Tasmanian Open in Devonport on the Australian island of Tasmania.
The unseeded 27-year-old from Hull reached today’s final of the WSA Tour 5 squash event at Devonport Squash Club after ousting top seed Lisa Camilleri, the 2010 champion, and third seed Christine Nunn – both from Australia – then overcame sixth-seeded compatriot Victoria Temple Murray 11-8, 13-11, 11-5 in 40 minutes to take the title.
The unexpected triumph marked the third Tour title of world No.190 Moverley’s career – but her first since success in the Indian Challenger No3 in November 2009 led to her recording a career-high world No.43 ranking.
“I’m over the moon to have won the Tasmanian Open title,” said the new champion (pictured above with men’s champion Mohamed Elgawarhy). “I couldn’t have wished for a better start to my comeback on the tour.
“I knew the match wasn’t going to be easy as I’ve been watching Victoria in previous rounds and had to stick to a specific game plan throughout the match. She was always on my heels and it was really important I got that second game to go 2-0 up. I played well and stayed focused, managing to push through to take the win 3-0.
“I have recently returned to the WSA Tour after four years away and have been training at The Hull and East Riding Sports Club with my coach Andy Cockerill and strength & conditioning coach Michael Reid, with the aim of improving on my previous highest world ranking of 43,” Moverley explained.
“I gave up my full-time job and have been training full time for three months prior to coming to Australia with the aim of adding to my previous two WSA titles and improving my world ranking from 190 into the top 100.
“I am really happy to be back on the tour,” Moverley continued. “It’s always been my dream to be a professional squash player and this time I won’t let anything stand in my way.
“I’d like to thank Devonport Squash Club for hosting this event and to all the members who have made all us players feel very welcome. I’d also like to thank all the sponsors who make the event happen, without them there wouldn’t be a tournament.
“Finally I’d like to thank Leon and the team of organisers that coordinated the event. It’s been a very successful tournament and I look forward to coming back to defend my title!”
Coach Andy Cockerill added: “I admire Fi for making such a brave decision, she’s always had the ability to be a very good player but since she has come back full-time she has worked extremely hard and been very focused at becoming a better player. I look forward to helping her achieve her goals over the coming years.”
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Women’s Tasmanian Open, Devonport, Tasmania, Australia.
1st round:
[1] Lisa Camilleri (AUS) bt Taylor Flavell (AUS) 11-2, 11-4, 11-2
Fiona Moverley (ENG) bt [8] Selena Shaikh (AUS) 11-4, 11-3, 11-1
[3] Christine Nunn (AUS) bt Grace Pattison (AUS) 11-2, 11-3, 11-2
[7] Jessica Turnbull (AUS) bt Jasmine Chan (AUS) 11-3, 11-5, 11-9
[6] Victoria Temple Murray (ENG) bt Gaye Mitchell (AUS) 11-0, 11-3, 11-1
[4] Lotte Eriksen (NOR) bt Madeleine Gill (USA) 11-3, 11-1, 11-4
[5] Antonella Falcione (ARG) bt Debbie Reynolds (AUS) 11-3, 11-4, 11-4
[2] Sarah Cardwell (AUS) bt Reyna Pacheco (MEX) 11-7, 11-5, 11-7
Quarter-finals:
Fiona Moverley (ENG) bt [1] Lisa Camilleri (AUS) 11-4, 11-2, 11-5 (21m)
[3] Christine Nunn (AUS) bt [7] Jessica Turnbull (AUS) 11-1, 11-9, 11-6 (24m)
[6] Victoria Temple Murray (ENG) bt [4] Lotte Eriksen (NOR) 6-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 (34m)
[2] Sarah Cardwell (AUS) bt [5] Antonella Falcione (ARG) 9-11, 11-4, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9 (68m)
Semi-finals:
Fiona Moverley (ENG) bt [3] Christine Nunn (AUS) 11-4, 11-13, 11-5, 11-5 (42m)
[6] Victoria Temple Murray (ENG) bt [2] Sarah Cardwell (AUS) 14-12, 11-4, 11-9 (31m)
Final:
Fiona Moverley (ENG) bt [6] Victoria Temple Murray (ENG) 11-8, 13-11, 11-5 (40m)
Picture courtesy of WSA