Friday, March 29, 2024

Nicol David: No better feeling than winning a world title

Nicol David aims to get back on top of the squash pyramid by winning her eighth world titleĀ in Cairo
By HOWARD HARDING – Squash Mad Correspondent

After gold in Glasgow, Nicol Dvid wants the  world title back
After gold in Glasgow, Nicol David wants the world title back

After the disappointment of losing her world crown in front of a home crowd in Penang, Malaysia’s world number one Nicol David is seeded to reclaim the trophy in this week’s Wadi Degla Women’s World Squash Championship in Egypt.

“There is no greater feeling than winning a World title,” said the 31-year-old squash superstar on the eve of her bid to extend her remarkable record to eight titles.

Backed by Wadi Degla Holding and boasting a USD $150,000 prize-fund, the premier Women’s Squash Association championship gets underway on Monday (15 December) at the Wadi Degla club in Cairo. The 30th edition of the tournament will be staged in Egypt for only the second time since the inaugural event in 1979.

“It is very exciting for us WSA players to be playing the World Championships in Cairo,” said David. “It will bring back fond memories of my win in Sharm El Sheikh at the Worlds in 2010. The last time I competed in Cairo was at the World Teams in 2008, close to six years ago and I always enjoyed my time there.

“I’m definitely keen to be back in Cairo again, with special thanks to Karim Darwish and Raneem El Welily’s squash club Wadi Degla for coming in strongly to host this event this year.

“The World title is what we play for and this time it’s not mine to defend but it’s something to strive for this year. Everybody has been training the whole year to peak for this very tournament and we’ll be expecting the highest quality of women’s squash this week. There is no greater feeling than winning a World title and I’m sure all the players are ready to bring their A-game to this tournament.”

Recalling the 2013 championship which took place in Penang, David continued: “The hype of being in my home town certainly was one of the most spectacular experiences of my life and I would surely miss the Malaysian crowds in Egypt of course.

“However, having the Worlds in Egypt will certainly draw just as much interest having so many top squash players there to represent. We’ll be looking for another exciting experience coming our way, Egyptian style!”

David arrives in Cairo fresh from leading Malaysia into the final of the Women’s World Team Championship in Canada. “After Niagara, I feel the team will gain a lot from that week and bring all the positives forward to this Worlds. It was such a proud moment for me to be part of this amazing team that worked hard to get to that final.”

Having won gold in Glasgow after beating Laura Massaro in the final of the Commonwealth Games women’s singles, she hopes that performance, and her recent form, will provide the springboard for another world title.

David faces Egyptian qualifier Yathreb Adel in the opening round before a predicted clash with defending champion Laura Massaro, the world No.2 from England, in Saturday’s final.

For more information, visit the official site: www.worldsquashchamps.com

For all the latest WSA Tour news: wsaworldtour.com

Picture byĀ 

 

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