Malaysia’s Number One Beats Defending Champion In Hyderabad Rachael Grinham From Australia Loses Grip On Title
Hyderabad, INDIA – Malaysia’s Nicol David fought back from a game down to beat Australia’s defending champion and World Number 4 Rachael Grinham to win the Qatar Airways Squash Challenge in the southern Indian city of Hyderabad.
In a gripping Final that lasted just over an hour, David beat the Australian 4/9, 9/5, 9/0, 9/0.
The world’s leading female squash players had descended on Hyderabad for the Qatar Airways Squash Challenge, the third biggest event on the WISPA (Women’s International Squash Players’ Association) World Tour with total prize money worth US$80,000.
The Final was staged on a revolutionary glass-floored glass showcourt erected in front of the Falaknuma Palace, an historic building set on a hill overlooking India’s fifth largest metropolis of Hyderabad.
For the third year running, the event has been held under the auspices of Qatar Airways. In 2004 and 2005, the event was staged in Qatar, but for the first time it was moved to India. This year’s event attracted 40 competitors from 16 countries. The Finals of the Qatar Airways Challenge were shown on TV across India and rest of the world.
Nicol David, 22, from the Malaysian state of Penang, repeated her victory over rival Grinham in last December’s World Open Final in Hong Kong.
After clinching the Qatar Airways Challenge Trophy – her 11th WISPA Tour title – David said: “The scoreline makes it look as if the last two games were one-sided, but it was much harder than that. I have had a great tournament and enjoyed the wonderful hospitality of the people of Hyderabad and Qatar Airways.”
Qatar Airways Chief Executive Officer Akbar Al Baker offered his congratulations to David for a spirited, winning performance.
“The Qatar Airways Squash Challenge brought together many of the world’s leading female squash players and Qatar Airways is privileged to have once again supported wonderful talent for this leg of the WISPA World Tour,” he said.
“Congratulations go to Nicol David for taking the winning trophy and showing dedication and enthusiasm in a sport that is gaining recognition and excellent reputation around the world. Qatar Airways was delighted to fly many of the players from around the world to Hyderabad for this tournament and I hoped they enjoyed our Five Star hospitality on their entire journey.”
Added Al Baker: “I congratulate the organisers of the WISPA tournament and the Squash Rackets Federation of India for making the event a huge success.
“I now look forward to welcoming many of the players to Doha at the end of the year when Qatar hosts the 15th Asian Games, which promises to be the biggest and best ever Games.”
-ends-
Notes to Editors:
India is a strategically important market for Qatar Airways. The airline currently operates 30 scheduled flights a week between Doha and five Indian destinations of Mumbai, Hyderabad, Cochin, Delhi and Trivandrum, with plans to boost its Indian network to other cities over the next few years. Qatar Airways operates a modern fleet of 47 all-Airbus aircraft to 70 destinations worldwide from its hub in Doha.
For further information on Qatar Airways, visit the website at www.qatarairways.com and for further details on the Qatar Airways Squash Challenge and more squash news, log onto www.squashsite.co.uk
