David into HK Title Match, Shares Fitz-Gerald's 90-Final Record
by Howard Harding



photos courtesy Steve Cubbins

December 7, 2013 - A near hour-long victory by defending champion Nicol David over England's Alison Waters in the semi-finals of the Women's Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open sees the Malaysian equal the 90 WSA World Tour final appearances set by Australian squash legend Sarah Fitz-Gerald.

World No1 David, going for a remarkable ninth successive title in Hong Kong, recovered from a game down to beat No4 seed Waters 9-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-7 in 58 minutes in the WSA World Series Gold event on an all-glass showcourt at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre at the Hong Kong harbour.

"To equal Sarah in anything is always an accomplishment for me," David (pictured above with Waters) told SportAsia. "She's so respected and she's done wonders for women's squash. She's one of my role models as well, so to actually equal what she's done is really a feat for me."

Fitz-Gerald, 45, expected David to not only go on to beat her record but also reach at least a century of finals.

"She's done magnificently well and I expect her to go bigger and beyond that," said Melbourne-based Fitz-Gerald, who won five World Open titles among her 62 WSA titles.

"Knowing her, she'd be looking at 100 and probably 120 or so. Good on her. She's a great little champion and a fantastic ambassador for squash," added the Australian.

In a repeat of the 2011 final, David will take on Egypt's Raneem El Welily. The world No3 from Cairo broke Hong Kong hearts by ending local star Annie Au's run, beating the Hong Kong number one, the event's 12th seed, 11-6, 11-5, 11-5.

RESULTS: Women's Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong

Semi-finals:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [4] Alison Waters (ENG) 9-11, 13-11, 11-7, 11-7 (58m)
[3] Raneem El Welily (EGY) bt [12] Annie Au (HKG) 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (26m)