Nicol David Is Cleveland Classic Queen by Howard Harding February 3, 2015
- Malaysia's world number one Nicol David celebrated her fifth
successive appearance in the final of the Women's Cleveland Classic by
despatching world No.2 Raneem El Welily in straight games to win the
WSA International 50 squash event at Cleveland Racquet Club in
Cleveland, USA, for the third time.
It was an impressive return to form by the 31-year-old from Penang who
suffered a shock quarter-final exit in last month's JP Morgan
Tournament of Champions in New York. It was an opening of which
Egyptian El Welily took full advantage - going on to claim the WSA
International 100 event trophy for the first time.
While David reached the Cleveland climax after a 3/0 semi-final win
over unseeded Egyptian Omneya Abdel Kawy, El Welily was taken the full
distance in the other semi before clinching her place in the final with
a 12-10 win in the decider against former champion Laura Massaro, the
No.2 seed from England.
In the final, defending champion David comfortably took the opening
game - but El Welily (pictured above, left, in action with David) came
back strongly in the second, opening up 5-2 and 8-4 leads.
But error-free play by the top seed saw David claw back to nine-all before taking the next two points to extend her lead to 2/0.
From three-all in the third, El Welily only managed a further point as
the majestic Malaysian powered through to her 11-5, 11-9, 11-4 victory.
It was David's first WSA World Tour title triumph of the year - but the 79th of her career!
"She had a big long tourney win at the ToC and then a tough five-setter
yesterday," said the three-time Cleveland Classic champion of her
opponent. "I hoped maybe to get the lead and take it to the end."
RESULTS: Women's Cleveland Classic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Final:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [3] Raneem El Welily (EGY) 11-5, 11-9, 11-4
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