Penang squash star Nicol David delighted local fans, and provided the perfect climax to the inaugural Women's Hotel Equatorial Penang Open at the Penang International Squash Centre, when she beat Australian rival Rachael Grinham in four games in today's (Saturday) final of the WISPA World Tour event in Malaysia's second smallest state.
Playing in her first competitive event in her hometown since winning a record second World Junior Championship title five years ago, world number one David cruised into the final to face second seed Grinham for the third time in four weeks.
David recorded her first WISPA win over Grinham in China in November 2004 – near the beginning of the Australian's 16-month reign as world number one. But the 22-year-old Malaysian has since built up a solid sequence of victories over her top-ranked predecessor – and today secured her seventh win in a row with a 9-5, 9-6, 5-9, 9-3 victory in 55 minutes.
The title marks an impressive hat-trick for David – who followed her victory in the Qatar Airways Challenge in India last month with success in the CIMB Malaysian Open in Kuala Lumpur less than two weeks later.
RESULTS: Women's Hotel Equatorial Penang Open Squash Championship, Penang, Malaysia
Final:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [2] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 9-5, 9-6, 5-9, 9-3 (55m)