RESULTS: Kuala Lumpur Open Squash Championships, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Men's final:
Mohd Azlan Iskander (Mas) bt Tommy Berden (Ned) 15-10, 15-9, 3-15, 15-5
Women's final:
Carol Owens (Nzl) bt Natalie Grinham (Aus) 9-3, 9-0, 9-2
Men's semi-finals:
[1] Tommy Berden (NED) bt [3] Michael Corren (AUS) 8-15, 15-13, 15-3, 11-15,
15-10
[2] Moh'd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt [6] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 17-14, 17-15,
17-14
Women's semi-finals:
[1] Carol Owens (NZL) bt [4] Rebecca Chiu (HKG) 9-4, 9-6, 9-7
[2] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt [3] Sharon Wee (MAS) 9-1, 9-2, 9-1
Azlan & Owens claim KL crowns
Carol Owens of New Zealand landed her second KL Open in style, dropping only
5 points in her final match against Natalie Grinham of Australia. Grinham, who
was hoping to continue her winning streak after 2 consecutive WISPA titles
this year, ran her heart out chasing shot after shot. The score, however, doesn't
reflect the quality of the match itself.
Though the score suggests otherwise, the match was a close affair marred with
several questionable decisions by the referee. Credit shouldn't be taken away from
Owens too, who produced a superb display of high quality squash, especially her
killer volley drops, which caught Grinham several times.
Mohd Azlan Iskandar claimed his first PSA title after joining the tour 3 years
ago today at the expense of Netherland's Tommy Berden, who had hopes to land his
second KL Open like Owens. After winning the first 2 sets and sensing victory,
Iskandar increased the pace of the game in the third, making erratic mistakes and
practically giving the last few points away. In the fourth, he regained his composure
and took things slow to stroll home to his first ever PSA title.
The match was again marred by several questionable calls, much to the frustration of
Berden, who received two conduct warnings for ball abuse and time wasting. The Malaysian
is clearly delighted with his win and now aims to reach the top 30 by the end of this year.