GIANT-KILLER NEXT UP FOR NICOL
Joelle ousts defending champion Laura to set up meeting with Malaysian
NICOL David was off to a winning start in her bid to regain the China Open title in Shanghai yesterday in her first tournament of the 2017-18 season.
World No 6 Nicol, whose last outing was the World Games in July when she won a bronze medal, overcame qualifier Tesnie Evans of Wales 11-9, 8-11, 11-2, 11-6 in the first round to launch her season in positive fashion.
Nicol won the China Open for the only time in 2013 when she beat Egypt's Raneem El Weleily in the final.
However, success has since proved elusive with Nicol’s only title on the PSA Tour over the last 20 months coming in Colombia in March.
Up next for Nicol in the quar ter-finals is New Zealand’s Joelle King, who stunned defending champion Laura Masaro of England 11-0, 11-6, 7-11, 11-4 in the biggest upset of the opening round.
Elsewhere, Egypt’s Nouran El Tayeb knocked out sixth seed Sarah-Jane Perry of England 6-11, 11-5, 11-8, 6-11, 11-4 for a last-eight meeting with compatriot Nouran Gohar, who defeated American qualifier Olivia Blatchford 11-5, 116, 11-6.
Hong Kong’s Annie Au advanced with an 11-2, 11-7, 11-2 win over China’s wildcard Li Dongjin while seventh seed Alison Waters edged an all-English clash with Emily Whitlock 11-7, 118, 5-11, 11-5.
After a satisfying win over former World No 3 Omar Mosaad in the qualifying rounds, national men’s No 1 Nafiizwan Adnan’s run came an end in the first round proper.
England’s seventh seeded Daryl Selby ousted Nafiizwan 116, 12-10, 11-9 to advance to the quarter-finals after saving a game point at 10-9 in the second game.
On Wednesday, World No 30 Nafiizwan proved his win at last year’s World Championship over Egyptian Mosaad, who has since slipped to 28th in the rankings, was no fluke after rallying for a 13-15, 11-4, 13-11, 11-4 victory.
In the first qualifying round, Nafiizwan was taken to five games by India’s Vikram Malhotra before coming through 11-8, 911, 11-4, 4-11, 11-6.
National champion Ivan Yuen, however, did not get past his first qualifying hurdle after having to retire in the fifth game while trailing Egypt's Omar Abdel Meguid 11-6, 8-11, 5-11, 11-7, 8-7.