Second win tastes sweeter for Craig
Winning any national title is a cause for celebration, but some taste sweeter than others.
That is certainly the case for Marlborough squash player Megan Craig, who claimed her second New Zealand senior national championship on Sunday.
In 2014, the world number 53 won her first women’s crown in unusual circumstances, when top seed Joelle King ruptured her achilles tendon during the final.
But this time there is no asterisk attached to the title for Craig, who overcame Amanda Landers-murphy in straight sets during the 2016 title-decider at the Remuera Rackets Club in Auckland.
‘‘The score doesn’t reflect it, but it was a pretty tight final,’’ said Craig. ‘‘It was good that both of us walked off the court without any wheelchair assistance,’’ she added with a chuckle.
‘‘This win felt a lot more real than last time, when I didn’t really feel I had earned it as much. I didn’t even finish the match, so it seemed it didn’t really count. So that definitely felt a lot better.’’
Craig made her way to the title decider after disposing of promising junior Abby Palmer in straight sets in the quarterfinal, then another rising star, Ellie Epke, 3-1 in the semifinal.
‘‘[Epke] is unpredictable, hard to play,’’ said Craig. ‘‘She is an awkward opponent. I won the first two and it was all going to plan, but then I lost the third and began to get nervous. She is the sort of player who can pull winning shots out of anywhere and it is hard to get any rhythm against.
‘‘Fortunately I won the fourth 13-11 and I was really glad to close that one out because I wouldn’t have wanted to go to five with her.’’
Craig and Landers-murphy, ranked 62 in the world, have a long history of close encounters and Sunday’s final was no different.
The Rotorua player returned late last week from picking up a gold medal, alongside King, at the world doubles championships in Darwin, and was in good form, but Craig won the points that mattered.
The first set was tight, Craig picking up a couple of crucial late points to take it out 11-9, while the second set also went the Marlborough player’s way, 11-8. The third went point for point before Craig worked her way into a narrow advantage, claiming the set and the match 12-10.
‘‘It was a very tight match, it could well have gone to five sets, but I stuck to my game plan and got there,’’ said Craig.
She credits a more relaxed attitude with her strong form at the moment, with the onus on improving her game rather than just winning matches. Another motivation for the 23 year-old is the fact that Sunday was her brother Chas Craig’s 21st birthday and she wanted to provide an appropriate present.
King was absent from the tournament, competing in the Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open.
The men’s final saw top seed Paul Coll claim his second consecutive NZ title, downing second seed Campbell Grayson in straight sets, 11-3, 11-8, 11-6.