King queen of court in Cleveland
Kiwi squash ace Joelle King has pulled off one of her best victories, beating reigning world champion Raneem El Welily, of Egypt, to claim the $68,800 Cleveland Classic title in Ohio.
World No 9 King won 11-8 11-8 11-8 to claim the victory, levelling the career ledger between the two players over their four matches to date.
The scoreline also makes clear how much King dominated the match against the world No 2 player.
“She [El Welily] has been playing some amazing squash, but I guess I was a bit hungry today,” Waikato player King said.
“I felt a little flat in my last couple of tournaments and I just wanted to play my best squash and see where it took me.
“She is someone I’ve idolised even though we’re the same age [29].
“She’s been someone I’ve looked up to as she was always so good, to come away with a win over someone of that calibre is a great feeling,” said the New Zealander.
The result was just the lift King was looking for after she had been left disappointed by some of her recent performances.
“The worst I’d done this year is finishing to my seeding,” King said.
“I guess it’s not really disastrous, but I guess where I feel like every time I go out on the court I’m in with a chance and it’s just always wanting to do better.”
The 29-year-old from Cambridge will now spend a couple of weeks in Connecticut preparing for the $345,000 Windy City Open.
That event will be staged in Chicago at the end of the month.
King reached a career-high world ranking of No 4 in April 2014.
She pocketed one gold and one silver medal at the 2010 Commonwealth Games.
Along with Paul Coll, King has provided a strong New Zealand presence on the two world squash circuits in recent seasons.
New Zealand’s squash team for April’s Commonwealth Games on the Gold Coast will be named today.