Home Hat-trick for Nicol

A big woo-hoo for Nicol as she secures her hattrick of titles when she bagged the Hotel Equatorial Penang Open. Playing in her first competitive event in her hometown since winning a record second World Junior Championship title five years ago, she did not disappoint her home fans who turned up to show support for their local hero, defeating Rachael Grinham in just under an hour.


"Victory didn't come easy. The court was very bouncy and Rachael was determined not to lose without a fight.

"She seemed to have an answer to every one of my shots, I simply have to work harder.

"After winning the first two games, I lost focus in the third, similar to what happened in the semi-final yesterday.

"In the fourth, I regained my composure and got into rhythm and this time Rachael started to make mistakes. I capitalised on her mistakes and raced to accumulate points and tried to finish the match as fast as possible.

"This win has helped strengthen my leadership in the world rankings, though not all that drastically.

"But what is most meaningful for me is that the Penang Open has been recognised by WISPA for the first time. It’s an honour to win here, especially in front of our home fans."

Nicol David