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TODAY in Belfast: Sun 26th:
THE FINAL
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[1]
Nicol David (Mas) bt [4] Natalie Grinham (Aus)
1/9, 9/7, 3/9, 9/5, 9/2 (98m)
Nicol is Queen again
It was the longest, most exciting match of the whole tournament, and
at the end of it all, Nicol David is still World Champion ... but
what a battle Natalie Grinham gave her.
Roundup from Howard Harding, Match Points from Steve
Cubbins, extensive quotes from Nicol
and Natalie.
Photo
Story of the Final |
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Defending Champion Survives Marathon Final
Roundup from Howard Harding
In a marathon final, which Nicol David led for the first time only
in the fifth game, the Malaysian world number one successfully
defended her Women's World Open Championship title when she beat
Australia's Natalie Grinham at the Ulster Hall in Belfast to extend
her winning run to 33 matches.
David, with five successive WISPA World Tour titles to her credit
since losing to Grinham in the Commonwealth Games in March, was
overwhelming favourite in the richest ever women's event, and
arrived in the final without having dropped a game.
But fourth seed Grinham, who followed her victory over David in
Melbourne by clinching the singles gold medal - swiftly followed by
gold in both the women's doubles and mixed doubles events - raced to
a 9-1 victory in the first game and a 3-0 lead in the second before
the Malaysian fought back to draw level.
After taking the third, the 28-year-old Queenslander battled hard in
the fourth, but David maintained her pressure to draw level for the
second time.
When David sped to a 4-0 lead in the decider, it was the first time
she had been in front in the match. But the 23-year-old from Penang
- being avidly supported by her parents and Malaysia's Ambassador to
Ireland, His Excellency Siddiq Firdause - persevered to record her
strength-sapping victory after 98 minutes, the longest-recorded
final in Women's World Open history.
David, who tearfully left the court to a standing ovation from the
packed and highly enthusiastic Ulster Hall crowd, becomes only the
fourth player in the event's 27-year history to successfully defend
the title.
David now has to turn her attention on reclaiming the Asian Games
gold medal from regional rival Rebecca Chiu, the Hong Kong No1 who
wrested the title from her four years ago. The Malaysian star first
plans a few days' rest with her parents, who will be visiting her
Amsterdam base for the first time.
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A GAMEPLAN AND A HALF
Match Points from Steve Cubbins
 Natalie
Grinham came out in the World Open final with a gameplan - to beat
Nicol David, the relentless retrieving machine, at her own game. And
it so nearly worked.
The longest women's final on record, and one of the classics, it
started with three lets and no sign of what was to come. But 18
minutes later Natalie had won taken the first 9/1 and Nicol's
gameplan was in disarray. The Australian seemed content to play it
long for as long as it took, almost as if she was saying "I'm here,
I'm not going away, you have to beat me."
This reversal of roles compelled Nicol to try to force the issue,
and she made enough errors doing so for Natalie to take the game
comfortably - on the scorecard at least, on court it was much harder
than that.
After that, Nicol decided that she could play that game too, and the
second was like watching a re-run of those attritional men's matches
from yesteryear, patience was the name of the game. Nicol's patience
held the best as she came from 5-7 down to take another long game,
almost against the run of play.
 Natalie
was out first for the third, hitting the ball before the call of "15
seconds", making a point, you felt. She took the third, moving to
7-0 in a single hand, and for once you could see Nicol thinking
"what do I have to do to win a point."
The attacks were rare - Natalie toyed with a few of her favourite
long drops, played quite safely, and when they didn't work she
reverted to plan A. 9-3, an easy score, but not an easy game. Almost
an hour gone already.
It was Nicol's turn to 'race' ahead in the fourth. 6-1 and the
feeling grew that the Malaysian might be taking charge, that her
gameplan was winning. At 7-5 you weren't sure any more, Natalie was
still there, still getting everything back. Five handouts, all on
monster rallies, then Nicol found two winning drops and after a
28-minute game we were into a decider.
This time Nicol really did race ahead, 4-0 in no time with two more
drops, a stroke with a little help from the ref, and a volley into
the nick halfway down the sidewall. Now, for the first time in the
match, Natalie was compelled to try to force the issue, and the
mistakes came.
 Natalie
hit the ball out to give Nicol match-ball, did court-sprints while
they looked for it on the auditorium floor, but could do nothing
with Nicol's final long drop that gave her a second world title.
The relief, the joy, the pressure all poured out and the Ulster Hall
erupted, the Malaysian flags and supporters making so, so much
noise.
Natalie left court. But the Malaysian couldn't move. Overwhelmed by
the emotion, Nicol was sobbing. Quietly. Softly. "I've never seen
her so emotional after a match," said her coach Liz Irving.
And then her opponent, who just had fought her tooth and nail for a
momentous 98 minutes, came back on court, embraced her and led her
outside to the ovations of the whole of Northern Ireland and half of
Malaysia ...
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Nicol David: "at the end I just let
it all out" |
 "I'm
so glad that match is over!
"In the first I was waiting to see if she was going to try to do
something from the back corners, but she just kept it going, which
made me want to do things and I made a few errors.
"She was giving nothing away, and at times I was wondering what I
could do.
"I had to reassess my game and play safe for a long time. I was
having doubts about my shots as she was getting them all back, so I
just had to not give anything away.
"There were rallies and rallies, crazy rallies all the time - I was
forced to wait as she was giving me nothing to attack."
"Then, in the end, she gave me a few opportunities. In the fifth I
had to make sure I got a lead, and I had just enough left to take it
on from there.
"I'm so pleased with the way I played, it took so much to be
patient, not to go for shots just for the sake of it.
"I didn't realise how much pressure I was under until the last shot,
then it all just hit me. At the end my head just went, the sudden
relief hit me.
"It was my first time as number one and world champion, and I knew
everyone was expecting me to win, so at the end I just let it all
out."
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Natalie Grinham: "I'm sadly happy with
the result" |
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 "I
went in with a game plan, but it was a different plan from all my
other matches, because Nicol is a different type of player.
"It was so hard, all the way through. Even the games I won, the
score didn't reflect how hard we were both working.
"I expected her to go the full distance, but I was hoping to wear
her down. The second was crucial, if I'd won that it could have been
very different.
"Then, at 7/5 in the fourth it seemed to turn. I really wanted to
take that game, even though I knew there was a fifth to fall back
on, so I was disappointed to lose that.
 "She
got off to a good start in the fifth, and I was trying some long
drops which weren't working, so I had to go back to the original
plan, but she was well ahead by then.
"I'm sadly happy with the result, if that makes any sense - I'm
happy with the way I played, I did the best I could, and I don't
think she outplayed me.
"The disappointment is there, but I fought all the way to the end.
Nicol deserved that match, she ran it down and in the end there was
nothing I could do."
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