Malaysian star David targets World Open rebirth
Written by Writer on Monday, October 13th, 2008
Malaysian star David targets World Open rebirth
(AFP)
MANCHESTER, England- Malaysia golden girl Nicol David, having recaptured her British Open title, now has her sights set on taking back her World Open crown here this week.
Buoyed by being conferred with the honour of Datuk, an ultra-prestigious award given only to the worthiest Malaysian citizens, David is riding a wave of optimism.
She regained the British Open from Rachael Grinham at Liverpool in May, and now she is hot favourite to win back the World Open, also from the Australian, when the women’s event begins here on Tuesday.
Asked whether, during her first World Open as a Datuk, her new title might deflect her mind, the 25-year-old David said: “I shall try to use it.”
David also became Asian Sportswoman of the Year in December, shortly before becoming WISPA Tour’s player of the year for the third successive time.
At the same time her sequence as world number has extended beyond two years and her tally of WISPA Tour titles reached 28, more than any other active female player.
No wonder David feels everything has changed since last October in Madrid when she lost the world title at the second round stage in bouncy, oven-hot conditions with defeat by Shelley Kitchen, the hard-hitting New Zealander.
“It is a different situation now,” David said. “You learn so much from what happens in a year. And you put things in place. That’s what experience is all about.
“You don’t take all the losses out of context. You use it for what you can do in future tournaments, and this year I have got my game up,” David said, referring to the attacking options she has been trying to integrate into her fleet-footed game.
“And I am more open to what’s going on, in whatever situation I am put into.”
This adaptability may insure her against a repeat of the shortcomings of last year’s British Open performance at the same Manchester arena, when late scheduling appeared to affect her.
“It’s a matter of going in there and making it as another tournament again,” said David. “Everyone going to be there as in other tournaments you have been playing. You just try to focus on what’s going on.
“Sometimes I’m up and down, but when it comes together everything flows. You want to make sure everything starts flowing.”
This happens more often now, according to coach Liz Irving, the Australian who helps her at their shared training base in Amsterdam.
“She’s in a good stage of her career,” reckoned Irving. “She understands a few things which went wrong in the past. If she sees the signs she doesn’t let it sink in too deep.
“She makes changes quickly. She’s mentally got better. She’s dealing with all the pressure which come with her profile. She has a huge responsibility and she handles it so well.”
Irving agreed that the recapture of the British Open success at Liverpool in May had brought a healing.
“She really needed it,” Irving said. “It was a bit of a crisis, but since then she’s gone from strength to strength. She’s working on not letting these crisis situations happen - and they can. She’s only human.”
David begins against her Malaysian compatriot, Sharon Wee, and could then play Rebecca Chiu of Hong Kong, with a potential quarter-final against Laura Lengthorn of England or Omneya Abdel Kawy of Egypt, and a possible semi-final against Natalie Grainger, the former world number one from the United States.
The other half contains the Grinham sisters, with last year’s losing finalist, the Amsterdam-based Natalie Grinham, playing her first World Open since changing her competitive identity from Australia to The Netherlands.
Elder sister Rachael, who wants to move to Amsterdam too after five years in Cairo, is seeded second.
Seeds: 1. Nicol David (MAS); 2. Rachael Grinham (AUS); 3. Natalie Grinham (NED); 4. Natalie Grainger (USA); 5. Jenny Duncalf (ENG); 6, Shelley Kitchen (NZL); 7. Alison Waters (ENG); 8. Laura Lengthorn-Massaro (ENG).
