Nicol and Massaro cruise into quarters
Published on: Thursday, April 28, 2016
Kuala Lumpur: Defending champion Nicol David and world number one Laura Massaro marched into the quarterfinals of the world squash championship in Malaysia on Wednesday with confident second-round wins.Nicol, who has dominated the sport over the past decade, defeated Alison Waters of England 11-9, 11-3, 11-5 to keep alive her hopes of a ninth world title.Nicol had to battle from behind to overtake former champ Rachel Grinham of Australia in five games a day earlier, but looked sharper Wednesday against Waters, buoyed by a boisterous home crowd.ADVERTISEMENT After taking the first two games with little fuss, Nicol found herself behind 1-5 in the third.But she roared back with 10 straight points to secure the match."You just need to be on from every point and I was just feeling that today," said Nicol, the second seed and world number five.Nicol is one of the game's all-time greats and is the most accomplished sporting champion yet produced by Malaysia, where she is a national icon — her matches this week have been played at the Nicol David Arena.ADVERTISEMENT She has already won a record eight world championships but has seen her game falter lately, surrendering her world number one rank last September after a dominant nine-year run.The two top seeds remained on course for an eventual clash as Massaro dispatched India's Joshna Chinappa in clinical fashion, 11-3, 11-6, 11-3.
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"I just wanted to make a fast start and be positive from the beginning," said Massaro, who won the world championship in 2013.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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Massaro will next face Egyptian sixth-seed Omneya Abdel Kawy, while Nicol will meet Kawy's compatriot Nour El Sherbini.Nicol is seeking to win the PSA World Championship on home soil in Malaysia for the first time after falling short twice before. – AFP