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Mudah buat Nicol


Oleh Harris Rajahdin
harajah@bharian.com.my

NICOL David menampilkan persembahan terbaik buat peminat istimewanya, Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek untuk melangkah mudah ke suku akhir Terbuka Malaysia CIMB dalam buruan rekod gelaran kelima berturut-turut dalam kejohanan ini.

Disaksikan Menteri Belia dan Sukan yang juga aktif bermain skuasy, pemain nombor satu dunia itu tidak menghadapi masalah mengenepikan juara dunia 2004, Vanessa Atkinson, 11-4, 11-5, 11-8 dalam hanya 38 minit di Pusat Skuasy Nasional Bukit Jalil, semalam.

Kemaraannya diiringi Ong Beng Hee yang mengatasi rakan senegara yang beraksi atas tiket wildcard, Muhd Asyraf Azan, 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 manakala Mohd Azlan Iskandar gagal menjadikannya tiga pemain Malaysia ke suku akhir apabila dikejutkan bukan pilihan, Omar Mosaad dari Mesir, 10-12, 11-5, 11-1, 11-9.

Sejurus kemenangannya, Nicol dikejutkan dengan khabar gembira inisiatif Kementerian Belia dan Sukan untuk menamakan gelanggang tengah di Pusat Skuasy Nasional atas namanya sempena pencapaiannya selama ini.

Sungguh pun, tiada hitam putih lagi, Ahmad Shabery berkata pihaknya sudah memaklumkan kepada Datuk Seri Najib Razak baru-baru ini dengan ia menerima reaksi positif daripada Perdana Menteri.

Begitu pun, ia bukan sesuatu yang mahu difikirkan Nicol lagi memandangkan kerjayanya masih berada jauh di depan dengan fokus utama adalah perlawanan menentang Kasey Brown dari Australia di gelanggang kaca di The Curve, hari ini.

“Saya belum pernah bertemu Kasey dalam mana-mana kejohanan profesional. Pertemuan saya sebelum ini adalah Kejohanan Berpasukan Wanita yang berakhir dengan kemenangan buat saya," katanya.

Juara bertahan, Beng Hee pula terpaksa bergelut sebelum menewaskan Muhd Asyraf yang menampilkan pergerakan pergelangan tangan mengelirukan untuk kerap memerangkap pemain kedua kebangsaan itu.

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