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Nicol faces former No. 1 Atkinson in first round of British Open


PETALING JAYA: An exciting battle looms between two flag bearers of women’s squash in the British Open championships, which will be held in Manchester from Sept 11-14.

World No. 1 Nicol David, who is seeking to win the title for the fourth consecutive time, is drawn to play former number one ranked Vanessa Atkinson of Holland in the opening round.

The Malaysian, who began her fourth year as world No. 1 this month, is one of two three-time British Open champions in the high quality field in Manchester.

Third seed Rachael Grinham — the former world champion from Australia, who claimed the British Open trophy in 2003, 2004 and 2007 — faces a qualifier in the opening round.

The top seeded Nicol should secure a fifth successive final appearance as her main rivals, second seeded American Na-talie Grainger and Australian Grinham, are in the other half of the draw.

A win over Atkinson should see Nicol taking on sixth seed Madeline Perry of Ireland in the quarter-finals.

Fourth seed Alison Waters of England, who reached the Malaysian Open final recently, is projected to stand between Nicol and a place in final.

Nicol lost to Grainger in the final of the Kuala Lumpur Open early in the year.

But she has since then gone on to win all five tournaments she participated in — the Cayman Islands Open, Texas Open, Seoul Open, Malaysian Open and Singapore Masters.

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