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Nicol looks ahead







NICOL David had warned for a while now that her apparent invincibility was not something that would last forever.

The world champion has said several times that the gap is closing between her and the rest of the Wispa Tour and her words rang true when Jenny Duncalf stunned Nicol for the second time in as many tournaments at the Qatar Classic semi-finals on Sunday.

England's Jenny, who shocked Nicol for the first time in their 20 career meetings in New York earlier this month, repeated the feat in Doha with an 11-6, 2-11, 7-11, 11-3, 11-6 win.

Jenny joins Ireland's Madeline Perry and Natalie Grainger of the United States as the only players to have beaten Nicol in the last 24 months.

Still, Nicol has won a tour-leading seven of the 11 Wispa events she played this year while compiling a 37-4 win-loss record, although the four defeats mark the first time she has lost that many matches in a season since 2005.

It was only a day earlier, after her five-game win over England's Laura Massaro in the quarter-finals, that Nicol said every player on tour is seeking her prized scalp.
Jenny Duncalf celebrates her win over Nicol David.
Jenny Duncalf celebrates her win over Nicol David.

And now Jenny, the World No 6, has become the first player to beat Nicol in successive meetings since Vanessa Atkinson of the Netherlands in early 2006.

"She came out strong, very confident, whereas I seemed to be more watching what was happening than actually playing," said Nicol, 26.

"I lacked the confidence in my shots. I tried and gave it all I had. That took a lot of energy and at the end, I just hit the wall."

Nicol played with heavy strapping on her right thigh, which could have hindered her movement and gave Jenny the confidence to push for the win.

"I saw the heavy strap on her leg and she had a pretty big match against Laura so I don't think she was at her best there. Still, she picks up more shots than everybody else on the tour," said Jenny, who was seeking her third consecutive title in the final against Australian Rachael Grinham late yesterday.

While Nicol did not finish the season as she had hoped to, she will still consider 2009 a success having regained the World Open title and will return stronger next season.

"Jenny played extremely well and I'll just have to come back next year to try and win the title again," added Nicol. NST

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