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13th Asian Squash
Championships 2006
20-28 February,
Taiwan
TEAM
EVENT |
 23-Feb,
FINALS
Women:
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt
[2] Rebecca Chiu (Hkg)
9/7, 9/3, 9/4 (29m)
Men:
[2] Ong Beng Hee (Mas) bt [1] Azlan Iskandar (Mas)
9/2, 9/4, 10/8 (35m) |
FIFTH
TITLE FOR NICOL,
FOUR FOR ONG ...
Major Maniam reports from Taipei
Top seed Nicol David secured her fifth successive Asian
Squash Championships title, while Ong Beng Hee made it a Malaysian
double as he collected his fourth straight crown.
The weather was cold and wet, and Nicol was 7-0 down wondering what
was happening as Rebecca stepped forward to play her winners. Nicol
was on her back foot so to speak.
 As
she said, "Suddenly I realised that I needed to step forward to take
the ball early." She did exactly that and turned the game around.
Thereafter there was no holding her back as she attacked
relentlessly and on several occasions Rebecca was left as a mere
spectator.
In the men's final Ong was in superb form whilst Azlan appeared
sluggish, to me it appeared Beng Hee all the way.
Beng Hee's drop shots and finishing volleys were absolutely
outstanding while Azlan's game was laced with numerous unforced
errors.
A great victory for Beng Hee, his 4th consecutive Asian title and
Nicol's 5th consecutive title.
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"I'm quite satisfied with my
performance today, very happy that.
"Nicol has improved a lot, she is more stable, very speedy,
especially at the front court. Next time I need to pay 200%
concentration, and be more patient.
"Christina Mak can get the bronze medal for Hong Kong, and we
are confident that we can get good results in the team
competition."
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22-Feb,
Semi-Finals:
Men:
[1] Azlan Iskandar (Mas) bt [4] Mansoor Zaman (Pak) 3/9, 9/0, 9/2, 10/8
[2] Ong Beng Hee (Mas) bt [3] Shahid Zaman (Pak) 10/9, 9/1, 3/1 rtd
Women:
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [6] Christina Mak (Hkg) 9/0, 9/1, 9/0
[2] Rebecca Chiu (Hkg) bt [3] Sharon Wee (Mas)
6/9, 9/1, 9/3, 9/2
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Malaysia
on course for
Taipei
double ...
Malaysia are guaranteed at least one gold medal in the Asian Squash
Championships in Taiwan, as men's top seeds Azlan Iskandar and
Ong Beng Hee are set to meet in the final, a repeat of their
showdown in the KL Open last week, and Nicol David takes on
Hong Kong's Rebecca Chiu in the women's final.
Chiu was first on the all glass court, which is erected outside a
major shopping complex. Rebecca started off rather tentatively and
Sharon wee used the slower court and the cooler outdoor climate to
her advantage with accurate volley drops. After dropping the first
Rebecca got into her rhythm and there was no looking back as she
romped home rather easily.
 Likewise
Azlan struggled in the first as Mansoor used his deft touches to
great effect. Again once Azlan got going the next two games came
along easily. A good fight in the third but Azlan hung on to win.
Nicol David on the other hand showed no mercy as she cruised to a
easy 3-0 victory to reach her fifth successive final and will start
favourite to claim her fifth successive title.
Ong Beng hee had a rather physical match with Shahid Zaman. Ong was
leading 8-7 and 9-8. Shahid caught up and was serving at 9-9 before
Ong fought back to win the first 10-9. The second was over in 5
minutes, Ong winning 9-1 with Shahid guessing wrong most of the
time. Shahid did not put in any effort in the third and retired whist
trailing 3-1 for no apparent reason.
Having beaten Mansoor in the last three finals, Beng Hee now faces
his domestic rival for the crown before the pair embark on their
challenge for the team title on Thursday.
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"I was a little tense in the
first game, I just needed to get used to the all-glass court
we moved to today.
"Whenever I hit a loose ball, Sharon would then hit a killing
shot.
"After losing the first game, I tried to hit the ball harder
and tighter, which really worked for me.
"Then I felt pretty good and relaxed, just enjoyed my game on
our court (Taipei has loaned the HK glass court)."
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21-Feb, Quarter-Finals:
There will be Malaysian interest in all four semi-finals in the 13th
Asian Squash Championships in Chinese Taipei after Mohd Azlan
Iskandar and Sharon Wee, together with title-holders Ong Beng Hee
and Nicol David, successfully negotiated the quarter-finals at
the Taipei Arena in Taiwan.
 Iskandar, seeded to win the prestigious regional title for the first
time, beat Pakistan's eighth seed Majid Khan 9-3, 9-1, 9-7, while
domestic rival Ong Beng Hee – whom he beat in last week's KL Open
final in Malaysia – also overcame a Pakistani, surprise opponent
Farhan Mehboob. Second seed Beng Hee beat the 9/16 seed 4-9, 9-0,
9-6, 10-8.
Both Malaysians will again face Pakistanis in the semi-finals,
Iskandar the third seed Mansoor Zaman, and Beng Hee his cousin
Shahid Zaman, the No4 seed.
 Favourite Nicol David is in line to win her fifth successive women's
title since 1998. The 22-year-old world champion from Penang beat
Japan's unseeded Mami Nishio 9-2, 9-4, 9-2, and will now face Hong
Kong's Christina Mak for a place in the final. The sixth seed upset
Malaysia's Tricia Chuah, the fourth seed, 9-5, 9-1, 7-9, 9-2.
Third seed Sharon Wee will lead Malaysian interest in the other
women's semi-final after beating compatriot Delia Arnold 9-2, 9-0,
9-7. Wee takes on Hong Kong's Rebecca Chiu, the second seed who
defeated India's Joshna Chinappa 9-5, 9-1, 9-0.
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RESULTS:
Men's Quarter-finals, 21-Feb:
[1] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt [8] Majid Khan (PAK)
9-3, 9-1, 9-7
[4] Mansoor Zaman (PAK) bt [5] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND)
9-1, 9-2, 9-3
[3] Shahid Zaman (PAK) bt [6] Saurav Ghosal (IND)
10-8, 5-9, 9-7, 9-2
[2] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt Farhan Mehboob (PAK)
4-9, 9-0, 9-6, 10-8
Women's Quarter-Finals, 21-Feb:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt Mami Nishio (JPN)
9-2, 9-4, 9-2
[6] Christina Mak (HKG) bt [4] Tricia Chuah (MAS)
9-5, 9-1, 7-9, 9-2
[3] Sharon Wee (MAS) bt [5] Delia Arnold (MAS)
9-2, 9-0, 9-7
[2] Rebecca Chiu (HKG) bt [8] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
bt
9-5, 9-1, 9-0
Men's 2nd round:
[1] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt Kim Dong Woo (KOR) 9-6, 9-1,
9-4
Ali Alramezi (KUW) bt Abdul Faheem Khan (HKG) 9-6, 9-7, 1-9, 1-9,
9-6
[9/16] Gaurav Nandrajog (IND) bt Mohd Nadoushan (IRI) 9-0, 9-0, 9-2
[8] Majid Khan (PAK) bt Yasunori Ishiwata (JPN) 9-5, 9-0, 9-4
[5] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) bt Mohammed Hajeyah (KUW) 9-1, 9-5,
9-3
Abdullah Almezayen (KUW) bt Takehide Hota (JPN) 9-1, 9-5, 9-0
Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Vikas Jangra (IND) 10-9, 9-0, 7-9, 4-9, 9-3
[4] Mansoor Zaman (PAK) bt Kwon Hyeon-Jun (KOR) 9-0, 9-1, 9-0
[3] Shahid Zaman (PAK) bt Kim Sung Young (KOR) 9-0, 9-0, 9-5
Dick Lau (HKG) bt Timothy Arnold (MAS) 9-6, 9-7, 9-5
Takanori Shimizu (JPN) bt Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) 9-4, 9-3, 5-9, 9-6
[6] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Yong-Chun Chong (KOR) 9-2, 9-4, 9-0
[7] Wai Hang Wong (HKG) bt Anson Kwong (HKG) 9-5, 6-9, 6-9, 9-2, 9-3
[9/16] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt Yasir Issadeen (SRI) 9-5, 9-0, 9-0
Roger Ngan (HKG) bt Nasser B Al-Ramzi (KUW) 8-10, 7-9, 9-0,
9-5, 9-6
[2] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt Parthiban Ayappan (IND) 9-2, 9-0, 9-7
Men's 3rd round:
[1] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt [9/16] Ali Alramezi (KUW)
9-6, 9-1, 9-1
[8] Majid Khan (PAK) bt [9/16] Gaurav Nandrajog (IND)
9-4, 9-7, 1-9, 9-0
[5] Ritwik Bhattacharya (IND) bt [9/16] Abdullah Almezayen (KUW)
3-9, 9-5, 9-1, 8-10, 9-3
[4] Mansoor Zaman (PAK) bt [9/16] Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS)
9-2, 9-1, 9-3
[3] Shahid Zaman (PAK) bt Dick Lau (HKG)
9-1, 9-5, 9-1
[6] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Takanori Shimizu (JPN)
9-1, 9-4, 9-1
[9/16] Farhan Mehboob (PAK) bt [7] Wai Hang Wong (HKG)
9-2, 9-3, 9-3
[2] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt Roger Ngan (HKG)
9-4, 9-2, 9-1
Women's 2nd round:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt Kozue Onizawa (JPN) 9-4, 9-1, 9-2
Mami Nishio (JPN) bt [7] Chinatsu Matsui (JPN) 9-4, 10-8, 3-9, 9-6
[6] Christina Mak (HKG) bt Elise Ng (HKG) 10-9, 9-0, 9-2
[4] Tricia Chuah (MAS) bt Sachiko Shinta (JPN) 9-4, 10-8, 9-5
[3] Sharon Wee (MAS) bt Dipika Pallikal (IND) 9-3, 9-1, 9-1
[5] Delia Arnold (MAS) bt Karen Lau (HKG) 6-9, 9-0, 9-5, 9-1
[8] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Eun Ok Park (KOR) 1-9, 9-1, 9-5, 9-6
[2] Rebecca Chiu (HKG) bt Eun Chan Ahn (KOR) 9-1, 9-2, 9-0
1st round:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt Serene Lee (SIN) 9-1, 9-2, 9-1
Kozue Onizawa (JPN) bt Surbhi Misra (IND) 9-2, 9-2, 9-6
Mami Nishio (JPN) bt Anwesha Reddy (IND) 9-4, 9-0, 9-2
[7] Chinatsu Matsui (JPN) bt Vidushi Gurunada (SRI) 9-0, 9-2, 9-0
[6] Christina Mak (HKG) bt Nirasha Amithri Guruge (SRI) 9-0, 9-0,
9-0
Elise Ng (HKG) bt Nur Adawiyah (SIN) 9-1, 9-3, 9-5
Sachiko Shinta (JPN) bt Luo Ying Ching (TPE) 9-1, 9-0, 9-1
[4] Tricia Chuah (MAS) bt Ga-Hye Kim (KOR) 9-0, 9-3, 9-1
[3] Sharon Wee (MAS) bt Hsu Shu Ling (TPE) 9-1, 9-1, 9-0
Dipika Pallikal (IND) bt Sun-Mi Song (KOR) 9-5, 9-6, 9-0
Karen Lau (HKG) bt Hung Mei Hsia (TPE) 9-1, 9-0, 9-1
[5] Delia Arnold (MAS) bt Kushani Daluwatte (SRI) 9-0, 9-0, 9-0
[8] Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Tehani Guruge (SRI) 9-3, 9-7, 9-2
Eun Ok Park (KOR) bt Pan Kuei Yeh (TPE) 9-0, 9-0, 9-0
Eun Chan Ahn (KOR) bt Harita Omprakash (IND) 9-2, 9-0, 9-1
[2] Rebecca Chiu (HKG) bt Vicky He (SIN) 9-2, 9-1, 9-1
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MAIN DRAWS |
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The Grand Hotel
12 countries are participating in the event,
and all teams are
staying at the awesome
Grand Hotel - formerly an emperors
palace. |
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