King Beaten By Squash Legend In New York

A tough loss for Kiwi squash pro Joelle King as the world No.9 has lost to eight-time world champion Nicol David in a lengthy match in New York.

King was beaten by Nicol David in four games 9-11 11-2 7-11 9-11 in 53 minutes in the second round of the US$165,000 JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in Grand Central Station, New York.

The game began with neither player hitting their full stride, but matching each other evenly all the way. It was David who led 10-9 with game ball in hand before a shot from King saw David at full stretch aiming to retrieve the ball, which King was certain was down. An inconclusive look from the video referee saw the appeal go against King and the opening game go the way of David.

To the Kiwi's credit, rather than letting the dubious end to the opening game play on her mind, she came out in the second and took complete control, playing with more positivity and aggression to take time away from David and nullify the Malaysian's speed and court coverage to win 11-2.

With the intensity of the rallies increasing, David was able to put more and more work into the legs of the world No.9 and was rewarded when errors began to creep into King's game. David eventually gained the upper hand and took the final two games 11-7 11-9.