Joelle King Takes Another Title With Singapore Open Win

Kiwi squash player, Joelle King has won the Singapore Squash Open after a straight game victory over Egypt’s Nour El Tayeb, her second tournament win in as many weeks after the New Zealand Open last weekend.

King, seeded second for the PSA World Tour Gold event, put in one of her most impressive performances of recent times as she completely nullified El Tayeb’s attacking skills to record an 11-6, 12-10, 11-4 victory in 40 minutes.

After winning a five-game thriller with the unseeded American Sabrina Sobhy in the semis the 34-year-old found her accuracy quickly and combined it with her traditional power.

El Tayeb struggled in the early stages of the match, with her attempts at finding the back corners often seeing the ball spray out into the middle of the court, which gave King multiple opportunities to put the ball away.

The Egyptian player was much improved in the second game, however, and was able to go 10-8 up after varying the angles of her shots and using the hold to great effect as she pulled King away from the ’T’ and dragged her around the court.

It was at that moment that King produced four top rallies, showing supreme composure and confidence as she patiently waited for an opportunity, before punishing El Tayeb with some sumptuous winners, particularly on the backhand volley drop.

The Waikato player charged to victory in a one-sided third game to capture her 16th PSA title, whilst it’s also her biggest trophy since the 2018 Hong Kong Open.

Four King, the win was satisfying to defeat a player who had always given her trouble on the court.

“First of all we have to talk about Nour. She’s had a baby and she’s been terrorising all of the draws. She’s been unseeded and beating player after player. It was such a tough match, I know it was 3-0, but the intensity was high and there was so much skill and athleticism on display here.

“That’s what you get when you play Nour. Congratulations to her on a great tournament, and I’m very pleased to win today.

“I was game ball down [in the second game] and I thought that I just needed to fight. I tried to get a bit of rhythm for the next game and get in front and volley, and that seemed to work. That was the turning point, I think, and I came out strong in the third and just tried to protect the lead, so I’m very happy with this win today.

“It’s the first time we’ve brought world-class squash to Singapore for a long time, and I hope to see all the fans again here next year.”

The result is likely to push King further towards the world No 4 ranking on Monday night and continues her unbeaten run from the Nations Cup and NZ Open in Tauranga recently.