Nicol exits US Open in the quarter-finals

Nicol lost to Massaro (left) 11-8, 11-4, 6-11, 8-11, 10-12 in the US Open quarter-final tie. 

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian squash icon Nicol David’s year is getting from bad to worse.

In September, she was dethroned after 109 months as the world No. 1 by Egypt’s Raneem El Welily, with a loss to the Egyptian Nouran Gohar in the quarter-finals of the China Open.

And the 32-year-old Nicol can’t seem to get out of the rut after she blew a two-set lead to lose 11-8, 11-4, 6-11, 8-11, 10-12 to England’s Laura Massaro in the last eight of the US Open on Thursday.

The defending champion however started strongly at Philadelphia’s Drexel University, taking control of the first set.

She then led 7-1 in the second and looked set for an easy victory.

But Massaro, famed for her mental strength and grit, came back strongly to take the third and fourth sets to force a decider.

In the rubber, it was neck and neck from six-all until the tie-break but an uncharacteristic mishit by the Penangite eventually handed Massaro the win after 70 minutes.

This is the second time Nicol has fallen to the 31-year-old Englishwoman this year. She lost to the world No. 4 in five sets at the British Open semi-finals in May.

“Trailing two games against Nicol is an uphill battle but I knew I could do it because that’s what happened the last time we played. Maybe that was on her mind as well,” said Massaro.

“I was making it hard for myself after the first two sets went so quickly. But I came out fighting in the third because I wanted a respectable score ... I wasn’t going to lose 3-0.

“This is probably one of our scrappiest matches and it came good for me in the end.”

Massaro, the 2013 world champion, will take on Egypt’s Omneya Abdel Kawy for a place in the final.

Sixth seed Omneya also needed five sets to subdue India’s Dipika Pallikal 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 2-11, 11-3.

In the men’s event, 35-year-old world No. 2 Nick Matthew was at his best as he gave Egypt’s Fares Dessouki – 14 years his junior, a squash lesson.

The Englishman was never troubled easily rounding up an 11-6, 11-2, 11-7 win to set up a last-four clash with another Egyptian, sixth seed Omar Mosaad.