David makes fast start at British Open

HULL: World number one Nicol David's bid to win the British Open for a fifth time made a fast and impressive start on Tuesday which belied the fact that she has yet to win a title this year.

The record-breaking Malaysian needed only half an hour to win her first round by 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 against Joshana Chinappa, the five-time Indian champion who had come through the qualifying competition.
This may have been an advantage as Chinappa was comfortable with the warm, fast conditions and able to push David to some fine long rallies, though she was not consistent enough to avoid an occasional sprinkling of high-speed mistakes which was the difference between the players. "I tried not to give her time to play her game because she can be dangerous," said David. "And I'm really pleased with the way I did that. "Especially this last year I do more with the ball. Of course it's difficult to do that all the time, but I knew I had to work her and not let her game flow."

David produced two terrific rallies in the middle of the second game, which revealed the increasing authority of her stroke play, carried her to 6-3, and announced that she was firmly in control of the match against an able opponent.

One of these finished with a disguised drive, which David masked so well with a late movement of the wrist that it hurtled for a clean winner, and the other included a volleying attack which pressured Chinappa into hitting the ball down.

David concluded the match with a neat little volley-drop cut-off to a cross court ball, and then discussed the big change which will come on Wednesday evening.

Then she and all the other women will have to adapt not only from a plaster wall court to an all-glass court, but to temperatures which may be 15 degrees or more lower, greatly affecting the bounce of the ball.
That is because all the women's first round matches - unlike the men's - are being played at the Pontefract club 50 miles away from the Hull City football club venue - placing a greater premium on the ability to adapt quickly."It would be better if everyone started straight away on the glass court," David admitted.

David now has a surprise opponent, Sarah Kippax, a local hope ranked just outside the top 20, who upset Natalie Grinham, the ten-seeded former British Open finalist from The Netherlands, by 9-11, 13-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7.

Kippax looked headed for the exit when she was within one shot of going two games down, but by the time the English woman had taken it the distance, she had gained in confidence. At the finish she was just a little too fresh for the 35-year-old opponent who used to be David's closest rival. (AFP)