PETALING JAYA: A suspected broken nose failed to stop Peter Barker from claiming his first CIMB Malaysian Open squash title at The Curve, Mutiara Damansara, on Sunday.
The Englishman suffered a nose injury after being hit in the face by Spain’s Borja Golan in the semi-finals on Saturday. Play was suspended and Barker, the world No. 7, subsequently returned to court yesterday morning to complete an 11-9, 11-9, 11-2 win over Golan.
After a five-hour rest, Barker was back in court for the final against defending champion Egypt’s Tarek Momen. Barker played like a well-oiled machine, scoring an 11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-3 win.
In doing so, he denied Momen the chance of becoming the first man since Pakistan’s Fahim Gul in 1979 and 1980 to win back-to-back Malaysian Open titles.
It was Barker’s second straight Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour crown. He bagged the Colombian Open last month.
“I am definitely over the moon to win the Malaysian Open. To beat both Borja and Tarek on the same day is an absolute treat,” said a jubilant Barker, whose other victory in Malaysia was at the Kuala Lumpur Open in 2009.
“After play was suspended against Borja on Saturday, I did not think I could beat him today. But it’s been a great run and I’m definitely coming into a bit of form which is great for my confidence.
“My wife just gave birth in the summer, and this has been a great couple of weeks for me,” added Barker, who was richer by US$8,025 (RM26,402).
The 30-year-old Londoner said that he was not affected by the nose injury in both matches.
“I think it may be broken. I will be flying home tonight (Sunday) and will see my doctor tomorrow. Let him tell me the bad news because I don’t care. This is worth it,” added Barker.
For Momen, he attributed his defeat to a string of unforced errors.
“Nothing seemed to work today. I made too many errors. But Peter played really well ... his shots were so accurate and precise. I want to congratulate him for winning two matches in a day,” said world No. 10 Momen, who received US$5,525 (RM18,177).
Limited time offer:
Just RM5 per month.
