Nicol sets up another rematch with Egyptian world No. 1 in Chicago

A tough customer: Nour El Sherbini beat England’s Victoria Lust 11-2, 11-7, 11-8 to book a quarter-final date with Nicol David. The Egyptian has a 7-4 record against Nicol.

PETALING JAYA: Nicol David gave England’s Emily Whitlock a thumping to set up another rematch with world No. 1 Nour El Sherbini at the Windy City Open squash championships.

The world No. 7 produced a solid display against the English world No. 15 to win 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 in the second round of the US$150,000 (RM669,000) tournament in Chicago on Saturday.

The 33-year-old Nicol also showed signs that she’s slowly adapting to a more offensive style of play as she fired a total of 22 winners in comparison to just 11 by the 23-year-old Whitlock.

And the Penangite believes she is in a good stead to snap a six-match losing streak against reigning world champion Nour. Nicol’s last meeting with the Egyptian was a quarter-final defeat at the Tournament of Champions (TOC) in New York last month.

“I had a great match against Emily. She’s a very fast player and she’s got a range of good shots,” said Nicol.

“I knew I had to play a tighter game and attack more and I’m pleased it worked the way I wanted it and to come through with a 3-0 win.

“I’m really looking forward to the quarter-finals. But I’ve got a day-off first and I want to absorb this win for a bit before preparing for the quarter-finals,” said Nicol, who is without a title for the last 18 months.

Nicol certainly needs to be at her best against Nour. The Egyptian was equally ruthless, taking just 25 minutes to beat England’s Victoria Lust 11-2, 11-7, 11-8.

“It was my first time playing Victoria. I went out there making sure all my shots were working. I made some mistakes in the third set but I’m feeling good. I’m definitely playing well at the moment,” said Nour who has a 7-4 record against Nicol.

In the men’s event, German Simon Rosner delivered the upset of the day by beating fourth seed and three-time world champion Ramy Ashour of Egypt 11-6, 11-8, 6-11, 11-3 in the second round.

The world No. 10 next takes on Egyptian sixth seed Ali Farag, who edged Peru’s Diego Elias 6-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6, 11-6, for a place in the semi-finals.