Linda Elriani, the teaching pro at the Heights Casino in Brooklyn (NY) and host of the 2009 Carol Weymuller U.S. Open Squash Championships, commented that, Jenny [Duncalf] is looking very fit and trim these days and played extremely well in the three games she won [in the first round],” after watching her dismantle Annelize Naudi. Little did Elriani know that that statement would prove to be a foreshadowing of later things to come.
The odds on favorite to win the title was undoubtedly World No. 1 Nicol David. While David had recently experienced the highs and lows of winning and losing, having lost in the British Open quarterfinals before winning the World Open and Hong Kong Open, her WISPA ranking points were nearly double those of the World No. 2.
Such has been her dominance, that her first two rounds of the Weymuller generated little more than cursory attention from the primary news source for squash—”Top seed Nicol David dispatched Dutch No. 1 Vanessa Atkinson in the quarterfinals.” At least Duncalf’s win over her British compatriot, Tania Bailey, warranted a quote: “I’m very happy to win 3-0 against Tan,” said Duncalf. “She’s such a great player and even though she’s had a tough time recently with her injuries, you can never relax because she can hammer one in at any moment.”
David would soon find out that it was Duncalf who had the “hammer” when the then World No. 6 pulled off the most impressive win of her career by beating David in the semifinals, 11-6, 11-4, 11-3. Not only was the stunning win Duncalf’s first over David in 15 Tour meetings since February 2002, it was also the first time since April 2007 that David had lost in straight games. And in their previous 11 meetings, Duncalf had won a grand total of four games—never more than one in a single match.
“I’m pretty shocked!” said Duncalf following the upset. “One for winning, but certainly for winning 3-0. I felt calm all the way through tothe end when I thought, ‘Don’t mess this up now!’ I always enjoy playing this tournament, and if I was going to beat Nicol, there was a good chance it would be here.”
Said Elriani, “We all wondered what would happen in the second [after Duncalf won the first game] and if she could keep up the quality of squash. However, in both the second and third, Jenny not only kept up the quality but improved on it! She moved super fast and effortlessly and stayed error-free with all her precise short shots.”
David, who celebrated her 40th consecutive month at the top of the world rankings in November, was philosophical about her defeat. “With all the girls, they are working really hard and going out and giving it everything. She didn’t let up an inch and I just had to try and do something and she just kept on going and went right through.”
On hand for the semifinal evening was tournament namesake, Carol Weymuller, and her husband Fred, who also took in the evening’s other upset that saw England’s Alison Waters knock out Rachael Grinham in dominant fashion.
“I was really pleased to win 3-0,” said Waters. “Rachael is a great player. We’ve had really close matches in the past so I knew that it could be very tough.”
Grinham added, “I started off okay, and then Ali settled into it. I wasn’t covering the court the way I needed to. She played really well and is improving all the time.”
But Duncalf was not going to be denied the biggest title of her life. And less than 24 hours after beating David, Duncalf completed her remarkable run by beating Waters in four hard-fought games, and became the first English winner of the US Open title since 2003 when Cassie Jackman won it for the fourth time.
“I’m thrilled to have won,” Duncalf told the enthusiastic crowd at the Heights Casino Annex. “I always feels so relaxed here and made so welcome.”