Report by Nathan Dugan
There were over 200 spectators in the crowd at the Cleveland Racquet Club who were just as stunned as Nicol David, after Laura Massaro played the match of her life to claim her first WISPA Gold title in the Cleveland WISPA Classic. When the event started, few would have picked Massaro as being in the finals, let alone holding the trophy aloft as the last match of the tournament finished. To reach her first ever final in a Gold event or higher, Massaro had already dismissed two higher ranked opponents including World No. 2, Jenny Duncalf. The last time a player knocked off both the World No. 1 and No. 2 in the same event was when David beat Vanessa Atkinson (No. 2) in the 2005 World Open semifinals and then Rachael Grinham in the final.
The confidence Massaro had accumulated from the previous three days was evident as she jumped out of the blocks to a 7-2 lead in the first game. She showed no respect whatsoever to the World Champion, as she patiently rallied up and down the wall before catching David with a deceptive boast or a winning volley kill. David, who is known for her ability to get back into a game from a losing position, then reeled off six straight points and it appeared the momentum had shifted largely in the Malaysian’s favor. As David once again leveled at 9-9, the atmosphere in the crowd was tense, realizing that this may be a game Massaro had to win to make the night competitive. When Massaro held game ball, so did the breaths of the spectators as Massaro hit a winning forehand volley drop to take the first game and an unexpected lead in the match.
The lead doubled as a confident Massaro stuck with her tactics of playing patient squash, frustrating David into uncharacteristic errors as she tried to attack balls earlier in the rallies. The pace of the game was noticeably slower than David had played in earlier rounds, but this was largely due to Massaro playing tight controlled squash, taking away the room David has become accustomed to. When an opening arose for Massaro she was deadly on the volley, putting balls away for winners that David is normally seen counter-attacking with great ferocity.
Despite David getting off to a better start in game three, using the boast from short court to great effect, Massaro was not going away. At 9-9, Massaro was just two points away from the biggest win of her career. By this time the crowd had switched allegiances, willing David to win the game and push us into the fourth. They got their wish just moments later, as a rare Massaro error going for a forehand kill put one game on the scoreboard for the World No. 1.
As David served at the start of the fourth game, many thought we would now see what we knew David was capable of delivering. David looked to pick up the pace and her trademark rushing between points as she took a 3-1 lead. But Massaro refused to attack the front of the court, instead pinning her quick opponent into the back of the court—a strategy that tempted David into a few unforced errors, giving Massaro a 7-5 lead. A tight backhand drop from the back of the court followed by an aggressive forehand volley took Massaro to an 8-5 lead and a cushion that would ultimately be too big for even David to climb. A winning boast from Massaro, then an aggressive crosscourt short volley gave Massaro 10-6 and an unlikely match ball. Though David fought off two match balls, Massaro buried an un-returnable backhand volley, giving her the victory of her life. For Massaro, It was a well-deserved win after playing great squash throughout the week; for David, it will give her new incentive to reach new heights as the 2011 season progresses.
