Earlier Nicol David became the first Malaysian to win a British Open title, and the first Asian to win the women’s crown, when she beat Australia’s Natalie Grinham in the women’s final in straight games – also in 55 minutes.
The in-form world No3, seeded three and ranked two places higher than Grinham, had not beaten the Australian in their previous four meetings. The pair often train with each other in the Netherlands, where both are based.
Grinham was hoping to gain revenge for David’s earlier defeat of her older sister Rachael Grinham, the defending champion, in the previous round. The fourth seed led 7-5 in the second game and 6-0 in the third, but the pint-sized Malaysian piled on the pressure to claim her 9-6 9-7 9-6 win and her maiden British Open title.