Squash: King captures sixth national title

Joelle King plays a backhand return during her final win against Megan Craig. Photo/Warren Buckland

World No 12 Joelle King was quick to praise Squash New Zealand officials after she captured a sixth national title in Havelock North yesterday.

"It's good that they managed to change the dates for the nationals. In the past when they were held in August and September it was tough for some of us playing overseas to choose whether or not to come back. This is pretty special to come back and see as well as play against some of the players I grew up with," King said.

The Cambridge -based former world No 4 - who missed last year's nationals because of a clash with the Hong Kong Open - beat third seed Megan Craig of Blenheim 11-4, 11-6, 12-10 in her final to complete a weekend of straight-sets victories.

"Megan fought back well in the third when I had match point at 10-7," King, 28, recalled.

King also praised her semifinal opponent, Palmerston North teenager Kaitlyn Watts.
"She's only 16 and she's New Zealand's best junior. I didn't take her lightly at all, she's a good talent."

Watts was on the receiving end of an 11-2, 11-2, 11-1 lesson.

King's last national title was in 2015 where she beat Craig in the final and it took her a moment to recall her first: "It was in 2010 I think at ... Whakatane ... a little while ago."

For 24-year-old Craig it had been a tough battle to get to the final. She played second seed Amanda Landers-Murphy of Auckland for the fourth time in six weeks, Landers-Murphy having won their three previous matches. It took four tough games but Craig eventually emerged the winner with an 11-5, 9-11, 11-9, 13-11 victory.

Despite claiming her sixth national title King still has a way to go equal record-holder Dame Susan Devoy, who has 10 national titles.

This weekend she will play in the Wellington Open. Following this assignment King will head to Manchester with the New Zealand team for the World Doubles Championships after a training camp in Auckland.

King will play with Landers-Murphy, a beaten semifinalist at the weekend, in the doubles, and Paul Coll in the mixed doubles.

Greymouth's Coll, another world No 12, beat second seed Campbell Grayson of Auckland 8-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-2 in their final, which took 72 minutes. This was Coll's third consecutive natonal title.

In their respective semifinals Coll beat fourth seed Lance Beddoes of Auckland 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 and Grayson downed third seed Evan Williams of Wellington 11-4, 12-14, 11-9, 11-8.

Both Coll and King are no strangers to success at the Havelock North club and last year won their respective North Island titles there.