Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Kuala Lumpur, Sept 16: In a contest between the two best women squash players in the world, No 2 Michelle Martin upset top-ranked Sarah Fitzgerald to win gold in an all-Australian final today at the Commonwealth Games.
Martin, who won 9-0, 9-6, 9-5, overpowered her opponent in the first half of the match. Constantly on the defensive, Fitzgerald scrambled, fumbled and lunged and only won her first point at 0-5 in the second game after 15 minutes of play.
As the match wore on, 30-year-old Fitzgerald began to dominate more points and dictated some of the pace but Martin, 31, kept up a steady barrage of drives and tight angles.
Both women had breezed through the early rounds, winning all their matches by a margin of 3-0. Martin, winner of six consecutive British Open titles, had recently beat Fitzgerald.
The losing semifinalists in the women’s competition, Cassie Jackman and Sue Wright, both of England, share the bronze medal.
