King Falls Short in Macau

Joelle King has fallen just short at defending her crown at the US$50,000 Macau Open in China over the weekend.

King who is ranked 11 in the world and seeded fourth for the tournament beat Australian Donna Urquhart in the quarter-finals 10-12 11-2 11-7 11-4 in 35 minutes

The Waikato 28-year-old beat Egyptian qualifier Yathreb Adel 11-5 11-3 11-3 in 26 minutes in the semifinals to take on second seeded 19-year-old Nouran Gohar also from Egypt for the title.

“I didn’t know what to expect really,” said King “I’ve never played her before but like all Egyptians, I knew she had good hands. I Just kept the pressure high and didn’t give her any options. They can hold and whip the ball very well. I just wanted to be in front all of the time.”

Egyptian Nouran Gohar, the world number seven, beat King, the world number 11, 13-11, 11-7, 12-10 in a 48-minute match in the final.

In recent weeks King, the 28-year-old Waikato player has made the final at Macau, the semifinals at the big China Open and won two gold medals at the World Doubles Championships.

Well done Joelle!