KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia’s squash queen, Datuk Nicol David won the Spirit of Squash for Female Player Award during the 2015/16 PSA Awards ceremony, held following the conclusion of the PSA World Series Finals Tournament in Dubai, United Arab Emirates on Sunday.
The awards were given to the players who best exemplefied the spirit of squash by displaying true sportsmanship, camaraderie and also fair play on and off court, according to the Professional Squash Association (PSA) website;www.psaworldtour.com.
For the record, Nicol who secured back-to-back PSA World Series Finals title in 2011/12 and 2012/13 season, lost to the world number three, Egyptian Raneem El Welily, in the semifinals of the PSA World Series Finals for 2015/16 season.
Raneem was selected as the runner-up winner of Spirit of Squash Award for Female player.
Meanwhile world squash powerhouse, Egypt, dominated the ceremony after sweeping nine out of 10 awards at stake.
Women’s world number one, Nour El Sherbini who bagged the prestigious British Open title besides becoming the first Egyptian to clinch the World Championships title since 1976, received the PSA Female Player of the Year and also Fans Player of the Season Award for Female Player.
Men’s world number one, Mohamed ElShorbagy won the Male Player of the Year after showcasing outstanding performances in 2015/16 season with six PSA World Series titles.
His younger brother, Marwan who is the world number seven player, won the Young Player of the Year award after a breakthrough season that saw him breaking into the top 10 for the first time besides winning back-to back titles — the Grasshopper Cup in April and the Houston Open, a month later.
World number 10 player, Ali Farag won the Fans Player of the Season Award and also the Spirit of Squash Award for Male Player.
Except for the Fans of the Season Award, the winner of each category is selected by the PSA Awards Committee, a group consisting of selected influential former players, members of the media, tournament promoters and PSA Board representatives. — Bernama