Joseph Romanos writes...
Squash player Joelle King could be following in some illustrious footsteps if her performances at the Delhi Commonwealth Games are an indication.
King has long been touted a coming player and the 21-year-old from Cambridge is now really delivering the goods at senior level. Whether shell ever match the performances of Susan Devoy, Leilani Joyce and Carol Owens (the latter an Australian who immigrated to New Zealand and then wore the Silver Fern with pride) and reach the world No 1 ranking is yet to be seen.
But King has raised her world ranking to No 20 after a run of brilliant form in the United States, when she beat former world No 1 Rachael Grinham for the second time, and has since twice beaten her higher-ranked countrywoman Jaclyn Hawkes at home, the second time in the final of the national championship last month.
Susan Devoy, who can be a stern critic, was most taken with King when she saw her play this past winter. Im not easy to impress, said Devoy, but Im impressed with how much she has improved. Shes really put in some work, and it shows. She can go a lot further yet.
In Delhi, King, seeded 12th in the womens singles, beat the eighth seed, Australian Donna Urquhart comfortably and then pushed world No 4 Alison Waters all the way in their quarter-final before losing in five gruelling games.
She attributed her failure to finish off the job in the fifth game to inexperience. I got a bit over-excited out there and got ahead of myself. Its something to learn from for next time, she said. Even so, she was encouraged to be playing someone of Waters reputation and to be in with a chance of winning. New Zealand squash followers have known for years that King was something special. She confirmed that on the world stage in Hong Kong in 2007, when she finished third in the junior womens world championship. King was tipped in her early teens as a champion in the making.
She certainly had sport in her blood. Her father was a junior Kiwi rugby league representative, and her brother, Regan, became an All Black in 2002. She won all the various national age-group titles available to her, from under-11 in 1999 to under-19 in 2006. But she was so strong and had such a developed game that she often played in age divisions above her own and in 2004, aged only 15, won the New Zealand junior open. At 17 King became one of the youngest players to make a senior New Zealand womens team and in 2007 she finished third in the British junior open.
However, the world is full of prodigiously talented juniors who never progressed through the senior ranks, and there was some doubt about whether King would have the training ethos to make a go of it among the worlds best seniors. Those doubters have long since been silenced. King, effectively coached by Carol Owens and Glen Wilson, seems to have maintained her progress since leaving her junior days behind. With a maturing attitude towards training and preparation, she sliced her world ranking from 123rd to 54th in 2008, and back to 31 in 2009.
While she has always had plenty of winning strokes, she is so fit and confident now that she can bide her time and wait for the right opportunity before stepping in for the kill. Where to now? The answer is in Kings hands, but on the evidence in Delhi, she still is clearly capable of being at least a top 10 player.
Dare we hope for more?
Joseph Romanos
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