KUALA LUMPUR: Nicol David's decline in the world rankings coincides with the rise of the squash Cleopatras.
The Malaysian squash queen may have just proved recently that she is still the best in the continent with her Asian Games women’s singles gold.
But even such exalted level by Nicol is not enough to stop the tide from the Nile.
On Friday, Nicol was swept out of the China Open quarter-finals by Egyptian Raneem El Welily in Shanghai.
Nicol, at 35 years old, found her self eventually edged out 4-11, 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 5-11 by her younger and fitter rival.
And it wasn’t even a surprise outcome as former World No 1 Nicol suffered her fifth consecutive loss to 29-year-old Raneem.
The presences of the Cleopatras were simply overwhelming. Of the four semi-finalists in the China Open, three are from Egypt.
Raneem will meet compatriot, World No. 3 Nour El Tayeb in the last four while World No. 1 Nour El Sherbini will duel with Frenchwoman Camille Serme.
In the quarter-finals, Nour El Sherbini ousted teammate Nouran Gohar 11-6, 11-7, 11-6; Nour El Tayeb downed England’s Sarah-Jane Perry 11-6, 7-11, 2-11, 11-2, 11-8 while Camille knocked out Joshna Chinappa of India 11-3, 11-5, 11-9.