Fernandes commands respect for her country
Guyana Chronicle
December 21, 2006
LONDON, England (CMC) – Guyana’s Caribbean squash champion Nicolette Fernandes believes she now commands the respect she and her country never had in the sport when she embarked on an international career three years ago.
Buoyed by her all-time best world ranking of 29th this month, Fernandes is satisfied that her growth in the international game has forced the world to shed the initial disrespect shown to her.
“Coming from Guyana, which is not a recognised squash nation, I remember when I first started, it just felt like no one took notice of me and no one respected me as a squash player,” Fernandes told CMC Sport on Tuesday night.
“I had to prove myself and this year I have more or less proved myself,” she added.
Boosted by a superb win over Britain’s world Top-10 player Jenny Duncalf at the World Open in Belfast last month, Fernandes made a significant leap from her November position of No.35 in the world ratings to secure a Top-30 position for the first time in her career.
The England-based 23-year-old was the biggest mover – among the top fifty players – in the world rankings for the month.
“I can feel them (international rivals) now respecting me, and that's a good feeling,” Fernandes said.
On Wednesday November 22, Fernandes scored the biggest win of her career when she upset World No.8 and tournament sixth seed Duncalf 9-3, 9-0, 9-7 in the first round of the Women’s World Open in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Fernandes lost her second round match to the in-form Briton Laura-Jane Lengthorn, the current World No.12, in straight games but her triumph over Duncalf was enough to secure another significant rise in the world ratings.
Fernandes, who gained steadily in the rankings this year, had entered the world's Top-50 late last year after a series of good international results and was Guyana's 2005 Sportswoman-of-the-Year.
Earlier this year, she captured the Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games gold medal in Cartagena, Colombia and returned to the South American country two months later in September to finish runner-up at the Pan-American Championship in Medellin.
Fernandes, who has been playing the Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) circuit since 2003, also retained her Southern Caribbean Championship title in Barbados in August.