Vanessa Atkinson
![]() Atkinson during 2009 Women's World Open | |||||||||||||||||||||
Full name | Vanessa Louise Atkinson | ||||||||||||||||||||
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Country | ![]() | ||||||||||||||||||||
Residence | Leeds, England | ||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Newcastle, England | 10 March 1976||||||||||||||||||||
Turned Pro | 1995 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Retired | 2011 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Plays | Right Handed | ||||||||||||||||||||
Coached by | Liz Irving | ||||||||||||||||||||
Racquet used | Karakal | ||||||||||||||||||||
Women's singles ![]() | |||||||||||||||||||||
Highest ranking | No. 1 (December, 2005) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Title(s) | 25 | ||||||||||||||||||||
Tour final(s) | 42 | ||||||||||||||||||||
World Open | W (2004) | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Last updated: 3 December 2019. |
Vanessa Louise Atkinson (born 10 March 1976 in Newcastle, England) is a former professional squash player from the Netherlands, who won the World Open in 2004 and reached the World No. 1 ranking in December 2005.
Atkinson was born in England, but her family moved to the Netherlands when she was still a child. She began playing squash as a youngster in Dordrecht. She now resides in Harrogate, Yorkshire, with her partner James Willstrop, himself a professional squash player.[1]
Atkinson's biggest win came in 2004 when she won the World Open title in Kuala Lumpur by defeating fellow compatriote Natalie Grinham (at that time still representing Australia) with a score of 9–1, 9–1, 9–5 in the final.[2] Atkinson also has won major tournaments in Qatar, New York, Monte Carlo, Malaysia and Ireland.
Atkinson retired from professional play in May 2011.
Finals: 1 (1 title, 0 runner-up)
Outcome | Year | Location | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2004 | Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia | ![]() |
9–1, 9–1, 9–5 |
Major World Series final appearances
Qatar Classic: 2 finals (2 titles, 0 runner-up)
Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2004 | ![]() |
9-4, 9-7, 9-6 |
Winner | 2005 | ![]() |
9-7, 9-4, 9-2 |
Malaysian Open: 2 finals (1 title, 1 runner-up)
Outcome | Year | Opponent in the final | Score in the final |
---|---|---|---|
Winner | 2004 | ![]() |
9-2, 9-4, 9-0 |
Runner-up | 2005 | ![]() |
3-9, 9-3, 1-9, 9-1, 9-4 |
See also
References
- ^ "Ashour & Matthew on course to meet". BBC Sport.
- ^ "Atkinson crowned World Champion". Squashsite.co.uk. Retrieved 14 May 2009.
External links
- Vanessa Atkinson at WISPA (archived)
- Vanessa Atkinson at Squash Info
- Interview at Squashtalk.com - June 1999
- [1]