Nicolette Fernandes - With 2008 St Lucia Open Trophy

GEORGETOWN, Guyana, CMC - Guyana’s world-rated squash star Nicolette Fernandes, buoyed by her St Lucia Open triumph last weekend, has identified fitness as a priority as she embarks on rebuilding her career.
 
On the comeback trail after a knee injury sidelined her for more than a year, Fernandes produced an outstanding performance on Saturday night to crush the highly rated Barbadian Karen Meakins in straight games in the women’s championship decider at the Subaru St Lucia Open.
 
“Right now, I need to get fit and continue my training, I know I need to do a lot of work, fitness work,” Fernandes told CMC Sport on Tuesday.
 
Fernandes is satisfied with her skill level but anxious to regain match sharpness and to get her entire body back to top condition for international squash.
 
“I wouldn’t say that I am at my best because I am still a little bit rusty when it comes to tournament play, this is only my second tournament back,” said Fernandes, who had surgery on a career-threatening knee injury in May last year.
 
Fernandes, who returned home from St Lucia on Monday, had lost to defending champion Meakins in five games in a group match two days before the final at the St Lucia Open.
 
She had won the first two games in the group match Thursday night but England-born Meakins stormed back to win the match 4-9, 2-9, 9-5, 9-6, 9-2.
 
The story was completely different in the final and Fernandes rushed to a lopsided win 9-0, 9-0, 9-3 for her second tournament triumph in the space of a week.
 
“I moved a lot better (on Saturday), I was really confident in this second match, I am pleased that I played well,” said the 25-year-old multiple Guyana Sportswoman of the Year.
 
The previous weekend, in her first tournament in 14 months, Fernandes had won the Guyana Senior Championship.
 
Fernandes, the reigning Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Games champion, believes being short of full fitness played a part in her loss to Meakins in their group match, since she was sharp early but faded as the game progressed.
 
“I think I probably could play well for about three games but if it came down to five (games) as you saw in St Lucia, I probably could not play my best at five (games). So right now, that’s what I am working towards, playing my best over a long period of time,” said Fernandes, who left her training base in England earlier this year to go her rehabilitation programme at home.
 
From a career-best world-ranking of 27th in May last year, Fernandes plunged out of the top 200 because of her inactivity and she is now building a confidence platform to resuscitate her international career.

The most accomplished squash player ever from the Caribbean, Fernandes won the Women's Most Improved Player prize for 2006 at the World Squash Awards in London.

She had enjoyed a 21-place jump in the world rankings during that year -- from 50th at the end of the 2005 season -- and her upset victory over Britain’s World No.8 Jenny Duncalf at the 2006 World Open in Belfast was among the high points of her impressive 2006 campaign. 

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