Vanessa Atkinson
Encyclopedia
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 The Hague
.
Atkinson 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. Atkinson also has won major tournaments in Qatar, New York, Monte Carlo, Malaysia and Ireland.
Atkinson retired from professional play in May 2011.
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne is a city and metropolitan borough of Tyne and Wear, in North East England. Historically a part of Northumberland, it is situated on the north bank of the River Tyne...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
) is a former professional squash
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
player from the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, 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
Dordrecht
Dordrecht , colloquially Dordt, historically in English named Dort, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, located in the province of South Holland. It is the fourth largest city of the province, having a population of 118,601 in 2009...
. She now resides in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
.
Atkinson biggest win came in 2004 when she won the World Open title in Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
by defeating fellow compatriote Natalie Grinham
Natalie Grinham
Natalie Marie Grinham is a professional squash player. During her career, she has won three Commonwealth Games Gold Medals, and finished runner-up at both the World Open and the British Open. She reached the World No. 2 ranking in 2007. She represented Australia in international squash...
(at that time still representing Australia) with a score of 9–1, 9–1 & 9–5 in the final. Atkinson also has won major tournaments in Qatar, New York, Monte Carlo, Malaysia and Ireland.
Atkinson retired from professional play in May 2011.
See also
- Official Women's Squash World RankingOfficial Women's Squash World RankingWISPA world rankings is the official world ranking for women's squash. The ranking is to rate the performance level of female professional squash player. It is also a merit-based method used for determining entry and seeding in women's squash tournaments...
- List of WISPA number 1 ranked players
- WISPA AwardsWISPA AwardsThe WISPA Awards are presented annually by the Women's International Squash Players Association, the organization which organizes the women's world squash circuit.-Player of The Year:-Young Player of the Year:-Most Improved Player of the Year:...