Enfield squash player Alison Waters felt she dealt with beating world number one Nicol David at the Tournament of Champions better than previously, before losing to Raneen El Weleily in the final.

Waters, 30, won the first game of the final 9-11 but was beaten 12-10, 11-4, 11-4 in the next three to lose out to Egyptian El Weleily in 48 minutes in New York. The Brit has previously been beaten by El Weleily as recently as December, losing out in the semi-finals of the World Championships.

The highlight for Waters was her quarter-final win over world number one David, who has enjoyed the upper hand in their recent contests. Waters enthused: "Yes it was a great moment. She has been world number one for eight years and that was only my second win over her.

"Mentally it is a tough one as well as there is such a high after winning that sometimes it can be tough to get ready for the next round. This time I dealt with it better and mentally felt in a good place."

She added: "Squash seems to be getting much more coverage in the media which is fantastic. I think if you beat Nicol it is always going to be big news as she doesn't lose often. The more the papers can give squash coverage then it's a win-win situation for us."

Reflecting on her tournament overall, Waters was upbeat despite suffering ultimate disappointment at the hands of El Weleily: "I'm delighted with the tournament. Obviously losing in the final was disappointing but so many positives during the week. To beat Nicol David was amazing and then had an epic semi-final where I saved three match balls. Was a very good week for me.

"The second [game in the final] was close and if I had got that then who knows what could have happened.

"After that I got quite tired. I had some tough matches getting to the final and it took its toll in the end. Raneem is a great player and played very well so it was never going to be an easy one."