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John White enjoys Black magic with Prince
Squash tour veteran John White is continuing to enjoy a sensational resurgence in his career since taking up the latest Prince racquet in the brand's new O3 series.
A member of the Prince Pro Squash Team for more than ten years,White signed a new two-year agreement with the brand at the beginning of the year - and immediately switched to the new O3 Black racquet.
The US-based Scot made his O3 Black debut at the 5-star Dayton Open in Ohio - and reached the final. A month later and he was in the final of the British National Championship for the second time.
In March,White achieved a remarkable personal record when he played four successive five-game matches at the ISS Canary Wharf Classic after reaching his 30th PSA Tour final in London! Seeded five, he courageously took a 2/1 lead over his higher-ranked opponent James Willstrop, but ultimately went down in an exhilarating 71-minute final which earned the pair a prolonged standing ovation from the sell-out crowd.
It was after a 70-minute first round match, then an 81-minute quarter-final clash, that White faced Frenchman Thierry Lincou, the defending champion and top seed, in the semi-finals. It was a ferocious battle which lasted 95 minutes - the longest match of his career - but the Prince star ultimately prevailed 11-8, 11-10 (2-0), 9-11, 10-11 (0-2), 11-9.
White admits that the racquet is helping him play better than he has in a long time: "The weight and balance is so good that it makes it much easier for me to get out of trouble," he explained. "I'm hitting the ball so much more crisply and cleanly."
Within two weeks of his Canary Wharf exploits,White carved out another sensational run in the Sheikha Al Saad Kuwait Open, in Kuwait City. He beat France's world No 2 Gregory Gaultier in the second round, then despatched Egypt's No 8 seed Karim Darwish to become the only player out of the top four seeds to reach the semi-finals!
White's success mirrors that of fellow O3 squash players Peter Nicol and Nicol David. Peter Nicol, a Prince player for 15 years who topped the world rankings for 60 months, ended a six-month title drought when he picked up the O3 Tour - winning two major titles, the World Games and English Open,within a month. The Englishman went on to win two gold medals in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Australia, bringing his Games haul since 1998 to four gold medals!
In other news, Prince Sports is proud to officially announce the addition of Daniela Hantuchova to its growing list of sponsored athletes. Hantuchova, the current No14 ranked woman in the tennis world, was so impressed with the company’s O3 technology when she picked it up earlier this year, that she immediately contacted Prince about making the switch to the O3 White prior to this year's Pacific Life Open and becoming part of the Prince team of players.
By signing with Prince and picking up an O3 racquet, the 23-year-old, who now resides in Monte Carlo, joins a growing list of more that 80 ATP and WTA pros such as Maria Sharapova, Nikolay Davydenko and up-andcoming American Sam Querrey who have made the switch to O3 technology. The revolutionary technology transformed traditional pin-sized string holes into giant Oports, giving players unmatched racquet speed and a larger sweet spot, allowing them to hit their best shots, from any position,more often.
"I am very excited to be part of the Prince team," said Hantuchova. "They have made some of the sport’s most important racquet technologies in the past, and they are making the best advancements in products for players on tour today. I like the direction they are heading in and hope to be a part of the Prince team for a long time."
Hantuchova will continue to use the O3 White, now one of thirteen racquets in the O3 line, which, in addition to being the best-selling racquet of 2006 in the USA, is the same racquet that helped Maria Sharapova win the 2006 US Open and reach the world’s number one position earlier this year. The O3 platform was named the “Hottest Racquet Technology” by the US Tennis Magazine last year and, since its introduction, O3 racquets have helped players capture over 190 ATP and WTA tour titles events, including six Grand Slam titles.
“Daniela is another great addition to our player roster and we are thrilled she is joining us," said Linda Glassel, VP of Marketing and Communications at Prince. "She is another example of a top player understanding the benefits of O3 – the fact that it is a visible, proven technology that is helping players not only compete, but win at the highest level. We are certain Daniela will have many years of success as part of the Prince team."
