Guyana's Nicolette Fernandes gained the distinction of becoming the first Guyanese squash player to be adjudged the Most Improved Squash Player in the world when she defeated three other nominees to cart off the prestigious award at a gala ceremony in London, Friday night.
Fernandes, daughter of Bobby and Luana Fernandes and sister of Robert, a national squash player, defeated Samantha Teran, Kasey Brown and Manuela Manetta at the second annual World Squash Awards ceremony held at the RAC Club in London's Pall Mall.
The star-studded event was hosted for the second year by Eventis Sports Marketing, owned by Peter Nicol, the former World number one and a co-host of the event.
Fernandes was thrilled with the award.
"When I first took up squash back in my home country in Guyana, I never dreamed that one day I would be standing in front of such a distinguished audience receiving an award like this," Fernandes told the squash website Squashsite.
According to the website, Fernandes is the first and only professional squash player ever to come out of Guyana. Since basing herself in the UK, the 23-year-old squash players' career has blossomed. Runner-up in the singles at her first Pan American Games in September, Fernandes went on to reach the second round of the World Open last month as a qualifier," the website stated.
Nicolette's father Bobby yesterday said that hard work is mainly responsible for his daughter's success.
"People hear about these achievements but what they don't hear about is the hard work that is responsible for those successes. You have to work hard to achieve any measure of success," he added.
The PSA Male Player of the Year award went to the world number one Amr Shabana, of Egypt while the WISPA Player of the Year award was won by world number one Nicol David, of Malaysia.
The PSA Young Player of the Year award was won by 19-year-old Egyptian Ramy Ashour while the WISPA Young Player of the Year award went to South Africa's 19-year-old Tenille Swartz.
Jonah Barrington, credited with creating the professional game and changing the way people thought about squash received the Lifetime Achievement Award.