Malaysian squash queen Nicol David, who defended her World Open champion in Belfast on Sunday, has been regarded as a shoo-in for gold in Doha Asian Games.

"If there is one sport in the Asian Games where Malaysia can count the chicken before they are hatched, it's squash," The Star, a local English daily, said Wednesday.

Nicol was only 15 when she won her first Asian Games title in Bangkok in 1998. Last December, she grabbed the women's world title for the first time in Hong Kong.

Despite several bitter setbacks early this year, the 23-year-old player has become more mature and tasted no defeat ever since July, securing her world number one position.

Malaysian National Sports Council is proud and happy that that Nicol has again shown her potential and looks forward to a successful run in the Asian Games as well, said its Director-General Ramlan Aziz.

"There will be added pressure on her. But we are confident that Nicol has come to a stage where she has learned to handle the pressure," said Ramlan.