Vanessa Atkinson

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 Harrogate, Yorkshire, with her partner James Willstrop, himself a professional squash player and a former World No. 1.

Atkinson's 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.

World Open

Finals: 1 (1 title, 0 runner-up)

OutcomeYearLocationOpponent in the finalScore in the finalWinner 2004 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Natalie Grinham 9–1, 9–1, 9–5

Major World Series final appearances

Qatar Classic: 2 finals (2 titles, 0 runner-up)

OutcomeYearOpponent in the finalScore in the finalWinner 2004 Rachael Grinham 9-4, 9-7, 9-6Winner 2005 Vicky Botwright 9-7, 9-4, 9-2

Malaysian Open: 2 finals (1 title, 1 runner-up)

OutcomeYearOpponent in the finalScore in the finalWinner 2004 Nicol David 9-2, 9-4, 9-0Runner-up 2005 Nicol David 3-9, 9-3, 1-9, 9-1, 9-4