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Round 2
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MAN FROM DOWN UNDER COULD SOON BE ON TOP |
From ALAN THATCHER
YOUNG Australian David Palmer could clinch the number one slot in the world rankings if he wins this week's Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open.
The shock early departures of the world's top two players, England's Peter Nicol and his great rival, controversial Canadian Jonathon Power, have left the door open for Palmer to become world No.1 for the first time should he win the PSA Tour's first 'Super Series Platinum' event on Sunday.
Palmer, who in June became the first Australian for 20 years to win the British Open title, is third seed in Hong Kong. But following Tuesday's first round loss by defending champion Nicol, and Wednesday's withdrawal of four-times finalist Power after being rushed to hospital suffering with gastro-enteritis and severe tonsillitis, the world No.3 has become the new men's favourite for the $120,000 event.
Despite his withdrawal, Power will overtake Nicol in the September PSA World Rankings. Only a Hong Kong Open win by Palmer could prevent the Canadian from reclaiming the world No.1 slot he surrendered to Nicol on August 1. Palmer's world ranking would remain unchanged if he failed to reach the final, but a win would take him to No.1, and runner-up to a career-high No2, pushing the London-based Nicol down to No.3.
In today's second round match at the Hong Kong Park Indoor Games Hall, Palmer had to fight back from a game down to overcome young Yorkshire qualifier Nick Matthew 12-15 15-2 15-14 15-6 to reach tomorrow's quarter-finals, where he will meet Malaysia's 7th seed Ong Beng Hee, a training partner of Nicol's at the Connaught Club in Essex.
There were defeats for England's experienced trio of Del Harris, Chris Walker and Paul Johnson, and the 2000 British Open champion David Evans of Wales, but Scotland's Martin Heath, England's Mark Chaloner and Alex Gough of Wales still fly the British flag in Hong Kong.
Beng Hee, the 21-year-old world No.8 from Malaysia, has been adopted as a local hero by the fans in Hong Kong. He will be keen to avenge the shock defeat sustained by his friend Nicol against French outsider Thierry Lincou in the first round.The giant-killing exploits of Lincou continued, as he beat British Open finalist Chris Walker in four, and the world #20 who has been taken to Hong Kong hearts after revealing Chinese ancestry on Tuesday will face another giant-killer in Finland's Olli Tuominen, who came from two games down to beat Paul Johnson.
In the Women's second round all the higher seeds progressed to the quarter-finals; while Tania Bailey had a tough battle to overcome Natalie Grinham in five, top seed Leilani Joyce had an easier than expected win over former world champion Cassie Campion, 9/6 9/0 9/0.
Favourite for the women's event Sarah Fitz-Gerald continued her serene progress with a 9/1 9/3 9/1 victory over Rebecca Macree.
All tomorrow's men's quarter-finals quarter-finals will be on the Perspex showcourt, with live coverage on www.cathaysquash.com.