bullet Alan Thatcher previews the Finals ...
 
bullet Finals reports & photos

[1] Leilani Joyce (NZ) v [2] Carol Owens (Aus)


Owens beat Joyce to the World Title. The faces say it all ...

Leilani Joyce will be on cloud nine after halting her sequence of defeats against Sarah Fitz-Gerald, coming from 2-1 behind to win another epic encounter in the semi-final, and she knows she will have to be on top form again to beat Carol Owens in the final. Carol had a more comfortable passage through her semi-final, beating England's golden oldie Fiona Geaves in straight games. 

Owens produced a stunning comeback to beat Joyce in the World Open final in Edinburgh, but has struggled to reach those heights since that classic battle in Scotland. These two will soon be team-mates for New Zealand, with Owens' switch a massive loss to Australian squash. Joyce, having beaten Fitz-Gerald, will be fired up to win the title, but, as we have seen, Owens is more than capable of fighting her corner.

Both know that whoever wins this match will be world #1 come September 1st ...

bullet Finals reports & photos ...

[3] David Palmer (Aus) v  Thiery Lincou (Fra)

THE men's final of he Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open produces a classic encounter between a man who seems destined to become the new world number one, and an opponent who must have been delirious just to have survived beyond the first round. David Palmer, the tall, muscular, powerful Australian, will take over at world number one if he wins tomorrow's final, a result which would complete an extraordinary year for him. He was simply too strong against England's Mark Chaloner, and his powers of concentration are clearly improving. Winning is becoming a habit for Palmer, and he is clearly feeling more comfortable with the added burden of increased expectation that accompanies success of any kind.

Lincou, having produced a sensational result to remove world champion Peter Nicol in the first round, has gone from strength to strength here this week, and will clearly relish the chance to tackle Palmer in his first major final appearance. Lincou, being half Chinese, will have the majority of the crowd on his side, and while it will provide him with a huge lift, it will also serve to make Palmer more determined. My prediction is an entertaining final, but with Palmer to win 3-1 to change the order of things at the top.


"Is that my world #1 spot he's looking at ..."

bullet Finals reports & photos...
bullet Alan Thatcher previews the Semi-finals (how did he do!?!?)
 

Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt Stewart Boswell (Aus) 15/12 15/14 15/7 15/5

The young, hugely talented and highly motivated Australian has not dropped a game here all week. He has produced a succession of classy performances to reach the semi-finals. Boswell lost to Peter Nicol in the final of the Scottish Open, and surprisingly went down to Dutch champion Tommy Berden in the semi-finals of the recent Australian Open, and he knows he will have to put in a really big performance to beat the fired-up Lincou.

The man from Marseilles, known as Titi to his friends,  has really arrived on the big stage after beating world champion Peter Nicol, British Open finalist Chris Walker, and fellow giant-killer Olli Tuominen of Finland. The unseeded Frenchman, who is half Chinese, will receive huge support here in Hong Kong, and, judging by the responses on the website's Message Board, he has stirred up considerable interest back in France. Win or lose, let's hope our old friend Julien Bonetat can lay on a big welcome-home party for him at his swish Paris restaurant ...

David Palmer (Aus) bt Mark Chaloner (Eng)  15/9 15/12 15/12

David Palmer is a sensible, level-headed, tremendously determined young man. But even he must be having difficulty in keeping his feet firmly on the ground as he moves nearer a tournament victory that would propel him to number one in the world rankings. Taking each match as it comes is an old cliche, but that's what he has to do to avoid the kind of distractions that come with superstar status and he will now be turning his attention to his semi-final opponent, Mark Chaloner of England.

On his day, Chip is capable of playing fast, attacking squash that can tear apart the world's best players, so he knows he may have to take a gamble against Palmer. Patient rallying will obviously be the primary tactic, and both players know that anything loose is likely to be punished. Chaloner has been something of a nearly man (he must still be having nightmares about losing to Paul Price in last year's British Open) and knows he will have to reduce his error ratio to get past Palmer. The big Australian will want to maintain a solid, physical presence on the T, and it's up to Chip to move him around and into the back corners. Most of the Hertfordshire and Lincolnshire squash communities will be tuning in for the result.

Carol Owens (Aus) bt  Fiona Geaves (Eng) 9/5 9/0 9/1

It's a good job Fiona Geaves wasn't asked to join the TV commentary team for the semis and the final. The West Country lass is an eloquent analyst and she is sure of plenty of work offers behind the microphone when she finally decides to hang up her rackets. But here she is, in the semi-finals of the Hong Kong Open, at the ripe old age of 35. True, she enjoyed a walkover in the quarter-finals when fellow England player Tania Bailey withdrew because of a knee injury, but she is still a class act, as her fifth seeding emphasises. It was interesting to see her beat another "veteran" earlier in the week, in the shape of Australia's Liz Irving, who herself had struck a blow for the golden oldies by beating England's glamour girl Vicky Botwright in the first round.

Carol Owens' form has been disappointing since winning the World Open title in Scotland, and she is desperately keen to start collecting more titles before her switch of international allegiance to New Zealand. However, she took just 16 minutes to put young Aussie Rachael Grinham in her place in the quarters, for the loss of just one point, and I wonder if any words were exchanged about national pride. Confidence plays a huge part in the approach of both these players, and while Owens is expected to win, a sudden surge from Geaves might just unsettle the Kiwi (er, sorry, Aussie).

Leilani Joyce (NZ) bt  Sarah Fitz-Gerald (Aus) 9/5 3/9 1/9 9/3 9/6

Sarah is certainly the in-form player of 2001, but the rankings computer is chugging along so slowly that it is taking her an eternity to regain her former number one ranking. That position is still occupied by the lithe New Zealander Leilani Joyce, who is the fittest and fastest player on the WISPA Tour. Leilani has lost to Sarah four times this year, and that kind of run creates mental blocks when you are on the receiving end.

Leilani knows she has to keep the ball off Sarah's formidable forehand, especially up front, where the British Open champion is so dominant. Their clash in the semi-finals of the British Open in June was a spectacular battle that swung one way then the other, and both players were guilty of allowing big leads to slip away as the nerves began to jangle. Talking again of golden oldies, as we were in the previous preview, it was surprising to see Suzanne Horner go so close against Leilani in the first two games of their quarter-final clash, taking both to 10-8, while Sarah was despatching Stephanie Brind in slightly more emphatic fashion.

Sarah, on current form, starts as favourite, but it will be interesting to see what tactics Leilani comes up with to reverse her run of results against the player who guided her to her own first British Open title in Aberdeen in 1999.


Last time it was a cracker ...