Fri 5th Dec
THE FINALS - Gulf Times Reports
Men's Final:
[9] Lee Beachill [2] bt John White (Sco)
15/12, 15/5, 11/15, 12/15, 15/9 (94m)
Women's Final:
[2] Natalie Grainger (Usa) bt [1] Carol Owens (Nzl)
10/9, 9/7, 9/10, 9/4 (61m)R. Ravi Kumar reports on the finals for the Gulf Times
Classy Beachill lifts Classic
title by taming White
LEE Beachill’s longtime dream of “winning a major squash title” came true yesterday after the Englishman stopped Scotland’s John White 15-12, 15-5, 11-15, 12-15, 15-9 in the final of the $120,000 Qatar Classic.
The marathon final which ran for 95 minutes on the Khalifa Squash Complex centre court had all the ingredients of a thriller.
On the one hand was world No 2 White, looking for a Doha double after winning the Qatar Masters in May, and pitted against him was the most in-form player of the six-day long tourney Beachill, languishing eight spots below his rival on the rankings tree.
En route to the final, White saw off challenges from Thierry Lincou in the semi-finals, Omar Elborolossy in the last eight while Beachill was victorious against none other than world No 1 Peter Nicol in the quarter-finals and quelled Nick Matthew in the last four.
White was stretched a bit in the semi-final on Thursday by Lincou and spent 95 minutes fighting to book his spot in the final. The effect of this struggle eventually showed up yesterday as the Scotsman appeared a bit tired compared to his rival.
The first game was too close for comfort for Beachill, 26, but he managed to keep the lead and inch ahead 1-0. The Englishman came into his own in the second game and after swamping White 15-5 doubled the advantage.
The pressure piled up on the Qatar Masters champion but not one to let go without a fight, White dug in for the next game and employed to good effect his booming shots and admirable reach to pull his match out of fire.
The third game went to the Scotsman and with the resultant upsurge in confidence, he clinched the following game, making it 2-2, and forced the decider. “I played really well in the first two games. I think I shook up John a bit,” said Beachill. “But in the next two games he got his confidence back and I stuttered a bit.”
A slender lead was all Beachill needed in the final game and he went flat out to preserve it. He never let White overtake him or get near and in the end had six match balls to encash. He muffed up one but White, panting badly by now, tinned the next one, handing Beachill the trophy he has coveted since he was a junior.
“I lost a little bit length in the third and fourth games, he found the range. But to be honest it was hardwork in the decider. I planned to get a two-point lead and keep it,” said Beachill.
“At 8-5 I knew I would win but maintaining the lead was crucial. I then got my rhythm back and it was easy,” said Beachill who was given judicious tips by Nicol in the breaks. I have always dreamed of this since I was a junior and I am very happy,” said the champion. “I hope I can achieve even a tenth of what Nicol has.”
Beachill’s next tourney is the World Open in Pakistan and he agreed that this win would do his confidence “a world of good. I am playing in the Worlds next week and hope to carry on this form into the event.”
The Englishman appreciated the support Qatar Squash Federation chief Nabeel Ali bin Ali was “giving to the sport by hosting two of the major championships” in Doha. “I think other than the World Championships, these are the best events in squash and everybody looks forward to coming here and winning it.”
Beachill earned $16,000, the biggest paycheque of his career, while White got $10,000 for his efforts.
Grainger on top of the world
Natalie Grainger made world No 1 Carol Owens pay dearly for a momentary lapse of concentration and whisked the Qatar Classic women’s title 10-9, 9-8, 9-10, 9-4 yesterday, and in doing so might have hastened her rival’s exit from the game.
Grainger – who was born in England, is based in South Africa but has American nationality – was a worthy runner-up to Sarah Fitz-Gerald a year back in the same event and won hearts with her gritty fightback.
So it was second-time lucky and title No 8 for the 26-year-old American even as Owens, who is contemplating retirement, missed a golden opportunity to add the Qatar Classic title to the Masters which she has under lock-and-key.
Owens, 32, will surely rue wasting as many as six game balls in the opening game as she let her young rival get her foot in before the door slammed shut. With Grainger trailing way behind 2-8, Owens lost her concentration and suddenly the tiredness from Thursday’s marathon semi-final struggle against Rachael Grinham started showing.
Her trusted shots deserted her and the ball made way for the tin, even as the New Zealander waged fierce arguments with the referee. Grainger exploited this by collecting six points in a row to level the first game and then pocketed it after clinching a two-point decider.
With Owen’s confidence in tatters, her challenger quickly stepped up the pace and started calling the shots. However, Grainger, still not sure of her own ability to see off her vastly experienced opponent, fumbled at 8-3 and consequently saw a mini-comeback by Owens who gummed up to 7-8 before the American closed out.
Changing tack in the third game, the world’s top-ranked women’s player started aggressively and reaped the benefits. But Grainger inched up at 3-3, 5-5 and later at 8-8 to force a tiebreak but lost the game.
However, the win failed to inspire Owens and long arguments with the referee distracted her from the task at hand. The fourth game was a rout as Grainger produced amazing shots and raked in the points. Owens tinned a sharp forehand from Grainger ending the match which lasted 80 minutes.
“I am ecstatic as this is my biggest title,” said Grainger after the win. “I had a tough year and the results have not been so good. So this is very welcome.”
Grainger said her comeback from the depths in the first game made the vital difference. “I was trailing 3-8 and then told myself to stay calm. I had to put my head down and not throw away the game cheaply. That is what I did...I settled in.”
“The first game is always very important and after winning it I played real tight,” added Grainger, who won $14,000. “I guess I get overexcited on such big occasions.”
The losing finalist was crestfallen and blamed herself for wasting such a huge lead in the first game. “I should have stayed on top as she was spraying the ball all over. The first game made all the difference,” said Owens, who had to be content with $9,000.
“I felt flat today and it was clear that I had used up all my adrenalin against Grinham on Thursday. I was simply not focused and annoyed with the referee.”
“I can’t explain what went wrong...but we all have days like this,” said Owens.Pics from Fritz Borchert
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