NICOL CLAIMS RICHEST PRIZE
Peter Nicol defeated newly crowned World No1 David Palmer 15-12 15-5 10-15 12-15 15-10 to win the $140,000 Qatar Classic for the first time and collect the richest prize so far this year on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour.
Despite inconsistent form prior to the PSA Super Series Platinum tournament, Nicol demonstrated a greater level of confidence as the tournament progressed. In his second round match against British Champion Lee Beachill, Nicol recovered from losing the first game to run-out a hard-fought 7-15 15-7 15-6 15-8 victory and reverse the young Englishman’s win over the former World No1 in the British Open earlier in the year. Despite a lapse of concentration over Welsh No1 David Evans in the quarter-finals, Nicol demonstrated greater discipline combined with a more attacking and expansive game in his semi-final victory over John White which he carried forward to his win in the final.
Opening-up a controlled 2-0 lead in the final, Nicol was forced to receive medical treatment following an accidental collision with his opponent in the front forehand corner of the court at five-all. The interruption clearly disturbed Nicol’s rhythm and the Australian seized his opportunity and looked set to record a notable victory before cramp restricted his movement in the final game. Despite a break for medical treatment at 7-8 in the final game, Palmer’s mobility worsened and his opponent increased the length of the rallies to record a hard-fought win.
By the conclusion of the match, Nicol ran-out a determined winner in one-hundred and six minutes (106), underlying his resolve to continue to compete at the highest level and challenge for the games highest honours.FITZ-GERALD CRUSHES JOYCE IN CLASSIS FINAL
Three times World Champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald produced one of the most complete squash performances in the history of women’s professional game to defeat arch-rival Leilani Joyce 9-0 9-2 9-1 to win the final of the $60,000 Qatar Women’s Open Championship in Doha.
Fitz-Gerald, who reclaimed the No 1 position in the Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) October World rankings, overwhelmed her New Zealand opponent with a devastating display of power squash, securing victory in just twenty-seven (27) minutes.
Fitz-Gerald, the current president of WISPA, now travels to Australia to try to secure her fourth World Championship to be played in her hometown Melbourne from the 14th to 19th October.
After taking her total of WISPA World Tour titles to forty-seven (47), making her the most successful present day player, Fitz-Gerald commented: “Since returning to the World Tour last year following surgery on my left knee, I have trained harder than at any time in my career. Reclaiming the World No1 ranking and winning today has given me tremendous confidence going in to the World Championships next week but my goal has always been to win in Melbourne and I am 100% focussed on trying to win the title in front of my home supporters.”
PALMER AND NICOL SET FOR QATAR SHOWDOWN
Today's men's semi-finals saw the current and former world number ones book their places in the Qatar Classic final, a match which, given the cancellation of the men's event in Melbourne, probably decide the holder of the coveted top position in next month's rankings.David Palmer overcame the loss of the first game against fellow Aussie Stewart Boswell to win 9/15 15/10 15/3 15/13 in 54 minutes. Palmer looked lacklustre early on, but managed to find his form as he took the second and annihilated Boswell in the third. The fourth was tight all the way, and Palmer was grateful to have won without showing his best form.
"I think Boswell is a really good player. He made it difficult for me to win today," Palmer said. "I think he will become even better in the next six months." Palmer said he played a waiting game to out-duel Boswell. "I had to hang in there. I thought it was the third game which gave me the confidence to win this match," the Australian said. "Hopefully I can rest tonight and come back stronger against my opponent in the final," he added.
His opponent in the final will be England's Peter Nicol, who also won 3-1, against former Scottish compatriot John White. "I guess it is easy to win matches when one hates losing as I do. I have worked very hard so it is not exactly a surprise to see myself playing so well," said Nicol, who has continued here the impressive form he showed in winning in Al Ahram last month. "This was a high quality match which had the large crowd in awe for much of the time. "John played better last night against Power," admitted Nicol, "but it was still a good match to play in, and I'm sure to watch."
The court here pays dividends to players willing to go for their shots, which was what made yesterday's White v Power match so exciting. Nicol played a more expansive game tonight too - rallying and retrieving as ever, but willing to go for shots when the opportunity arose and at times trading winners with White. Eventually Nicol's incredible retrieving took its toll as White tired towards the end.
"The referee was hardly required, and John White did more diving than a parachutist," said Robert Edwards. "Great squash, and an ecstatic finish to a fine semi finals day."
Nicol and White in their semi-finalANOTHER WISPA CLASSIC IN THE MAKING
The Women's final will be between top seed Leilani Joyce and new world #1 Sarah Fitz-Gerald. Both won 3-0 today, against English opponents Cassie Campion and Stephanie Brind respectively, but in contrasting styles. Joyce took 47 minutes to break down Campion 9/4 9/6 9/4 whereas Fitz-Gerald took less than half that time to destroy Brind 9/2 9/0 9/3."I am delighted to be in the final, playing in the Gulf for the first time, and I want to make this event a special one for myself," Joyce said after the match.
"Cassie is an experienced player. She doesn't allow that many easy points and I had to earn my win," Joyce added. Campion looked significantly sharper than she has in recent weeks, and Joyce had to keep her concentration for longer than any of her previous matches here.Brind was simply overawed and overwhelmed by Fitz-Gerald as the Aussie completed her customary 20-minute demolition job.
Following classic matches between the two in Birmingham and Hong Kong, the Qatar crowd, which numbered some 600 today, is in for a treat tomorrow in - this time it's sure to be a Classic ...
WHITE STUNS POWER IN QATAR QUARTERS
Today's quarter-finals were all going pretty much according to plan, with the higher-ranked players by and large proceeding to the semi-finals, but the last match had a shock in store, as Scotland's John White dumped world #2 Jonathon Power out of the event with a 15/14 15/11 15/9 win in 55 minutes.
"This is certainly one of the biggest wins of my career. I am following a new regime of training these days and that certainly helped," White said after the match. "I'd say Power gave me some easy points as he lost concentration in the second game, but I think I played well enough to win today," he added.
White will meet Peter Nicol in the semi-finals. Nicol took just under an hour to defeat David Evans, dropping the second game on the tie-break but easing away to complete a 15/9 15/17 15/10 15/4 win. "I am improving with every game. I feel I am progressing the right way. I have two more matches to go, hopefully," Nicol said after the match. Nicol lost the final of the World Open, staged here in Doha in 1998, to Jonathon Power. "I knew that the matches here would get tougher as I progressed and that is exactly what's happening now," Nicol added. "I'd say the surface here in Qatar suits my style. I like the court here though I am yet to win a title in Qatar," he said.
The other semi-final will feature top seed David Palmer, who started confidently against Thierry Lincou but was forced to dig very deep to recover a deficit in the third before finally winning the game 15/14 on a wonder rally (see Voice from Doha) to secure a semi-final berth. Palmer's opponent will be fellow Australian Stewart Boswell, who ended the fine run of Mohammed Abbas, 15/12 17/14 15/3. The young Egyptian slipped and injured a thigh muscle at the end of the second game and was unable to stretch Boswell in the third.
The Women's semi-finals saw comfortable wins for Leilani Joyce, Cassie Campion and Sarah Fitz-Gerald, and Stephanie Brind won the all-England match against Fiona Geaves in the fifth.
New world number one Fitz-Gerald rarely takes much longer than 20 minutes in the early rounds, and today was no exception as she destroyed fellow Aussie Rachael Grinham 9/2 9/1 9/0 in 22 minutes. "I am totally focussed on the tournament. I know what Rachael was trying to do. She was playing somewhat out of character," Fitz-Gerald said. "I think we'll get to see some good squash in the next two days," Fitz-Gerald added. "I am looking forward to my semi-final match." There she will face Stephanie Brind.
Former world champion Cassie Campion followed up yesterday's dismissal of the third seed with a solid 9/4 9/5 9/4 win over Vanessa Atkinson to set up a semi-final meeting with top seed Leilani Joyce who overcame England's veteran Suzanne Horner 9/3 9/7 9/5 in 34 minutes. "I am very pleased to beat Suzanne today because she always gives me a hard time," Joyce said. "I played her at the Hong Kong Open two months ago. There, too, she proved a tough test for me. I know her game very well," Joyce added. "I am gaining in confidence with every win here in Doha. I feel my best is yet to come," she said.
CAMPION UPSETS COMPATRIOT CHARMAN-SMITH IN QATAR OPENER Howard Harding reports on the last 16s
England's former world champion Cassie Campion, fighting back to top form after back surgery, survived a first game loss to upset third-seeded compatriot Linda Charman-Smith 7-9 9-3 9-3 9-4 in 53 minutes in the opening round of the women's Qatar Classic in Doha.
Australia's second seed Sarah Fitz-Gerald, who this week returned to No1 in the women's world rankings, had an easy time against Egyptian qualifier Maha Zein, winning 9-0, 9-0, 9-0 in only 21 minutes on the centre court full of Egyptian supporters. "I have been working very hard for this tournament - and although it was a one-sided game, I didn't take it very easy," said Fitz-Gerald. "I am very keen to perform well here since I have regained the world number one ranking."
Top seed Leilani Joyce brushed aside Rebecca Macree of England 9-2, 9-4, 9-6 in 25 minutes. The world No2 from New Zealand was pleased with her maiden performance in Qatar. "This is the first time I have played in the Gulf and it is good to start on a positive note. I am in good form and feel confident for future games," Joyce added.
In the $140,000 men's event, Jonathon Power of Canada beat Chris Walker of England 15-9, 15-13, 15-11 to storm into the quarter-finals. The Canadian said he might have injured his hamstring in a match in which both players were officially warned for frequent physical contact. "It was a messy match.
I might have hurt myself, but I am not sure yet," Power said after his 54-minute victory.
Mohammed Abbas of Egypt kept the Arab interest alive in the PSA Super Series Platinum event by beating fellow qualifier Shahid Zaman of Pakistan 15-13, 10-15, 17-15, 15-12. Abbas now meets 9th seed Stewart Boswell in the quarter-finals after the Australian upset seventh-seeded Englishman Mark Chaloner 15-11 16-17 15-9 15-2 in 102 minutes, the longest match of the day.
Top seed and world number one David Palmer of Australia beat England's Del Harris 15-10, 17-15, 15-12 in 51 minutes. "Del is a very tough player, who fights for each point. But I am happy with my game as I get used to the playing surface here - the court over here is slow and encourages long rallies. It suits my style of play," Palmer added.
Peter Nicol, Palmer's predecessor as world No1, avenged his surprise loss to Lee Beachill in last June's British Open by beating his English compatriot 7-15 15-7 15-6 15-8 65 minutes.
HEATH BLASTED, WHILE NICOL & POWER
PROGRESS IN QATAR Howard Harding reports on day two
While Scotland's world No9 Martin Heath was the only seeded casualty on the second day of first round action in the $140,000 Qatar Squash Classic in Doha, Canada's No2 seed Jonathon Power and England's No3 seed Peter Nicol progressed appropriately towards their first scheduled semi-final meeting in a ranking tournament for more than four years.
World No2 Power launched his Qatar Classic 2001 campaign on a ruthless note, demolishing Pakistan's Mansoor Zaman with disdain - registering a 15-3, 15-3, 15-7 win in only 25 minutes. This is the third time Power has beaten Zaman, a qualifier, in a major tournament - a victory which merited personal congratulations by Pakistan's legendary Jahangir Khan immediately after the match. Power, who won the World Open in Doha in 1998, said: "I was quite nervous to start with. It may seem that I won easily, but I wasn't in the match straight way. I know Mansoor has good shots, but I guess he wasn't up to it mentally. Maybe he was just as nervous as I was. I feel good playing here as I have always done well in Doha. Probably, it brings out the best in me whenever I play here," Power added.
Peter Nicol, the world champion and former world No1, overcame a sluggish start to win his first round match - beating Graham Ryding of Canada 11-15, 15-6, 15-11, 15-10 in 63 minutes on the centre court. Despite losing the first game in only 16 minutes, Nicol, the world No3, won the next three comfortably. "Doha has been good to me," said Nicol after the match. "For me, it's always nice to come here and I usually play my best squash in Qatar. I am very keen to play well here as I am equally eager to regain my lost top rank," added Nicol - who now faces compatriot Lee Beachill, the British National champion who defeated the former Scot in June's British Open quarter-finals.
It was up-and-coming Australian Anthony Ricketts who put an early end to Martin Heath's Qatar ambitions - beating the 10th seed 17-15 9-15 15-4 15-6 in 57 minutes. The 22-year-old from Brisbane now faces fifth-seeded Welshman David Evans, the 2000 British Open champion who dismissed Egypt's highest world-ranked player Omar Elborolossy 15-13 15-10 4-15 17-16 in 74 minutes.FIRST ROUND FULL OF SHOCKS
By ALAN THATCHER
TOP ten stars Paul Price and Ong Beng Hee crashed out on an opening day of shocks in the Qatar Classic. Price, the No.4 seed from Australia, lost 15-6 in the fifth to Pakistani qualifier Shahid Zaman, while No.11 seed Beng Hee, from Malaysia, lost 17-15 in the fifth to another qualifier, Mohammad Abbas, from Egypt. One of the giant-killers is assured of a place in the quarter-finals as they face each other on Friday.Day two, the bottom half, started off the same way with tenth seed Martin Heath, whose mobility was restricted by an injured toe, falling to unseeded Australian Anthony Ricketts.
Normal order was restored thereafter, with all the seeded players winning. From an unaccustomed position in the middle of the draw, third seeded world champion Peter Nicol looked sharp despite dropping a game to Canada's Graham Ryding. Second seeded Jonathon Power professes that the Qatar court, with a fast front wall that turns his flicks and deceptions into winners, is his favourite, and wasted no time in despatching Mansoor Zaman, cousin of yesterday's giant-killer Shaman.
In the re-run of last week's Seafresh semifinal Paul Johnson scored a 3-1 victory over fellow-Englishman Nick Taylor, and is joined in the second round by Scotland's John White, Wales' David Evans, and British National champion Lee Beachill.
On day one, Zaman's match was over in 58 minutes, while Abbas took 93 minutes to work his way past Beng Hee. It was not the longest match of the day. No.8 seed Thierry Lincou, who has shot to No.5 in the new PSA rankings, took 96 minutes to squeeze past Yorkshire qualifier Nick Matthew, who put up a ferocious battle before losing 17-16 in the fifth. In another marathon, No.12 seed Alex Gough of Wales took 90 minutes to beat Egypt's rising star, Karim Darwish, winning 15-11 in the fifth game.
Stewart Boswell, the No.9 seed beat Joe Kneipp 3-1 in an all-Australian battle, while Mark Chaloner won by a similar margin in an all-English affair with Pete Genever.
Top seed David Palmer looked sharp, aggressive and methodical as he brushed aside the challenge of England's Peter Marshall. It had all the potential of being a tricky first hurdle for the new world No.1, but he swept aside the two-hander in straight games.
