13-May-04:

SEMI-FINALS:

Joe Kneipp
bt John White  
      8/11, 5/11, 11/8, 11/6, 11/5  (80m)
Thierry Lincou bt Nick Matthew
     11/5, 11/10 (2-0), 11/6  (42m)

Semi-Final Stories:

KNEIPP & LINCOU
BOOK INTO THE FINAL

Tom Maidment reports from Broadgate

Australia’s No.6 Seed Joe Kneipp booked himself a place in the Final of the Brit Insurance Super Series Finals in London tonight after a remarkable 3-2 victory over Scotland’s John White in the first semi-final.

Kneipp will play France’s No.1 Seed Thierry Lincou who ended Nick Matthew’s dream of making the final in his debut appearance with a ruthless 3-0 victory.

In the evening's first semi-final it was White who took the early initiative in front of a packed Broadgate Arena. The World No.2 opened up a two game lead against Kneipp and looked to have the match under control, but a number of unforced errors in games 4 and 5 enabled the 30-year-old Australian to claw his way back into the match and draw level at 2-2.

Kneipp, the world No.8, then took control of the fifth and deciding game to win the match and earn himself a place in the final at his first Super Series Finals appearance.

He said: “At two games down I thought it was all over. John started brilliantly but in the third game he began making mistakes and I could feel the match swinging my way. I managed to get more control and cut down my own errors.

“It’s an unbelievable feeling to be in the final in my first Super Series Finals and hope I can play this well tomorrow.

“John and I have been playing each other since we were about seven and I think that makes the score about 66-all!”

A dejected White said: “I thought I had it in the bag at two games up but full marks to Joe for the way he fought back. He got tighter and I gave the match away by making too many mistakes.”

After his 3-0 defeat to Lincou, Sheffield’s World No.9 Nick Matthew said: “Thierry played well tonight, he was always in front.

“I played really well on the first day, but haven’t been able to reach that standard since.

“I’m disappointed but it’s been a great experience. I've played four world No.1s in four days and I’d like to go out in style by winning the 3rd place play-off tomorrow.“

Lincou, who mercilessly worked Matthew up and down the backhand side wall, admitted: “Yes, that’s my style and it was working well tonight. I’m feeling good and have plenty of energy left for the final.

 “Joe is a good player and has been playing great squash all week so I hope we can put on a superb match for this audience tomorrow because they obviously know and love their squash.”

The final, scheduled to start at 7pm on Friday, is preceded by the Brit Insurance Corporate Challenge, the 3rd/4th play-off between White and Matthew, and a doubles exhibition.

Kneipp Exuberant
Ian Mckenzie on the semi-finals

Joe Kneipp was exuberant after beating John White to put himself in the final of the Brit Insurance Super Series Finals, staging and unlikely comeback to recover from a two game deficit to win 8-11, 5-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 and thrust his hands in the air in delight.

The hands had been going up in the first two games, but this had been in horror at referee Dean Clayton's decisions. The mouth had dropped open too, in amazement, and the racket had fallen to the floor.

Kneipp had led 7-3 after a particularly sharp start with the bouncy ball but successive strokes undermined his confidence, and so started a simmering confrontation with the referee that seemed to distract him for much of the first half of the match.

White won the first game 11-8 after taking seven points in a hand. He was then able to apply pressure and weave his magic with a little deception while Kneipp continued his feud with Clayton.

"What are you doing," he had demanded in the first, and "You see nothing," he said sourly in the second. But his hurt, angry looks and negative body language said more.

Later Kneipp was able to joke that at two games down it was time to consider a beer. "I was thinking of Kingfisher," he said referring to the sponsors. "I didn't fancy my chances. I was feeling negative.

"I know I whinged excessively but it was not about nothing. In this scoring system 2 or 3 calls like that and there goes the game. He hurt me."

The match turned in the third, but we have the benefit of hindsight. Kneipp started positively, a beautiful heavily cut kill drop played fast from high on the bounce to go 4-2 up, and he hung onto the lead.

Kneipp stopped complaining when White received a harsh stroke, to go 7-5 up, and then was the recipient of a generous let when receiving at 8-9. Kneipp nipped one game back 11-8.

Strangely White then went off his game, losing the fourth 11-6, and what hopes he had of a recovery where lost in a careless patch of errors in the fifth that let Kneipp to 5-3 in a hand, and although he got to 5-all a no let, "minimal interference" said Clayton, that was really the end of his hopes. Kneipp went through in one hand 11-5 to his exuberant finish.

White was bitterly disappointed as his racket met its death.

In the second semi-final Nick Matthew was 6-2 up in both the first two games against the top-seeded Frenchman Thierry Lincou, but crashed in error prone play and really in the end Lincou controlled the 42 minutes of play.

Matthew has had a good week with wins over Nicol and Power but Lincou was able demonstrate to him that he still has a way to go with a 11-5, 11-10, 11-6 win to set up a final confrontation with Kneipp.

Broadgate TODAY

SCOREBOARD

 

 

 


Lincou too strong tonight

 

 


White disappointed

 

 


Player of the Day again,
or is it Lincou's turn ???

 

 


Kneipp wins Aussie semi