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
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