19-Sep-04:
Quarter-Finals go England
and Australia's way ...

Colleen Turner reports

Nicol bests Matthew;
Palmer ends Jenson's Boston run;
Beachill rides roughshod over Ryding;
Kneipp breezes past Parke ...

Lincou gracious in defeat
"Simon fully deserved his victory ..."

Nicol bests Matthew

Quarterfinal action started with world number one, Peter Nicol, facing fellow countryman, 8th-ranked Nick Matthew.

A couple of dubious calls by the refs at 6-all let Nicol creep up to a 9-6 lead. A change of racquet at 10-7 did little to assist Matthew and Nicol took the game 11-7.

Game two saw Nicol quickly going up 7-2, before allowing Matthew to work the score to 5-8. Nicol then took the serve and control of the game, winning 11-5 and moving up two games to love.

Matthew picked up the pace in game three, racking up nine points in just seven minutes. He went on to take the game 11-3 and was looking strong and delivering much needed shots with deadly accuracy.

In the fourth and final game, a gift let to Matthew at 3-all might well have broken the spirit of just about any player, but ever the consummate professional, Nicol maintained focus, going on to win 11-8 and taking the match three games to one.

Post match, Nicol agreed, "Yes, there were a couple of tough calls, but in the end, it all evened out."

Beachill rides roughshod over Ryding

Lee Beachill came out playing like the number one champion he is destined to be. Graham Ryding, in turn, scratched out a solid six in games one and two, but he couldn't keep up with Beachill's relentless speed and deadly returns. In game three, Beachill went up 6-2, but then did not get another point until he was down 9-6, but the die was set and Ryding took his one and only game of the match11-7 in just 11 minutes.

The fourth game was a nip-and-tuck affair until Beachill went on a tear when down 5-6. He took that game 11-7 and the match 3 games to one. He will face 4th-ranked David Palmer tomorrow in the semifinals.

Palmer ends Jenson's Boston run

In a surprising turnaround in game one, Dan Janson, down 4-8, ultimately earned a come-from-behind win against David Palmer and took the lead one game to love in the match.

In game two, it took Palmer just six minutes to go up 9-2 before several fancy shots from Jenson made it 9-6. Palmer, however, took no chances and finished Jenson off 11-6 to tie it at one all.

Continued aggressive play by Palmer in the third game saw him up 7-1 in just three minutes. Despite some solid returns by Jenson, he couldn't top Palmer's speed and length. When Palmer inadvertently jabbed himself in the ribs at 8-2, he appeared not to be the worse for wear and took the game 11-3.

Game four was full of spills and thrills from both Jenson and Palmer. A no let, citing Jenson was too far from the ball, brought the score to 7-4 in Palmer's favour. He then went on to take the game and match but not before slow calls and the sometime no call, annoyed players and spectators alike.

Kneipp breezes past Parke

Game one had Joe Kneipp racing out in front of Simon Parke 6-1, followed by a quick three from Simon before Joe finished it off with an 11-4 victory.

Game two saw Parke working hard and getting results; he brought the score to 6-all before giving the serve back to Kneipp. The 10th point rally ended in Kneipp's favour, but not before Parke dazzled the crowd with his unrelenting ability to dig deep into the corners and reach shots like nobody's business.

Parke took the serve back at 8-10; forced Kneipp to hit the tin resulting in a 9-10 score, but a missed effort would give Kneipp the game and a 2 games to love lead in the match.

In the third and final game, Parke took a quick 5-1 lead, but Kneipp had the evergreen Parke racing about the court, slowly wearing him down and ultimately finishing the game and match in his favour.

Tomorrow's semi-finals are both England v Australia, as defending champion Nicol takes on Kneipp and Beachill faces 2002 champion Palmer.
 

En Français
 

QUARTERS

[1] Peter Nicol (Eng) bt
[7] Nick Matthew (Eng)
11-7, 11-5, 3-11, 11-8 (43m)

[8] Joseph Kneipp (Aus) bt
[Q] Simon Parke (Eng)
11-4, 11-9, 11-8 (42m)

[4] David Palmer (Aus) bt
[Q] Dan Jenson (Aus)
9-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-8 (45m)

[2]  Lee Beachill (Eng) bt
Graham Ryding (Can)
11-6, 11-6, 7-11, 11-7 (40m)
 

FULL DRAW

 


Thierry Lincou
gracious in defeat
  
"
Simon fully deserved his
victory, he showed his
true qualities as a fighter ..."


 

 

 

 

 

FULL DRAW