18-Sep-04:Parke's Revival
Continues in Boston ...
Colleen Turner reports
Main draw action continued today with four high-quality matches kicking off action at Boston's Symphony Hall. Three of the top four seeds came safely through to the quarter-finals, as world number one Peter Nicol won five games, number three Thierry Lincou fell in five to a rejuvenated Simon Parke.
Ricketts "Nicol'd" and Dime'd
The night began with a replay of the quarterfinals match up from this August's Mamut English Open ... Peter Nicol prevailed then and again now, but only just.
Anthony
Ricketts went up 10-5 in the first game, chasing loose balls and
delivering solid points to take it 11-8 in just 14 minutes. If one thought
Nicol was on autopilot in the first game, that idea was quickly dispelled
when the world number one went up 6-0 before taking the second game 11-7 in
just 10 minutes.Feeling a little nauseous at the start of the third game, Ricketts asked for a moment, but the refs would have none of it and with a "cheers" to the crowd, he swallowed his pride (literally) before going down 11-5. In game four, Nicol hit a number of down shots, letting Ricketts climb to an 8-6 lead before succumbing 11-9 and tying the match 2-all.
Aggressive play on both men's part brought the fifth and final game to 8-all when Nicol reminded everyone why he's number one and took the match cleanly.
Post match he shared, "Anthony was a little tired in the third, but that was certainly not the case in the fourth. So, I collected myself ... got my game going and now I'm moving forward. The down times can be tough, but I feel good now and I'm ready for the quarterfinals [against Nick Matthew]."
No Day at the beach for Barker
In the second match of the evening, number 2-ranked Lee Beachill barely broke a sweat through games one and two, sporting terrific length, finesse and accuracy. Errors on Peter Barker's part cost him numerous strokes and allowed Beachill to kick back and wait for the wins.
However, in game three, six strokes against Beachill and several brilliant points by Barker gave him his only win of the evening - a solid 11-6 victory.
Game four saw the machine-like Beachill force his fellow countryman to scramble about the court, quickly dispatching the qualifier-who-could in just 10 minutes.
Signing autographs in the player's area post match, Beachill shared: "I'm playing well and that was an ideal match to begin the tournament. Pete was strong and made me work, but overall, I'm pleased with my performance and the outcome."
Beachill now faces Graham Ryding, who yesterday ousted world champion Amr Shabana.
Palmer tops Willstrop
Young Mr. James Willstrop started off strong in the first game of the match, going up 5-3 and showing promise in his US Open debut. But the wizened David Palmer of Australia would not be denied. He took the game 11-6 in but 16
minutes.
A couple of tough rallies in the second game brought the score to 9-all, but a shot to the tin by Willstrop and an amazing drop by Palmer gave the Aussie a win and a two games to love lead.
The fleet of foot Palmer wasted little time in the third and final game, winning 11-5 in a speedy seven minutes.
Post match he noted: "I'm happy to get through to the quarterfinals. James and Anthony [Ricketts] are probably the toughest draws, so to best him feels good." He continued: "I'm still adjusting to the new 11-point scoring, but my game plan is solid and obviously working for me."
In a quick chat with Willstrop, the disappointed Brit declared "I wanted to play better ... I know I can play better, but no worries, I'll be back next year."
Palmer meets fellow-aussie Dan Jenson tomorrow.
Parke Drives Lincou Out
The evening's longest match, at 66 minutes, was by far the most riveting and offered the biggest upset. Simon Parke, currently ranked 24th, defeated world number three, Thierry Lincou, in a very interesting competition.
In the first game, a shot to the tin at 9-all gave Lincou the serve. He went on to win the game and took the lead one love. Parke came into the second looking strong. He stayed with Lincou point-for-point when at 9-all an unintentional elbow to the ribs delayed the game for around five minutes. The injury may have broken Lincou's stride, but not his spirit as he went on to take the game 11-10 (4-2) in extra point play.
At that point the midnight hour was fast approaching and Simon Parke caught his second wind. The 1999 U.S. Open champ came out in overdrive and played exceedingly well, taking the third game 11-3. A broken string when he was up 6-5 didn't faze Parke in game four, when the qualifier-who-could went on to win 11-7 and tie things up at two games all.
Game five started out with a couple of impressive rallies before Parke shot ahead quickly via some masterful shots and commanding control of the T. The first two games took 42 minutes, while Parke's cruise back to tie things up and claim victory was accomplished in just 24.
Following the match, Parke enthused, "Those first two games were very close, but I still had a lot in me. I'm pumped up and am looking forward to tomorrow's match against Joe [Kneipp]."
ROUND ONE
DAY TWO
[1] Peter Nicol
(Eng) bt
Anthony Ricketts (Aus)
8-11, 11-7, 11-5, 9-11, 11-9 (55m)
[2] Lee Beachill (Eng) bt
[Q] Peter Barker (Eng)
11-4, 11-6, 5-11, 11-4 (47m)
[4] David Palmer (Aus) bt
James Willstrop (Eng)
11-6, 11-9, 11-5 (39m)
[Q] Simon Parke (Eng)
Thierry Lincou (Fra)
9-11, 10-11 (2-4), 11-3, 11-7,
11-1 (66m)
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Tonight's
action began with Nick Matthew convincingly taking game one 11-3, but
it was in game two that Renan Lavigne's flashes of brilliance truly
shone. They weren't quite enough though, as a mere 44 minutes after they
began, Matthew had his quarterfinal berth. The Frenchman may have lost the
match, but he never gave up the fight, earning 9 and 8 points in the final
games of the match. 
