Mon 15-Sep:
Semi-Finals:
[1] Peter Nicol bt
[5] Thierry Lincou (FRA)
15-12, 15-12, 15-10
[2] David Palmer (AUS) bt [6] Anthony Ricketts (AUS)
8-15, 5-15, 15-8, 15-7, 15-10
Nicol & Palmer move
into US Open Final
Colleen Turner reports
Top seeds and world numbers one and two Peter Nicol
and David Palmer will contest the US Open final, after contrasting
semi-final victories in Symphony Hall tonight.
In games one and two, Theirry Lincou played with incredible intensity and accuracy. But Nicol matched each point, even though Lincou worked him hard standing virtually still on the T while Nicol chased balls short, long and deep into the corners. After an incredible volley for the 12th and go ahead point in game one, Nicol picked up the final three to take the game in just 17 minutes. With his backhand bringing him nothing but tin in game two, Lincou lost focus as Nicol worked the right corner with no mercy. But until the end, Lincou put forth a great game and by no mean handed the match to Nicol.
Post-game Lincou said, "After game one, Peter took control
of the T and that was it." Peter Nicol heads to his fourth final match at
the U.S. Open. Commenting on his defeat of Lincou in three, Nicol shared, "I
started out a bit inconsistent in my swing...sometimes long, sometimes
short. But by the middle of game two, I felt complete focus and relaxed. As
a result, I'm not too tired and ready for tomorrow's final."
Second seed and defending champion Palmer took the long route to the final,
to set up a repeat of last year's semi-final.
Approximately 14 minutes into game one, Ricketts took a
commanding 11-5 lead and seemed unfazed by any return Palmer gave him,
working his fellow Aussie hard and taking the game 15-8. In game 2, Ricketts
again scooted to a 15-5 win taking the lead two-love with barely a whimper
from Palmer.
"I was pushing the ball around too much and Anthony took control," Palmer
said post-match. "But somehow between games two and three, I honestly got a
little better."
And he did. Palmer hit a nice groove in the third, going up five-love to
start. But that pesky Ricketts wouldn't be squelched when he took the serve
at 3-9 and quickly racked up three points. Palmer, however, persevered,
earning his first win 15-8. Ricketts tried to regain control of game four,
but Palmer was tough, holding the lead through 13, when an out call by the
refs gave Palmer game ball, broke Ricketts patience and spirit, and earned
David his second win.
Things heated up even further in game five as a slippery
surface sent Ricketts sprawling on several occasions, costing desperately
needed points. But the writing was on the wall when early in the game Palmer
won a critical point to take the lead 6-3. Despite the score, Ricketts never
really recovered and went down 15-10, bringing Palmer closer to consecutive
U.S. Open titles.
Nicol breezes past Lincou
Palmer does it the hard way