Fri 14th May, 2004:
Thierry Lincou bt
Joseph Kneipp
10-11 (0-2), 11-9, 11-2, 11-1 (58 min)
LINCOU'S WEEK
Ian McKenzie reports from Broadgate
THE FINAL
In the
final Lincou played well but lost the first game despite leading
throughout.
“I was
consistent but he was aggressive and attacked before me. He didn’t let
me play as I wanted,” said Lincou afterwards.
Lincou
was onto his game in the second, which reached a climax when he led
10-9. The point on which the match turned followed. Kneipp's strings
went.
“I had
to keep the rally going. I floated it, tried to keep it tight and hoped
we would be able to play a let,” said Kneipp. “The longer you play with
broken strings, the slacker they get and the less control they have. I
played a tight one, he pulled the ball out loose and I had to take a
chance. It clipped the tin.”
That
was the second game. Kneipp tried a variety of rackets after that, a
borrowed Prince and an old Dunlop, five in all but did not adjust to the
feel – and he was tiring. He is a confidence player and that too was now
sagging, like his strings, as Lincou’s was rising.
The
Frenchman was now thoroughly into his game, professional, and clinically
effective.
Kneipp
was out of control, losing the third 11-2 and the fourth even more
convincingly 11-1.
It was
a stylish performance from Lincou. “It means a lot to me,” he said.
“I’ve lost so many finals and it’s great to have my first big win and do
it in front of my parents and my coach. It’s a great feeling.”
Broadgate has become a special stop on the PSA Tour and now has full
houses of enthusiastic fans from the beginning of the week.
Everyone was pleased. Neil Eckert, Chief Executive Officer of Brit
Insurance, the event’s promoter, said: “It was a wonderful, topsy-turvy
week of brilliant squash.”
It was
Lincou’s week.
“It’s
great to have my first
big
win in front of my
parents and my coach.”
LINCOU
ON WINNING THE FINAL
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