Round ONE

Reports, Quotes & Photos
action photos from Fritz Borchert www.squash-u-bild.net

Palmer & Lincou in
Green Island openers

After the Opening Ceremony the final two first round matches took place on the glass court on Green Island.

First up was local wildcard Abdullah Almezayen against Australia's David Palmer. The Kuwaiti put up a good fight, but Palmer prevailed in three.

Then it was top seed Thierry Lincou taking on another Aussie in Joe Kneipp. Kneipp took the first from the Frenchman, 19-17 (or 11/10(9-7) if you prefer), but the world champion rallied to take the next three, and after 80 minutes on a balmy Kuwait evening was through to the quarter-finals.

In the earlier first round matches, played at the Salmiyah Club, there were no upsets in the men's draw, but Jenny Duncalf and Laura Lengthorn both overcame seeded opposition to reach the last eight ...

ABDULLAH: HIS FIRST STEPS…

I know, it was a lot to ask from the young boy… Here he was, on the glass court, in front of the “who's who” of Kuwait, his family and friends, filmed, photographed, the noise, the expectations…

But he did pretty well, the schoolboy did. He didn’t lose his head, he played some great rallies, and won some well deserved points against “the Marine of Squash” David Palmer, as Robert Edwards introduced him …

The first game was the closest, 11/9, and even if it didn’t last that long, it was a pretty intense game, with Abdullah placing some good backhand volley drop shots (he is left-handed by the way). In the second, the boy was still very feisty, but in the third, quite logically, his energy had run out.

Still he enjoyed his moment, and was quite calm headed about his future in squash.

“I’m not sure what I will do when I’m older,” he said to me, “I love squash very much, but we will see how my results are going, and I will trust my coach, Amir Wagih, to decide if I’m good enough to try and get on the professional circuit. My results will dictate the future…”

But a pretty good opening to the official tournament, and a memory that Abdullah Mezayen will remember for the years to come.

[3] David Palmer (Aus) bt Abdullah Almezayen (Kuw) 11/9, 11/6, 11/5

"It's never easy to play that kind of match, as you don't have a clue what to expect, it's hard to prepare for it really. Sometimes, you start to take it easy, you start to relax, and you can get some surprises... But Abdullah played very well, in particular in the first game, he played some great shots...

"I was surprised by the temperature on the court really. Sitting around the court, I thought it was quite chilly, but in there, it's quite warm. So, it takes a bit of time to get used to everything really, the noise, the court, the settings, the lights. So, it's good that I got to play today, it gives me a chance to get used to the conditions..."

David Palmer

"I’ve got the impression I played the wrong way from the outset. I was tense, I couldn’t let go of my shots, couldn’t find my length. I was trying to take the ball early, and to hit hard, but he was the one who was distributing the punishment… I think I was not concentrating enough on the quality of my shots. Thank God I had the stamina and the legs to win it at the front…

"The court was very slippery, and I couldn’t use the ground like I normally do, I was constantly thinking about my twisted ankle of last year. And as I wasn’t pushing on the ground enough, my shots weren’t going deep enough. And I also lost the focus of the match.

"I hope to play a better squash tomorrow, to be more liberated, more patient too. And the fact is, on this court, your mistakes are more obvious. If you leave your ball to float to the front, your opponent just crucifies you.

"I think that I relied too much on my stamina today, and not on the quality of my shots…"

Thierry Lincou

[1] Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt
Joseph Kneipp (Aus) 10/11(7-9), 11/8, 11/9, 11/10(2-0) (81m)

"In the first game, the court was so slippery it was unreal. But after they cleaned it properly, it got much better…

"How long was the match??? 81 minutes??? Well, good training session! Who knew I was THAT fit… No, I trained so hard in January, but I have to say that I was so disappointed by my loss at the TOC, I was not happy at all with the referee, and I just went and had a good time after that… But yes, I did train very hard in January…

"I think that if I could, I would get a lobotomy really. I always do the same thing. I’m up, and then I get distracted, by a bad call, or something else, and I lose 2, 3 points in a row. I work pretty hard, and then I go and play that foolish game… And I think that’s exactly why I’m not higher in the rankings…

"Also, I don’t like playing up and down the wall, I find it quite boring, so I try and go for too much, I play a bit like in Junior Squash really…"

Joe Kneipp

NOW YOU SEE HIM…
NOW YOU DON’T

What a shame that Mansoor Zaman wasn’t able to mentally hold a full match against The Boss Peter Nicol. They gave us a fantastic first game, where Mansoor was very patient, with a good selection of shots, and placed some amazing returns of serve that just rolled off the floor. But Mansoor was playing a few too many short balls, that allowed Peter to camp in the front of the court, and just counter-attack beautifully.

But unfortunately, after a very disputed first game gained by Peter in the tie-break 3-1 that lasted 13m, Mansoor’s game just “disappeared”, 7 minutes for the second, and 5 minutes for the third…

[4] Peter Nicol (Eng) bt [Q] Mansoor Zaman (Pak)
11/10(3-1), 11/6, 11/1 (30m)

"In the first game, he played a few winners, actually a few “rollers” on my serve, and he shouldn’t be able to win the point on my serve. But I knew that if I was to win the first game, he would find it very hard to mentally to believe he could win. And then I started moving well, and that was it really…

"I’m happy with my squash, but I feel I’m still not fit enough. I was OK, I was on a roll after Dayton, then I got the flu, had to miss the Nationals, then went straight to New York where I was playing well, but couldn’t hold it physically. I just had a few days off, a few hits, and I’m back here. So I didn’t have the physical possibility to train.

"Then we have Canary Wharf, two weeks off, and off to Bermuda. But I feel that I won’t have the time to really train until summer …"

Peter Nicol

GRANT: JUST A BIT SHORT…

A very pleasant game indeed. Adrian Grant played at his best against Egyptian Karim Darwish, but was just unable to capitalise on his chances.

Despite some excellent tight shots and having the control of most of the rallies, Adrian didn’t seem to be able to make “the last mile” (in the first two games, they were at 8/8 or 9/9). A very well-contested match, very clean, with a lot of respect between the players…

"In the first game, my length was not good, I didn’t play well, I lacked confidence. I started to find my confidence in the second, and I was able to play my game, my shots.

"I thought Adrian played very well today, he played nice shots, he moved well, and he was able to make me move around the court quite well.

"I don’t like this court, I prefer the glass court, so hopefully tomorrow, I should play better…"

Karim Darwish

"I played quite well, squash wise, I didn’t feel tired, I felt I was controlling the ball quite well. It would seem that the main difference between the top 10 and the top 20 guys is that, when the top 10 players are ahead, they are able to step up two gears and finish off the game. And on the contrary, when they are down, they just focus, and put more pressure to catch up on the score, and use their momentum to get past you…

"I know that I’ve been working on that mental factor in my practice matches, and I have to keep on doing it until it becomes natural to me in the tournaments…

"I’m quite happy as I feel that I am finally getting out of three months of illnesses. I know that I’ve to get a bit of fitness, and the mental side will follow…"

Adrian Grant

Karim Darwish (Egy) bt Adrian Grant (Eng)
11/9, 11/8, 11/6 (42m)

"I knew that Wael was not at the top of his form, so I tried to use it to my advantage. You know, we train together all the time, he knows my game inside out, so I can’t play deception shots with him. I need to play my best game and hope that my shots are better than his.

"I didn’t have a good start at all, but I kept my concentration. And that’s what I’m happy about at the moment, I’m not losing my concentration like I used to…"

Amr Shabana

"He made so many great shots today. I was playing better than yesterday, especially in the first game. After that, I knew he was going to try to speed up the pace, so I tried to slow it down, but he kept volleying everything, playing volley drops from everywhere in the court.

"Every game, we were very close, 5/5, or something like that, and then he would play a few winners, and I was finding myself trailing behind. He is such a great player.."

Wael El Hindi

I saw the last game, once again, where the rallies were short, and Amr Shabana always in front his pal Wael El Hindi. Shabana was just dominating the game, although Wael played extremely well and forced his compatriot to win the match…

[5] Amr Shabana (Egy) bt
[Q] Wael El Hindi (Egy)
6/11, 11/6, 11/5, 11/8 (42m)

LINDA: STILL TOO STRONG

Alison Waters was well prepared for her match against Linda Elriani, and she fought hard and valiantly. The third game lasted 20 minutes, and was so important to win. I do believe that the match was played there. Today, Linda proved that she is extremely strong, both physically and mentally, and Alison confirms that she is a contender to the top 10… Well, that’s my opinion, and I stick to it!

"The third game was vital. She started up, then I got game ball, she saved it, and it became a real battle to win it.

"But even though I took the fourth 9/3, I never felt “oh, that’s going to be ok now”. Alison is such a fighter, she’s got a good attitude, and she never lets go. I think she will definitely be in the top five very soon, she’s got everything you need, she plays well, she trains hard, volleys beautifully, takes the ball early… And as she plays more and more matches, she’ll acquire the experience as well…"

Linda Elriani

[5] Linda Elriani (Eng) bt [Q] Alison Waters (Eng)
9/6, 5/9, 10/8, 9/3 (60m)

"The third was crucial. I was up 5/1, I made a few errors, and she started to put the ball wherever she wanted it. She showed her experience when she needed it.

"She keeps you on your toes constantly. If you hit a loose backhand, she cuts it off, and the rally is over. And she is so good at lobbing, you must keep volleying all the time, otherwise, it just dies in the back…

"My next tournament? Texas…"

Alison Waters

CONDENSATION NIGHTMARE

Weird match that one was…

I know the first round matches are always difficult for the top guys, but after the way Anthony Ricketts played at the TOC, I didn’t expect him to go for a five setter against Mohammed Abbas, and that is with all due respect to Mo, of course. Although, although, he had pushed Thierry Lincou in a hard four setter in the first round of the ToC a few day ago…

But was it the bad condition of the court in the first game that destabilised the Australian, was it the perfect squash that Abbas played today, or a bit of both..? In any case, the match was beautiful, and attracted a full house for the 64 minutes (plus 20 minutes of interruption to sort out the court). Abbas played at his best, Anthony had to really get focused in the fifth to win the game, helped by a “mind wandering” Egyptian, who could become very dangerous if he was able to keep his mind to the task long enough …

"I feel so frustrated about the condensation on the walls. We couldn’t play boasts, if we played drop shots, the ball would skid off the wall, it was ridiculous squash. It’s a shame that in such a perfect tournament, we should have a problem like that.

"Anyway, I did very well not to lose my concentration, as I'm rather prone to do so, as you know… I started to feel quite comfortable as I led 2/1. And then, in the fourth, I hit a couple of errors, and he got confident. Mohammed is such a dangerous player when he is in front, when he gets confidence in his game.

"In the fifth, I just concentrated extremely well, because I had to, and I made sure I won that game. But it was hard work mentally today…"

Anthony Ricketts

[7] Anthony Ricketts (Aus) bt [Q] Mohammed Abbas (Egy) 10/11(5-7), 11/3, 11/7, 8/11, 11/4 (64m)

"I was asked to assess the situation, I formally looked at the court, and there is a lot of condensation of the walls due to the fact that there are more people than yesterday, and that the air conditioning was set too low.

"We have wiped the walls that were making the ball skid. I then informed the players formally that we were reassessing the air-conditioning, and that the game would resume in a few minutes. If the court was still unplayable, we would wait a bit longer…"

Robert Edwards

"I’m so disappointed, I thought I would be a winner today, I thought I was winning that one. I played well in the first, but in the second, I just didn’t do anything, the game was over in no time. Got back into the match, and in the fifth, I just lost all concentration, all focus…

"It’s in my head. I need to believe that I can win these matches, it’s not the first time that it's happened to me, I’ve just got to sort my head out, because my squash, my technique, my fitness are OK. Once I get my head sorted, I’ll be fine…"

Mohamed Abbas

THE BATTLE OF THE JENNYS…

I missed the first three games, but I had another spy, this time Isabelle Stoehr, to keep an eye on the ladies for me, Jenny Duncalf and Jenny Tranfield.

In the first game, maybe because they were nervous, they both played a lot in the back, there were not too many attacks. Jenny T took a the initiative bit more, and quite rightly, she took the game 10/8 in 25 minutes.

The second was very close score wise, but Jenny D seemed to sort herself out tactically, created some good openings, and was able to move in front of her opponent, to win the game 9/7. Only to forget it all in the third, and letting that one go in 6 minutes 9/2 for Jenny T.

Full of determination, Jenny D took an excellent start in the fourth, gained a comfortable lead, 6/2, played some good front court deception shots, but Jenny T was also playing extremely well at the front, in particular a lethal backhand crosscourt kill that seemed to pass in front of the young English girl several times. But Jenny D had too much of a lead, and equalised 2/2 by taking the game 9/4 in 13 minutes.

The fifth will stay in my mind as a classic, not for the weak hearted, that’s for sure… There were a few of us looking at the match upstairs (Natalie Grainger, supporting her pal Jenny T, who was jumping up and down at every rally, James Willstrop and Lee Beachill…) and the suspense, the tension, the rallies were just outstanding!

And I have a match ball, no, don’t want that one, there you go, your turn now… Again and again… I counted 3 match balls for Jenny T, and 6 for Jenny D.

From 8/4 for Jenny D, Jenny T came back to score 5 points in a row, getting her first match ball 9/8. After that, we just went from one to the next. Fierce rallies, retrieving out of the world from Jenny Duncalf in particular, who seemed to have that much more “anger” today that Jenny Tranfield.

“It’s a kind of a match you don’t want to have a loser”, said very rightly Wendy Danzey, ref of the match, to the two girls afterwards. But unfortunately, we needed one, and today, it’s Jenny Duncalf who walks out victorious, quite rightly in fact, as on paper, she had more match balls than her opponent (difficult to separate them otherwise really…).

Just in passing, Jenny Tranfield has now been involved in the two best women’s matches I ever saw (against Macree and now Duncalf). So, I would say.

Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt [8] Jenny Tranfield (Eng)
8/10, 9/7, 2/9, 9/4, 10/9 (86m)

"In the fifth, I was 7/3 up, and I remember hitting a drop shot. And as I was about to hit it, I started to think about the fact that if I was to win that point, it was going to be match point, that I was going to probably win ... and I hit the tin. It was such an easy shot…

"At 8/4, I always think about the Cassie match where I was up 8/4 in the fifth 18 months ago, and that I ended up losing. So I kept on saying to myself “don’t do a Cassie now…”

"Did you see that backhand drop shot I hit at match ball for her at 9/8! It was such a fluke. I felt bad, but the ball was good, just an awful shot… Well, I guess the Gods were on my side today…

"I really wanted to win that match so bad, the pressure was so bad from the Nationals, after I played so badly… And that’s why when I got to 8/4, I started to think about the result, of how important that was for me… And lost those points one after the other.

"Jenny T is such a competitor, she always has a very good attitude, she gets stuck in. And after the match, she was such a gracious loser… I wouldn’t have been so gracious, I admire her for that…"

Jenny Duncalf

JAMES: NO PRISONERS

I unfortunately could see only the last game that lasted only 5 minutes. Mind you, the first game only lasted 2 minutes (11/1). But now, Ong Beng Hee fought extremely hard in the second, and the score was very close all the way through, 4/4, 5/5, 6/6, 7/7, 8/8, 9/9, 10/10, 11/11.

Ong has lost all confidence in his talent, in his capacity to win a match, he doubts so much nowadays, and when he found himself at 2/0 down, he just couldn’t find the mental strength to continue to fight.

It’s such a shame, as he is not only a great player, but also a delightful gentleman, and one can only hope that he will get his confidence in himself back very soon… He deserves a break…

[6] James Willstrop (Eng) bt Ong Beng Hee (Mas) 11/1, 11/10 (3-1), 11/ 4 (29m)

"The first and the third were quite easy. In the second, I feel like he dug his teeth into it a bit better, as in the first, he had such a bad start he couldn’t come back.

"So I’m happy to win in three, it’s a good workout for tomorrow…"

James Willstrop

"He was really sharp today, and I haven't won a match for a long time, that didn’t help either. In the second, I started to find my game at last, and if I had won it, maybe I would have been a bit more confident.

"I know it’s all up to me now, my confidence has been destroyed, I just need to rebuild it…"

Ong Beng Hee

VICKY: SO CLOSE YET AGAIN

According to my spy Tania Bailey who was watching the match for me, Vicky Botwright and Rachael Grinham played extremely well throughout the match. “It was so close, there was nothing to choose between them” Tania told me.

Vicky played superbly in the first, and got ahead 7/4. Rachael counterattacked, and threw into the battle all that she had, but it seemed that Vicky had all the answers to the Australian attacks.

A very disputed 15 minute second game, won by Rachael, and THE third, so important, that lasted 22 minutes, yet again gained by the Australian, sealing the mental fate of the English girl.

In the last game, a discouraged Vicky started to fight again at 0/8 match ball down, clawed back to 4/8, but despite her fantastic spirit and retrieving, the third match ball was the one, and Rachael must have had a sigh of relief when she heard the ref Wendy Danzey announcing game and match… 80 minutes for a four setter, not bad…

Vicky has a long wait to get on court ...

"I’m extremely disappointed, because I should have won the third. Although I retrieved a lot, and the match lasted that long, I’m not tired, I’ve got some left in the tank. And I’ve lost against her 3/1 a few times now, and I’m sick of it.

"If I could play the match again, I would have more confidence and go a little shorter. I try to keep her to the back, as it was my game plan, but maybe I stuck to the plan a bit too much. Maybe I should have gone for a more natural game, which is to attack everything really…

"And I am so disappointed…"

Vicky Botwright

[1] Rachael Grinham (Aus) bt Vicky Botwright (Eng) 6/9, 9/7, 10/8, 9/4 (80m)

"I have the impression that Vicky started off very well, and then slowed down at the end of the games. The second and the third were crucial games really, as I think it could have been a totally different game if I had lost the third.

"I didn’t want to lose the second, as I was down 0/1, but the third was a turning point, and it turned out to be a good one for me. I was lucky really. And in the fourth, I think that maybe she got a bit discouraged after being so close to taking the third.

"It’s always a very hard game when I play Vicky, and as I can’t read her at the front at all, I kept pushing her to the back, which probably explains the length of the match…"

Rachael Grinham

"I didn’t win that match for numerous reasons… But the main one being that I’m just recovering from a groin injury, and that I’m out of match practice.

"In the third, I was up 5/1, but I suddenly lost my game plan which was “stick to basics, play nice and tight and straight”, I lost my concentration…

"My next tournament is in Texas, and I hope that by then I’ll be fully fit…"

Shelley Kitchen

[4] Nicol David (Mas) bt Shelley Kitchen (Nzl)
10/8, 9/3, 9/5 (35m)

"I played quite well. Generally, I always have a tough game with Davide. I kept the control during the match, but he is tall and he moves well, so I made sure I played tight and got the ball behind him.

"In the second, there was a little drop in my intensity, as he started to play a very good game, and I didn’t react to it quick enough, all credit to him.

"But overall, I felt in control of the match."

Lee Beachill

"The match was long, but easier physically than yesterday.

"In the first game, which was in my view the hardest one, we both worked the ball really hard, and I lost that one. Then, in the second, I straightened my shots much more, and she started to hit the tin, like she sometimes does.

"In the third, I felt that my body language was negative, I started feeling sorry for myself about the fact I had a long match yesterday, etc…

"But in the fourth, my body language was much more positive, I felt less tired, and she started to hit the tin again. And in the last one, we were at 3/3, and it seemed that she mentally switched off…"

Laura Lengthorn

[Q] Laura Lengthorn (Eng) bt [7] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) 6/9, 9/4, 2/9, 9/3, 9/2 (52m)

"I got off to a very good start. And then in the second, I went off to La-la land, and left the court!

"In the first two games, we never seemed to play well at the same time, I was pushing the ball instead of hitting it. So after that, I made sure that I was sending the ball behind her, and that I was not hitting the ball short too soon…

"I haven’t played Natalie [Grinham] for a while. She is so quick on the court. I’ll have to make sure that I get in front of her, that I keep it tight, and as she is going to send a lot of the balls back, I’ve got to be prepared to win the rallies over and over again. It’s going to be a tough match…"

Natalie Grainger

[6] Natalie Grainger (Usa) bt [Q] Tania Bailey (Eng)
9/0, 2/9, 9/3, 9/7 (56m)

"I had a really bad start, I lost 9/0, can’t really get worse than that! And I didn’t really get into the match until the second, and against Natalie, you can’t do that… I felt that her length was better than mine today, and that I didn’t get in front as much as I wanted.

"I’m disappointed as in the fourth, I was up 6/5, and I thought I could take it to a fifth. But she kept hitting winners from each of my serves! So, yes disappointed not to get a five setter.

Tania Bailey