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#6: Sun
27th:
Thierry Toppled As Palmer Advances To Qatar
Final
Roundup from Howard Harding
Lees than twelve months after winning the
World Open title on the same court at the Khalifa International Squash
Complex in Doha, France’s Thierry Lincou tumbled out of the Qatar
Squash Classic after losing a dramatic five-game semi-final to
Australia’s David Palmer.
In his third Classic final in five years, No3 seed Palmer will face
eighth seed James Willstrop, the Englishman who avenged his loss
to Anthony Ricketts in last month’s British Open final by beating
the Australian in four games.
England’s Vicky Botwright kept up her giant-killing run in the
women’s event - following her shock quarter-final defeat of world No1
Rachael Grinham by clinching a five-game victory over Malaysia’s world
no3 Nicol David.
In the first WISPA Grand Prix final appearance of her career, Botwright
will face defending champion Vanessa Atkinson, the second seed
who despatched Australia’s fourth seed Natalie Grinham in
straight games.
Palmer & Willstrop advance
World No1 Lincou took the opening game against Palmer but was taken to
tie-breaks in the next two – and edged out of both of them by the
third-seeded Australian. The Frenchman fought back to level the match,
but Palmer dropped just a single point in the decider to secure a 5-11
11-10 11-10 8-11 11-1 victory in 82 minutes – and his first win over
Lincou in three PSA Tour meetings this year.
While former world champion Palmer, 29, from Lithgow in New South Wales,
is celebrating his 36th career Tour final – and his fourth of the year –
Willstrop is marking his eighth and looking for his first PSA trophy of
the year.
Since winning the Pakistan Open last December – when he beat Ricketts in
the final - the 22-year-old from Pontefract in Yorkshire has faced the
Australian a further five times, now boasting a 4-2 head-to-head
advantage.
In the Qatar clash between two of the tallest players on the circuit –
the Englishman is 6’ 4” – Willstrop took 51 minutes to claim his 11-5
4-11 11-4 11-6 revenge win, and a place in his first Doha final.
Botwright's biggest win
Vicky Botwright is enjoying the best run of her career this week in
Doha. The 28-year-old sixth seed from Manchester twice stemmed fight
backs by Nicol David, the third seed, before beating the in-form British
Open champion 9-6 2-9 9-7 4-9 9-6 in 60 minutes.
Botwright becomes the only player to have beaten Nicol David, winner of
six WISPA titles in 2005, more than once this year!
“I think it’s the biggest night of my career,” said Botwright to
www.squashsite.co.uk afterwards. “And beating Rachael and Nicol in the
same tournament is just fantastic for me,” added the world No7, now in
her fifth final of the year.
The other women’s semi-final was a more straightforward affair as
Atkinson brushed aside Natalie Grinham 9-6 9-5 9-5 in 36 minutes.
The 29-year-old from The Hague, winner of the Monte Carlo Classic
earlier in the month, is now in the sixth WISPA final of the year, and
the 29th of her career.
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#5: Sat
26th:
Mixed day for Aussies in Doha
Roundup from Howard Harding
After running incident-free through the first two rounds, it was the
women’s Qatar Classic which saw the greatest upset on quarter-finals day
at the Khalifa International Squash Complex in Doha when Australia’s
world No1 Rachael Grinham fell in five games to sixth seed Vicky
Botwright in her first loss to the English woman in 12 career meetings
since May 2000.
It was an otherwise good Australia day, however, as Rachael’s younger
sister Natalie Grinham survived a five-game battle to reach the last
four of the women’s event, while third seed David Palmer and seventh
seed Anthony Ricketts set up the potential of an all-Australian final in
the men’s event.
Grinham up and down
After losing the opening game, favourite Rachael Grinham breezed through
the next two for the loss of just a single point – and seemed set on a
comfortable victory. But Botwright battled on, and after taking the
fourth, swept to an unlikely triumph by winning the fifth in a whitewash
to gain a remarkable 9-7 1-9 0-9 9-5 9-0 win in 48 minutes.
Neither player seemed able to explain the bizarre turnaround which led
the Australian to fail to reach the last four of a WISPA Grand Prix
event for the first time since December 2003. “Honestly, I felt totally
outplayed, and the next thing I knew, I was 8-0 up in the fifth,” said
the Botwright, candidly.
After recording the best win of her career, the 28-year-old from
Manchester now faces Malaysian star Nicol David, the third seed
who avenged last week’s straight games defeat by England’s Linda Elriani
in the English Premier League to beat the fifth seed 7-9 9-6 10-8 10-9
in an evenly-contested 56-minute clash.
In the other semi-final of the WISPA Platinum event, fourth seed
Natalie Grinham will take on second seed Vanessa Atkinson,
the world champion from The Hague. Grinham, the 27-year-old Queenslander
who is also based in the Netherlands, twice repelled fight backs by
Omneya Abdel Kawy before beating the eighth seed from Egypt 9-0 6-9 9-1
2-9 9-5 in 58 minutes.
After four-game battles in the first two rounds, Atkinson brushed aside
England’s No7 seed Jenny Duncalf 9-3 9-2 9-7 in just 33 minutes to keep
alive her hopes of reaching the Qatar Classic final for the second year
in a row.
Contrasting Quarters in the Men's
It was a case of two halves in the men’s quarter-finals of the PSA Super
Series event: Top seed Thierry Lincou and third seed David
Palmer will meet in the top half semi after surviving bruising
five-game marathons, while Anthony Ricketts and Englishman
James Willstrop will contest the other semi-final after swift
straight games successes.
It was nip and tuck in the opening match between Frenchman Lincou, the
world champion from Marseille, and Scotland’s surprise quarter-finalist
John White, the 11th seed who knocked out England’s twice-champion Peter
Nicol. It was anyone’s match until 9-9 in the fifth game when Lincou
pressed home his rankings advantage to secure an 8-11 11-6 11-2 9-11
11-9 win in 79 minutes.
Later, former world champion David Palmer, from Lithgow in New South
Wales, put paid to an all-French semi-final by beating tenth seed
Gregory Gaultier 11-7 8-11 10-11 11-6 11-3 in 77 minutes.
Eighth seed James Willstrop became the only Englishman through to the
last four when he beat qualifier Alex Gough. The Welshman, celebrating
his first appearance in a PSA Super Series quarter-final since April
2002 after upsetting England’s fourth seed Lee Beachill in the first
round, was unable to continue his giant-killing run and went down 11-8
11-6 11-1 in 27 minutes to the 22-year-old from Yorkshire.
It took Anthony Ricketts, from Sydney, only 25 minutes to secure his
place in the last four, overcoming qualifier Stewart Boswell in an
all-Australian clash. Boswell, the comeback King who has notched up
eight PSA Tour titles this year in his return to the circuit after a
two-year back injury layoff, failed to recreate the same form which saw
him remove Canada’s world No2 Jonathon Power in the previous round.
Ricketts, whose maiden British Open title success last month took him to
a career-high world No3 ranking this month, despatched Boswell 11-5 11-3
11-1 to reach the Qatar Classic semi-finals for the first time.
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In
the Papers:
no local coverage on Friday ... |
#4: Fri
25th:
Nicol & Power Crash Out In Qatar
Roundup from Howard Harding
A dramatic day of action in the men's Qatar Squash Classic in Doha saw
England's Peter Nicol and Canada's Jonathon Power both exit in major
second round upsets. The shock departure of two of the biggest stars to
grace the famous all-glass court at the Khalifa International Squash
Complex means that it is the first time since 1996 that neither player
will feature in the last eight of this established PSA Super Series
event.
By contrast, the top eight seeds sailed through the second round of the
women's event - with only three of the matches going beyond three games.
Sixth seed Nicol faced fellow Briton John White – and, though the Scot
won their previous battle in Doha in the PSA Masters in 2003, Nicol is
enjoying a good run of form with two major titles to his credit since
July, while White has been battling to keep his place in the world top
ten after reaching the top spot in March 2004.
But it was the US-based 11th seed who ultimately prevailed in the pair's
latest meeting in Doha, winning 11-7 8-11 11-10 10-11 11-8 in 67 minutes
– the longest match men's match of the day – to keep alive his hopes of
repeating his 2003 run when he reached the final.
"I'm very happy with the way I played," White told www.squashsite.co.uk
. "Since I've dropped out of the top eight, it makes things even more
difficult, as I'm playing people like Peter, a former number one, in the
second round."
White now faces top seed Thierry Lincou after the Frenchman beat
unseeded Malaysian Ong Beng Hee 11-10 11-4 11-5 in 38 minutes.
For Jonathon Power, it was the second time this month that injury has
caused his downfall. After severe cramp in his right hand led to his
withdrawal from the US Open quarter-finals, the world No2 from Montreal
suffered back spasms in his match against Stewart Boswell. The
Australian qualifier was two games up when Power signalled his decision
to retire, giving Boswell an 11-7 11-6 victory in just 27 minutes – and
an unexpected place in the quarter-finals.
Alex Gough became the second qualifier to reach the last eight when he
defeated fellow qualifier Davide Bianchetti, from Italy, 11-8 7-11 11-4
11-7 in 57 minutes. The rejuvenated 34-year-old Welshman, who made his
Classic breakthrough when he upset England's fourth seed Lee Beachill in
the first round, is celebrating his first appearance in a PSA Super
Series quarter-final since April 2002.
In the women's event, England's sixth seed survived a 83-minute marathon
and twice had to come from behind to overcome Ireland's tenth seed
Madeline Perry 3-9 9-1 0-9 9-5 9-4. The 28-year-old from Manchester now
meets top seed Rachael Grinham after the world No1 from Australia
despatched England's unseeded Dominique Lloyd-Walter 9-4 9-3 9-0.
There will also be English interest in the quarter-final between fifth
seed Linda Elriani and Malaysia's No2 seed Nicol David. Elriani, the
England No1 playing in her first event since a hamstring injury layoff,
beat Hong Kong's Asian Games champion Rebecca Chiu 9-3 9-7 9-0, (26m),
while David defeated Dutch opponent Annelize Naude 9-4 9-6 9-2.
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#3: Thu
24th:
Beachill Beached As
Gough Goes Forward
roundup from Howard Harding
England's fourth seed Lee
Beachill became the biggest casualty – and Welshman Alex Gough
one of three qualifiers to progress - on a dramatic second day of first
round action in the men's Qatar Classic at the Khalifa International
Squash Complex in Doha.
In the women's event, England's unseeded Dominique Lloyd-Walter
also staged an upset by removing New Zealand's 11th seed Shelley
Kitchen in an hour-long five-game first round encounter.
Beach Beached
Beachill arrived in the Qatar capital fresh from retaining his US Open
title earlier in the month. But the 27-year-old Yorkshireman, a former
world No1, admitted that he played badly and that his opponent played
well as he went down 11-7 11-10 11-9 to Gough in 50 minutes.
"This is definitely my best win in recent years," said former world No5
Gough to www.squashsite.co.uk
Gough, the 34-year-old Welsh champion from Fleet in England, now plays
fellow qualifier Davide Bianchetti for a place in the
quarter-finals. Bianchetti battled for 62 minutes – the longest men's
match of the day – to upset Pakistan's 16th seed Shahid Zaman 3-11 11-7
11-10 10-11 11-7.
Australia's former world No4 Stewart Boswell notched up another
nominal upset in his comeback trail after a two-year layoff with a
mystery back ailment. The 27-year-old qualifier from Canberra, who has
leapt from 299 to 25 in the world rankings this year, despatched
Malaysia's 13th seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar 11-10 11-7 11-9 in 51
minutes to set up a second round meeting with Canada's Jonathon Power.
The No2 seed, who won the World Open title on the all-glass court in
Doha in 1998, was taken to four games by Joseph Kneipp before beating
the Australian 11-5 11-5 9-11 11-4.
Top Seeds Safe in Womens
In the women's WISPA Platinum event, Lloyd-Walter scored 'one of
the best results of my career' in beating world No12 Shelley Kitchen 2-9
9-7 9-7 3-9 9-7 in 61 minutes. The 24-year-old from Harrow moves on to
meet Australia's top seed Rachael Grinham, the world No1 from
Toowoomba in Queensland who dismissed Malaysian qualifier Tricia
Chuah 9-2 9-0 9-2 in just 20 minutes.
England No1 Linda Elriani, playing in her first event since a
hamstring injury layoff, defeated Australian qualifier Amelia Pittock
9-2 9-2 3-9 9-7. The fifth seed will be hoping to deliver the 27th
birthday present her opponent does not want to receive when she takes on
Hong Kong's Rebecca Chiu in the second round. The 15th seed beat
Pakistan's Carla Khan 9-4 9-2 9-5.
Defending champion Vanessa Atkinson repelled a second game fight
back by her first round opponent Tegwen Malik. But the No2 seed from The
Hague then brushed aside the challenge, beating the Welsh champion 9-1
5-9 9-0 9-0 in 30 minutes to set up a second round clash with England's
Tania Bailey, the ninth seed who defeated USA's Latasha Khan 9-3
9-2 9-1 in 22 minutes.
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 In
the Papers: Lincou
starts slow, Nicol's quick the Peninsula
 wed
23rd
LJ goes down fighting Gulf Times |
#2: Wed
23rd:
Ong Beng Hee Continues
His Advance In Qatar
roundup from Howard Harding
Within days of his unexpected home triumph
in the Malaysian Open, unseeded Ong Beng Hee continued his
success against higher-ranked players in the Qatar Classic when he
deposed 14th seed Graham Ryding in the only men's upset on the opening
day of action at the Khalifa International Squash Complex in Doha.
Beng Hee, rediscovering the form which took him to a career-high world
No7 in December 2001, beat his Canadian opponent 8-11 11-5 11-10 11-8 in
exactly an hour. The UK-based 25-year-old, currently ranked 17 in the
world, now faces top seed Thierry Lincou after the Frenchman also
recovered from a game down to defeat Dutch qualifier Laurens Jan Anjema
10-11 11-8 11-6 11-2 in 57 minutes.
Lincou, the world No1 from Marseille, became world champion for the
first time last December on the same all-glass court in Doha. “I have
always done well out here. This is the first match and you will see the
best of me in the matches to come,” Lincou told the Gulf Times.
By contrast, England's Peter Nicol needed just 16 minutes to
reserve his place in the second round of the $125,000 PSA Super Series
Platinum event. The sixth seed, twice a winner of the Qatar Classic
title, beat Kuwait's Ali Alramezi 11-6 11-4 11-2, and now meets Scottish
rival John White, the 11th seed who knocked out Pakistan's
Mansoor Zaman 11-9 11-7 11-8.
The draw for the women's event was also completed at the Khalifa
Complex, with players from New Zealand, England, Canada, Malaysia,
Australia and Egypt claiming places in the main draw from the qualifying
finals.
New Zealand's Louise Crome, ranked 43 in the world, pulled off a
significant upset by overcoming Australia's Melissa Martin, ranked 15
places higher, 9-5 7-9 4-9 9-4 10-9 in 48 minutes. But the longest
battle was claimed by Egypt's 16-year-old Raneem El Weleily who
edged out Mexico's world No30 Samantha Teran 10-8 9-6 7-9 9-4 in 51
minutes.
Australia's world No1 Rachael Grinham is seeded to win the
$105,000 WISPA Platinum event after finishing as runner-up twelve months
ago. The 28-year-old Queenslander faces Malaysian qualifier Tricia Chuah
in the first round.
Defending champion Vanessa Atkinson is the No2 seed and expected
to meet Grinham in a repeat of last year's final. The Dutch world
champion takes on Tegwen Malik, from Wales, in the opening round.
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In
the Papers: World's
best ready the Peninsula
tue
22nd
World's best in action Gulf Times |
#1: Tue 22nd:
Lincou sets out on Classic Quest
Men's preview from Howard Harding
Just under a year after winning the World Open title in Doha, France’s
Thierry Lincou is back in Qatar’s capital city where he is seeded
to become a first-time winner of the Qatar Classic, the second PSA Super
Series Platinum event of the year which boasts a $125,000 prize fund.
Lincou, the world No1 from Marseille, will face qualifier Laurens Jan
Anjema in the first round today after the Dutchman survived one of
the longest qualifying finals battles to beat England’s Stacey Ross in
82 minutes.
The Frenchman is expected to face Peter Nicol in the
quarter-finals. The sixth-seeded Englishman is a two-times winner of the
Qatar Classic trophy – in 2001 and 2002 – and takes on Kuwaiti wildcard
Ali Alramezi in the first round.
 England’s
Lee Beachill begins his defence of the title on Wednesday. The
fourth seed meets Welsh qualifier Alex Gough, the former world
No5 who defeated Egypt’s Hisham Mohd Ashour in the qualifying finals.
Canada’s Jonathon Power is the No2 seed who is expected to face
Lincou in Sunday’s final.
Winner of the World Open title on the
all-glass court at the Khalifa International Squash Complex in 1998,
Power meets Australia’s Joseph Kneipp in the first round - and is
expected to link up with another Australian in the last eight.
Anthony Ricketts is the event’s No7 seed who, after winning last
month’s British Open title in England, rose to a career-high world No3
ranking.
The Qatar draw will have a particularly local feel for Englishman
James Willstrop.
The eighth seed faces qualifier Simon Parke,
a fellow Yorkshireman, in the first round. Victory would take the former
world junior champion to a likely second round meeting with England
team-mate Nick Matthew, the 12th seed who is also from Yorkshire.
Willstrop’s predicted quarter-final opponent would then be Lee Beachill,
his Pontefract club team-mate!
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Lincou wins in 2004
Beachill in 2003
Nicol in 2002
NB: In 2004 the Men's
Qatar Classic became the Qatar World Open, so although the trophy was
the same, technically Beachill is the defending champion ...
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