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The 2000 TOC Event

Site updated on 02/05/2001

The CSFBdirect Tournament of Champions 2001,
presented by NYSC Feb 3 - Feb 9 2001,
Grand Central Terminal, New York

Tournament of Champions round one, day two - afternoon

[photogallery]

TOURNAMENT OF CHAMPIONS 2001
Martin Bronstein reporting from Grand Central Terminal Sunday Feb 4 2000.

FIRST ROUND THIRD SESSION SUNDAY FEB 4

THE MARSHALL CHRONICLES CONTINUE
Peter Marshall was three points from victory against John White and comfortably ahead 11-5 in the fifth. The accepted wisdom is that in point -a-rally scoring, you can't come back from that sort of deficit.

John White proved you can and won that final game 15-12. That must have been a spirit -breaker for Marshall whose fight with chronic fatigue syndrome is still going on. Once world number two behind Jansher and with every chance of going to number one, he played while suffering from a virus , was laid low and has never recovered that fitness that made him such a feared opponent.

He has made two comebacks and twice paid the price for his efforts. He even got back into the top ten last year but the chronic fatigue recurred again. On his showing against White he is still a great competitor but yet to attain the level of fitness he once achieved.

From the start it looked like a White procession as he hit winner after winner as he found Marshall slow to the front but then Marshall got into his stride. He lost the first game narrowly 15-13, was trailing 7-12 in the second but pulled back to 12-all as White lost his touch. White took the next two points with a drop drive combination and a Marshall error to serve for the game but Marshall hit a beautiful long drop and then a two-handed cross court slam to even the score.

Now Marshall took charge and took the 13 minute game 17-15. White came out steaming for the third and took it in a breeze 15-6 in under nine minutes. It looked as though Marshall's tank had run dry but how wrong we were; in the fourth he finally found that superb length and suddenly it was White who was in trouble, constantly forced to boast out of the back corners.

Marshal took the game 15-11 and suddenly it looked totally unpredictable. He was still in charge in the fifth and White seemed to have no answer as he gradually dropped behind, a victim of length and some beautiful counter drops by Marshall. At 5-11 White told himself to hit everything long (he told me later) and he found Marshall trying to go short and making errors. White took five pints in a row, lost one more point and then steamed to victory, the last point coming from a Marshall error. A great match watched by an almost full house of very appreciative squash fans.

KNEIPP IN FULL FLOW
Joe Kneipp, one of a handful of very talented emerging Aussies, was at the top of his form while Thierry Lincou, the first Frenchman to reach the top ten last year, was far from his best. It was a very simple scenario; Kneipp hitting each shot with élan and Lincou unable to reduce his error rate. Mind you, the Kneipp talent for hitting overhead vollies with absolute precision may have had a numbing effect on Lincou's game, but even when he led 6-3 in the third, Lincou could do nothing but watch as Kneipp took 7 points in a row to lead 10-6, although the Frenchman took a few more points there was never any doubt about the outcome as Kneipp won 15-11, 15-10, 15-10 in 46 minutes.

NICOL PAST HIS FIRST HURDLE
Omar Elborolossy lost the first two games against Peter Nicol, but took charge for most of the third, for many rallies putting the world number one in the role of reactive player, chasing down Omar's barrage of shots. Towards the end of the game, Nicol looked weary and he went for a couple of tired winners, hitting tin. But his mental strength is such is that when in that position he can always dig deeper and when he called set three at 14-all, it was the Egyptian who made the errors as N icol took charge to win 17-14 after 42 minutes. Nicol will now meet John White in Monday's second round match.

FIRST ROUND RESULTS TOP HALF OF DRAW
Peter Nicol (Sco) beat Omar Elborolossy (Egy) 15-9, 15-10, 17-14. Joseph Kneipp (Aus) beat Thierry Lincou (Fra) 15-11, 15-10, 15-10. John White Sco) beat Peter Marshall (Eng) 15-13, 15-17, 15-6, 11-15, 15-12.