The CSFB Direct
Tournament of Champions 2001,
Ticket ordering information. (Feb
3-9 2001)
(updated Saturday, February 3, 2001)
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(Photos: TOC 2000 Derek Ryan and John White, © 2000 Debra Tessier)
Many Subplots Underlie 2001 Grand Central
Event...
Can Jonathon
Power make it four in a row in North America?
Will David Evans live up to his new ranking?
Can Martin Heath break through?
Is Peter Nicol match fit?
2001 TOC Preview by
Ron Beck © 2001 SquashTalk.com
Of the four greatest stages for the exciting game of Pro Squash, New York City has clearly taken its place alongside The Pyramids (Al Ahram Open), the Crowded streets of Hong Kong (The Cathay Pacific) and Birmingham (The British Open) as one of the marquee events.
There is an added seriousness, urgency, and focus that descends on the tour players when they arrive in New York. You can feel it in their gait, their words, their play.
This year, as Jonathon Power attempts to defend two streaks - a two year run of winning this event and a three event streak going back to November at the US Open in Boston - the Tournament of Champions comes at an interesting Juncture as PSA squash enters 2001.
POWER AND NICOL
Jonathon Power and Peter Nicol are
of course the main attraction. Their rivalry that has spanned the past four
years, leaves them with uncannily identical records and razor-sharp closeness
in the rankings that leaves Nicol slightly ahead. Because of the vagaries
of the computer ranking system, Power really needs to win to just stay even
in the rankings race. Nicol lost in the semi-finals last year, and if he can
simply match that result he stays ahead in the rankings. If Power wins, though,
he stands an excellent chance of overtaking Nicol after the upcoming Flanders
Open, in which he exited in the first round next year.
POWER AND PARKE
Power and Parke have produced some
classic matchups over the past three months. Their clash at the US Open caused
frustration to show in the face of Simon Parke, the likes of which he rarely
allows to come to the surface. They could well meet in the quarterfinals in
New York - bound to be an interesting match on many levels.
HEATH'S HOPE
Martin Heath, of course, may have something to say about whether Parke gets
to play Power. Heath, who played some of his best squash in the TOC last year,
will bring his usual intensity and attacking game with a goal of bettering
his result last year as losing finalist. The Heath/Parke matchup could also
provide a lot of excitement.
THE NEW GUYS
Meanwhile, some great new talent is showing its face. David Palmer and Paul
Price will have to get by Amr Shabana and Anthony Ricketts, respectively,
to present an All Australian round of sixteen matchup, and Kareem Darwish
will be looking to sneak up on Power.
WHITE?
And what about John White? He suffered an unfortunate injury last year, after
some brilliant play. He might well surprise Peter Nicol this time.
