Final
Drama at Grand Central
Martin
Bronstein, Squashtalk reporter on the scene at Grand Central Terminal
by
Martin Bronstein, Live at Grand Central Terminal, New York, 27 Feb 2003
All
content © 2003 Squashtalk,
photos: © 2003 Debra Tessier
[view the mens draw/results] [women's draw/results]
OWENS PULLS BACK FROM THE BRINK
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| Natalie Pohrer controlled Carol Owens the first two games © 2003 Debra Tessier |
Owens said later that her start was "just awful; I couldn't get going, everything was loose and I felt flat." She summed it up perfectly and Pohrer must have thought Christmas had come early as she stepped into every loose ball and put it away with skill and élan. Whenever Owens tried to go short she left the ball sitting up for Pohrer and there were far too many mid-length shots that also played right into Pohrer's hands. The first game's 23 rallies lasted 14 minutes but there was never a chance that Owens was going to win it and symbolically ended with Owens hitting a backhand drop into the tin.
MORE OF THE SAME
In the second game Owens continued on the path to extinction just as she had
left off in the first. She was 7-1 down in under two minutes and her frustraion
showed by the constant questioning the referee's calls, even the most obvious
of decisions. She was showing all the signs of the well -known Owens melt
down. Three Pohrer errors helped Owens to a respectable score but Pohrer was
still in charge and finished the game with smashing backhand volley drop to
win 9-5. There was a sense of déjà vu - Sue Devoy based her
entire career on her backhand drops and although all the players knew about
them, seemed hypnotised and unable to counter them.
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| Carol Owens in command © 2003 Debra Tessier |
In the third Owen started to push herself harder and find her length. Trailing 2-4 the turnaround began with a Pohrer backhand drop hitting the tin. Suddenly Owens was in command and the errors started to stream off Pohrer's racket just as Owens started to use her wonderful touch to hit winners. It was now all Owens and she moved ahead allowing Pohrer just one more point before winning 9-5, rubbing salt in the wound with a final backhand drop.
Owens was now in full stride and once again turned a 1-3 deficit into a 9-3 victory with the help of another four errors from Pohrer, who fitness is always suspect and fatigue sets in so the winners start peppering the tin.
The fifth game was a formality and even when she was leading 6-0 Owens was running like a greyhound to save points. She kept the pressure up until Pohrer went for her favourite backhand drop and saw it hit the tin to end the game 9-3 for Owens.
Owens smiled broadly and said "I remembered coming back in the World Open and I told myself I could do it again. I also told myself that I have ten more years experience than her and I should beat her. But Natalie didn't want to rally the ball because of her fitness and I knew I had to get everything back."
Still, Owens must learn to either get rid of her nerves or come out of the traps at full speed. Or perhaps she just likes the drama.
NICOL WINS BUT ...
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| Peter Nicol, TOC Champion © 2003 Debra Tessier |
Lincou was doing to Nicol what he did to Power in the semis, keeping it tight, moving him around and making it nearly impossible to win a point. Nicol had to work to win the first game - nearly 20 minutes of twisting, turning and lunging. Had Lincou started a little quicker and not allowed Nicol to build a 12-9 lead, things might have been different, but he settled down to make Nicol work and he got as near as 14-11 before Nicol took the winning point.
Lincou made five errors at the start of the second and then turned expectations around with enormous discipline, pushing, stretching Nicol on both sides, putting in pinpoint drops, forcing Nicol to keep moving. He climbed out of his hole to level at 9-9 and then pull away as Nicol began to look ragged committing two uncharacteristic errors to help Lincou to a 15-12 win after another 20 minutes.
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| Thierry Lincou © 2003 Debra Tessier |
Nicol increased the pace in the fourth and final game and Lincou could not handle it and four errors helped Nicol to a 11-3 lead and we knew it was all over. Great champions expect to win and know how to do it. There is no doubt in my mind after this week in New York that Lincou will soon have that same characteristic.
MEN'S HARRISDIRECT TOC FINAL
RESULT [Men's Full Results]
Peter Nicol (Eng) bt Thierry Lincou (Fra) 15-11 12-15 15-10 15-4
WOMEN'S ARADER & O'ROURKE [Women's
Full Results]
Carol Owen bt Natalie Pohrer 3-9 5-9 9-5 9-3 9-3
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| Packed house at Grand Central as the first women's final on the new WISPA ASB glass court gets underway . © 2003 Debra Tessier |
