Palmer Gets a Scare
Martin Bronstein, Squashtalk reporter on the scene at Grand Central Terminal

by Martin Bronstein, Live at Grand Central Terminal, New York, 22 Feb 2003
All content © 2003 Squashtalk, photos: © 2003 Debra Tessier

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PALMER GIVEN BIG SCARE BY OLLI
The world champion came back to tournament squash after a three month gap - his first big tournament since he won the world title. And waiting for him in the first round was Olli Tuominen, a tough, wiry Fin who does not know the meaning of surrender - or respect for one's alleged betters.

Palmer kept his cool, didn't try anything silly and led 8-1 to put the young one in his place, but still Tuominen refused to recognise the world champion and with a couple of audacious winners got back to 5-8. Palmer surged ahead again and at 14-10, rightly thought he had the game in the bag only to commit two bad errors followed by a stroke to put Tuominen at 13-14 , just two points away from one helluva victory. Tuominen then got too ambitious and a reverse angle hit the tin to give Palmer the game 15-13.

The pace did not slacken with both players using the characteristics of this new court to the fullest and hitting super length. The only time Tuominen took his foot off the pedal was trailing 10-6 in the fourth and he decided to save himself for the final game. He stayed within two points of Palmer, who was now using high lobs to slow the pace down. There were three decisions that did not do the Finn any favours, the sort of decisions that were not wrong but, then on the other hand, could also have been called the other way. Tuominen felt the end was near and although he kept Palmer honest for 18 minutes it was the world champion who knew how to handle that fifth game psychology and came out a 15-9 winner after almost 90 minutes.

"Yes, I suppose I was a bit rusty," Palmer admitted, "but I've been playing well in league games and getting some good wins. But tournaments are different and he put me under pressure and then took his chances at the end of the first two games."

Was he worried at two games down?

"You always are when you are two games down. I felt a bit tired and because my short game wasn't working I tried to slow it down in the third by using high lobs," Palmer said, looking somewhat relieved.

NICOL GETS A ONE GAME CHALLENGE
World number one Peter Nicol had a much easier time even though Omar El Borolossy gave him a testing time for the first 15 minute game. Although the Egyptian has the shots, it was Nicol who controlled the centre of the court and who surprised his opponent with some nice deception. Borolossy was made to do an awful lot of running in that first game and it was predictable that after Nicol won the game 15-9, there would be a case of diminishing returns. Nicol maintained his pace in the second game while Borolossy went off the boil to lose quickly , 15-4 in nine minutes. Even though he hit some great winners, this was never going to be enough to beat Nicol, who looked like his old self, with unbelievable movement, great retrievals coupled with an iron-hard determination to control middle of the court. The third game was over in under nine minutes and Nicol walked to the showers with a smile at the easy first round effort.

RUTHLESS RICKETTS GUTS GRANT
Yesterday's hero, Adrian Grant of England, was brought up with a short sharp shock in the form of Anthony Ricketts, the world number seven. Ricketts can now carry out the holy trinity of squash - length, width and pace - with style and unwavering accuracy. Grant was left floundering: he was to say later that he could not produce constant good length because he never had the time. "I was always on my back foot." And that really sums it all up: Ricketts is getting harder and meaner by the day and every young player should watch the way he produces a constant attack based on the trinity: there is no room for a loose shot and every point that Grant earned in his 15-2, 15-6, 15-5 loss, had to be earned. In the third game, realising that he would not beat Ricketts on length he started to go for winners, almost all of which hit the tin. No shame on Grant - few players can live with Ricketts these days - and he took some solace in that his fight through qualifying to the first round will earn him enough points to jump into the top thirty for the first time in his career.

VINTAGE SQUASH FROM VETERAN PLAYERS
The afternoon session finished with another great five game marathon when Simon Parke came back from 2/0 down to beat the grand old man Chris Walker (now in his 36TH year). It went for 97 minutes and Walker was fighting right to the last, a tribute to his extraordinary fitness. Parke can also be proud (he's also over 30) that his form has carried over from his great victories in the world open. Strangely, these two have not met for about three or four years so there was no recent form as an indicator. They play a similar sort of game and both exhibit a great athleticism around the court. Parke in particular always seems to be moving and hits some quite wonderful shots on the run.

After a tense third game, which Parke just saved 15-14, he was getting animated advice from Julian Wellings and Alex Gough, the nub of their message being 'push him long and then make him go to the front'. Parke was soon dropping to the front at every sensible opportunity and it paid off as he took the fourth game 15-9 and the fifth 15-8. It was great squash, played in fine spirit with Walker's usual appeal on every rally thankfully absent.

TOC FIRST ROUND RESULTS

Peter Nicol (Sco) bt Omar El Borolossy (Egy) 15-9, 15-4, 15-7.
Anthony Ricketts (Aus) bt Adrian Grant (Eng) 15-2, 15-6, 15-5.
David Palmer (Aus) bt Olloi Tuominen (Fin) 10-15, 12-15, 15-13, 15-7, 15-9.
Simon Parke (Eng) bt Chris Walker (Eng) 14-15, 6-15, 15-14, 15-9, 15-8.