Cassie
is Back, Emphatically
Martin
Bronstein, Squashtalk reporter on the scene at Grand Central Terminal
by
Martin Bronstein, Live at Grand Central Terminal, New York, 24 Feb 2003
All
content © 2003 Squashtalk,
photos: © 2003 Debra Tessier
[view
the mens draw/results] [women's
draw/results]
OLD JACKMAN , NEW BACK
|
| Cassie Jackman in fine form against Linda Charman © 2003 Debra Tessier |
This is quite a remarkable
recovery; four months ago Jackman spent five weeks on her back after second
meeting with the surgeon who cut a bit of her disc away.
" I lay in bed not knowing if I would ever get back on the squash
court again. Squash was a distant prospect but it made me appreciate what
I had. Now I don't put so much pressure on myself and I think it has helped
my attitude on court. Right now I feel great and everything is going well,"
she told me after the match. She looks better than ever; she was always
inclined to a little too much weight but now she is lean and says her
movement is as good, if not a little better, than ever. Her progress from
bed to court has been remarkable due to getting in as many matches as
possible, many of them against men. Will she get back to number one again?
She will certainly be giving Carol Owens a lot of sleepless nights.
MAN OR MACHINE?
|
| Thierry Lincou (r) kept Simon Parke moving© 2003 Debra Tessier |
There really is not much more to say about this match; Parke likes to play at a much fast pace and perhaps made the mistake of letting Lincou dictate the pace. The first game took 29 minutes which included an eight-minute time out while the fire alarm and accompanying strobe lights (disco squash!) were tested. The second was somewhat swifter, Lincou constantly using the soft boast to take Parke to the front and wear his legs out. It was 15-4 in under ten minutes for Lincou. Parke never appeared to have the determination that he showed in previous rounds and although he scored more points in the third, he never looked like taking a game from the impeccable machine that is Lincou.
"I was taking the ball early and didn't let him control the T," Lincou said, analysing his victory. "The ball is much bouncier on this court than last year - much quicker, so I had to make sure that I didn't over hit."
|
| Tania Bailey (l) had an easy time against Rachael Grinham © 2003 Debra Tessier |
The surprise result of the afternoon was Tania Bailey's 3/0 demolition of Rachael Grinham. I'm very glad no-one offered to bet on this match. Grinham, now up to five in the world, has been playing superbly and beat Bailey 3/0 last time they met in a WISPA tournament, while Bailey has been suffering from a stomach bug since Christmas.
Two days ago Bailey told me that she really didn't think much of her prospects in New York as the bug had come back with a vengeance and she was getting dizzy spells. But two days rest had done wonders for her. It may have been a bad day at the office for Grinham, but Bailey played well, hitting the with conviction on a court that she loves and slowing the pace down, thus giving Grinham nothing to feed off. Bailey was never really threatened, losing just eight points in 37 minutes.
THE WHITE STRIP
The White Strip is neither a music group or a rag to hold the hair in place. It is 21 feet wide and three inches deep, on the front wall just above the tin. This is the preferred target for an Australian Scotsman by the name of John White. Point is, he can hit the ball so hard with the laziest swing of the racket that he doesn't have to hit the ball any higher to get it to the back of the court. He is almost unique in that talent and he constantly surprises his opponents with those low howitzers. Even a sublime shot maker like Mohammed Abbas, blessed with the Egyptian squash gene, could not handle the White Effect - especially the straight nicks crashed in from the back of the court.
|
| John White (f) and Mohammed Abbas © 2003 Debra Tessier |
Abbas mounted an entertaining challenge in the second game after losing the first 15-10 and pushed White to extra points. If it weren't for three slightly questionable decisions in the ensuring rallies, Abbas could have won that game, but fortune favoured White and he took the game 17-15 after 22 minutes.
Abbas , ranked 29 to White's
fourth place, could not take the pace and White cruised through the third
game 15-4 in just six minutes.
TOC [Full Results]
Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt Simon Parke (Eng) 15-11, 15-4, 15-10.
John White (Sco) bt Mohammed Abbas (Egy) 15-10, 17-15, 15-5.
WOMEN'S
OPEN [Full Results]
Cassie Jackman (Eng) bt Linda Charman(Eng) 9-7, 9-0, 6-9, 9-3
Tania Bailey (Eng) bt Rachael Grinham (Aus) 9-1, 9-5, 9-2.
