SquashTalk>Tournament of Champions Web Site 2002 > Second Round Monday
Walker
revenges British Open Loss.
Howard Harding,
reporting for the PSA and WISPA.
by
Howard Harding, 28 Jan 2002
All content
© 2002 Howard Harding,
photos: ©
2002 Debra Tessier
POWER SURVIVES CLOSE CALL
England's world No11 Chris Walker, at 34 the oldest player on the men's
pro squash circuit, avenged his defeat by David Palmer in last year's
British Open final when he despatched the Australian world No2 in the
second round of the $72,000 CSFBdirect Tournament of Champions at the
Grand Central Terminal in New York.
It was the pair's first meeting since June when a weary Walker, the first qualifier ever to reach the British Open climax, failed to capitalise on a two-game lead against the Antwerp-based 25-year-old, who went on to become world No1. It took Walker, a veteran of a record six England world team championships' appearances, 77 minutes to fight back from a game down in New York to earn his 14-17 15-11 15-4 15-8 win against the event's second seed - and his first appearance in the last eight of the Tournament of Champions since 1995.
Essex man Walker now takes on another Australian, world No9 Paul Price whose five-game victory in their last meeting in Price's hometown Melbourne in October took the hosts into the World Team Championships' final.
Price also engineered a New York upset, coming from 2-1 down to beat fifth-seeded Frenchman Thierry Lincou 15-12, 5-15, 9-15, 15-8, 15-12 in 90 minutes. The bottom half of the draw has now truly opened up for three-times champion Jonathon Power, the 2001 runner-up from Canada who had to hit two outright winners at 11-all in the fifth game of his match with England's British champion Lee Beachill to keep alive his hopes of regaining the ToC title from world No1 Peter Nicol.
"I like playing in New York," said the Montreal-based 4th seed after his 15-8, 15-11, 14-15, 11-15, 15-11 victory in just short of two hours. "There's something about the New York crowds that helps me." Power goes through to face Egyptian qualifier Wael El Hindi who outlasted Australia's Anthony Ricketts in 78 minutes of play in the first match of the day at Grand Central Terminal.
In the top half of the draw, England's defending champion Peter Nicol claimed his 20th straight PSA Tour match victory with a 15-5 15-6 15-8 dismissal of Canadian Graham Ryding - the 40-minute win being the shortest match for the second day running. The world No1 and world champion now meets Australia's rising star Stewart Boswell in a repeat of the YMG Capital Classic final in Toronto last November. The UK-based sixth seed beat 10th seed Mark Chaloner 15-9 15-9 11-15 15-9 in 95 minutes to avenge his defeat by the Englishman in September's Al-Ahram International in Egypt.
RESULTS: CSFBdirect Tournament of Champions, Grand Central Terminal, New York, USA 2nd round: [1] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt Graham Ryding (CAN) 15-5, 15-6, 15-8 (40m) [6] Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt [10] Mark Chaloner (ENG) 15-9, 15-9, 11-15, 15-9 (95m) [3] John White (SCO) bt [16] Del Harris (ENG) 15-9, 15-11, 15-11 (47m) [8] David Evans (WAL) bt [14] Martin Heath (SCO) 12-15, 15-11, 7-15, 15-13, 15-14 (75m) [Q] Wael El Hindi (EGY) bt Anthony Ricketts (AUS) 17-16, 8-15, 2-15, 15-11, 15-11 (78m) [4] Jonathon Power (CAN) bt [12] Lee Beachill (ENG) 15-8, 15-11, 14-15, 11-15, 15-11 (110m) [9] Paul Price (AUS) bt [5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 15-12, 5-15, 9-15, 15-8, 15-12 (90m) [11] Chris Walker (ENG) bt [2] David Palmer (AUS) 14-17, 15-11, 15-4, 15-8 (77m)
