A
Great Women's Final, A New Champion
Martin
Bronstein, Squashtalk reporter on the scene at Grand Central Terminal
by
Martin Bronstein, Live at Grand Central Terminal, New York, 25 Feb 2005
All
content © 2005 Squashtalk,
photos: © 2005 Debra Tessier
[view the men's draw/results] [view the women's draw/results]
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Vanessa
Atkinson, the 2005 Tournament of Champions champion. |
The world champion and the British champion gave the paying customers a fine game of squash this evening, the sort of squash that demonstrated how good women's squash can be.
Vanessa Atkinson is now a player
who does not let her brain go walkabout anymore, those mental lapses which,
in the past, threatened her career, or at least prevented her from getting
to the top where she most definitely belongs. Linda Elriani is a shrewd
experienced player and knows her way around a squash court with her eyes
closed.
The fact that she lost in straight games is no disgrace - she made Atkinson
work for every point - with the odd exception - and Atkinson replied in
kind, making very few errors.
Furthermore, and the PSA won't like this, women play the game without constant reference to the referee or getting into boisterous arguments. They attempt to play the ball and when a decision is given, they accept it and get on with the game.
So this match was played with vigour, determination and great skill with both players using the lob well, going for the winners with confidence and displaying guile in order to send their opponents the wrong way. A few of their rallies had the audience whooping but for the most part there was just solid appreciation for the way these two fine players conducted themselves.
Atkinson started well and stayed in front using all the court. For the first half of this game she looked invincible but Elriani got herself back in the game, reading Atkinson's game well and still using her lobs to limit her opponent's options.
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| Linda
Elriani got herself back in the game, reading Atkinson's game well. |
She got back to 6-7, exchanged serve four times before Elriani made one of her few errors on her backhand cross court drop, the shot that had done such damage to the Grinham sisters. She saved one game ball but Atkinson got to 9 with a slick backhand volley boast that died in the front right corner before even the fleet-footed Elriani could reach it.
(She was to say later that she wasn't moving well due to badly blistered feet. She did not want to make excuses but the two hard matches left her with bleeding blisters.)
They really got down to business in the second game fighting hard at 3-3 - the serve changed hands six times- and then four times when Atkinson led 4-3 and five times at 5-3. It was tight hard squash and pride was at stake. Nothing was being given by either player. But Atkinson inched ahead to finally take the game 9-5 after 15 minutes and 35 rallies.
Elriani had played well, had done very little wrong and was two games down. And the prospect was that with Atkinson playing so well, she would not improve her fortunes unless Atkinson suddenly had a brainstorm.
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| Atkinson
moved up
a gear and attacked everything to go 7-0 ahead |
WOMEN'S FINAL
[2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt Linda Elriani (ENG)9-6 9-5 9-5 40 mins
More final photos in the photo gallery
