Round
2
Martin
Bronstein, Squashtalk reporter on the scene at Grand Central Terminal
by
Martin Bronstein, Live at Grand Central Terminal, New York, 20 Feb 2005
All
content © 2005 Squashtalk,
photos: © 2005 Debra Tessier
[view the main draw/results] [view the qualifying draw/results]
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| Finn
Olli Tuominen showed that he could do everything Amr Shabana could
do …he just couldn't do it for so long. |
Jonathon Power made his way into the quarter-finals with surprising ease. Indeed his 3/0 win over Dan Jenson was a great disappointment to the fans who enjoyed Jenson's upset victory over John White in the first round. We could at least expect Jenson to make Power a little hot under the collar, but from the beginning Power seemed in control of proceedings and his measured game and constant distribution kept him in charge.
Power simply ran away with the first game getting eight points without reply. This Dan Jenson was not the same player we saw against White and while Power was playing well, he wasn't playing THAT well.
Jenson managed one point with a fine backhand drop but they were out of the court inside seven minutes. He improved on his single point only marginally in the second game as Power ran up a 6-1 lead which he turned into 11-5 victory.
Jenson came on for the third with a no-more-mister-nice-guy attitude and started pasting the ball to the back of the court. He obviously though that he had been playing at Power's pace and that situation had to change. It was a tactic that worked miracles and Jenson was now the one in the driving seat with a 3-0 lead. Power upped his game and pulled level but Jenson was now more of a challenge and hitting winners from Power's serve, which always irks the Canadian, who hates to give anything away. Jenson however had been making unforced errors all match and he made three crucial errors after being stroked at 6-5. These errors helped put Power at game ball 10-7 at which point the referee gave a let when Power thought he'd hit a winner. "I know it's not a good way to win, but my shot was a winner anyway," he said. The next rally also resulted in a let decision and once more the Canadian questioned the reason for the decision by saying to the referee "Play the ball, don't play the score." So they resumed play and this time Jenson was denied a let and it was all over 11-7 in Power's favour.
CHESS IN A GLASS CAGE
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|
Smashing,
inspiring squash from two very fine sportsman, Mohammed Abbas and
Thierry Lincou. |
Lincou won the first game 13-11 after 20 minutes of delightful intelligent squash and the tie-break score indicates just how close it was. Abbas succumbed to the shooter's curse of going for too many winners and making errors, finishing the game with an over-ambitious high backhand drop which hit the tin to give Lincou the second game 11-5 in nine minutes.
In the third game Abbas showed more resolve while Lincou dropped his and started snatching at the balls, sending easy forehand drives into the tin. A 6-3 Lincou lead dissolved into a tie at 6-all and then Lincou hit a beautiful long backhand drop to go ahead 7-6. Then the errors rolled off his racket to put Abbas ahead and the Egyptian finished the game with a forehand drop to win the game 7-11.
The reason why Lincou is world
champion is that he can raise his game and correct his errors. He led
the fourth game from the start and slowly built up a 7-3 lead which Abbas,
who was getting frustrated with his own errors, fought hard to overcome
and did well to catch up to 7-9. Lincou took the next point after a gut-
wrenching rally which forced Abbas to play a backwall boast. Lincou was
at the front wall to deposit the ball safely in the nick and the score
was match ball, 10-7.
Abbas never gave up and took the next point with a tight backhand - to
put himself two points from a tie-break. And then came the error, a backhand
drop which found the tin and Lincou was through to the quarters.
Smashing, inspiring squash from two very fine sportsman. No TV cameras
around so there won't be a video. Damned pity, that. (Mind you, you can
get a replay on the webstreaming system on either the PSA website or www.toc.com)
SHABANA SURVIVES SUOMI
TSUNAMI
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|
Shabana
was trying his damnedest - diving full length several times in an
attempt to retrieve the ball. |
The first game started with two outright winners from Shabana and an error from Tuominen. In the next rally Shabana was on the floor at the back of the court, but still raced the diagonal to pick up the drop shot and drive it down the wall for a winner. This was an indication what was to come in this incredible see-saw battle.
Shabana was cruising in that first game and won it as expected, although he got sloppy when leading at 7-1 to allow Tuominen back in to reach 7-10 before the referee saved Shabana with a stroke.
What nobody expected was that Tuominen would win the second game easily - Shabana stopped trying at 6-8 down and gave away the last three points. It was even more of a surprise when Tuominen won the third game to take a 2/1 lead and even though Shabana was trying his damnedest - diving full length several times in an attempt to retrieve the ball - Olli earned it 11-8.
Somebody in Shabana's corner must have reminded him of his ranking and his position as top Egyptian. The shots, chips, drives, lobs and reverse angles slams flowed from his racket and this marvelous array of shots helped him to regain control of the match. He took that game in just six minutes and so set up a big fifth.This is always the point when
the higher ranked player just keeps on going while his opponent starts
to slow down. I got the feeling Shabana switched on the overdrive and
he was now playing Cat to Tuominen's mouse. As he built up a 7-3 lead
Shabana was at his controlling best and he strolled the court using his
racket like a magic wand. Tuominen never gave up and even got back 6-8
but the inch perfect drops (and full length dives) just kept on coming
and Shabana took the game 11-6 and the match to an enormous ovation from
the packed galleries. When Power finally hangs up his racket, Shabana
will be ready to take over his role as magician/joker.
INTENSITY ,POWER,
LOVE, HATE, ETC ETC ETC
 |
| Nothing
matched the intensity of the bruising, slamming, emotional meeting
between Anthony Ricketts and James Willstrop. |
They played at an almost superhuman pace in every possible part of the court. No match I can remember featured so many stop volleys and drop shots. After they split the first two games Ricketts thought Willstrop was tiring and took the ball short on almost every shot. These were not attempts at winners, but tortuous ploys to make the lanky young Englishman move to the front and bend. I have never seen Ricketts so single minded in his attempt to destroy a players strength and it worked admirably as he took an 11-2 victory from a very tried Willstrop.
Amazingly the fourth saw Willstrop going short and winning at the front to take the bitterly fought game 11-9.
The fifth game starred Ricketts at his most intense: that scowl that could stop a charging elephant dead in its tracks, black glaring eyes that could pierce armour and an angered howl that would be the envy of the Baskervilles.
Every point was met with cheers, gasps and howls of amazement as the score inched to 9-all and then 10-10 and then 11-11 until Ricketts finally got the verdict ona Willstrop error followed by a stroke. If they could get that much drama, tension and emotion in a movie, it would sweep the Oscars. Whew! Crickey! Blimey!
TOC 2005 Second Round Results:
[1] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt
Mohammed Abbas (EGY) 11-10 (3-1), 11-5, 7-11, 11-8 (58mins)
[3] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt Peter Barker (ENG) 9-11, 11-4,11-3, 11-5 (51mins)
Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Olli Tuominen (FIN)11-7, 6-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-6 (52mins)
[2] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt Graham Ryding (CAN) 11-6, 11-8, 11-8. (46 mins)
[4] David Palmer (AUS) bt Wael El Hindi (Egy) 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 . (41 mins)
[6] Jonathon Power (CAN) bt Dan Jenson (AUS)11-1, 11-5, 11-7 (34mins)
[7] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Alex Gough (WAL) 7-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7 (61mins)
Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt [5]James Willstrop 6-11, 11-10 (2-1), 11-2,
9-11, 11-10 (3-1) 78 mins
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|
Shabana
regained control of the match after being down 1 game to 2.
(photo: ©
2005 Debra Tessier) |
 |
| Tuominen
never gave up. |
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| Lee
Beachill came out charging against Graham Ryding. |
 |
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| Every
point was met with cheers, gasps and howls of amazement. |
