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Sun 17th, Semi-Finals:
[3]
Rachael Grinham
bt Engy Kheirallah (Egy)
9/7, 9/0, 9/2 (29m)
[1]
Nicol David (Mas) bt [4] Natalie Grinham (Aus)
9/3, 9/3, 9/5 (57m)
[6]
Nick Matthew
(Eng) bt [8] Karim Darwish (Egy)
11/9, 9/11, 11/6, 11/6 (61m)
[3]
Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt [2] David Palmer (Aus)
8/11, 10/11(0-2), 11/9, 11/4,
11/10(5-3) (95m)
Over 35 Semis:
Sarah Fitz-Gerald bt Isabelle Tyrell 9/2, 9/0,
9/2
Helen Macfie bt Isabelle Tweedle
10/8, 3/9, 9/5, 4/9, 9/6
Alex Gough bt Graham Stewart
9/6, 9/4, 9/7
Galen Le Cheminant bt Kevin White 9/6, 10/8, 9/6
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What a Match ...
What a Comeback!
Steve Reports
 The
conventional wisdom had it that Thierry Lincou was set for
defeat today against world champion David Palmer. The Frenchman
had endured harder battles last week at the Gerrard Grand Prix
and this week in Nottingham. He wouldn't have enough left.
And for a while it looked as if that prediction would prove to
be the case. Two games down to David Palmer is a place no player
wants to be. Palmer took the first fairly comfortably, then took
a close second on the tiebreak.
Only once had the Australian lost from two games up. But the key
to this match was that it was Thierry Lincou who had inflicted
that solitary defeat, just this May in the Liverpool 08 final.
Lincou knew he could do it. And after he had taken a third game
that was just as close as the second, so did Palmer.
The Frenchman took a quick start in the fourth, the Australian
decided to go for quick points which didn't go his way, and we
were into a fifth.
Thirty-five minutes later we had a winner, but what a half-hour
that was.
After an even opening, 2/2, David eased ahead to 4/2, then 6/2,
then 8/3. It looked all over. Thierry was bending over at the
end of each rally, hands on knees, clearly spent. As Malcolm
Willstrop said about Thierry in his preview where he favoured an
Australian victory; "he is, I presume, human."
Well, Thierry had news for us. A mere human would have been
satisfied with clawing his way back to 8-all. A mere human would
have folded when, having done that, his opponent then took next
two points to earn two match balls.
Every rally now was an epic in its own right, you could cut the
atmosphere with a knife. Silence as the players prepared for the
next battle, dramatic, determined action on court, then roars as
one or the other finished it off.
Thierry saved those two match balls, the first a stroke, the
second a crosscourt drive as David lunged desperately across
court into Thierry's back. No let.
A mere human would have despaired as he went 11/10, 12/11 and
13/12 down. But each time he refused to be beaten, refused to
lose, and finally, finally, reached matchball at 14/13.
He only needed one attempt. David had hit a few tins as Thierry
was clawing his way back, but this final one was fatal.
What a match, what a roar from the crowd. They don't make them
like this anywhere else.
So Thierry is into his first British Open final. That's a fact.
As to whether he's human or not, the jury's still out ...
 "It's
disappointing to lose, obviously. I felt I should have won
3/0, from 8/7 up in the third, and I had a good few chances
in the fifth.
"He slowed it down in the third and fourth, and the
difference from Cairo was that there I managed to pick it up
again and blast him away, but tonight I just couldn't do
that.
"Maybe in a few days I'll appreciate being involved in a
good match, but for now I'm just disappointed to lose. Then
again, if you'd have given me the world title and a
semi-final of the British three weeks ago I'd have taken
that."
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"I just kept pushing, trying, if I was down I tried harder,
I didn't want to give David an easy win, so I hung in there.
"It's a huge effort to come back from 2-0 down against
David. It feels a little bit like in Liverpool. After coming
from 2-0 down there, I knew there was just a slight chance.
"Maybe I wanted this one a bit more because he beat me in
the worlds. I was just trying to attack the ball when I
could, and could sense that he was getting tired too.
"Every time he hit the tin in the fifth I thought it was a
gift from god, I was praying for it and it happened. It was
a mental battle, like any close match, and it was just my
turn I guess.
"I'm happy for the crowd, to give them a good match, they
really helped me out, so thanks to them.
"This is one of the greatest moments in my professional
career, it's really worth it to be a player and be able to
relive these moments. I just take it and enjoy it.
"Can I win tomorrow? It depends on my physio. There's always
a chance, I'll just give it everything I've got left."
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Third Nottingham
Final for Rachael
Steve reports
Champion here in 2003 and 2004, Rachael Grinham continued her
run of British Open success in Nottingham with a second
consecutive comprehensive win
At the start it looked as though the unseeded Engy's fine run
might continue as she went 4/0 up in the first, thanks to a
handful of errors from Rachael. The Australian steadied, and
levelled at 5-all, with both players playing generally straight
but going short as soon as anything loose came back.
Towards the end of the game Rachael started to lift the ball
consistently – she can play lobs from anywhere, that girl – and
it started to pay dividends as Engy began to offer her
opportunities for easy kills.
 First
game to Rachael after 12 minutes, and four minutes later it was
two-nil. Rachael went to 7-0 in a single hand, served out, got
it back immediately and wrapped up the game 9-0.
Engy just wasn't in it any more – drops were catching her out,
her own shots were finding the tin, and although she took the
first point in the third it was only a temporary reprieve as
Rachael continued to dominate, Engy getting frustrated at her
inability to change the pattern.
Two long drops to finish and it was a third Nottingham final for
Rachael. Engy will be disappointed with how it ended, but it's
been a good week for the likeable Egyptian … |
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 "Engy's
been playing really well lately, so I knew it would be tough
if she played like that. But she wasn't really there today,
not moving well, everything going down …
"I made a few errors at the start of the first, which gave
her a bit of confidence. At the end of that game I wanted to
work the rallies, slow it down, as I knew she'd had some
hard matches.
"After I got through that match against Laura [Lengthorn]
I've had a great run of luck with opponents who didn't play
against me.
"It's no problem if Natalie and I get to play, we know it
will be a fair game and we're happy for the other to win. I
do hope she and Nicol have another 104-minute runaround
though.
"So far Nottingham's been a magical place for me, I hope
I'll still be saying that tomorrow …"
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PATCHY CATCH UP GAME ...
Framboise reports
 The
two young guns were ready to fire today, and the first two games
were all about “I’ll go ahead for a few points, then, you’ll
catch me up, I’ll do a few errors, you’ll do the next ones, and
zoom, let’s do that from the start all over again, shall we… ?”
Nick maybe had a slight physical advantage, as he only played
two games (hard ones though) against James Willstrop who had to
retire, whereas Karim pushed very hard to contain and conquer
our Shotgun John White in five games.
It was a weird match really, with some superb long intense and
very disputed rallies, followed by some shorter ones, ending
either on a winner, or on a tin. Patchy really, although it has
to be said that there were a few surprising no lets yet again
from our “No Let Referee” who came and spoiled the fun a bit too
often for my taste.
But if Karim was still placing his astonishing feathery drop
shots and still moving well, Nick seemed to have a mental and
physical edge today, the Sheffield Golden Boy was so powerful in
his volleying in particular, I found him rather impressive. And
still that perfect balance between tough shots and delicate drop
shots.
The score reflects the match quite well. Two very hard games,
and then a Karim who seemed to lose his way a little. And at the
end of it, an ecstatically happy Nick Matthew in his first
British Open Final.
"I hope he’ll still be celebrating tomorrow as much as he’s
been celebrating on court today!!!!!!!!!!
"No, more seriously, it’s fantastic. And not only he is
playing the final, but he’s got a chance of winning
tomorrow, because he’s been playing very well for a few
months, English Open, Gerrard Grand Prix, and the Worlds.
"He's the third Englishman in 53 years [ after Chris Walker
and James Willstrop] to have a go at winning the British
Open, which hasn't been in English hands for the past 67
years… "
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 "You
know, you’ve got two young men, both fighting to get in
their first final of the British Open, it’s bound to be a
bit scrappy - almost literally a scrap at one time, but
thankfully it didn't go further. At the end I had to make
myself think about the squash, not the final.
"I read a quote of David who said that during the final of
the Worlds, he was imagining that he was in a training
session, and that’s what I was trying to think about today….
"The problem with Karim is that he is so good around the
front that I sometimes play shots a bit tentatively, and at
the start, that's probably why I made a few errors.
"I didn’t play my best squash today, but it’s all credit to
Karim, I don’t think I ever do against him, because you
never get in that famous rhythm that everybody is talking
about. But it’s nice to be able to get through although you
are making mistakes and not playing 100% at your best.
"I'm delighted to be in the final, I've been to lots of them
at Cardiff, Wembley and so on, so to play in one is just
fantastic.
"There's a good a good close-knit team behind me so now we
need to just do the job and get ready for the final. I’ll
give it a good go, and I will probably give a ring to a few
people who know more about that kind of pressure than me…."
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 "Nick
played very well, he was fit, he only played 20 minutes or
so yesterday, so, I did my best…. I was not happy with
several decisions from the ref, but at the end of the day,
Nick was just too strong for me today…"
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Closer than it looks
Steve reports
Sometimes they say 'the scoreline doesn't do justice to
so-and-so', and sometimes it's true. Well it was true tonight
alright, as Nicol David – world number one, world champion and
defending British Open champion – beat Natalie Grinham – triple
Commonwealth Games gold medalist – in three games that took just
short of an hour.
The first game took 14 minutes. Nicol got off to a good start,
leading 4/1, but Natalie worked her way into it, back to 5/3. It
wasn't up-and-down-the-wall stuff, it was inventive squash from
both. Fast action rallies, great variety of shot, changes of
pace and tremendous retrieving.
Nicol seemed just a little faster onto the ball, putting a bit
more weight onto it, as se took the first, stayed ahead
throughout a second where they were still trading the same
variety of shots, and broke away from 3-all in the third to take
a 7/3 lead that looked decisive.
But it wasn't over, far from it. Now they started patiently
trading lofted drives down the backhand wall, waiting for the
error rather than forcing it. They were stuck at 7/4 for ten
minutes (well, it seemed like it), with a series of let and
hand-outs. The score creeped up, and eventually, on her second
matchball, Nicol hit a crosscourt volley into the nick to reach
a second consecutive British Open final.
Three-nil it was, but it was closer than that, really …
 "Nicol
always tries to rush you at the start of the match, so I try
not to get drawn into it and take my time early on.
"But she just outplayed me today. I hit too many balls which
just hit the tin, some drops and boasts, which could have
made a difference if a few of them had gone up.
"It's frustrating, I tried my heart out on there, and I feel
like I could play another five games …"
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 "It
just felt like I was on court forever! I had to keep working
and working all the way through, not give her any room, and
she kept working away too.
"She's take it on and I stopped feeling the ball, I had to
tell myself 'pick it up, pick it up'. Trying to maintain the
pave and consistency of the first two games was hard.
"I know she beat me last time, but I wasn't thinking of
that. Every tournament's a new one and you just want to do
as well as you can in that. I was more focused for this
match, I've been adding things to my game and all the hard
work in training is coming through.
"I'm really pleased to be through. All the matches between
the top six or eight are hard these days, but Rachael and I
are both through in three, so hopefully we'll have a good
game."
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Over 35 Semi-Finals
Sarah Fitz-Gerald bt Isabelle Tyrell
9/2, 9/0, 9/2
Helen Macfie bt Isabelle Tweedle
10/8, 3/9, 9/5, 4/9, 9/6
Alex Gough bt Graham Stewart
9/6, 9/4, 9/7
Galen Le Cheminant bt Kevin White
9/6, 10/8, 9/6
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 "I'm
really knackered! I enjoyed it, but I'd have been seriously
peeved if I'd lost!
"I play Isabelle a lot and we have good games, you have to
feel for her but I'm glad to win.
"The age groups are great, I've only been playing club
squash since I retired from the circuit in '94 [highest
ranking 33], I might even start doing some training now.
"If I get to play Sarah in the final I know what to expect.
I played her once, I think got a point, definitely no more
than two …"
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"Paul
[Walters] started asking me about entering the Masters last
year. Once I got my head around it it seemed like a good
idea, but I've been getting a bit of stick from the boys
though …
"I'm glad to be still pushing the youngsters, but I'm still
hurting after that qualifying with Bozza.
"Playing traditional scoring and the higher tin hasn't
really bothered me this week, but when we play some team
events it's brutal, you have long matches and some tired
performances at the end of the week.
"The PSA scoring is bringing the game on really, it means
players are still fresh so you get good semis and finals.
"Next year could be interesting, there's Parky, Meads and a
few others who could all join in …"
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"I'm playing
in the Masters because I've been in love with the sport
since I was a kid, so I thought I'd just go on playing
forever, really.
"I set myself a bunch of goals for 2001 and 2002 and once
you've achieved those you give a sigh of relief, but then
you need a new goal and I didn't have one, so I knew it was
the right time for me to stop, to get out at the top.
"Since then I've had a ball doing coaching, some league
games and exhibitions, the WISPA promo tour and so on.
Squash has been good to me and I want to put something back.
As long as I'm still passionate about the sport I'll keep
playing."
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"Very pleased,
and out of breath! Now I just need someone to find Alex,
beat him up, tie his legs together or something …
"It's hard to play in front of a big crowd like this, so I
just closed my eyes and hacked it.
"I've not played Alex before … I'm looking forward to a good
hiding."
Galen Le Cheminant |
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Malcolm on the Men's Quarters
 Freshness
is one of the major factors in deciding outcomes of PSA events,
the draw is another and the third is the resilience and strength
of the players.
Amr Shabana has not recovered from the mental rigours of Cairo
but on Yesterday's evidence Thierry Lincou and David Palmer
certainly have physically. They are of course, famously strong
and Palmer had the good fortune of playing wildcard Chris
Simpson in the first round. But Lincou had Lee Beachill and that
was a hard and tight four setter and to beat the well rested
Gregory Gaultier 3/2 was a marvellous performance. What he can
muster today remains to be seen.
 Palmer
beat off a sustained challenge from Ong Beng Hee, who is playing
well and these two, Palmer and Lincou, big players in every way
will face off. The advantage is with the Australian.
Meanwhile Dame Fortune continues to smile on the in form Nick
Matthew and he's still fresh. James Willstrop has performed
miracles to have come back so well after severe food poisoning
in Cairo, and did well to see off Azlan Iskandar 3/1. He put
some delightful squash together against Matthew, but the
physical demands were to great and it looked more distress then
tiredness in the second and he wisely conceded. He lost 12 kilos
in Cairo and although on his way back, he needs more time to
recover.
 Matthew
who despite not having won a major PSA has looked the man to
beat will face Karim Darwish and I would expect him to beat the
talented Egyptian, not that there is much wrong with the quality
of the Yorkshireman's squash.
Darwish quickly went two love down to evergreen John White in
his quarter final. The popular scot, back on home territory,
played blindingly well, bringing back memories and was almost
unplayable. He couldn't quite sustain it, but credit to Darwish
for retaining belief against such an onslaught.
So I will go Matthew-Palmer for the final without underrating
Lincou. But he has had it tough and is, I presume, human.
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