WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: US Open Squash Championship, Boston, Mass, USA

Final:
[1] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt [2] David Palmer (AUS) 15-10, 14-15, 15-14, 17-14 (95m)

Nicol Claims Record Fourth US Open Title After Epic Final

England's world No1 Peter Nicol took a further significant step towards becoming one of the sport's all-time greats when he beat Australia's world champion David Palmer in an epic four-game final of the US Open Squash Championship to claim the title for a record fourth time.

The world's top two players had been fully tested en-route to the final, but showed little sign of this as they produced a stunning US Open climax which truly befitted the Boston Symphony Hall setting in which it was staged.

The opening game had the sell-out crowd on the edge of their seats.  Top seed Nicol took the first five points before world No2 Palmer replied.  The Englishman, in his 61st PSA Tour final, raced to a 12-7 lead, then conceding a further few points to his opponent before capturing the first game 15-10.

The second game was a contest of nicks and boasts by both Nicol and Palmer and the Australian went 9-7 up.  Nicol, however, kept turning up the heat but was always behind Palmer until the score reached 14-all.  Palmer called 'set-one', and Nicol was forced to play short and handed Palmer the game.

Game three was again nip-and-tuck - and again the score reached 14-14.  For the second time Palmer went for 'sudden death', but this time it was the 30-year-old from London who secured the point to claim a vital 2/1 lead.

The crowd could hardly have asked for a more absorbing encounter as the fourth game was once more finely-balanced - and again Palmer's earlier lead allowed him to make the call when the score reached 14-all.  This time the 27-year-old from Lithgow in NSW called 'set three' and Nicol won the next point on a stroke. 

Two points later, and 95 minutes after the opening rally, the title was Nicol's in a 15-10 14-15 15-14 17-14 scoreline.

"It was a really tough game and I was lucky enough to win some key points," said the generous Englishman afterwards.  "I was really tired in the middle of the fourth, but dug deep and pulled it out," added Nicol, celebrating his 44th triumph on the PSA Tour.

Defending champion Palmer, who was hoping to make it into the record books by becoming the first player to win back-to-back titles, expressed his joy at making it this far this year - particularly after an emergency appendectomy in March - and vowed to be back next year.

After failing to reach the finals in four successive PSA events since winning the Tournament of Champions in New York in February, Nicol will be boosted by his Boston success as he now focuses his attention on next month's British Open in Nottingham - where he is favourite to win his third title, and again seeded to meet Palmer in the final.