WORLD SQUASH NEWS
RESULTS: Harrisdirect Tournament of Champions, New York, USA
Final:
[1] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt [6] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 15-11, 12-15, 15-10, 15-4
(67m)
Arader & O'Rourke Women's Open, New York, USA
Final:
[1] Carol Owens (NZL) bt [2] Natalie Pohrer (USA) 3-9, 5-9, 9-5, 9-3, 9-3
(60m)
Nicol & Owens Nab New York Titles
Top seeds Peter Nicol, the world No1 from England, and Carol Owens, the world
No2 from New Zealand, claimed the first major squash titles of the New Year
at Grand Central Terminus in New York - Nicol beating France's sixth-seeded
Thierry Lincou in four games in the final of the $72,500 Harrisdirect
Tournament of Champions and Owens recovering from two games down to overcome
the host country's second seed Natalie Pohrer in the climax of the $35,000
Arader & O'Rourke Women's Open.
Peter Nicol secured his second Tournament of Champions title when he ended
Lincou's giant-killing streak on the all-glass court erected at New York
City's celebrated station. The Frenchman, who had beaten fourth seed John
White and defending champion Jonathon Power en route to the final, was not
quite up to the task of trying to outlast the world number one. "I was
simply impatient," said Lincou. "But Peter forced me to take the risks of
going for shots because I know that he is so consistent."
Nicol took an early lead in the first game and never relinquished it. But he
was mindful of the fact that Lincou had lost the first game in his two
previous matches before going on to win, and indeed, despite an 8-1 lead,
duly lost the second 12-15. The standing room only crowd was thrilled. "At
that point I knew that I needed to make a better effort to keep the ball off
Thierry's racquet," said Nicol. "I especially tried to put some height on the
ball."
As he has done all week, Nicol played an all-court game, using a variety of
shots and changes of pace to keep the pressure on his opponent. The third
and fourth games were all Nicol - he jumped out to early leads and didn't
give his opponent any opportunity to get back in the match as he stormed to a
15-11 12-15 15-10 15-4 victory in 67 minutes to claim his 21st PSA Super
Series title in his 30th final.
"I thought I had a really tough draw this week, so I was delighted that I was
physically up to it," said Nicol after the victory which will ensure his
world number one status. "But the most exciting thing after an event like
this is that I know I still have things to improve, and I love that
challenge," added the champion.
Just when it looked as if Natalie Pohrer would lay claim to the top spot in
women's squash, tour veteran Carol Owens decided that she was not about to
let it slip through her fingers. At 2-4 in the third game, down two games to
love, Owens stepped up the pace and moved to the front of the court in the
women's final.
"I realized that I didn't want to sit on a plane back to Australia for 18
hours and have to think about losing this match," said Owens as she described
the third game turnaround which led to her remarkable 3-9 5-9 9-5 9-3 9-3 in
60 minutes. "I heard Natalie breathing hard in that third game and I knew
that I had the opportunity to come back. I have been in this situation
before several times over the past 10 years so I knew that I could do it."
Pohrer started the match looking fit and focused, driving the ball deep and
cutting it off at every opportunity. Pohrer, who has openly declared her
desire to be the number one player in the world, looked as though she were
ready to take on that mantle in the wake of last week's announcement by
five-time world champion and current number one Sarah Fitz-Gerald that she
had withdrawn from the WISPA tour.
"I did start thinking in the third - world number one," said Pohrer. "And
then Carol started getting a much better length." With that length, Owens
was able to keep herself in the front court and take any open ball for a
winner. By the fifth game, Owens was in complete command. As for taking
ownership of the top spot in the women's game, Owens wasn't quite prepared to
stake a definitive claim. "If I can win the next several tournaments, then
I'll feel that I have earned it," she said.