SquashTalk >Cathay Pacific 2001, Hong Kong, China >Fitz-Gerald's unbeaten run ends

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...Howard Harding Press Briefs....

FITZ-GERALD UNBEATEN RUN ENDS IN HONG KONG
Australian Sarah Fitz-Gerald's nine-month unbeaten run on the WISPA World Tour came to an end at the Hong Kong Indoor Games Hall today (Saturday) when she was beaten 9-5 3-9 1-9 9-3 9-6 by New Zealand rival Leilani Joyce in the semi-finals of the $183,000 Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Squash Open.

Joyce's 53-minute victory, coming after three successive losses to the Australian this year, is likely to ensure that the 27-year-old from Hamilton will retain her No1 status in next month's world rankings. Fitz-Gerald's dramatic loss follows 37 successive wins and eight titles in a row on the WISPA Tour, and will almost certainly harden the 32-year-old three-times former world champion's resolve to reclaim the world title in front of a home crowd in Melbourne in October.

Top seed Joyce will now face second seed Carol Owens for the title in what will be seen by some as an all-Kiwi clash after the Auckland-based Australian revealed at the beginning of the tournament that she is planning to switch allegiance to her new country of residence. The world champion took just 20 minutes to conquer England's Fiona Geaves 9-5 9-0 9-1 in the other women's semi-final.

By reaching the men's final with a 15-9 15-12 15-12 victory over England's 11th seed Mark Chaloner, Australia's David Palmer, the third seed, has guaranteed a rise in the September world rankings above England's current world No1 Peter Nicol. Palmer's opponent in Sunday's final will be Thierry Lincou, the unseeded Frenchman who caused the tournament's first shock by removing Nicol, the defending champion, in the first round. Lincou, the world No. 20 from Marseilles, today ended 16th seed Stewart Boswell's run with a 12-15 15-14 15-7 15-5 win over the Australian in 55 minutes.

RESULTS: Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Squash Open, Hong Kong Indoor Games Hall Men's semi-finals:
[3] David Palmer (AUS) bt [11] Mark Chaloner (ENG) 15-9 15-12 15-12 (45m) Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [16] Stewart Boswell (AUS) 12-15 15-14 15-7 15-5 (55m)

Women's semi-finals:
[1] Leilani Joyce (NZL) bt [3] Sarah Fitz-Gerald (AUS) 9-5 3-9 1-9 9-3 9-6 (53m)
[2] Carol Owens (AUS) bt [5] Fiona Geaves (ENG) 9-5 9-0 9-1 (20m)

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