SquashTalk >Cathay Pacific 2001, Hong Kong, China > First Round, Second

...Colin McQuillan reports from Hong Kong....

Jonathon Power disappeared from the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open Squash Championships today even more effectively that Peter Nicol managed it yesterday.

The second seeded defending champion at least turned up to lose fairly straightforwardly to Thierry Lincou of France, the first time he had lost uninjured in the first round of a major tournament since Paul Johnson turned him over in the British Open in Cardiff five years ago.

The top seeded Canadian, who has been in the last four HongKong finals and won the title in 1998, sent a doctor’s note instead: “Jonathon Power is suffering from enteritis and severe tonsillitis,” it said. “He is being treated with intravenous fluids and antibiotics in hospital, where he will stay for the next 2-5 days.”It was sincerely signed by Dr Susan Jamieson MBChB, MRCGP,DRCOG, FHKAM (FAMILY MED), and it put Pakistan’s Amjad Khan into the main draw as a lucky loser to play Mansoor Zaman, a Pakistan qualifier, in the first round.

Andrew Shelley, who is in Hong Kong as a WISPA organiser,doubted the efficacy of putting in a lucky loser when the first round wasalready half completed. He thought under the PSA rules he had always applied as organiser for years of the British Open, Mansoor should have been granted a bye, and he should have been the Pakistani in the second round. Was that what all the furious Urdu conversations around the Hong Kong Squash Centre were about later in the day ?

Whatever the rights of the affair, it blew the top half ofthe men’s draw apart in much the same way as the bottom half had been fragmented the previous day, and it set up a situation that looks strangely similar to the seedings destruction that led to an historic Australian double victory at the British Open in Birmingham in June.

David Palmer and Sarah Fitz-Gerald set their first round markers with comprehensive wins over Omar El Borolossy of Egypt and Tricia Chua of Malaysia in today’s play. Palmer unexpectedly won the British Open title as third seed when the top of the field fell apart around him, and Fitz-Gerald took the women’s British Open for the first time beating the top seeded defending champion, Leilani Joyce, and the second seeded world champion, Carol Owens, also from third seeded position.

Nothing is cut and dried for Palmer yet, but prospects for the big Antwerp-based 24-year-old becoming the first Australian winner of the Hong Kong Open since Rodney Eyles took the 1996 title improved even before he stepped on court today todefeat El Borolossy 15-8 15-9 15-11 in 41 minutes. Ironically, Power had needed only to beat the Pakistani qualifier Mansoor Zaman today to eliminate the ten point lead Nicol has overhim in the world rankings and return to the top of the list.

Instead it was Amjad Khan who defeated Zaman, and his next opponent will be Belgium’s Stefan Casteleyn who continued the destruction of the men’s seeding system by defeating Melbourne’s fifth seeded Paul Price 17-15 8-15 15-1312-15 15-12 in 99 minutes.

“Another one bites the dust,” Palmer said with a certain amount of relish.“It is hard work here and the courts are difficult, so you have to pay attention. But I am in good shape and seem to be working pretty well on today’s evidence. The old Aussie double is definitely a possibility, but Stewart Boswell (of Canberra) is also in with a chance in the bottom half after Nicol’s failure. We don’t know yet who might be the people involved.”

Boswell plays David Evans of Wales in the second round. Palmer goes to England’s Nick Mathew,a winner 15-13 in the fifth today over Amr Shabana of Egypt, then the problems deepen for him with a quarter-final against either Del Harris of England or Malaysia’s eighth seeded Ong Beng Hee. Ong Beng Hee's cool and calculated approach helped him today to tame the brute force of Anthony Ricketts, Brisbane’s Australian Open finalist, today 15-13 15-12 8-15 15-9 in 65 minutes.

" I expected it to be tough. We have met once before and I beat him in four games", said Beng Hee, "I got a bit tired in the third game but came back strongly in the fourth. It was an important match to win. Anthony reached the semi-finals here last year and it helped his ranking. We were both under pressure and I am happy to have won".

Another happy player was Sarah Fitz-Gerald,who needed just 15 minutes to dismiss her young Malaysian opponent, Tricia Chua, 9-1 9-0 9-2, faces the 11th seeded Rebecca Macree of England in the second round and then the relatively light opposition of either Stephanie Brind or Madeline Perry in a quarter-final. The top seeded New Zealander, Leilani Joyce, has a much tougher route past England’s Cassie Campion and probably Suzanne Horner to the same point.

“Lani gets better all the time,” Fitz-Gerald said. “I thought she played the best she ever has against me in the British semi-finals. She is learning and I know she dearly wants to turn me over here.” Joyce would not comment today on the possibilities of an all-New Zealand final instead of a last all-Australian finale for Fitz-Gerald and Carol Owens. “We will just have to see how it goes,” she said.

The bottom half ofthe draw is, by comparison, a gentle stroll for Owens, the world champion who is still officially an Australian but already talking up her switch to New Zealand next month. She plays England’s Jenny Tranfield in the second round, then either Rachael Grinham of Toowoomba or Holland’s Vanessa Atkinson.Liz Irving of Brisbane and Rachael’s sister Natalie Grinham are in the quarter above her, but progress to another final against Fitz-Gerald looks inevitable. “We have great battles,” said Fitz-Gerald.“But I have to say I am really disappointed that she has decided to make themove to New Zealand. My mother taught Carol to play squash in Melbourne. We could have kept the World Team title if she had played with us last time out ,and now it looks as if we will actually have to play against her in the World Teams in Melbourne in October. She has made moving such a negative affair, “It all makes me that bit more determined to get to the final here so I can beat her again,” she added.

Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open Squash Championships
First Round Results (Second Day)

Men:
Alex Gough (Wal) beat Nick Taylor (Eng) 15-8 15-8 11-15 15-12
Ong Beng Hee (Mal) beat Anthony Ricketts (Aus) 15-13 15-12 8-15 15-9
David Palmer (Aus) beat Omar Elborolossy (Egy) 15-8 15-9 15-11
Del Harris (Eng) beat Jean-Michel Arucucci (Fra) 12-15 15-11 15-3 15-8
Amjad Khan (Pak) beat Mansoor Zaman (Pak) 15-4 17-14 15-8
Nick Matthew (England) beat Amr Shabana (Egypt) 15-13, 9-15, 15-9, 13-15, 15-13 Stephan Castelyn (Bel) beat Paul Price (Aus) 17-15 8-15 15-13 12-15 15-12
Mark Chaloner (Eng) beat John Russell (Eng) 15-6 13-15 15-11 12-15 15-5

Women:
Rebecca Macree (Eng) beat Annelize Naude (RSA)) 9-6 9-2 9-1
Madeline Perry (Ire) beat Pamela Nimmo (Scot) 9-5 9-6 9-2
Stephanie Brind (Eng) beat Rebecca Chiu (H K) 9-6 9-3 9-1
Shelly Kitchen (N Z) beat Sharon Wee (Mal) 9-3 8-10 9-0 9-5
Sarah-Fitz-Gerald (Aus) beatTricia Chuah (Mal) 9-1 9-0 9-2
Suzanne Horner (Eng) beat Latasha Khan (USA) 9-5 9-5 9-1
Leilani Joyce (N Z) beat Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) 9-2 9-1 9-1
Cassie Campion (Eng) beat Senga Macfie (Scot) 9-1 9-4 8-10 9-7

Squashtalk Pro Squash Headlines

Event Engine Squash:
Tourney of Champs
US Open
YMG Capital Classic

World Men's Open
Qatar Classic
Cathay Pacific
Superseries
Qatar Masters '02
British Open
Pakistan Open
Macau Open
Melbourne 01
Al Ahram
Video recordings
Player profiles
Rankings
Calendar

Cathay Pacific 2001

PSA Draw/Results
WISPA Draw
Reports
Sarah Fitz
Qualifier
Day One
Day Two
Round of 16
Quarters
Semis
Finals
PSA Profiles
WISPA Profiles
2000 Cathay
1999 Cathay
History

COLLEGE USA
Schedules
Team previews

DEPARTMENTS
Latest news
Tournament Calendar
Bronstein Global Gallery
Player of the month
Videos
History
Pakistan Squash
School Squash
Camp Index
Features Index
Player Profiles
Worldwide Clubs
Worldwide Links
Rankings
Jobs

More Good stuff:
About Squash
   Just starting
Books
Juniors Squash
Women's Squash
Regional Reports

Squashtalk.com All materials © 1999-2003. Communicate with us at info@squashtalk.com.
Published by Squashtalk LLC, 95 Martha's Point Rd. Concord MA 01742 USA, Editor and Publisher Ron Beck,
Graphics editor Debra Tessier Send comments, ideas, contributions and feedback to the webmaster.
Copyright © 1999-2003 SquashTalk, all rights reserved, may not be reproduced in any form except for one-time personal use.