WJW Herentals 05
Individuals:
Days One/Two
Day Three Report
Rd of 16 Report
Quarters Report
Semis Report
Finals Report

Teams:
Draw/Results
Day 1 - Pools
Day 2 - Rpt 1
Day 2 - Final
Quarters
Semis
Finals

 

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Second Pool Rounds (Teams): Report #1   [The Pools]

Kumar (foreground) and Lange battled down to the wire. (photo © 2005 Martin Bronstein)

Canada’s second and third strings proved too tough for Team America this afternoon and helped chalk up the first upset of the team championship. The playing order of 2,3,1 didn’t help the US, leaving the banker at number one Lily Lorentzen with nothing to play for. Perhaps it all came down to the pressure on the US number three Amanda Seibert, knowing that if she lost, all was lost. Had she played first things might have been different.

The first match between Neha Kumar and Kristen Lange was an absolute corker.

Although it was being played on a side court (the glass court had Hong Kong steamrollering Australia 9/0) the noise from the North Americans dominated the squash center and the squash kept every one holding their breath.

Both players hit superb length throughout the match and showed the value of solid, hardheaded squash over the fancy stuff. Their first game was a Hollywood cliff-hanger script, with Lange leading 4-2, Kumar leading 5-4, Lange leading 7-5 and then tied at 7-all. This was tough hard squash in hot humid conditions and neither play wilted one bit, refused to give an inch.

Canada's Edmison (background) reversed her earlier results against USA's Siebert. (photo © 2005 Martin Bronstein)

It was Lange who got to game ball 8-7, but Kumar seems to have no nerves and she coolly tied the game to force extra points. Lange again got to game ball 9-8 and once more Kumar kept her cool and tied it up at 9-9. Finally Lange got the winning point having served for the game five times. It had been over 20 minutes of pulsating competition worthy of a final.

Lange let up slightly in the second - which is relative – there were still some huge rallies with both players covering the court well, but Kumar seemed to have the psychological edge and finally won the 13 minutes game 9-3.

Kumar has a nerveless racket hand when it comes to going for long drops and these shots finally took their toll on Lange’s legs. Lange served nine times in the third game but still lost it 9-3 in nine minutes. Lange hits the ball well and with accuracy but did not have enough shots to trouble Kumar and the Canadian girl wrapped up the fourth game in seven minutes to give Canada the lead.

Mark Allen told me he expected to lose at two because Kumar had beaten Lange twice before. However he expected Amanda Siebert to beat Stephanie Edmison based on present/past form. True enough Edmison has not been playing well so far, but she made up for it when it mattered. She hit the ball hard and low, which troubled the tall Seibert, and she retrieved like a terrier, getting to balls that looked long gone. This wasn’t brilliant squash, but it was determined and the two players put their heart into every rally. After losing the first two games, the pressure got to Siebert and when she was denied a stroke slammed the ball into the back wall in temper bringing an immediate conduct warning from referee Peter Lawence.

But Siebert gave hopes of a comeback when she led that third game 7-3 from a suddenly nervous Edmison. But the Canadian girl got over the nerves and climbed all the way back to 8-7 and took the final point on a penalty stroke.

Lily Lorentzen had nothing to play for and her opposition, Ashley Clackson, didn’t want to play for nothing; Lorentzen won 27-2 in 12 minutes.

The Canadians were naturally delighted; the victory puts them at the top of Pool D and means they will finish in the top eight – better than their ninth seeding.

It also means they get a bye into the quarters while the US will have to play a match tomorrow morning and if they win, a quarter-final later in the day. They can still maintain their top four placing if they win both matches tomorrow. The difficult task for Mark Allen and Natalie Grainger is to lift their players’ spirits up after today’s disappointment.