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
1st KO Round
Quarters
Semis - Rpt 1
Semis - Rpt 2
Finals

 

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USA Beats Malaysia [The Draws]

KRISTEN LANGE HERO OF GREAT US VICTORY
In a hugely dramatic and emotional match the United States beat Malaysia to go through to the semi-finals. Although Lily Lorentzen played faultlessly to outclass Sally Looi, the Malaysian number one, to give the US a winning start, it was number two string Kristen Lange, playing last who will be remembered as the heroine of the day with as gutsy a performance as you will ever see in overcoming Low Wee Wern, the tiny 15 year old who is mature well beyond her years.

It was a strange situation with both north American teams following similar scenarios, Canada playing the higher seeded England while one court away the US and Malaysia were fighting hard.

Lily Lorentzen picked up the first victory playing superb squash; never flustered and determined not to let Sally Looi get a foothold in the match. Lorentzen had beaten Looi last week in the individual champs, so she started in a positive frame of mind. She played pace when pace was needed, played safe when safe was required and hit winners when she knew it was the time for winners.

There is little more to write: Looi simply never got started and the US were one up. Meanwhile Canada’s number one Ashley Clackson also started well, took the first two games from Rachel Wilmott, lost her way in the third and then came back on form to win the fourth 9-5. She said that in the third “ I did most of the running and I was feeling the pressure. I was tired but I seem to play better when I’m tired and I push harder – especially when it is a team game,” she told me later.

Meanwhile on the other court Nabilla Griffin, the Malaysian number three was just too good for American Emery Maine and beat her comfortably in three to set up the showdown between Lange and Low.

IT ALL COMES DOWN TO LANGE AND LOW
Lange was her usual confident self and knew when to put in the winners. She took the first two games and it seemed as though it would be straight game win, but this remarkable Low – who cannot weigh more than a small bag of potatoes - just kept playing her game and going for her winners and tight drives. She took the third and fourth games for the loss of three points and things looked black for the US. Lange appeared tired and seemed to me that she would not come back in the fifth. But she did to huge screams and bellows on every point, the atmosphere reaching near hysteria as these two young women fought for every point. The score got to 6-all and neither of them was giving up on anything. But a couple of crucial penalty strokes in favour of the US swing the match and Lange hit a low drive on the final point which eluded Low to win the match. Bedlam broke out as the team, the coaches, friends and parents jumped up and down and hugged each other in sheer delight.

This was certainly compensation for the loss to Canada the previous day and now puts US in a top four finish. Yes, they have Hong Kong in the semis tomorrow and they will be too tough. But this is a great finish for the US.

And may I say I told you so? I said Malaysia were beatable and I said the US were the ones to do it. For a change I was right.

ENGLAND DODGES A BULLET
Meanwhile the Canucks also lost their second match as Stephane Edmison could not handle Suzannah King’s shotmaking. So it was left to Neha Kumar to try and overcome the large and slow moving Fiona Moverly. But Fiona’s movement on the court is misleading and she always had the edge of Kumar. She won the rubber 3-1 to give England a much needed lift in spirit and a top four finish, an improvement on their fifth seeding.

Egypt easily beat Australia 3/0 and Hong Kong took just 56 minutes to beat New Zealand 8 games to nil.

A great day’s squash and some nice upsets. Sadly the semi-finals tomorrow will be a procession for Egypt and Hong Kong. But I’ll write about it anyway.