Latasha Advances, Shabana Loses
Mar 19, 2005, by Ron Beck       [Mens S L Green Draw]   [Womens Championship Draw]
SquashTalk Independent News Service © 2005 all Rights Reserved;

ILLINGWORTH EXHAUSTS CROMBIE, PRESTON QUICK SURRENDERS LEAD IN FIFTH

Several tense battles marked the semifinal stage of this year's US National Squash Championships at Harvard Murr Center.

Though dramatics were absent, the matchups were compelling and the results interesting.

LATASHA WALKS THE TIGHTROPE

Lily Lorentzen came close photo © 2005 Stockton Photo Inc

Latasha Khan and Lily Lorentzen most definitely had the look of the present and future of USA Women's squash this afternoon in their interesting semi-final bout.

Though Latasha won in straight games, she must have breathed a massive sigh of relief on coming through this match unscathed. It might not happen the next time these two meet. As Latasha's famous father, Jusuf Khan said after the match, "When she was up 5-0 in the fifth, and all of a sudden it was 3-5, I said, here's trouble, Lily's playing with confidence."

The best of the match happened in the last half of the third game. According to Lorentzen, "I felt at my best physically in the latter stages of the third, and I know that if I had won the third I would have had a reasonable chance... but then there was that call at 7-8 and then the ball took an unlucky bouce. "

Yes, there was that call, a particularly strange no-let call that went against Lorentzen at 7-8 in the third, and one that had some fellow referees calling for a trial of the referee and two judges system (See Rod Symington's article). All the same it was a great win and escape for Latasha Khan, who played very well in the face of a very strong challenge from the 18-year old Lorentzen.

The interesting thing about the end of the third game was that Lorentzen looked totally confident and unshaken in the face of mutiple match balls, played her game and played it well. Latasha look tired and jumpy. One bounce the other way and it would have been a completely different match.

WHERE WAS YESTERDAY'S SHABANA?
Meanwhile, the fleeting thought about a Khan vs Khan final (Latasha versus Shabana) was dashed quite immediately by an aggressive and very on-target Meredeth Quick. Quick was moving well, hitting the ball with dangerous pace, and keeping the ball accurage and low, all recipes for trouble for Shabana.

The totally confident and mobile Shabana of the prior day was gone, and in it's place was a more tentative version of this veteran player, who spent most of the session scrambling after hard paced Quick drives. Meredeth showed the killer instinct to keep Shabana from getting comfortable, and closed out a quick three game win.

A COLLAPSE THAT DIDN'T SURPRISE THE VICTIM
Following Meredeth on the same court was her brother Preston. The US squash scene has become used to the possibility of two Quicks in the national finals for the past several years, and this afternoon that looked quite likely for most of the men's semi final between Michael Puertas and Preston Quick.

But the philosophical Preston Quick wasn't disappointed after his loss. In fact, he seemed surprised that he had almost won. "I found myself up 8-2 in the fifth and couldn't figure out why," Preston told SquashTalk. In fact that lack of confidence going through his mind at a moment when most of the crowd (and probably his opponent) thought he was about to win, spoke volumes about what was about to happen. The very next point when on forever, and when it was over, Preston had traveled the entire court several times over, Puertas was doubled over breathing hard, but Puertas had that crucial point to go to 3-8.

Preston said, "Not enough singles, too much doubles, I really didn't feel comfortable at all out there today." And that's a scary thought. Quick, who has hardly been playing singles came within a hair of ousting the #1 seed Puertas. If he was focusing on his singles, he could be a force on the world scene. The sad reality for US-based players like Quick, however, is that doubles is where the money is, especially for a top-notch doubles competitor like Preston. Meanwhile, Quick, who spent much of the afternoon delivering an unorthodox mix of skid boasts and other shots that gave Puertas many opening he didn't take, went home empty handed.

All the same you had to like Preston's mobility, attitude, fitness, and above all his sportsmanship. A genuine and heartfelt handshake with Puertas after his heartbreaking loss of an 8-2 lead, spoke volumes about this ambassador of the sport in the USA's character.

ONE RUN TOO MANY FOR THE 39-YEAR OLD
And although Jamie Crombie put forth a stirring effort and defeated Julian Illingworth in their first game, he couldn't keep up with the raw energy level, patience and desire of the Yale junior, putting Illingworth into the final for an interesting final with Puertas.

A TIMELESS GENIUS WITH THE RAQUET
Though we are not covering the age groups in any detail, we have to mention one great quarterfinal match last evening, in the men's 55+ division. Not a soul in the building would have bet against the in-shape Anil Nayar, former intercollegiate and national champion, not to mention Indian champion. But Gul Khan, the still flashy pro from Cleveland, and brother of former British Open champ Mo Khan, bested Nayar last night in a fantastic display of the unique racquetwork and control of the court that Gul Khan is still able to put forth at his age. Gul always was and always will be a master of the squash racquet and ball. And when he is able to balance his effervescent desire to please the gallery with his ability to focus on the task at hand, he can be devastating. He was tonight, and pleased the fans of his old home town of Boston in the process.

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