BENG HEE HAPPY TO BE BACK   [Also see Evening Report]

Thierry Lincou rallied after losing the first to Ong Beng Hee . (photo © 2006 Fritz Borchert.)

Although he lost 3/1 to Thierry Lincou, Ong Beng Hee,  the former world number seven, is happy to see his game – and rankings - on the rise. After a couple of years in the wilderness where he felt anything but happy, it is obvious that the likeable Malaysian has got his act together  and is once more enjoying his squash. After victories over David Palmer in the British Open and Anthony Ricketts in Bermuda last month,  he has every right to feel optimistic. A win over Lincou would have made a fine hat-trick of valued scalps and after taking the first game 11-5 in full control, it looked like Beng Hee would bring it off.

This was one of the best matches of the tournament with very little biff-bang-wallop  and lots of grey matter at work. The accepted wisdom on the circuit is that Lincou’s lateral movement is wonderful but he is not very happy going forward. Peter Nicol claims that this is where he always beats the Frenchman.   Beng Hee  was a long time training partner of Nicol’s and he also subscribed to this game plan and constantly attacked with deft drops and deadly accurate volley drops that had Lincou moving forward with relentless monotony.

The seventeen minute second game saw Lincou take control from 3-3 and  make a mockery of the accepted wisdom. He was up to every drop, boast and volley that Beng Hee could throw at him and was putting in his own patented feather drops to  put pressure on Beng Hee’s legs.   It was delightful stuff to watch and after a while you didn’t really care who won, it was a meeting of similar minds. Both move around the court silently and  exhibit a measure of accuracy in their short and long  games. [After teaching the value of  length, I would make a video of this game and give it to every would-be squash player to  move them up to a new plateau of squash skills and strategy]

Ong Beng Hee was happy with a strong outing. (photo © 2006 Fritz Borchert.)

Lincou won the game 11-8 and then led the third game  9-6, but Beng Hee does not give up  and he worked his way back to force a tie break .  The rally at 9-8 was breathtaking in its series of beautifully crafted drops shots, recoveries and lobs. Despite leading 11-10 Beng Hee could not finish it off  and Lincou won it 13-11.

It was obvious that Lincou was just the stronger player and  he kept his nose in front  - just – to win the fourth and end the 76 minute  battle of the minds.

Beng Hee was positive, saying that he knew that Lincou was the stronger player, but that he was still making progress and  is now  very much happier with his game. He has just risen to world number 13 in the May rankings: a further rise up to the top ten is almost inevitable.

BARKER GOOD FOR ONE GAME
Karim Darwish had to work extremely hard  to win the first game against England’s Peter Barker, ranked 23, fifteen place below him. Indeed he actually had to save two game balls and force a tie break before he notched up a 1/0 lead after 17 fraught minutes.

Barker is a strong, well- built player, with legs usually seen on a soccer player rather than a squash player. He seemed every bit as good as the Egyptian and could caress the ball for drops with the same sort of confidence. What he doesn’t have is the same length of experience at the highest level, the sort of experience that makes a player harder mentally and less susceptible to lapses and minor blowups.  And sometimes that strength is most important at the end of the game, when the tie-breaker can become so crucial to the outcome of the match.

Darwish was too strong for Barker today. (photo © 2006 Fritz Borchert.)

Barker didn’t do anything wrong when leading 10-8; Darwish pulled a off a tight forehand drive to get to nine and then a  surprising boast from the back of the court to even the score at 10-all. But at 11-all, Barker tried too hard to win making errors first on a backhand drop and then a forehand drop to lose the game.

He never really recovered from that  loss and in second, while Darwish remained strong Barker appeared  troubled  and his mental resolve began to crumble. He lost the game inside seven minutes and it was obvious in the third that he was becoming more impatient with his own performance. He bounced his racket on the ground after one bad shot and received  - unnecessarily, I thought – a conduct warning.  Darwish went on to win 11-5 to move through to the quarters where he will play  James Willstrop.

When I complimented Barker on a good first game he brushed aside my compliment and said:

“Awful. Just awful. I did not play well. Couldn’t see it.  I was always a yard off the ball.”

I decided it would be politic not to pursue the interview.

A RATHER LARGE BLOCKING DEVICE
Barker was not the only unhappy Englishman: James Willstrop left the court a most disgruntled winner after beating Shahid Zaman 3/1

Willstrop tried to stay clear of Zaman. (photo © 2006 Fritz Borchert.)

One pro looked at Zaman and remarked that  it is amazing that a player ranked 24 should carry so much weight.  The young Zaman  does have the same body shape as his uncle Qamar (square), but he is, for a young player, um, heavy.  His gluteus are very maximus and on three occasions  Willstrop accused Zaman of using that part of his anatomy to block his path to the ball. It obviously upset Willstrop, because after winning the first two games quite easily 11-4, 11-5  in seventeen minutes, he seemed to lose composure in the third as there were collisions and mean stares from the normally placid Englishman. After one point he  walked up behind  Zaman, towering over him and muttered “Stop pushing!” Zaman protested his innocence but the grim expression on Willstrop’s  face showed that he was far from placated.

 Zaman won the game with some fine drops  but you knew from past experience that the fourth would be quite different. It was: Willstrop took charge, made almost no errors and won 11-4 in ten minutes. A grim handshake and Willstrop walked off the court  a most unhappy winner.

BOSWELL’S COMEBACK ON HOLD

Gaultier handled Boswell. (photo © 2006 Fritz Borchert.)

Gregory Gaultier held the center of court physically and metaphorically as , at points he tried to turn this court into a law court with constant  debates on the law regarding squash. That he lost every argument against Jack Massarella didn’t deter the Frenchman from even more appeals. Finally  the referee invoked the threat of  code of conduct penalty and  so they got back to the squash.

 I don’t know why  he was so concerned; Boswell could offer no real  opposition. Although the match lasted 63 minutes, there were only three games all won comfortably by Gaultier. Much of the time  was spent arguing or wiping the court  of sweat spots: the broom man probably got a better work out than the players.

Boswell  is frustrated that his comeback has hit a brickwall and is unable to make real progress  back into the  top ten. For him to meet a player who is  growing and improving all the time is to match  blooming confidence against self doubt.

LIVERPOOL 08 OPEN: SECOND ROUND PARTIAL RESULTS.
 [7] GREGORY GAULTIER (FRA) bt [12] STEWART BOSWELL (AUS) 11-6, 11-9, 11-6 (63mins) 
 [3] THIERRY LINCOU (FRA) bt [10] ONG BENG HEE (MAS) 5-11,11-8,11-10 (3-1), 11-8 (76mins)
 [8] KARIM DARWISH (EGY) bt [16] PETER BARKER (ENG)    11-10(3-1), 11-6, 11-5 37mins)
[2] JAMES WILLSTROP (ENG) bt [14] SHAHID ZAMAN (PAK) 11-4, 11-5, 8-11, 11-4 (48mins)

EVENING SESSION
[1] DAVID PALMER (AUS) v [15] RAMY ASHOUR  (EGY) 
[6]JOHN WHITE (SCO) v [9] OLLI TUOMINEN (FIN)
[4] NICK MATTHEW (ENG)  bt [11]ADRIAN GRANT (ENG)  
[5] LEE BEACHILL (ENG)  bt [13] ALEX GOUGH (WAL)  

[Main Draw and results]