Photos also by Kim Tunney: top, Cassie Campion gets the trophy from Jahangir Khan, middle, Cassie Campion and her coaches, bottom, Cassie in the semis.
October 26, 1999
On-Line at the Women's World Open
In an astonishing upset, Cassie Campion quietly worked her way through the 32-women draw at the Phil Smart Mercedes Benz Women's World Squash Championships and toppled odds-on favorite and World No. 1 Michelle Martin 9-6, 9-7, 9-7. Not loosing a game throughout the entire event, the 26-year-old, World No. 5 eliminated WISPA giant Martin by playing error-free squash and by using good length to create an amazingly accurate and deceptive short game.
Up 1-0 in the first game, Martin hit Campion in the left wrist. After wincing and taking time to wring her hand out, she continued playing and ran the score up to 5-0. Finally warmed-up, Martin managed to even the score at 5-5. At 8-6, Campion closed out the game catching Martin, who thought she'd go short, with a deceptive forehand deep.
In the second game, Campion quickly picked up four points through errors from Martin and with a phenomenal forehand kill volley. Martin offered loose balls that Campion took full advantage of responding with a forehand passing drive, a dead nick drop and her red-hot, razor sharp forehand kill volley. Up 8-7, Campion closed the second game with a deceptive short ball, catching Martin back mid-court.
Those fans who know that Martin has the ability to come back to win down 2 games now waited to see how the Aussie would handle the pressure. Campion, owning the frontcourt, earned five points with more spot-on drops. Down 1-5, Martin decided to pick up the pace and play angles, which cost her errors to the front.
Regaining service up 7-2, the silence in the packed arena was so deafening that Campion, hearing the pneumatic hiss of a nearby Graviton weight machine, paused until it stopped. The hushed Seattle audience was either taken aback by the superb level of play or that the odds-on-favorite appeared to be unable to stop the success of a player they knew little about.
Absent from Martin's face now was the determined look and set-jaw, ever present in previous games. It was now or possibly never. Campion knew she had some breathing room at this point and gave up 4 points. Unfettered after a questionable call from referee Graham Waters and marker Rod Symington, Campion, as she had all week, quietly went about the business of careful, winning squash. Shots were tight; her length was good.
Believing that she might actually put the "h" in her married name and become the next world champion, she quickly ended the game winning the match with an irretrievable short shot. Clearly stunned that she had pulled it off, she looked upwards, shot her hands up, pumped both fists and did a victory dance forward to the front wall as if to thank that area of the court which had served her so well. Campion finally turned around to an equally stunned Martin and shuck hands.
A dejected Michelle Martin sat in silence, head in hands, next to coach and brother Rodney absorbed in the defeat, unable to answers questions as to why she lost. WISPA players explained she was up tight and tense throughout the tournament. With three time Open winner Sarah Fitzgerald not competing in the event, it was hers to loose. Some players speculated that she is having problems on the home front. Playing without a wedding band on her ring finger they speculate that the 33-year-old from Sydney will work to win the British Open in December and possibly retire to then spend more time with her husband.
After letting the victory sink in, Campion's coach for the last five years, Dave Pearson wiped tears from his eyes. Explaining their game strategy, "Cassie denied Michelle areas of the court. She exploited Michelle Martin to the front of the court. Michelle had many errors. Cassie played pretty close to perfect, very precise squash."
Cassie, however, gave credit to her length as the key factor. "My length was good. I played a length game that allowed me to have a short game. I played error free squash."
Campion also benefits from a built in coach in the form of husband David Campion, a former top PSA player. Pearson confides, "David and I get on well together. We play off against each other." Delivering a one-two coaching punch, they sat with Cassie after a disappointing showing in Cairo and forced her to "do some soul searching." This gave her the requisite focus she needed to turn a loss there into a world open win in Seattle.
Standing on the winner's podium, she said, "Other than my wedding day, this is the happiest day of my life." She continued, "I'm delighted. This is what I've been playing for. I'm third time lucky. I'm going to relax now and enjoy the victory."
