Al-Ahram Women's and Men's World Open, Semi-finals:
BARADA over POWER !
Wedsnesday PM Report From MARTIN BRONSTEIN:
Martin Bronstein's Exclusive reports from Egypt
WORLD OPEN QUARTERFINAL MATCHES Tuesday SEP 14 1999
FROM MARTIN BRONSTEIN AT THE PYRAMIDS
WORLD OPEN, Sept 14, Tuesday PM 1999, Gaza
TWENTY FOUR MINUTES AIN'T THAT LONG
The women took to the big stage at the Pyramids and the first semi-final was not the sort of squash to push up the pulse rate. Michelle Martin has won six British Opens and three World Opens but she was not pushed to show the skills she has acquired to win those titles. Sabine Schoene took a 5-1 lead over Martin who looked her usual gorgeous self but squashwise, quite ordinary. Schoene played her wide and placed some fine drop shots and had she kept up her precision play could have severely rattled the champion. But Martin became a little more focussed and Schoene lost her self belief allowing Martin to pull back to take the game 9-7.
Schoene, who has been out with a knee injury, lunged for a ball and seemed to twist that knee again. From that moment, it was virtually all over. Martin took that game 9-3, and the third 9-1, the entire playing time of the match was 24 minutes. It was, sadly, not a good advertisement for the women's game.
FIFTY MINUTES AIN'T SO GOOD EITHER
The Cassie Campion/Carole Owens promised to be a good match, one that would restore the reputation of the women's game. Owens had pushed Michelle Martin to five games last week and Campion looked decisive in the quarters. My forecast of a 3/0 decision looked good for just one game when Campion showed that she had a short game of value while Owens prefers to play at the back of the court. Campion took the game 9-4 in 8 minutes.
In the second Owens was down 2-5 and then started to read Campion's game, knew where the shots were going and was ready in the right position to bang the ball away for winners. She pulled back and went on win the game 9-6. Owens went on to win the next two with ease.
THE BIG WIGS ARRIVE
Despite the match in progress the big men of squash, vice-presidents and exec directors of the WSF,ESRF, PSA and other initials were arriving and being seated by the dozen. Between their moving well-fed figures I managed to see Campion lose heart and motivation.There was no length or strategy to her game whereas Owens was ready and moving for everything Campion could offer - which really wasn't a lot. Owens took the next two games and although the match lasted 50 minutes it wasn't worthy of a semi-final on squash's most glamorous stage.
BARADAMANIA
The women were hustled away and the stage set for the big event of the night - Ahmed Barada's attempt to unseat reigning world champion Jonathon Power. The hoopla, noise and fan mania was absolutely astonishing and the stands were full - not of squash fans - Barada fans - using the chants, flags and whistles of a typical soccer crowd. Power silenced them very quickly by simply outclassing Barada in all areas to run to a 9-0 lead. This was Power at his best and the reason why he became world champion. Barada finally got going and although he pulled back to make Power play through four game balls, he lsost 9-15.
CONTROVERSY HELPS THE BLOOD CIRCULATION
Although the fans needed nothing to keep them on the edge of hysteria, the second game could be turned into a 10 year soap opera. With Barada leading 4-3, Power fell very heavily and got up slowly wincing in pain. He continued to play but he was no longer moving, and holding his face to cover the grimaces. The fans scented blood and were screaminga at every Barada point. At 14-9 the rally ended and Barada walked off court.The crowd screamed the music boomed out.Power was screaming but couldn't be heard.When the DJ realised he'd jumped the gun, Power was heard to scram 'I hit him with the ball it is my point.'
The referee sent them back on court to play a let. But Barada hit a winner and it was bedlam all over again. At the end of the interval Power and his Team Canada corner men requested the allowable three mintues injury time.The referee refused - as he had continued playingat the time of the injury, he could not get the time now.
BEDLAM IN GAZA
He was overruled by Andrfew Shelley, the tournament organiser. Doctors arrived, the right calf was sprayed and spread with balm and Power continued. He should have stopped but as his title and number one ranking was on the line, he was probably hoping it would go away and he could continue. In vain. trailing 2-9 he shook hands with Barada and left the court.
Bedlam is an understatement. You would have though he had won the title after a fantastic match rather than get a win by a retirement. He has yet to play Nicol in the final, which will certainly beanother story.
SCOTS ON HIGH
The semifinals evening was saved by a superb match between the two Scotsman. Martin Heath knows Nicol's game well, probably better than Nicol knows Heath's. Heath is also a natural shotmaker and can end rallies with superb winners. This is not a Nicol strongpoint and the factors allowed Heath to dictate the first game and he had Nicol running around desperate to stay in the rallies. Heath won the first 15-11 and appeared ready to repeat his semi-final triumph over Nicol last year.
In the second he got drawn into Nicol's game and lost his short game. "I stopped keeping him tight on my forehand side, his backhand. While I did that I was in charge, but I couldn't get back into it," Heath told me later.
Nicol took the next two games and although Heath looked finished in the third, he came back hitting winners again in the fourth. Once more he had Nicol on toast and led 10-6 and 12-8 but Nicol is a hard man to beat and he kept the pace and retrieving up to pull back and win 15-12 and take the 70 minute match.
SEMIFINAL RESULTS
Michelle Martin bt Sabine Schoene 9-7, 9-3, 9-1
Carol Owens bt Cassie Jackman 4-9, 9-6, 9-7,9-3.
AL AHRAM WORLD OPEN SEMI-FINALS (men)
Ahmed Barada bt Jonathon Power 9-15, 15-9, 9-2
Peter Nicol bt Martin Heath 11-15, 15-13,15-9, 15-12.
