SquashTalk USOpen Report and photos by Ron Beck 12/3/99 (revision posted 12.4.99 AM) Simon Parke earns first major title with successive wins over Nicol and Power. [Full tournament draw sheet and results] THE US Open cemented its place as a major tournament and an exciting one as well with the play here this week. With the added attraction of Jonah Barrington as master of ceremonies, and the videotaping of all matches, which were broadcast on closed circuit TV in the lobby and bar throughout the week, the tournament came off as an energetic and vibrant affair. The added advantage of the central location of the venue in Back Bay Boston created a total event. The Harvard Club provided a fine venue, with the expansive bar and lobby area providing a great environment for the spectators The only minus was the absence of press coverage of the event. With a top sporting event in a sports-crazy town like Boston, which also is home to more than 95 new softball squash courts built in the past five years, there was no local news coverage. Aside from this SquashTalk website, the only other media present was the USSRA's Squash Magazine. WITH Simon Parke's win over Jonathon Power tonight, the British Open assumes greater significance for the top players. In successive tournaments, first Ahmed Barada defeated Jonathon Power and Peter Nicol in succession. This time it was Simon Parke's turn to defeat Peter Nicol and Jonathon Power in succession. This leaves the two top players seemingly vulnerable next week. Waiting in the wings are Ahmed Barada, Simon Parke, and Peter Marshall, all of whom have to be liking their opportunity now. Parke, though, would have the toughest road. After two brutal matches on successive nights in Boston, he flies to Aberdeen on Saturday night, and has to play again Tuesday night. FINAL: Simon Parke def Jonathon Power, 15-12, 15-6, 7-15, 7-15, 15-13. Simon Parke came out tonight in surprisingly fit condition after his marathon one hour fifty minute win over Peter Nicol last night. Power also had a strategy in place for Parke, but fell short on the execution. The match was in Power's hands but his unforced errors throughout the first two games and at critical moments in the fifth game cost him the initiative, momentum, and the match. This match bore little resemblance to the hour-and-fifty minute battle the night before between Parke and Nicol, and yet it was equally suspenseful and similarly concluded with Parke taking three of the final four points after 12 all in the fifth. It was Parke's steadiness that won out over Power's creativity and flamboyance tonight. Simon Parke was impressive with his tactics, fitness, and concentration all week. But it was Power who held the initiative all night, and it was his match to win or lose. At the end, his string of four errors in the last ten points was the difference for him. Power came out evidently with the plan to move Parke up front immediately and often, alternating that with his quick volleying and punishing cross courts. At the outset that appeared a solid approach against the slightly weary Parke. After the match Parke said, "I wasn't tired today," but from the gallery it certainly appeared that he was slower to the front than the previous evening, especially in the latter games. Power though, suffered from tin after tin on crucial winning drop opportunities. As Power said with characteristic bluntness after the match, "I was out to lunch the first two games." POWER DISTRACTED BY REFEREEING Power will always bring the referee into the match. He does this at his peril, and tonight it worked against him. Not only did some calls go against him, but most of the crowd ended up rooting enthusiastically for the underdog Parke There is no other significant sport, in which in the finals of a major title competition, it would be allowed that two British referees act as the officials in a match between a British and Canadian top player. There were enough very close calls in this match that even the appearance of possible bias should have been avoided with a choice of a different refereeing team. At several critical moments the refereeing decisions seemingly affected the momentum of the game. For instance, in the first game at 8-10 with Power serving, Power was denied a stroke on the over-ruling of an awarded stroke which changed the score from 9-10 to 8-10 and broke Power's concentration enough that he tinned the following service return to be 8-11 down. That notwithstanding, Power did get to 12-13 in the first game, on the strength of some extremely skillful and creative play and a Parke miss up front that gave Power the 12th point. On the next exchange, through, after a varied and very long rally, it was Power's turn to hit the tin on an apparent winning shot for him, giving Parke the lead 14-12 and eventually the first game 15-12. POWER TINS OUT IN GAME TWO Power fell behind on three errors to 6-3, Parke's favor in the second game. Then a number of contentious let requests again broke up the flow of the game and put the referees in too visible a position in the match. At 5-10, Power serving, an amazing rally ensued with Power making great gets and re-drops up front, finally taking the point on a winning drop. Then at 6-10 Power executed two great gets but was denied a stroke on a very close call. As Power said, "I couldn't get any rhythm going." He basically gave up the game at that point, making only a token effort after Parke had reached a 13-6 lead. NOW POWER ON FIRE IN GAMES FOUR AND FIVE The third was a different story. Power came out attacking early, making surprising volleys, anticipating everything, and keeping Parke on the run. A number of very long points, punctuated by Power's pinpoint drops and passing drives, gave him the game 15-7. The fourth was more of the same. Power started the game with a first rally that ended in an incredible piece of deception that left Parke with absolutely no idea whatsoever where the ball was headed. Parke never recovered, and from courtside appeared to be considerably slower to the corners, Power working him ruthlessly, and taking home an easy 15-7 game. PARKE STEADY AND POWER ERRATIC IN THE FIFTH The fifth started out in the same pattern. At 2-0 Power hit a very gettable drop that Parke was barely able to begin to pursue. Power was playing smoothly and effectively and built a 7-4 lead. Several long, excellent rallies later had brought Parke back into focus but Power still had a solid lead at 10-7. At this point Power's game completely disappeared. In the next six points, Power made four outright, unforced errors, dropping the ball each time to the tin, and Parke had come back to take a 12-11 lead. On the next rally it was Parke's turn to miss on a length shot by Power. But with the score tied at 12, Power twice in a row failed to execute shots, first missing a drop and next missing a backhand volley, and Parke had match ball at 14-12. Both players were playing more open balls now, and on the next rally, Power took the point on a stroke at the T. The match ended with a stroke to Parke, also at the T. Power had had the match in hand, with a 3 point lead and a tired Parke, but had found the tin too consistently to bring home the game. Parke earned an important victory in Boston, and his win was very popular with the crowd of 450. An ecstatic Simon Parke beamed as he held the US Open Plate high to the crowd and enjoyed his first major win. advertisement advertisement Live at the US Open by Ron Beck 3 Dec 1999