2007 Tournament of Champions Squash, New York

[1st: session 1][1st: session 2] [1st rnd-Day2] [2nd rnd-Aft] [2nd rnd-eve]
[Quarterfinals-1][Quarterfinals - 2] [Semis][Final] [DRAW & RESULTS]

With a packed house American Julian Illingworth uses his home court advantage to stage a 0-2 comeback against Dan Jenson and advances to the second round. (photo:© 2007 Debra Tessier) For more 2007 TOC photos

Illingworth In Historic Tournament of Champions Breakthrough

Julian Illingworth, the US National Champion who secured a slot in the main draw of the Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions as a 'lucky loser', made squash history in New York when he became the first American ever to move into the second round of a Professional Squash Association Super Series tournament.

"I am really grateful that I took advantage of this lucky break," said the 22-year-old from Portland, Oregon, after fighting back from two games down to defeat qualifier Dan Jenson on the second day of first round action in the $70,000 event in its tenth year at Grand Central Terminal.

Showing no signs of the effects of two five-game matches in the qualifying draw, Illingworth displayed remarkable self-assurance for a player who has been on the professional tour for less than a year. “I knew that I was fitter than Dan, and if I could keep him out there long enough, I could win the match,” said Illingworth after beating the former world No5 from Australia 6-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-10 (2-0) in 76 minutes.

After dropping the first two games, Illingworth stepped up in the third, literally and figuratively, as he moved forward in the court and began attacking more balls. After he snatched the third and won the fourth comfortably, the fifth was a seesaw battle. Although the experienced Australian took a quick 4-1 lead, Illingworth evened the score at 5-5 and the lead changed hands every other point from then on.

To add to the drama, the young American broke a string in his racquet mid-game. Coming off court to get a new racquet, Illingworth was clearly disconcerted. He had lost two of his three racquets the night before and the only racquet left in his bag was one he had borrowed from a friend and never used himself.

But on returning to the court, Illingworth focused on winning the match. At 9-9, he hit a drop winner for his first match ball but he couldn’t convert. A volley winner gave him his second match point and then a drop shot earned Illingworth the game, a standing ovation from the packed stands - and a second round berth against No2 seed David Palmer.

Palmer, the world champion from Australia who watched the end of Illingworth’s match with great interest, quickly dispatched English qualifier Mark Heather 11-5, 11-6, 11-7.

GORDON GREAT FOR ONE GAME

With one player (Julian Illingworth) through to the second round the US was looking for an historical second player joining him when Chris Gordon took to the court against Spaniard Borja Golan. And for one game Gordon looked good enough to accomplish that feat. That first game lasted 19 minutes and Golan could find no way to crack Gordon’s slow methodical appr-ach to the game of squash. This was almost slow motion action as Gordon carefully placed the ball down the wall or for a meticulous drop shot. It seemed at times as though the players had agreed on a game plan because they played the same sort of shots – they played the same game!

The lanky Gordon has legs even longer than John White and can do some amazing stretching either to get to a ball or recover from a bad position. In that first game he rarely made an error and gave heart to the home crowd that victory was a possibility.
He reached game ball at 10-9 but his delayed cross court flick found the tin to require a tie break. He reached his second game ball with a forehand three wall nick (you don’t see many of those these days), and again threw Golan a lifeline by ending the next rally with a forehand boast into the tin. (Will these players never learn the danger of the dreadful boast?). So now it was 11-all and Gordon pulled off a fine forehand crosscourt flick that had Golan going entirely the wrong way. On his third match ball Gordon hit a cracking forehand low drive to get the 13th point and take the first game. And well deserved it was too.

Sadly the second game saw five errors off the American’s racket and as the 16 minute game came to a close it was obvious he was tiring. The last few points were easy pickings Golan as he realized what the situation was. He went short in the third game whenever possible and soon had the game 11-4. Gordon’s tank was dry – and the fourth games saw the rallies get shorter and his errors increase. Golan was also guilty of sloppy racquet work and should have finished the match much quicker than he did. He won the game 11-7 in eight minutes – that is, 18 rallies in 8 minutes, which is just about the same as my games at my club.

Gordon has been on the circuit now for a couple of years and this can be seen by his shots and shot selection. But his fitness level should be higher than it is. Maybe a few months with Jonah Barrington in Somerset would put him on the right track.

LINCOU BEATS HIS FRIEND AND SPARRING PARTNER

The all-French match between Thierry Lincou and Renan Lavigne was a much more hectic affair with the ball constantly cracking off the front wall. Lavigne sometimes puts me in mind of a chipmunk a on speed and is determined to fight for every point and give nothing, absolutely nothing away. Lincou was far from focused and the first game was scrappy, lacking in rhythm and was more of a hustle than a ballet. Lincou was 9-4 and lost the next four points easily to put Lavigne one point behind, 9-8. He pulled off the nexct two points, but it was hard to see what was going to happen next. This squash did not look like the world number and former world champion playing the world number 29, it was a game of equals and when Lincou lost his composure completely in the second game when leading 6-4, he really lost it, committing six errors in a row to put Lavigne at game ball. Lincou managed to hit the ball for a winner in the next rally when Lavigne fell over and it looked like the turning point when he took the next two points on backhand drops, but Lavigne earned the game with a scintillating overhead drop into the nick tow in 11-9.

Lincou realized he had to do something, came out for the third game with a much different air about him and set about putting his compatriot in his place. Now there were no errors, he was moving well and simply dominated play to win the seven minute game 11-3. Lavigne put up more of a fight in the fourth and final game but he is simply not in the same class as Lincou, who took the game 11-7.

I asked Lincou what happened in the second game. He laughed and shook his head:
“I wanted to end it too quickly and lost my focus. I was never comfortable tonight – the first match of the tournament and playing my friend and sparring partner of many years. I couldn’t get my focus back until the third game,” he said. When I told him that he had made six errors in a row he was surprised and just laughed it off. With the first match out of the way perhaps he will find his focus for when he meets Liam Kenny in the second round.

BARRINGTON FIGHT BACK FAILS

In the final match of the evening Joey Barrington kept true to form by making sure his match went past the 80 minute mark. From the beginning it looked as though it would not last the hour as Liam Kenney took the first two games with ease. Wael el Hindi had some things to say to Barrington after the second game and the change was dramatic: Barrington won the third game 11-1 and the fourth game 11-5 but was beginning to look bedraggled while the clean cut Kenney looked fresh. What El Hindi had told Barrington was to get back to his own game which is careful squash down the walls. By playing cross courts he was playing into his Kenney’s hands: the Irish/Aussie likes to stand on the T and volley the ball. Although Barrington tried to keep to his winning strategy in the fifth, Kenney was willing to take the long route making the game into a 24 minute battle that was point-for –point most of the way. Kenney produced some beautiful winners at the right time and the three refs got four decisions wrong, awarding lets when they should have been strokes in Barrington’s favour. Finally it was Kenney who hit a low cross court to finish off the 88 minute battle which finished at 10;30 at night when Grand Central Terminal was almost empty.

FIRST ROUND Complete results.
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Jean-Michel Arcucci (FRA) 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 (21mins)
[16] Hisham Ashour (EGY) bt [Q] Omar Aziz (EGY) 11-8, 11-10(2-0),8-11, 11-5 (45mins)
[6]John White (SCO) bt [Q]Stacy Ross (ENG) 11-4, 11-5, 11-9 (24mins)
[6] Alex Gough (WAL) bt Rafael Alarcon (BRA) 11-9, 11-6, 11-9 (37mins)
[4] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [Q] Yasser el Halaby (EGY) 11-6,11-8, 11-3 (29mins)
[9] Wael el Hindi (EGY) bt Eric Galvez (MEX) 11-6, 11-4, 11-9 (42mins)
[5] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Bradley Ball (ENG) 8-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-7
[15] Shahier Razik (CAN) bt Matthew Guiffre (CAN) 4-11, 11-6,11-3, 11-2 (59mins)
[11] Borja Golan (SPA) bt Chris Gordon (USA)10-11 (1-3),11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (59mins)
[7] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt Stefan Casteleyn (BEL) 11-9,11-6, 11-4. (32mins)
Liam Kenney (IRE) bt [13] Joey Barrington (ENG) 11-3 11-5, 1-11, 5-11, 11-8 (88mins)
[3] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Renan Lavigne (FRA) 11-8,9-11, 11-3, 11-7 (46 minutes)
[10] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt [Q] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-5, 11-3, 11-8 (32mins)
[8] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt [Q] Miguel Rodriguez (COL) 11-7, 11-5, 11-1 (33mins)
[Q] Julian Illingworth (USA) bt [Q]Dan Jenson (AUS) 6-11, 4-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-10(2-0) (76mins)
[2]David Palmer (AUS) bt [Q] Mark Heather (ENG) 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 (30mins)

For more TOC 2007 photos