MARTIN BRONSTEIN in Richmond, Virginia     [THE DRAW/RESULTS]

OLLI WRITES FINNISH TO PALMER

The old demons of temper revisited David Palmer today as he was knocked headlong out of the 2008 Davenport Pro Squash champs by a rampaging Olli Tuominen of Finland and a couple of - what he thought were - bad calls from the three refs.

We must not detract from Tuominen's victory - he was zooming around the court like white lightning and creaming the ball down the rails with great accuracy. Obviously the court suited him because he had Palmer in all kinds of trouble in the back corners. On the other hand Palmer's normal punishing ball distribution didn't seem to faze the Finn one bit.

This was the second bad result in as many weeks, Palmer having to bow out of the Canadian Classic two weeks ago because of lower back problems.

Tuominen had won the first game but I put this down to him starting slow and Palmere proved me right by putting some form together to take an 8-3 lead in the second game. Unbelievably Tuominen put together a run of eight points to win the game 11-8, the final decision of the game left Palmer fuming. And for verygood reason: Tuominen's backswing had caught Palmer full in the crotch causing Palmer to double in pain - understandably. And rubbing your crotch in front of a roomful of strangers is considered bad form. Palmer decided to take an injury break but was informed the game was over, the refs having awarded a penalty stroke to Tuominen. It was a good decision because Palmer had interfered with Tuominen's backswing, even if he had used an unusual part of his body to do it. Palmer left the court fuming and the sound of a crashing racket could be heard from the curtained player's area. You can't blame him really, a bruised ego to go along with sore testicles would test any man's patience

In the third game Palmer's concentration was broken and although he managed to pull back from 3-9 to 8-10, Tuominen's drive, determination and pace was always going to win the day and he took the game 11-8 for shock victory.

(Palmer could not really complain about the refs. He had been given a conduct warning for using the F word. According to the rules, audible obscenities get punished with a conduct stroke.)

ABBAS CRASHES AGAIN
Egyptian Mohammed Abbas is now ranked 13 in the world, his highest ever ranking. He may find it hard to climb higher because he cannot seem to beat those players ranked above him. Not because he is not good enough, he is. He just goes to pieces when the finishing line hoves into view. In the World Open in Bermuda, he had James Willstrop on toast leading 2/0 in games and coasting in the third. But he lost in five and he admitted to me afterwards he got anxious.

It happened again today when he outplayed fifth seeded Thierry Lincou of France for three games and stood at match ball 10-7 in the third when the referees called a Lincou shot up which Abbas was convinced had hit the tin. He fumed and fumed and rolled his eyes but the decision stayed. From then on Abbas simply cold not get his concentration back again. He lost the game 12-10 in the tie break and his nerve and determination diminished in the final two games to allow Lincou to escape with a victory that he should never have had.

"I just kept running, running after the ball. In the first two games he just outplayed me and I couldn't do anything. I was always behind him on the court. In the third I finally managed to get in front of him. I am just relieved to have won," said Lincou. I'll say he was, but in the quarter he meets his old French team-mate and nemesis Gregory Gaultier, who had beaten him in the final of the British Open last year.

INSPECTOR CLOUSEAU IN SHORTS
Gaultier also fumed and argued in his match against Cameron Pilley, Sometimes he resembled a deranged Inspector Clouseau as he waved his arms and rolled his eyes. Eventually the ref asked him nicely not to question every decision. And then the ref got really brave and when the two players would not stop discussing one decision said: "You're getting boring." Got a good laugh too. Gaultier won 3/0 and was in good spirits in the car going back to the hotel. His advice for a player getting a bad result or bad refs calls is to get hammered, so the next day you remember nothing.

ILLINGWORTH LOSES TO YOUNG ASHOUR, BUT SHOWS GREAT FORM
Top seed Ramy Ashour of Egypt got a little revenge from American Julian Illingworth who had knocked out Ashour's elder brother in the first round in one of the shock wins of the tournament. Illingworth gave a very good account of himself and although he went down in straight games, he forced a tie break in both the second and third games, to show that he is good enough not be outclassed by the best player in the world today. It was a well contested match with a high standard of squash with Illingworth shooting in his share of winners. But the Ashour speed is startling and eventually overwhelms his opponent.


WILLSTROP ON TOP FORM
James Willstrop and Lee Beachill repeated their performance of the British championships held last week when Willstrop beat his training partner to become British champion. Today the two Yorkshireman put on a startling display of speed squash which was pure entertainment. The ball was cracked with accuracy down the walls and into the nicks. This was squash of a very high order: the standard and speed were maintained for 43 minutes before Willstrop emerged a 3/0 victory. It wasn't that Beachill played badly, it was that 24 year old Willstrop played so well.

Willstrop will meet Wael el Hindi in the quarters and find a fresh opponent waiting for him. Hindi's second round opponent, Shahier Razik of Canada, injured himself in the second game and had to withdraw.

Davenport Virginia Pro Squash Open ($80,000)

RESULTS
SECOND ROUND

[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Julian Illingworth (USA) 11-6, 11-10(3-1), 11-10 (2-0) (53mins)
[6] Karim Darwish (EGY) [12] bt Alex Gough (WAL) 11-8,11-9, 11-5 (40 mins)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [9] Lee Beachill (ENG) 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 (43mins)
[8] Wael El Hindi (EGY) bt [13] Shahier Razik (CAN) 11-9, 7-3 ret (29mins)
[7] John White (SCO) bt [16] Renan Lavigne (FRA) 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5 (44mins)
[11] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt [3] David Palmer (AUS) 11-6, 11-8, 11-8 (48mins)
[5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [10] Mohammed Abbas (EGY) 7-11, 9-11, 11-10(2-0), 11-6, 11-5 (71 mins)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-5, 11-6, 11-2 (38mins)

 

 

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