[Main Draw/Results]

The story of David and Goliath played out on the McWill glass court tonight which stood center stage on Pioneer Plaza at 401 N. Michigan Avenue, the battle ground between England’s Peter Barker and Australia’s David Palmer who contested the final of the Sweet Home Chicago Open, the PSA’s newest $30,000 event.  For Zeller Realty, Caledonian Global Funds and the Lakeshore Club it was a roaring success on the Magnificent Mile in Chicago.

Previous to this the two have only played one PSA match against another at the 2007 World Open in Bermuda.  To appreciate how far Peter has come since then, he lost in the second round 10-12, 7-11 and 9-11 in 59 minutes.  Tonight the tables were turned.  Barker defeated Palmer 15/13, 11/9, 11/2 in 53 minutes.

Barker entered the court and with his sling defeated Palmer using basic squash strategies.  In game one, Barker worked the ball high on the front forcing Palmer deep to retrieve deep primarily on the backhand side of the court (Barker is left-handed).  Barker kept the ball straight and together with the good length effectively reduced Palmer’s attacking game despite the tiebreaker in the first.
“I should have won the first,” admitted Palmer after the match.  “I felt like I was in control; but just a bit stiff and sore,” from his four game match against John White in the semis.  Barker stayed focused playing one point at a time.  “I tried to stay focused, controlled and relaxed,” explained Barker whose court demeanor was steady and confident despite the sustained pressure from Palmer. 

In the second game, Barker continued to move well absorbing every Palmer delivered.  Recent training with coaches Paul Carter and Peter Nicol has concentrated on better court movement and the pay-off for the hard work occured this evening.  Barker’s intensity and focused persisted.  At 10-9, Palmer hit a forehand that just grazed the tin.  “That was a bad call,” Palmer said who continued to argue the point with the referee long after Barker had assumed the game win and walked off court.

Palmer, the 2006 Windy City winner and three time British Open Champion, was now down two games and got off to a slow start in the third with Barker taking the first five points.  By now our Goliath (Palmer) would need to make quick headway against David (Barker) who, despite a bad patch of errors, cruised to eleven points taking the game and match.

As Barker thanked the sponsors during the awards ceremony he exclaimed that the Sweet Home Chicago Open is “my favorite venue.  It’s the best tournament I’ve ever played.  I love playing in America!”  And the fans enjoyed having Barker and the professional draw here as well to strut and fret their excellent squash on our world-class sports stage.

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