Round Three and Beyond: The Matchups

by Dan Kneipp, Team Kneipp report index
All content © 2003 Squashtalk

Dec 17, 2003, Lahore, Pakistan --- [second round report; complete results]

Fitness isn’t just about the player that has done the most amount of court sprints and can lunge the most. There are many different types of fitness including staying injury free, being mentally prepared, eating well and being motivated. The contrast between the first big tournament of the year and the World Open helps emphasise how hard it is to stay at peak physical fitness throughout the year.

At the Tournament of Champions the top 8 seeds all progressed through to the quarter finals. That will be impossible here in Lahore. The seeding minefield has meant that for the third round, the round of 16, nearly half of the player seeded to be here are already on their way home. This has meant the tournament is wide open. Here is how the situation looks for the remaining 16 men.

The 1st Quarter

[30] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) v [10] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
[7] Karim Darwish (EGY) vs [21] Olli Tuominen (FIN)

Davide Bianchetti, giant killer

One of these blokes will progress through to the semi finals of the World Open. None of them were expected to. Bianchetti is a great player and caused the early demise of Peter Nicol, but if he can create another upset it will add even more weight to an impressive tournament. Gaultier and Darwish are obviously expected to make the next round, but upsets have riddled the first two rounds and obviously won't stop now. Bianchetti has beaten Gaultier before, but it was back in 2000. Tuominen hasn't beaten Darwish before.

Gaultier, Darwish and Tuominen have all had a great year on the tour.

The 2nd Quarter

[3] David Palmer (AUS) vs [9] Amr Shabana (EGY)
[5] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) vs [20] Mohammed Abbas (EGY)

Will Palmer and Ricketts meet? (photo © 2003 Debra Tessier for Squashtalk)

This is the quarter that is the most sane. There is only one seeded player missing from here (Abbas accounted for Simon Parke), but there is a doubt on Palmer’s fitness. Normally Palmer and Ricketts would be the stand out players to progress through to the quarterfinals, but there is more to the situation. If Palmer’s leg is bothering him and he has problems lunging he will have a lot of trouble with Shabana. You can’t play him and not do a lot of lunging and sudden changes. Shabana is spectacular at holding the ball and slapping nicks – a style of play that can’t be overcome without good physical movement.

Ricketts’ progression through to the quarters wouldn’t be riddled with doubt, except at the most recent tournament he lost uncharacteristically early to Abbas, his upcoming opponent. Although this quarter has only had one upset so far, the prospect of further losses against the seeding will make for entertaining squash. Even if the games go with the seeds it will be great squash.

The 3rd Quarter

[25] Renan Lavigne (FRA) versus [19] Nick Matthew (ENG)
Tommy Berden (NED) versus [4] Thierry Lincou (FRA)

Like the 1st quarter, this is a crazy mix of non-seeds. Lincou is the only player that was expected (on paper) to have reached this stage.

Lavigne upset Mark Chaloner, a player ranked only a few places ahead of him. This wasn’t such an enormous upset. Matthew took out Ong Beng Hee, a player whose recent bad form, compared to Matthew’s good form, meant this upset wasn’t so surprising. Berden took out Martin Heath and then a Pakistani qualifier in the 2nd round to create the trio of upstarts in the last 16. Lincou is the only player who is supposed to be here and it will take a very impressive performance from one of the other blokes to prevent him from making the semi finals.

The 4th Quarter

[23] Nick Taylor (ENG) vs [8] Lee Beachill (ENG)
[11] Joseph Kneipp (AUS) vs [2] John White (SCO)

Can the Kneipps come up with the formula to outfox McWhitey? (photo © 2003 Fritz Borchert for Squashtalk)

This is the other quarter that has a semblance of normality. Nick Taylor is the only player present against the seeding, taking out Graham Ryding to earn his spot. He now faces Lee Beachill, the inform player at the moment, and surprisingly a player that he hasn't faced in PSA over the past five years.

This quarter presents a very interesting scenario. For argument sake let’s presume (because of seeding) that Thierry Lincou makes the semifinals in the 3rd quarter, and becomes the player either Taylor, Beachill, White or Kneipp meet in the semis. Lee Beachill hasn't played Taylor in five years in PSA, has beaten John White before, but hasn't beaten Kneipp (out of only one encounter) or Lincou before. Despite this if he makes the final of the World Open from here it won’t be a shock considering his recent win in Qatar. John McWhitey has beaten Joe Kneipp, Lee Beachill and Thierry Lincou. If he makes the World Open final it will be for the 2nd time in a row and won’t be a huge surprise. Joe Kneipp has beaten John McWhite, Lee Beachill and Thierry Lincou before, so theoretically he can also make the final of the World Open, but it will be a big surprise. Nick Taylor hasn't beaten Beachill, Kneipp or Lincou, but has taken McWhitey out. If he makes the final it will be amazing.

Like the other three quarters these matches should be bloody interesting, as we get closer to this year’s World Champion.

2nd round results:
[25] Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt [16] Mark Chaloner (ENG) 17-16, 15-9, 13-15, 15-10 (71m)
[19] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [6] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 15-13, 10-15, 3-15, 15-12, 15-5 (67m)
Tommy Berden (NED) bt [Q] Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) 12-15, 10-15, 15-6, 15-13, 15-9 (106m)
[4] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [18] Omar Elborolossy (EGY) 15-9, 15-12, 15-7 (49m)
[23] Nick Taylor (ENG) bt [14] Graham Ryding (CAN) 15-12, 15-6, 15-9 (45m)
[8] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 15-5, 15-7, 15-6 (26m)
[11] Joseph Kneipp (AUS) bt [17] Alex Gough (WAL) 15-7, 15-12, 10-15, 15-7 (66m)
[2] John White (SCO) bt [Q] John Rooney (IRL) 15-13, 15-6, 15-12 (36m)