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Fitz-Gerald Scored Comeback Win at Grand Prix Finals

Doha, Qatar — World No1 & four-times World Champion Sarah Fitz-Gerald produced character-building performances against her two long-time pursuers, World No 4 Cassie Campion and World No 2 Carol Owens to gain the World Grand Prix Finals winners circle in Doha, Qatar.

MIND THE GAP
Have her two closest rivals started closing the gap? Fitz-Gerald doesn't acknowledge so — indicating she wasn't at the top of her game this week:

"Carol played well today, and probably took heart from my five game match against Cassie in the semis" commented Fitz-Gerald. "I haven't played my best in this Championship, but I think I can take a lot from the way I fought to preserve my unbeaten record. It's always pleasing to win such a prestigious event in front of such an appreciative and enthusiastic crowd."

It was within twenty-four hours of defeating British Champion Cassie Campion in five closely fought games 9-2 6-9 9-6 7-9 9-7 that Fitz-Gerald came back on court against fellow Melbourne native Owens. Fitz-Gerald isn't used to contending with any long matches earlier than the finals. For her, coming back to play another long match the next day is certainly within her capacity but now what she is accustomed to.

PRESSURE FROM OWENS
Too, Owens came out with her "A" game and put pressure on Fitz-Gerald from the outset. Fitz-Gerald started slowly in the final against her New Zealand opponent, and uncharacteristically made several unforced errors particularly in the front third of the court were she unsuccessfully tried to exploit the courts slow and rewarding front corners.

The slow start put Fitz-Gerald two games down and trailing 1-4 in the third, only five points from defeat. “I thought I would go down 3-0. Then I said to myself ‘you are No 1’, and dug in. I nearly had her in the first and the second and I just had to stick with my game plan. I stayed relaxed and once I got the third game I knew the fourth would be just as hard. I would have to break her spirit again,” Fitz-Gerald told the local press.

She roared back from there to defeat New Zealand's Carol Owens in eighty-four minutes of tense, high drama squash.

Fitz-Gerald began the third game determined to extend the rallies, driving with discipline and mistakes from her opponent deep in the back corners. Owens' resistance was admirable, but with the match progressing point-for-point, slowly the four-times World Champion gained the ascendancy. The fifth and final game followed the pattern of the previous two, and eventually persistent length from Fitz-Gerald earned her the title and a rousing ovation from the crowd.

WISPA Grand Prix Finals -

Final;     <draw>
[1] Sarah Fitz-Gerald (AUS) bt [2] Carol Owens (NZL) 6-9 5-9 9-5 9-7 9-4

Semi Finals (Doha Qatar)

Sarah Fitz-Gerald (AUS) def Cassie Campion (ENG) 9-2, 6-9, 9-6, 7-9, 9-7 79m
Carol Owens (NZ) def Linda Charman-Smith (ENG) 9-1, 9-0, 9-2 30m

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