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2002
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US Open Quarterfinals 2 - White crashes
By Martin Bronstein from Symphony Hall Boston
©
2003 Squashtalk, all rights of reproduction reserved.
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CURRENT
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Power
Sudden Death Fails Again
Sept 14 2003, Boston Symphony Hall,
Boston Mass
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| Thierry Lincou accidentally taps the ball toward the wall via Jonathon Power's incoming right eyeball. (photo: ©2003, Debra Tessier) |
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 A touching Aussie moment. |
One thing is as sure as death and taxes….there is never a dull moment when Jonathon Power is around. He lost to Thierry Lincou today in a most bizarre fashion; You probably won’t believe what happened but I shall recount it anyway. There he was, this genius with a racket, rolling over Thierry Lincou in a manner that was almost a payback for the French position on the Iraq war.
Power was superb, his racket work and speed never better as he took the first game 15-11. He was even better in the second keeping Lincou down to just six points in 14 minutes play. Although Lincou led briefly in the third game, Power righted things and ran through from 8-all to match ball at 14-9. On the next point he was denied a let. “It is a let!” he screamed at the referee in real anger. This incident must have upset his equilibrium and another four No Lets against him put Lincou tied at 14-all. Power naturally called ‘no set’ and promptly tinned a backhand drop to give Lincou the 27 minute game.
ONE IN THE EYE
He was still affected in the fourth and Lincou built a quick 8-4 lead.
On the next rally a Power shot came down the middle of the court, Lincou
held his shot in asking for a let. The ball still hit his racket, very
softly, and as Power turned to see what was happening the ball hit him
in the right eye. It seemed slight at first and Power stood there blinking.
When the referee Paul Ansdell told Power to get on with the game,Power
told him in no uncertain terms that he couldn't see.
He left the court, doctors were called, and as it was a contributed injury Power had an hour to decide whether to come back on court or postpone play to another time. After much indecision from everybody, Power decided that he would continue the match after the other two matches had finished.
PALMER IN TOP FORM
So David Palmer and Nick Matthew took the court a couple of hours behind
schedule and the tall Australian was devastating. He wanted no prisoners
to clutter up his life and hitting the best length of any player in the
tournament, showed young Matthew just what he was up against when playing
a top five player. He read Matthew like a book and was smashing away winners
before Matthew had finished his swing. There isn’t a lot more to
say other than Palmer won in three straight games and Matthew should really
feel proud of the 27 points he managed to win in his time on court.
WHITE GETS HOBBLED
Anthony Ricketts plays squash like a tightly wound electric coil. His
entire body seems to throb with high voltage intent, and every lost point
or questionable decision from the referee produces great emotional sparks
that could illuminate Norway for an entire winter.
When he faces another player ranked above him, the above intensity is doubled. He beat Nicol last month in the Prince British Open using this intensity and against John White he displayed the same focused, unstoppable, get-out-of-my way momentum. He did what every player knows but can’t accomplish: kept the ball tight to the walls so that White could not play his whizz-bang winners from all parts of the court.
Ricketts kept to his game plan resolutely for three games and by the third White had almost given up because he had been denuded of all his weaponry. On losing the first game 16-17 – he completely missed the ball on his final shot, -White flung his racket across the court in disgust. That game took 26 minutes, the second 19 minutes when he won 11 points and the third was over in ten minutes, his measly five points indicating that he had all but given up.
….AND NOW, BACK
TO THE POWER SAGA
It was now the
part of the evening when we should have all been having dinner. The delay
put the promoter on overtime (the hall had been booked just for the afternoon.).
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| Thierry Lincou's victory five hours after the match began. (photo: ©2003, Debra Tessier) |
Two bits of advice for Power: at match point the pressure
is on your opponent, make him win the point or lose it. And secondly,
get some goggles: they would have saved you in the World Open, when Palmer’s
racket almost took away the use of your left eye and cost you valuable
points, and they would have made the delay today unnecessary.
| Another mishap caught on film between David Palmer (white shirt) and Nick Matthew (photos: ©2003, Debra Tessier) |
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After the "let" call Nick Matthew begged the referees not to make, both players recovered to play the last two points of the match. (photos: ©2003, Debra Tessier) |