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October 28-November
3 2000 at the Harvard Club, Boston MA USA
The SG Cowen US Open Pro Squash Championships
Finals: Jonathon
Power beats Simon Park in Four with Ahmed Barada's Shoes...
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FOLLOW GAME BY GAME REPORTING:
November 3, Boston, by Ron Beck on the scene. -
GAME ONE 15-3 power wins
Parke starts out the warmup with some trick shots. Both players look keyed up.
Power wins first point after a long rally with a drop shot from the backhand. Power goest to 4-0 on great touch.
Power just playing basic squash, moving Parke into the back corners with excellent velocity and control. Parke tries an uncharacteristic soft boast to go down 9-2.
Unbelieveable point at 9-2 has Parke retrieving the irretrievable at both the front and back backhand corners. Finally losing it to go down 10-2.
Another exceedingly long rally. Power seems to be hardly moving at all. Parke wins this one though with a good boast. 3-10.
Parke gives in for this game, it goes quickly to 14-3
GAME TWO 15-11 Parke, games are 1-1
Power goes out to 2-0 lead on two drop shots. Then a let. Then a series of long well played rallies, both players working to length, moves the score to 5=5
At 6-7 a long punishing rally ends with Power calling the ball down on himself in the back corner.
Two more long rallies move the score to 7-8, then a contested stroke is not awarde to Power. Score remains 7-8.
Another rally takes the score to 8-8. Then an incredibly acrobatic rally ends with Parke making an impossible get and winner. Power congratulates him.
The next long rally has Power breaking his racket in frustration over Parke's retrievals 9-8 Parke.
Score gets to 10-12 with Power serving again. Stroke to Parke up front, 13-10 Parke. Parke is covering the court wonderfully, but Power is relaxed again, 11-13. Power can't get Parke's length, 15-11
GAME THREE 15-12 Power
Parke looks to be into the game. Does Power have the fitness to stay with him now?
Power starts strongly, takes the first point 1-0. Referee calls Power's get a carry, score is 1-1. Parke presses too much at 2-1, Power evens it at 2-2. Power showing good stamina punishes Parke on a cross court, 3-2. Power tins the drop, 3-3.
(photos ©2000, SquashTalk, Ron Beck)
Crowd roars as Parke hits tough shot. Power complains about the crowd's noise. 4-3 Parke.
Power tins the drop shot ==> Parke 5-3, then 6-3 and 7-3 on Parke's moving Power up front on the forehand each time. Great volley by Power takes the score to 4-7. Feather light touch to the forehand front gets Power to 5-7. Momentum has shifted again, Power gets back even to 7-7.
Game continues evenly, long punishing rallies, Parke doing a lot of running, 10-10. Parke playing very predictably, Power mixing it up well, score goes to 14-12 for Power.
Great point at 14-12, Parke gets into bad trouble, gets out of it. Then Power slams a volley into the nick for the game, 15-12
GAME FOUR Power 15-12
Power looks untired. His wrist is moving Parke around. At 1-1 he whirls and engineers a stroke to go to 2-1. Two more positional rallies give him a five one lead.
Simon works it doggedly back to 3-5. Can he regain the momentum? Simon continues with steady squash, takes back the lead at 7-5.
Then Power's sneaker falls apart and he needs a break to get a new pair of sneakers.
The referee gives him three minutes. He doesn't have another pair.
Noone moves to help Power. Finally Barada comes down and loans Power his shoes. Power goes ahead with shoes 1/2 size too small.
Power looks uncomfortable in borrowed shoes, goes down quickly to 10-5, then gets his feeling back, slowly works back to 10-10. Then on his error Parke goes up 11-10.
But makes no error on the next rally, evening it up at 11-11. Then goes ahead moving Parke u p and back, goes to 13-11. On a long rally, Parke takes it back to 12-13.
Parke tins out on the next rally, Parke claims he called a let, an argument (discussion ensues). Score moves to 14-12 in Power's favor. Match ball. Power hits a dead nick on the serve, win it suddenly 15-12.
RESULTS, Finals, US Open
Jonathon Power (Canada) (1) def Simon
Parke (England) (2) 15-3, 11-15, 15-12, 15-12,
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