2002 SquashTalk coverage will feature live
updates throughout the event from Martin Bronstein

October 17, 2002 from Martin Bronstein in Odense

CANADA DOES IT AGAIN

Lauren Wagner and Julia Beaver (photo ©2002 Fritz Brochert

RUBBER ARMS
Wagner settled down more quickly while Beaver insisted on going for winners as soon as possible with the expected results. When a rally did go beyond four shots, Beaver constantly surprised her opponent with her impossible gets, as, using her height and reach to the maximum, she appeared to have elastic arms. Wagner won the first game too easily 9-2 and led in the second. If either of them had adopted the strategy of just getting the ball back and waiting for her opponent to make the inevitable error, victory would have been simple. But even Wagner was going for silly winners and paid the price by going 5-7 down. She recovered to get to eight first and was lucky to run out a 10-8 winner.

DRIVE TO THE BACK

Coach Sharon Brady coaches Julia Beaver during the break (photo ©2002 Fritz Brochert

Beaver started off positively to lead 2-0 and then went off her game to find herself facing match ball at 3-8. Suddenly her drops were working and Lauren was hitting errors and hope welled on the US bench as Beaver came all the way back to 7-8 in one hand. She ended the next rally with an error on an overhead volley and symbolised the whole match as she lunged to make a difficult forehand drop volley which hit the tin to give Wagner the game and match and put Canada one up.

“I thought Julia played a mature game: she’s been learning all week and picking up things. The errors were due to the fact that she doesn’t play enough at this level to get consistency. The more matches she gets, the better she’ll be,” commented Brady.

ANOTHER LONG HAUL FOR MELANIE AND LATASHA

Latasha Khan and Melanie Jans in crucial match (photo ©2002 Fritz Brochert

It was the same scenario in the second, Jans leading 5-0 and Khan, driving well, once more coming back to level at 5-5 only to commit three silly errors to lose the game 9-6. The third game saw a quick 4-0 lead to Jans disappear as Khan used her superb backhand to keep driving to the back. It only let her down on her drop volleys which were too high and constantly had her in trouble for blocking her opponent’s access. This game featured some pretty bad decisions on the left side of the court with Jans getting the best of them, being awarded lets when the ball was well past her. She got to eight first, Khan showed no emotion and played steadily to tie it up, got to game ball on a fine drop, but lost the next two rallies to make it 9-all. The final point ended when Jans was refused a let and she was still on the court discussing the decision with the referee while Khan was towelling down and listening to Brady.

HISTORY REPEATS
These two have been here before, in the Pan Am Cup and Jans knew her opponent; four errors from Khan gave her a 5-1 lead in the fourth, but once again Khan calmly caught up to 6-6, where the serve changed hands four times before Jans forged ahead and Khan ended the game with yet another error, going for a winner from the serve. It was all tied at two all and this game could have been the most important of Khan’s life: win it and the US, with her sister at second string, would surely have won the deciding rubber.

Sadly, the fifth lacked any drama as a woeful litany of errors from Khan – seven in all – gave Jans the game 9-4, Khan losing a match which she could just well have won.

A relieved Jans was very much aware of their previous matches:
“ I was prepared for a long battle. I knew I had to keep the ball away from her forehand, which is deadly if you give her anything loose. My boasting is just a bad habit, because I got away with it before. But at this level you can’t and finally I started driving deep,” she told Squashtalk.

With the tie won and the US condemned to the 13-16 group, Shabana Khan won the hard fought best-of-three final rubber against Margo Green.

CLOSE CALL FOR NEW ZEALAND

Fiona Geaves beat Daphne Jelgersma (photo ©2002 Fritz Brochert)

“I’m delighted that we have made our seeding,” said a relieved Carol Owens, avoiding my question of how they would fare in the semifinal against England, who beat Netherlands as expected. However the match between the number ones, Linda Charman and Vanessa Atkinson was good, hard exciting squash. Charman won in three but it was closer than the scoreline suggests.

Vanessa Atkinson and Linda Charman (photo ©2002 Fritz Brochert

Afternoon results:

1-8 Playoffs:
New Zealand 2 South Africa 1
1 Carol Owens bt Farrah Sterne 9-2 9-1 9-2(16 min)
2 Shelley Kitchen bt Claire Nitch 9-3 9-3 9-1(25 min)
3 Lara Petera lost to Sjeanne Cawdry 9-7 7-9 9-4 6-9 2-9 (66 min)

England (2) 3 Netherlands 0
1 Linda Charman bt Vanessa Atkinson 9-7 9-3 9-0 (36 min)
2 Tania Bailey bt Annelize Naude 9-6 9-5 0-0 (22 min)
3 Fiona Geaves bt Daphne Jelgersma 9-1 9-2 9-3 (20 min)

9-16 Playoffs:
Canada 2 USA 1
1 Melanie Jans bt Latasha Khan 7-9 9-6 9-10 9-6 9-4 (64 min)
2 Margo Green lost to Shabana Khan 9-5 6-9 7-9 (32 min)
3 Lauren Wagner bt Julia Beaver 9-2 10-8 7-9 9-7 (41 min)

Germany 1 Hong Kong 2
1 Elisabet Sado lost to Rebecca Chiu 4-9 0-9 3-9 (23 min)
2 Olga Puigdemont Sola lost to Christina Mak 4-9 9-10 3-9 (45 min)
3 Laia Sans bt Elise Ng 9-0 9-5 9-2 (16 min)

17-19 Round Robin:
India 3 Austria 0
1 Joshna Chinappa bt Pamela Pancis 9-7 9-2 6-9 9-3 (39 min)
2 Mekhala Subedar bt Ines Gradnitzer 9-1 9-1 9-0 (20 min)
3 Vaidehi Reddy bt Birgit Coufal 9-2 9-2 9-10 9-4 (46 min)