DRAW & RESULTS
  
EN FRANÇAIS
  
PREVIEW
from Malcolm Willstrop
  

the court in Cathedral Hall

Darwish in control

The first match of the evening match was short, but not very sweet. Egypt's Karim Darwish was totally in control from start to finish, with Davide Bianchetti never settling and was never happy.

Bianchetti's control started to ebb away as Darwish moved inexorably to a win, and on the final point the Italian hit the glass and cracked his racket which he proceeded to snap in half ... 

Olli on his 'A' game

When Dan Jenson plays it’s 50/50% on-the-day which game he’ll bring to play. With Olli Tuominen the percentage range drops to 95/5%. 95% of the time, you know he’ll bring his “A” game.

A fit and trim Jenson entered the court looking like he had his “A” game with him. But he trailed in the first game, playing catch up squash all the way before losing it 8-11.

Olli kept the game pace fast again in the second game and down 5-8, Jensen hit a misguided boast into the tin. He grimaced in frustration snarling his face and clenching his fists. Olli worked Jenson back and forth on the forehand side of the court to good effect winning the second game 11-7.

Jenson successfully slowed the pace down in the third by hitting higher on the front wall. Off to a quick lead, the Aussie ran the score up 5-1. Ollie impatiently looked to quickly finish rallies with boasts that kept hitting the tin. Ollie tried to fake a backhand long cross-court drive off a backhand drop ... failed twice and eventually stopped doing it.

Jenson, now up 6-3, became distracted by two fifth graders from the new Metro Squash program (located in the Hyde Park neighbourhood of Chicago, near the University of Chicago) wearing white shirts who squirreled around behind the front wall. Jenson called let on service and asked the ref to have them sit down.

“Sit Down” came the call from referee Graham Waters. They finally did. Possibly feeling guilty about his request, Jensen lost the next three points.

The score was now tied at 6-6. Then it was Jensen’s turn to start attacking with Olli’s good length evaporating. He took the third 11/8.

In the fourth and final game, Ollie’s confidence returned and he brought the pace back up to the quick tempo of the first and second.

"I decided to up the pace in the fourth," said the Finn who has been as high as 14 on the pro circuit. Seeded 14, he takes on 10th seed Nick Matthew tomorrow.

Great White on course

Defending champion John White wasted no time in his opening match, demonstrating his array of attacking weaponry as he despatched English qualifier Ben Garner in a little under half an hour.

Ricketts Battles Through

Patrons may have been confused watching tonight's match. Was this Aussie rules football or a squash match?

World number 19 Wael El Hindi and third seed Anthony Ricketts tossed around their combined estimated weight of 375 pounds on the court with rough, aggressive, nick-filled squash.

The refs had their hands full cutting off let discussions, assuring "all pick-ups were good'" and pleas to "play on".

In the end Ricketts won the right to advance from a gracious and talented El Hindi.

Gough knows the Game

17th seed Alex Gough just edged out long time best friend and qualifier Simon Parke, winning in four.

Billed as the “Battle of the Old Men” by the tournament announcer, with a combined age of 64 he might have been correct.

It certainly was the longest match of the day running 70 minutes.

Parke won the first game 11/6. But fate switched its nod with Gough taking the remaining three. These well-matched pros created long, hard rallies with each knowing well each other’s games. Both play with a similar style and produced loads of tight deep drives.

At one point in the cantakerous third game, Parke encouraged the crowd to applaud for a let. Then the 34-year old Parke asked for a change of ball stating it was dead to no avail as Gough took both the third and fourth 11-8 then 11-3.

Gough now faces the task of attempting a win over Palmer on Saturday.
 

Ryding feels at home

There may be two opponents on court when Joe Kneipp plays squash; the visible one and some alter ego he keeps a running conversation with. Occasionally, snippets of this conversation spill out to dampen any flicker of progress and this evening included these reflective queries, “How about playing a rally?” and “How about playing a point or two?”

Finding himself on the wrong side of several calls, his best quip with the referee was “How was that a winner?” delivered in the best Rodney Martinesque-manner. “That might be for you but not for me.” Then gesturing into the court with his racquet he continued, “I’m in with this lot.”

The 32-year old Kneipp showed sparks of brilliance with crosscourt volley drops but never caught fire in the three-game loss. Frequently anticipating the wrong direction, Ryding caught Kneipp several times wrong footed and exposed a weakness in retrieving to the forehand front corner.

Ryding, who stuck to the basics, was not troubled by jet leg or tired legs.

Travelling from the other side of the world, Kneipp and fellow Aussies Jenson, Pilley and Palmer have all been complaining about jet lag, though with the upcoming three PSA events in Dayton, Virginia and New York, all hope to mount a better attack in the next month.
  

  
DRAW & RESULTS
  
EN FRANÇAIS
  
PREVIEW
from Malcolm Willstrop
  

the court in Cathedral Hall