RESULTS Mamut English Open, Crucible Theatre, Sheffield, England
Quarter-finals:
[5] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt [1] David Palmer (AUS) 6-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-10 (3-1), 11-8 (63m)
[7] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Stewart Boswell (AUS) 11-3, 11-4, 11-2 (42m)
[8] Lee Beachill (ENG) bt [4] James Willstrop (ENG) 11-2, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8 (68m)
[2] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [6] Nick Matthew (ENG) 10-11 (0-2), 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 (62m)
Women's 1st round:
[1] Lauren Briggs (ENG) bt Emma Chorley (ENG) 9-4, 9-5, 9-5 (36m)
[3/4] Lauren Siddall (ENG) bt Karen Leach (WAL) 3-9, 9-3, 9-4, 9-7 (38m)
[3/4] Laura Hill (ENG) bt [Q] Adel Weir (RSA) 9-1, 9-1, 9-1 (20m)
[2] Rebecca Botwright (ENG) bt Emma Beddoes (ENG) 9-3, 9-5, 9-3 (28m)
British squash hero Peter Nicol gave little credence to the fact that he is on the verge of retiring when he staged a dramatic comeback to beat long-time adversary David Palmer, the world No2 from Australia, in tonight's (Thursday) quarter-finals of the Mamut English Open, hosted by Sheffield City Council, at the Crucible Theatre in Sheffield.
The 33-year-old from London, playing his farewell event in the UK, was a game down to top seed Palmer, and game ball at 5-10 behind in the second, when he mounted an incredible fight-back. In a single hand, Nicol saved five game balls to force the game into a tie-break, which he then duly won to draw level.
The third game of this re-match of March's Commonwealth Games final in Melbourne – won in similarly dramatic style by the Englishman - also went to a tie-break, with Palmer twice saving game balls before Nicol forged a 2/1 advantage.
With victory in his sights, fifth seed and defending champion Nicol charged on to secure his remarkable 6-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-10 (3-1), 11-8 victory in 63 minutes.
"For the first game and a half, David really controlled the game and played exceptionally – but then he got edgy and lost a bit of his concentration," said Nicol after the pair's 20th clash in major international events, with the Englishman now 14-6 ahead.
"But then I got a better length, especially from the end of the second through to the fourth game – and started to volley a lot, something I haven't been doing for a while now. And because I was volleying, I was controlling the game more.
"But what I was very happy with was the fact that I stepped forward and started to control the rallies," explained the four-times Commonwealth Games gold medallist, cheered on by a capacity Crucible crowd.
"There was fantastic support – I felt the crowd were really behind me, and it really does help!"
Earlier, Frenchman Gregory Gaultier claimed the first semi-final place when he beat Australia's surprise quarter-finalist Stewart Boswell. The unseeded 28-year-old from Canberra was unable to reproduce the same form which saw him upset third-seeded compatriot Anthony Ricketts in the opening round – and went down 11-3, 11-4, 11-2 to fast-improving Gaultier in 42 minutes.
Gaultier, the 23-year-old world No8 from Aix-en-Provence, will meet Nicol for a place in the final. "It'll be a tough match," admitted title-holder Nicol. "I watched Greg tonight and he was exceptional. He'll be desperate to do well – and he is ten years younger!"
Despite being the top-ranked Englishman in the event – six places higher than opponent Lee Beachill – James Willstrop failed to end the career-long sequence of losses to his Pontefract club-mate in tonight's all-Yorkshire quarter-final.
"I got off to an unbelievable start, and James didn't – he made a few mistakes and I took advantage of them," summed up eighth seed Beachill after his nominal 'upset' over fourth-seeded Willstrop.
"I'm happy with the way I'm playing – and happy to be in the semi-finals," added the 28-year-old following his 11-2, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8 victory in 68 minutes – a win which marks Beachill's sixth PSA Tour victory over 23-year-old Willstrop since their first meeting at the Crucible two years ago, when Beachill went on to lift the English Open title.
Willstrop, however, had a different story to tell after tonight's match: "I was awful, I'm really disappointed. It was a pretty poor performance on my part really – but then again it seems like it's a pattern every time I play Lee. I struggle to impose my game on him at the moment - and that's all there is to it!"
The second semi-final will also be an Anglo/French clash. Hopes of a second successive final appearance for Sheffield's own Nick Matthew were dashed by French No1 Thierry Lincou, the No2 seed.
After dropping the first game, Lincou came back to beat the 26-year-old local hero 10-11 (0-2), 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 to set up his second meeting this year with Beachill.
Official website: www.englishopensquash.com