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TODAY at the Nationals: Fri 12th,
Day SIX
Steve Cubbins in Manchester |
| Quarters
take two ...
[4] Laura Massaro bt [7]
Sarah Kippax 12/10, 11/13, 9/11,
11/4, 11/7 (60m)
[3] James Willstrop bt [8] Joey Barrington
11/8, 11/9, 11/5 (38m)
[2] Alison Waters bt [8] Emma Beddoes
11/4, 11/8, 11/7 (28m)
[6] Daryl Selby bt [2] Peter Barker
14/12, 11/5, 6/11, 11/6 (60m) |
Masters Update
from Martin Pearse
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[4] Laura
Massaro bt [7] Sarah Kippax
12/10, 11/13, 9/11, 11/4,
11/7 (60m)
Laura hangs on
When you go into a match with a 10-0 head to head record with
someone who's never takes more than a game off you, it must come
as a shock when you find yourself struggling for survival in a
tournament you really, really want to win.
 That's
what happened to Laura Massaro tonight, as she came across Sarah
Kippax playing probably as well as she ever has.
It started well enough for Laura, keeping her nose in front in
the first game, getting to 9/5, but from there Sarah hit six
winners, Laura one tin and the fourth seed was a game down.
The match didn't have too much pace to it at this stage, both
girls placing the ball mare than attacking it, but Laura was
still getting the better of the exchanges and she again went to
9/5 in the second. Again Sarah came back, this time with a
mixture of her winners and Laura's errors, but this time she
finished it with a winning drop on her second game ball.
Sarah carried that momentum into the third, quickly going 6/1
up, soon made it 10/3. She was playing well, utilising the lob
to great effect, and Laura was struggling to find an answer. Now
though, she started putting more pace on the ball, more like her
normal game, and it started working. She got as far back as 9/10
with Sarah getting more anxious as the gap closed, until much to
her relief she snapped a crosscourt wide of her opponent to take
the lead.
 But
the momentum was now with Laura, and she dominated the fourth,
taking it 11/4. Crisis averted? Not yet, as Sarah got her game
back together, cut out the errors and kept marginally ahead in
the decider, up to a 7/6 lead.
That was as close as she got though, Laura reeled off the last
five points - all with winning shots - to move, mightily
relieved, into another semi-final.
It looks as those two recent losses to Raneem El Weleily in the
States knocked her confidence ... hopefully this will help
restore it.
 "I
don't know what happened there, my brain went a bit in the
middle, I was 9/5 up in the first two games and my movement went
a bit flat.
"I was a bit edgy, I've had a couple of bad losses and tonight
she made me feel like I didn't have my rhythm. My movement
wasn't there and I was going short far too much, my games about
hitting it hard and dominating and I couldn't seem to do that.
"She was playing well though, the best she's ever played against
me, and took advantage.
"I've been working on enjoying the match, not worrying about the
score and playing the result, but that's exactly what I did.
It's a relief to win, but it almost feels like I lost ..."
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[3] James
Willstrop bt [8] Joey Barrington
11/8, 11/9, 11/5 (38m)
James steps it up
Any doubts about James Willstrop's fitness after his troubles in
Sweden were put to rest tonight as he came through a tough match
with Joey Barrington, but still managed to get him off in under
40 minutes, which is some achievement given Joey's record of
hogging court time.
 Joey
competed well throughout the first two games, staying a couple
of point behind through most of the first, and keeping in touch
through to 8-all in the second. There were more than a few fast,
scrambling rallies and Joey was holding his own in those too.
James put a volley into the tin to give Joey the lead, and then
seemed to decide enough was enough. He dominated the next three
rallies, putting venom into his shots, and on game ball had his
opponent running from corner to corner before volleying a high
boast into the nick with Joey still in the opposite back corner.
That set the mood for the third, James in control despite a
couple of careless tins and a serve out, he was soon enough into
the semi-finals.
 "We've
played each other for so long, it's always tough, he fetches
everything back and makes it difficult for you to dominate him.
It's good fun, but hard.
"The second was a bit of a bitty game, the ball sort of went
dead and getting it through deep was hard, it's quite cool in
here anyway.
"I pushed up a little, maybe went for it a bit more, taking it
to him, and that seemed to work.
"I feel good. Whatever I did in Sweden put my body out of kilter
and I needed a few days of work on it. I've had that, then a few
confidence issues at the start of the week but everything seems
ok now.
"There's a good crowd in from Pontefract today, it's like the
old Beachill days, I hope they stay around for another couple of
days ..."
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"I
can’t complain, I had a good couple of weeks in America. I was
seeded one in both events, but it was still tough – and my goal
was to win both.
"I’m not going to step off when I play Laura tomorrow. Being in
the Nationals semi-finals is always a big occasion."
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[2] Alison
Waters bt [8] Emma Beddoes
11/4, 11/8, 11/7 (28m)
Emma enjoys it
It's got to be a daunting task to go on against a world top five
player who's comfortable on glass courts - this glass court
especially - in front of "the biggest crowd I've ever played
before".
 And
it showed at the start as Alison Waters, four-time finalist an
champion here two years ago, took the first game 11/4 with Emma
Beddoes still trying to find her range and her shots.
To her credit though, Emma got more and more into the match,
competing strongly in the rallies and making Alison do a fair
bit of work. Of course Emma was doing more work, Alison's
volleying always makes sure of that, and it was the second seed
who was more capable of cutting a rally short, but in the second
game she struggled to shake Emma off.
She moved ahead from 6/5 to 9/5, but Emma hung in, came back to
9/7 and it took a volley into her opponent's chest to finally
put the game to bed 11/8.
After a close opening to the third, Alison pulled clear from
3-all to 9/4, Emma pulled a few points back but it was too late
now as Alison glued a final dropshot to the wall to reach
another semi-final.
"It's a bit of a
shock to the system coming onto court in a venue like this in a
big tournament in front of a big crowd. I wasn't especially
nervous, but I was a bit drained of adrenalin at the start.
"I got into a lot of the rallies and made her work for them, but
it's so difficult to get the ball past her. I'd loved to have
snuck a game but she makes you work for every point so getting
eleven is difficult, and I think I was a bit more tired than her
at the end!"
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[6] Daryl Selby
bt [2] Peter Barker
14/12, 11/5, 6/11, 11/6
(60m)
Selby produces the upset
Daryl Selby created the first significant upset of the
tournament (excluding the Masters) when he beat his long-time
Essex teammate Peter Barker to reach the Nationals semi-finals
for the first time.
In truth it was a strange match, effectively decided by a
33-minute first game which Selby took on extra points, both
having held game balls.
Then we had three games of 7 minutes each, each quite different
- and very different from that brutal first. And rather than
report on them, let's let Daryl tell the story ...
 "The
first was crucial, I just managed to get two decent shots in at
the end to win it.
"In the second I think he was a bit frustrated about losing the
first and I got on top.
"He came out attacking everything in the third. The ball had
gone a bit dead and he noticed it quicker than me and caught me
off guard and I lost my length.
""In the fourth I got a better length and got on top again. At
8/2 I thought surely I can't lose this now, but I almost managed
to as he came back with some more winners.
"We're such good friends, it's a pity one of us has to lose, but
if someone has to win I'll pick me every time!"
"It's great to make the semis for the first time, but to be
honest this is the first time I've come here thinking I had a
chance to do really well. I've at least gone one better than my
seeding now, but actually winning it, it's more a dream than
thinking about it.
"I'd have to beat James, then Nick or Adrian, but if I did
manage to do that it would be by far the biggest achievement of
my career ..."
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