Palmer Denies Beachill Liverpool Final Berth

Australia's David Palmer dashed hopes of a home finalist in the biggest ranking event in England for five years when he beat Yorkshire's Lee Beachill in four games in today's semi-finals of the Liverpool 08 Open at St George's Hall in the heart of Merseyside.

Event favourite Palmer was in blistering form in the first game to take the early advantage. But Beachill, the fifth seed who is rediscovering his form after dropping to a four-year low world No11 this week, bounced back to draw level.

Admitting later that he wrongly pushed too hard in the second game, Palmer refocused in the third and ultimately strode to an 11-9, 4-11, 11-7, 11-6 victory in 57 minutes.

"I didn't play badly, but he played more winning shots against me than he's ever done before - which shows how relaxed he is and how well he's playing at the moment," conceded Beachill, the 28-year-old former world No1 from Pontefract.

"We've had a lot of very hard matches over recent years, and some which were not very good to watch, but tonight's was a very good match, with very few incidents," explained the Englishman.

"He played well - but then he had to to beat me."

Palmer agreed that winning the first game had been crucial. "I had a really good start - which was important as to have had to come back after losing the first game would have been tough.

"Over the past six months or so, Lee seems to be making more errors than he used to - in the middle of the third and fourth games he gave me some easy points," added the 29-year-old from Lithgow in New South Wales, also a former world No1.

"But I've sensed a keenness in his approach here in Liverpool," said Palmer. "But he always plays well in England, he's always more tough to beat at home."

In the 40th major final of his career, Palmer goes on to face Frenchman Thierry Lincou, the third seed who beat Egyptian Karim Darwish 11-8, 5-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-6 in the other semi-final.

Lincou resisted a spirited fight back by eighth seed Egypt's Karim Darwish, winning in four games to reach his 30th major international final.

The former world No1 from Marseille took early control of the match on the all-glass court at St George's Hall to open up a 1/0 lead after 15 minutes. But Darwish romped away with the second game and quickly established a 9-3 lead in the third.

The 24-year-old underdog from Cairo, who has lost all of the previous five PSA Tour encounters with Lincou, soon reached game ball at 10-6 - one point away from a two-games-to-one lead.

But in a classic do-or-die effort from the Frenchman, Lincou kept up the pressure, saving three game balls before converting his own in the tie-break. Lincou led throughout the fourth before clinching his 11-8, 5-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-6 victory in 60 minutes.

"He's improved a lot over the past six months - with some good scalps and a good run of results," said Lincou of the world number ten. "He's certainly capable of beating anyone - and even though our previous record was in his favour, I knew it wasn't going to be an easy match.

"I feel I played the right shots at the right time, particularly from the third game onwards, but I got tired and had to slow the pace down.

"I had to keep the play on his back hand as he's got such a strong forehand," added Lincou, the world No3.

A despondent Darwish felt he didn't deserve to win: "I was controlling the game at one point, but then he began to play so well, getting everything back. I was just in too much of a hurry.

"After that my brain went," added the Egyptian.

Semi-finals:
[1] David Palmer (AUS) bt [5] Lee Beachill (ENG) 11-9, 4-11, 11-7, 11-6 (57m)
[3] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [8] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-8, 5-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-6 (60m)