Nicol Edged Out, But Willstrop In British Open Final

Early England disappointment at the loss of Peter Nicol in a dramatic semi-final of the Dunlop British Open at the National Squash Centre in Manchester today turned to jubilation at the end of the day when Yorkshire's James Willstrop produced a stunning comeback to earn a first ever appearance in the prestigious event's final.

Seventh seed Willstrop will face Australia's No6 seed Anthony Ricketts in the men's climax, while the women's final will also introduce a new champion when Malaysia's third seed Nicol David takes on Australia's fourth seed Natalie Grinham.

In one of the most dramatic matches ever seen on the all-glass showcourt at Sportcity, Peter Nicol narrowly failed in his bid to reach the final for the sixth time when he lost out to Ricketts in a 95-minute marathon which had the packed crowd on the edges of their seats.

The twice former champion reached the last four after upsetting France's world No1 Thierry Lincou in a 74-minute quarter-final on Saturday. But the 32-year-old from London, conceding six years to his opponent, showed little sign of fatigue as he built up a 2/1 lead.

Ricketts, however, piled on the pressure in the fourth to level the match with the loss of just two points as the veteran campaigner began to look vanquished.

Despite being 1/4 and then 5/9 down, Nicol refused to give up - in one rally twice having to pick himself up from the floor to continue the fight back against the younger Australian as he levelled to nine-all. The Englishman saved one match ball to force the decider into a tie-break, but Ricketts ultimately prevailed to reach the final for the first time.

It was a smiling Nicol, however, who announced later: "It's all coming right!

"I'm not always going to win, but I'm pleased with the way I played and that's the most important thing," said the former Scot.

Ricketts, who was out of action for more than half of last year following surgery on his knee, was delighted to have made it through to his maiden British Open final: "Last year I didn't know what was going on with my life - so to be in the British Open final is a dream come true.

"It almost doesn't seem right - but I'm going to do my best to enjoy the occasion," added the 26-year-old from Sydney.

In talking of his opponent's incredible fight back in the fifth, Ricketts said: "I've learned over the years never to underestimate Peter Nicol."

Ricketts was asked whether he felt he had it in the bag at 9-5. "No - that's when he's most dangerous."

The other match featured Willstrop, in his first semi-final, and Canada's 1999 champion Jonathon Power. The 31-year-old from Montreal led throughout the first game and had three game balls in the second before Willstrop, 22, fought back to draw level.

In just five minutes, Power reclaimed the advantage to move 2/1 ahead - but the young Yorkshireman, a former world junior champion from Pontefract, stuck to his task and after 77 minutes secured a magnificent 5-11 11-10 3-11 11-6 11-7 upset over the world number two.

"The turning point for me was when I came on in the fourth and made a good start - that certainly lessened the pressure slightly," said the 6' 4" Englishman.

"One of my main targets this year is to win a major - and it can't get much more major than this!"

Power felt he threw the match away: "I should have won it three zero - he stole the second game as a result of my negativity.

"He fell off in the third and I thought I had him. We were both tired, but in the fifth it was his reach that took over. But he played well," conceded the former champion.

Earlier, Nicol David became the second Malaysian to upset an Australian defending champion in the event when she recovered from 2/1 down to beat top seed Rachael Grinham 3-9 9-7 7-9 9-4 9-1 in 69 minutes in the first women's semi-final.

"When Rachael starts off so strongly, it's so hard to break up her rhythm," said the 22-year-old from Penang after the high quality match. "Then I started to play my game, and she stepped back a bit, and I went on," explained the former twice world junior champion.

"But my mind's a blur right now - I can't believe that I'm in the final," said David, after her third successive win over the Australian since July.

Rachael Grinham was downcast afterwards, but refused to acknowledge that pressure of a third successive title played on her mind: "Sometimes first round matches can be a bit nerve-wracking - but by the time you get to the semis, you're well into the tournament," said the reigning world number one.

"I just couldn't play my game tonight. In the decider I didn't seem to ever get a chance - she was really chopping the ball in."

Later in the evening, Rachael's younger sister Natalie Grinham ensured the family name's presence in the women's final after beating England's Tania Bailey 10-8 9-1 9-2 in 44 minutes.

"We were talking earlier and agreed that at least one of us should be in the final, to try and keep the family name on the trophy," said the Netherlands-based Queenslander afterwards.

Observers were quick to point out to 27-year-old Grinham that she had beaten her final opponent on each of the last four occasions they met.

"Yes, but we haven't played each other this year yet - and I feel that the last time I beat her, in the 2004 World Open in Malaysia, was the turning point for Nicol as she began her charge up the world rankings."

Men's semi-finals:
[6] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt [5] Peter Nicol (ENG) 9-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-2, 11-10 (2-0) (95m)
[7] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [4] Jonathon Power (CAN) 5-11, 11-10 (2-0), 3-11, 11-6, 11-7 (77m)

Women's semi-finals:
[3] Nicol David (MAS) bt [1] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 3-9, 9-7, 7-9, 9-4, 9-1 (69m)
[4] Natalie Grinham (AUS) bt [8] Tania Bailey (ENG) 10-8, 9-1, 9-2 (44m)