Thierry Toppled As Palmer Advances To Qatar Final

Lees than twelve months after winning the World Open title on the same court at the Khalifa International Squash Complex in Doha, France's Thierry Lincou tumbled out of the Qatar Squash Classic after losing a dramatic five-game semi-final to Australia's David Palmer. In his third Classic final in five years, No3 seed Palmer will face eighth seed James Willstrop, the Englishman who avenged his loss to Anthony Ricketts in last month's British Open final by beating the Australian in four games.

England's Vicky Botwright kept up her giant-killing run in the women's event - following her shock quarter-final defeat of world No1 Rachael Grinham by clinching a five-game victory over Malaysia's world no3 Nicol David. In the first WISPA Grand Prix final appearance of her career, Botwright will face defending champion Vanessa Atkinson, the second seed who despatched Australia's fourth seed Natalie Grinham in straight games.

World No1 Lincou took the opening game against Palmer but was taken to tie-breaks in the next two - and edged out of both of them by the third-seeded Australian. The Frenchman fought back to level the match, but Palmer dropped just a single point in the decider to secure a 5-11 11-10 11-10 8-11 11-1 victory in 82 minutes - and his first win over Lincou in three PSA Tour meetings this year.

While former world champion Palmer, 29, from Lithgow in New South Wales, is celebrating his 36th career Tour final - and his fourth of the year - Willstrop is marking his eighth and looking for his first PSA trophy of the year.

Since winning the Pakistan Open last December - when he beat Ricketts in the final - the 22-year-old from Pontefract in Yorkshire has faced the Australian a further five times, now boasting a 4-2 head-to-head advantage. In the Qatar clash between two of the tallest players on the circuit - the Englishman is 6' 4" - Willstrop took 51 minutes to claim his 11-5 4-11 11-4 11-6 revenge win, and a place in his first Doha final.

Vicky Botwright is enjoying the best run of her career this week in Doha. The 28-year-old sixth seed from Manchester twice stemmed fight backs by Nicol David, the third seed, before beating the in-form British Open champion 9-6 2-9 9-7 4-9 9-6 in 60 minutes. Botwright becomes the only player to have beaten Nicol David, winner of six WISPA titles in 2005, more than once this year!

"I think it's the biggest night of my career," said Botwright to www.squashsite.co.uk afterwards. "And beating Rachael and Nicol in the same tournament is just fantastic for me," added the world No7, now in her fifth final of the year.

The other women's semi-final was a more straightforward affair as Atkinson brushed aside Natalie Grinham 9-6 9-5 9-5 in 36 minutes. The 29-year-old from The Hague, winner of the Monte Carlo Classic earlier in the month, is now in the sixth WISPA final of the year, and the 29th of her career.

Men's semi-finals:
[3] David Palmer (AUS) bt [1] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 5-11, 11-10 (3-1), 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 11-1 (82m)
[8] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [7] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) 11-5, 4-11, 11-4, 11-6 (51m)

Women's semi-finals:
[6] Vicky Botwright (ENG) bt [3] Nicol David (MAS) 9-6, 2-9, 9-7, 4-9, 9-6 (60m)
[2] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [4] Natalie Grinham (AUS) 9-6, 9-5, 9-5 (36m)