Packed house in Detroit as French veteran overcomes Aussie ace
By Squash Mad Correspondent
May 4, 2014 – Thierry Lincou beat David Palmer in four games to win the 2014 Professional Squash Tour World Championship on Sunday afternoon in front of a capacity crowd at the Detroit Athletic Club in Detroit, Michigan.
Game scores were 11-5, 11-5, 3-11, 14-12. Tournament action was presented by First American Title Insurance Company.
The championship match started with Lincou looking very much the stronger player. He won both games one and two by a score of 11-5. Game three, however, saw Palmer dramatically increase his intensity as he found more opportunities to take the ball early off of the front wall. He coasted to an 11-3 victory in the third game.
Game four was action packed from the start. Both players fought corner to corner. The rallies were noticably longer, and neither player seemed willing to relent. Lincou did have four match balls with a 10-6 lead. However, as Palmer has been known to do in the past, he fought fearlessly to level the match at 10-10.
The final points were brilliant at times at mystifying at others. For example, both players won a rally when their opponent quixotically swung and missed the ball from a relatively easy position. But game four’s action was mostly corner to corner combinations of brilliant lobs, drops and drives with both players using every tool at their disposal.
PST Commissioner Joe McManus said, “It was the greatest final we’ve had to date on the Professional Squash Tour. The capacity crowd’s standing ovation for both players was testament to that.”
This marked Palmer’s third consecutive appearance in the PST finals. He entered this year’s event as the tour’s reigning champion. 2014 was Lincou’s first appearance in the PST finals.
Both won early round matches 3-0. Lincou beat Rob Wilkins (Wales) in his quarter final match and Robbie Temple (England) in the semis. Palmer beat Phil Wilkins (Wales) in the quarters and John Roberts (Northern Ireland) in the semis.
This year marked PST’s third consecutive year hosting its tour championship at the Detroit Athletic Club. PST’s “Road to Detroit” will continue next year as the DAC celebrates the 100th anniversary of their current building’s existence.
Picture courtesy of PST