Greg Imperious
Malcolm Willstrop reports

Gregory Gaultier began a match that looked close on paper in tremendous fashion, pinning Stewart Boswell deep in the court and creating uncertainty from the first rally.

Nor did things get better for the beleagured Australian, as he not unnaturally became increasingly frustrated, as Gaultier sustained an almost flawless performance for three games in which Boswell acquired very few points.

After his fine win over Anthony Ricketts on Tuesday, Boswell will be grossly disappointed by his inability to make an impact on the Frenchman. But the credit must go to Gaultier, who, if he continues to play with such authority will take some beating.

The player's view ... Stacey Ross reports

Today didn’t produce the result most would have penned in. A real battle was eagerly expected but didn’t arrive. Today was Greg at his best with Stewart perhaps a little jaded from his first round efforts.

From the beginning Greg gave range to his shots with just the right margin, his first mistake and Stewart’s first point not coming until 5/1. The remainder of the first continued in this vein. Stewart struggled to find any sort of rhythm and Greg giving nothing away, Stewart’s second point not coming until 10/2, Greg took the first 11/3.

The second followed a similar pattern to the first with Stewart scoring just one more point. Greg hitting cautiously wide of Stewart’s long reach and making it difficult for Stewart to assume his normal position in the middle.

The start of the third saw the pace move up a level with Stewart making a concerted effort to try to keep Greg behind. But no inroads were made as Greg looked impenetrable, racing to an 8/0 lead and the frustration in Stewart’s game finally showing. Stewart could only manage two more points with the match ending a very one-sided affair.

MY IMPRESSIONS

WHAT DO I KNOW????

Once again, it was proven if proof was needed that I know F.A. about squash, as I really thought that after Peter’s wobbling performance against Peter Barker in the first round, David Palmer would be the man to beat the Boss for the last time on British soil.

And the Marine really went for it, playing superbly, a delightful touch, inch perfect length, a crisp and sharp game with flair and panache. Totally and beautifully in control.

But baoum. Like against Thierry in the live TV final in Liverpool at the end of the season, where the Australian was comfortably 1/0 and 8/4 in the second, David relaxed.

Big mistake.

If the Boss hadn’t pressed the “on” button up to then, if he was a bit slow, not in the “retrieve or die” mood yet, he really didn’t fancy leaving the European Squash scene by the backdoor on a poorly performance. Don’t mind losing that much, but not 3/0, he must have thought.

And then it happened. Peter switched on his magic “mental squash”, started reeling David in, point by point, nibbling his confidence shot after shot after shot, until he didn’t know where to twist and turn, where to put the ball, and finally mentally accept defeat.

Like James Willstrop stated a few years back, “Squash is such a mental game it’s a joke…”

Cussed ... that's the word

"I used to not like losing, but now I just love winning," said the defending champion to Malcolm Willstrop after the match.

Top seed David Palmer looked home and dry at a game and 10/5 up, but you can never count Peter Nicol out, and a couple of gift points gave him all he needed to claw his way back into contention.

Suddenly the match was on, and when Nicol retrieved like a demon before hitting a volley-nick to level the the match the packed crowd at the Crucible roared its delight.

The third and fourth were close all the way, both players working hard now, but it was Nicol who proved just that bit more stubborn - 'cussed', as Malcolm described it.

A tremendous long dropshot took him to matchball, a similar attempt from Palmer clipped the tin, and The Boss was into another major semi-final, and receiving another standing ovation ... how many more ???

"I relaxed too much at the end of the second game, and then, the game just swung around from me dominating so much to him controlling the rallies. "As long as the match went, he ran with the confidence, and I just lost it. In the third and fourth I always felt as if I was behind, even when the score was close. "I always knew the start of the season was going to be hard, but I got two good matches out of this event, and that’s good in preparation for the worlds in two weeks…" David Palmer

Thierry toughs it out

Thierry Lincou's win tonight might have gone with the rankings, but it was far from easy against a determined British Champion with all of Sheffield there to support him.

In some respects it was a typical Lincou match - drop the first, get back into the match and end up the comfortable winner. But it was harder than that, with the match hinging on several key swings.

In the tight first game, Matthew came from 8/10 down to win it on the tie-break, while Lincou had a purple patch in the second, going from 4-all to 10/4.

In the third it was Lincou's who again had the crucial run, recovering from 7/2 down to level at 8-all and get the better of four really tough rallies at the end of the game.

By now both were playing well, with the Frenchman just a little more into the groove, having to work hard but doing enough to stay ahead. From 8/5 Lincou won two punishing rallies before clinching the match with a deceptive crosscourt from the front.

Tomorrow's 'Entente Cordiale' was well and truly on ...

"Thierry has come back against me a lot of times, and no matter the game plan I had when I started the match, I always have that weakness against him, when I’m up, I let him come back up again. It’s a combination of him playing very well, and me unable to close it out. "I think Thierry is the only player on the circuit that doesn’t give you ANYTHING. Some others are sometimes… very kind! But Thierry, you’ve got to work hard for every point. "I’m a bit disappointed, but not too much, I still made him work to beat me. I enjoyed the tournament even if getting Thierry second round was a tough draw, I enjoyed playing tonight, I think we had a good game, that I played well. "Every time I play Thierry, every time I’m learning something, and hopefully, I will have that mental toughness one day, and I’ll beat him…" Nick Matthew