Motivated top seeds to battle
for one of squash's richest titles
Frenchman Thierry Lincou will return to Hong Kong to have another crack at the title of Hong Kong Champion following spectacular performances at last year's Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open that saw him beat World No 1 Peter Nicol and World No 5 Stewart Boswell on his way to the final.
Lincou, whose mother is Chinese, received roaring support from the crowd as he campaigned to return to the top after a wrist injury. He was stopped at the last hurdle by World No 3 David Palmer of Australia - a win that propelled Palmer to the top of the world rankings.
Lincou, now ranked No 4 in the world, will come up against stiff opposition. Palmer will be battling to retain his title and to avenge his defeat at the hands of Nicol at the Commonwealth Games held recently in Manchester, England. Boswell will be similarly motivated, having had to, like Palmer, settle for a bronze medal after his defeat by World No 2 Jonathon Power of Canada.
For his part, Power will be keen to edge ahead of Nicol by winning a tournament he missed last year due to food poisoning. Following Power's defeat of Nicol to win the gold medal at the Commonwealth Games, the two are now even at 15 all – in terms of matches won against one another, that is.
The most popular tournament on the squash circuit, Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open 2002 will feature the strongest showing ever, with the top 34 players in the world having all registered to participate. The winner will take home HK$136,500.
The event will be held at the Hong Kong Squash Centre and Hong Kong Park Indoor Games Hall from August 27 to September 1, 2002.
Lincou makes 2001 final ...
... but Palmer is the champion
I'll be back!