'I deserve to be in the final for I have beaten the defending champion,' says confident Frenchman

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Published: 12:00am, 26 Aug 2001

He is a born-again squash player. People's champion Thierry Lincou will go all out to win his first major title on 'home' soil when he takes on Australia's world number three David Palmer in the final of the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Men's Open today.

Palmer is on the brink of taking over the world number one mantle - a victory today will ensure that - but he will be up against the surprise package of the tournament, Lincou, whose dream run began with the shock eviction of defending champion Peter Nicol in the first round.

'I deserve to be in the final for I have beaten the defending champion,' said Lincou yesterday. He was almost hinting that he deserved to win the title, too. Palmer conceded that Lincou had done wonders, so far. 'He is certainly a surprise. I have not played him for over three years.'

Ranked 20th in the world, Lincou is the lowest-ranked player to enter a Hong Kong final since Australian Steve Bowditch lost to England's Phil Kenyon back in 1985, the year Cathay first sponsored the tournament. Bowditch was ranked 22. It has been 16 years, but at last we have a player from the ranks of the hoi-polloi again. A victory today will see him crowned the people's champion.

Playing in his first tournament since breaking his playing hand four months ago, the Frenchman has taken the US$100,000 men's tournament by storm - first by beating Nicol and then revealing his links to China.

The 25-year-old Lincou defeated Australian Stewart Boswell 12-15, 15-14, 15-7, 15-5 yesterday and then said his sensational streak has all come about because he has 'found the truth' after taking an enforced break from the sport because of his hand injury.

'My four-month break from squash helped me think again. I found the truth and the reasons why I was not doing so well in the past. I have become mentally much stronger and I'm not so inconsistent,' said Lincou whose maternal grandparents fled China during the communist revolution.