The fourteenth-seeded Team USA went down to Australia today in the first round of the knock-out stage of the World Men’s Team Championships.

Having reached the knock-out stage in the first place was an accomplishment in itself, guaranteeing the team a top 16 finish. The first match on was Christopher Gordon against the Australian number two and PSA tour veteran Stewart Bowell. The fifteenth-ranked Boswell took down Gordon in a quick three games 11-3, 11-5, 11-7. Boswell’s length was too good for Gordon, who had trouble keeping up with the pace and found himself making errors when he was put under such pressure. Julian Illingworth was next up against the Australian number one and world number four David Palmer. Palmer, who was suspended for the 2005 World Men’s Team Championships, also made quick work of his American opponent, winning 11-5, 11-4, 11-5. Palmer was just a level above Illingworth on the day, reading the American like a book and attacking every ball that was not perfect. Palmer would end many points with his incredible anticipation, putting himself in perfect position for volley kills in the mid-court. In the knock-out stage, dead rubber matches are best of three games. Jamie Crombie faced off against Australian number four Scott Arnold, an up-and-coming young Aussie, with Palmer-like height and legs as thin as golf clubs. Crombie came out firing, shunning the notion that his match “didn’t matter.” He took the first game 11-7, playing some of his best squash, utilizing trickle boasts, volley drops, and holds to keep his lanky opponent off balance. The next game was neck and neck, with the older Crombie now struggling to keep pace with the young, run-and-gun Aussie. The game went from 5-5, to 6-6, then to 7-7, before Arnold brought Crombie to the front before killing the ball to the back two points in a row and winning the next two points off of Crombie errors. The third and deciding game picked up where the second game left off. Arnold was now playing with a lot more confidence and managed to secure an 11-4 game to end the match. So it was 3-0 to the Aussies, but the Americans showed great promise and meet South Africa tomorrow on the all-glass center court for a chance in the top twelve.

Preview of tomorrow’s match:

Julian Illingworth v. Jesse Engelbrecht – Julian is playing superb squash at the minute and is riding high on confidence. Having just been on court with two of the world’s best in Thierry Lincou and David Palmer, he should feel rather comfortable against the South African’s slower pace. Engelbrecht is much more of a retriever than a shot-maker, preferring to track balls down and win points on his opponent’s errors rather than playing winners of his own. Julian should be able to pull this one out and the team is banking on his victory.

Christopher Gordon v. Steve Coppinger – This is the match that may decide the results of the team match. Coppinger is quite an effective player and Gordon will definitely have his hands full. However, Gordon has peaked quite nicely for this event, as shown in his five game marathon against top-30 player Renan Lavigne not three days ago. Gordon will have to be ready for a push and shove match, as Coppinger tends to like a physical match.

Jamie Crombie v. Adrian Hansen – Crombie played beautiful squash today against Scott Arnold. He will need a similar performance tomorrow against Hansen. South Africa is a difficult team to beat because of their depth, with all three of their top players on a very playing level and having beaten each other in PSA and regional tournaments this year.