Norman beats world No. 2

Press, 15 November 1984, Page 44

Norman beats world No. 2

NZPA staff correspondent London New Zealand’s Ross Norman fought back from 0-4 in the fifth set to beat the world number two, Chris Dittmar, of Australia, for a place in the final of the West German Squash open.

Norman, who said it was one of his “hardest games of the year,” overcame Dittmar in a tough, physical semi-final in Munich, 1-9, 95, 9-5, 1-9, 9-4. “It was a very, very hard game,” said the Aucklander, and much closer than the three-set encounter when he beat Dittmar in the New Zealand open final this year. Norman, ranked ninth in the world, won through in the first major ranking tournament of the northern season, after Dittmar took the fourth set convincingly and held the advantage in the fifth.

“He got the fourth like that because I tried to win it easily,” Norman said. “So I then kept it tight. I knew he was tired from a hard game the previous night.” Norman will play another Australian, Glen Brumby, in the final of a tournament which featured all the

world’s best players apart from the number one, Jahangir Khan, of Pakistan. Brumby, playing at the club where he is the resident coach, beat the Briton, Geoff Williams, in a five-set semi-final.

Norman said because he had such a tough semi-final he would be hard-pressed against the in-form Australian, who put Wellington’s Stuart Davenport out of the tournament.

In the quarter-finals Norman demolished Dean Williams, the Australian who is joint world number four with Davenport, 9-3, 91, 9-2. Norman said he has never lost to Dittmar in their major matches, but has usually been beaten by Williams.

The Aucklander said he does not think his form is as good as it was in the New Zealand open. “I played the best of my life there.”. “But I’m still playing well. My attitude is fresh. I still have vivid memories of last year,” he said, a reference to the parachuting accident which badly injured a leg and almost ended his squash career.