Anthony Ricketts
Encyclopedia
Anthony Ricketts is a former professional squash
player from Australia
.
Ricketts won the British Open
in 2005, beating James Willstrop
in the final 11-7, 11-9, 11-7. He also won the 2005 Tournament of Champions
title, and the Super Series
Finals in 2006.
At the 2002 Commonwealth Games
, Ricketts won a Silver Medal in the men's doubles partnering Stewart Boswell
. Ricketts and Boswell again won a men's doubles Silver Medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The pair won the men's doubles title at the 2006 World Doubles Squash Championships
.
Ricketts was a member of the Australian team which won the World Team Squash Championships
in 2003.
Following a knee injury, Ricketts announced his retirement from squash in December 2007.
But a knee injury following his appearance in the Apawamis Open in January 2004 caused the Australian to return to Sydney from his UK base in Reading for treatment. He returned to the PSA Tour seven months later at the English Open in Sheffield – and just over a year later clinched the British Open title for the first time and rose to a career-high world No. 3.
Ricketts first came to international notice in the 2000 Hong Kong Open when he came through the qualifiers to reach his first Super Series event semi-finals. Later in the month, he beat top seed Paul Price in the final of the Australian Open to claim his domestic Open title for the first time.
It was in February 2005 in New York, where seeded ten in the Tournament of Champions
, he beat third seed Peter Nicol
, then Amr Shabana
in the semi-finals, before defeating world champion and World No 1 Thierry Lincou
in the final. "This is a big moment for me, I've been waiting for this for a long time," said the Ricketts after beating the Frenchman 11-10 7-11 11-9 6-11 11-7 in 89 minutes to take the what was then the biggest title of his career.
But better was yet to come. In the 2005 British Open in Manchester, the sixth-seeded Ricketts beat Peter Nicol in the semi-finals, then another Englishman James Willstrop
in straight games in the final to add his name to those already on this prestigious trophy.
The success took Ricketts to No. 3 in the world rankings – making him the top-ranked Australian for the first time – and he maintained his momentum through to November's Qatar Classic where he reached the semi-finals as seventh seed. In December, Ricketts beat both Peter Nicol and top seed Thierry Lincou en-route to the final of the maiden Saudi International to celebrate his fourth PSA final appearance of the year.
The UK-based Aussie's success continued into 2006, when he reached the final of the Canary Wharf Classic in London in February, then gained the silver medal (with Stewart Boswell
) in the Commonwealth Games doubles in Melbourne.
In his third appearance in the Super Series Finals in May, Ricketts recovered from losing the first qualifying round match against Lee Beachill to beat the Englishman in the final to win the title for the first time.
Following a knee injury, Ricketts announced his retirement from squash in December 2007.
Squash (sport)
Squash is a high-speed racquet sport played by two players in a four-walled court with a small, hollow rubber ball...
player from Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
.
Ricketts won the British Open
British Open Squash Championships
The British Open Squash Championships is the oldest and most established tournament in the game of squash. It is widely considered to be one of the two most prestigious tournaments in the game, alongside the World Open The British...
in 2005, beating James Willstrop
James Willstrop
James Willstrop is a professional squash player from England.-Biography:Willstrop is recognised as a young squash talent with a big future ahead of him...
in the final 11-7, 11-9, 11-7. He also won the 2005 Tournament of Champions
Tournament of Champions (squash)
The Tournament of Champions is an annual international squash championship held in New York City. In recent years, the event has been held at New York's Grand Central Terminal, in a specially-constructed four-walled glass court in the Vanderbilt Hall....
title, and the Super Series
PSA Super Series
The PSA World Series is a series of men's squash tournaments which are part of the Professional Squash Association World Tour. The PSA World Series touranaments are some of the most prestigious events on the men's tour...
Finals in 2006.
At the 2002 Commonwealth Games
2002 Commonwealth Games
The 2002 Commonwealth Games were held in Manchester, England from 25 July to 4 August 2002. The XVII Commonwealth Games was the largest multi-sport event ever to be held in the UK, eclipsing London's 1948 Summer Olympics in numbers of teams and athletes participating.After the 1996 Manchester...
, Ricketts won a Silver Medal in the men's doubles partnering Stewart Boswell
Stewart Boswell
Stewart Boswell is a professional squash player from Australia.-Career Overview:...
. Ricketts and Boswell again won a men's doubles Silver Medal at the 2006 Commonwealth Games. The pair won the men's doubles title at the 2006 World Doubles Squash Championships
World Doubles Squash Championships
The World International Doubles Squash Championships is a squash tournament which includes Men's Doubles, Women's Doubles and Mixed Doubles events. Under the rules of the championships, double pairs must be made up of two players from the same country...
.
Ricketts was a member of the Australian team which won the World Team Squash Championships
World Team Squash Championships
The World Team Squash Championships are an international squash competition played between teams representing different nations. Countries enter teams of three or four players to represent them in the championships. In each round of the competition, teams face each other in a best-of-three singles...
in 2003.
Following a knee injury, Ricketts announced his retirement from squash in December 2007.
Biography
After a hugely-successful 2002 – in which he leapt from 18 to 7 in the Dunlop PSA World Rankings over the year – Anthony Ricketts consolidated his success the following year by rising to World No. 6 in October 2003.But a knee injury following his appearance in the Apawamis Open in January 2004 caused the Australian to return to Sydney from his UK base in Reading for treatment. He returned to the PSA Tour seven months later at the English Open in Sheffield – and just over a year later clinched the British Open title for the first time and rose to a career-high world No. 3.
Ricketts first came to international notice in the 2000 Hong Kong Open when he came through the qualifiers to reach his first Super Series event semi-finals. Later in the month, he beat top seed Paul Price in the final of the Australian Open to claim his domestic Open title for the first time.
It was in February 2005 in New York, where seeded ten in the Tournament of Champions
Tournament of Champions (squash)
The Tournament of Champions is an annual international squash championship held in New York City. In recent years, the event has been held at New York's Grand Central Terminal, in a specially-constructed four-walled glass court in the Vanderbilt Hall....
, he beat third seed Peter Nicol
Peter Nicol
Peter Nicol, MBE , is a former professional squash player from the United Kingdom, who represented first Scotland and then England in international squash. In 1998, while still competing for Scotland, he became the first player from the UK to hold the World No. 1 ranking...
, then Amr Shabana
Amr Shabana
Amr Shabana is a professional squash player from Egypt. He won the World Open in 2003, 2005, 2007 and 2009, and reached the World No. 1 ranking in 2006.-Career overview:...
in the semi-finals, before defeating world champion and World No 1 Thierry Lincou
Thierry Lincou
Thierry Lincou is a professional squash player from France. He reached the World No. 1 ranking in January 2004...
in the final. "This is a big moment for me, I've been waiting for this for a long time," said the Ricketts after beating the Frenchman 11-10 7-11 11-9 6-11 11-7 in 89 minutes to take the what was then the biggest title of his career.
But better was yet to come. In the 2005 British Open in Manchester, the sixth-seeded Ricketts beat Peter Nicol in the semi-finals, then another Englishman James Willstrop
James Willstrop
James Willstrop is a professional squash player from England.-Biography:Willstrop is recognised as a young squash talent with a big future ahead of him...
in straight games in the final to add his name to those already on this prestigious trophy.
The success took Ricketts to No. 3 in the world rankings – making him the top-ranked Australian for the first time – and he maintained his momentum through to November's Qatar Classic where he reached the semi-finals as seventh seed. In December, Ricketts beat both Peter Nicol and top seed Thierry Lincou en-route to the final of the maiden Saudi International to celebrate his fourth PSA final appearance of the year.
The UK-based Aussie's success continued into 2006, when he reached the final of the Canary Wharf Classic in London in February, then gained the silver medal (with Stewart Boswell
Stewart Boswell
Stewart Boswell is a professional squash player from Australia.-Career Overview:...
) in the Commonwealth Games doubles in Melbourne.
In his third appearance in the Super Series Finals in May, Ricketts recovered from losing the first qualifying round match against Lee Beachill to beat the Englishman in the final to win the title for the first time.
Following a knee injury, Ricketts announced his retirement from squash in December 2007.