WORLD SQUASH NEWS
RESULTS: Brit Insurance Super Series Squash Finals, Broadgate Arena, London
Final qualifying round:
Fleet Group:
[1] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt Martin Heath (SCO) 15-11, 3-15, 15-9, 9-15, 15-6
[4] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Lee Beachill (ENG) 15-13, 13-15, 15-6, 15-11
Harrow Group:
[2] Jonathon Power (CAN) bt [3] John White (SCO) 15-9, 15-13, 15-13
Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 15-13, 15-11, 15-11
Lincou & Ricketts Join Power & Nicol in Super Series Semi-finals
England's world No9 Lee Beachill saw his hopes of a place in the last four of
the Brit Insurance Super Series Squash Finals dashed after suffering defeat
at the hands of Frenchman Thierry Lincou in their all-or-nothing encounter on
the third and final evening of round robin group matches at London's
Broadgate Arena.
The 25-year-old Yorkshireman went down 15-13 13-15 15-6 15-11 to the
Marseilles-based fourth seed in a match he had to win to play any further
part in the competition. Lincou's second win in the $65,000 tournament sees
him through to the knockout stage as runner-up in the Fleet Group and he now
faces Canada's former world champion Jonathon Power in Thursday's first
semi-final. The 28-year-old No2 seed secured his place at the top of the
Harrow Group with a 15-9 15-13 15-13 win over Scotland's No3 seed John White
in 51 minutes.
Power, the former world No1 from Montreal who has yet to win the PSA Super
Series Finals title, will face Lincou for the first time since the world No6
pulled off the best win of his career by beating the defending champion for
the first time in the semi-finals of the Tournament of Champions in New York
in February - Power's last defeat on the PSA Tour.
England's top seed Peter Nicol finished top of the Fleet Group with victory
over Scotland's Martin Heath but was made to battle hard as his former
compatriot took him to his third five-game match in as many days. "It's been
a tough start to the week but I've thoroughly enjoyed it," said world No1
Nicol, who secured a 15-11 3-15 15-9 9-15 15-6 win in 67minutes. "Fifteen
games in three days, that's more than I've played in a long time."
Nicol now faces Anthony Ricketts in Thursday's second semi-final after the
Australian comfortably defeated Malaysia's Ong Beng Hee in their
winner-takes-all encounter. Ricketts, the world No7 making his Super Series
Finals debut at Broadgate this week, took just 52 minutes to dispatch the
Malaysian, ranked three places below, 15-13 15-11 15-11.