RESULTS: Saudi International Squash Championship, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Final:
[2] Jonathon Power (CAN) bt [3] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) 11-4, 11-9, 4-11, 11-5 (65m)
Power Storms To Saudi Success
Canada's Jonathon Power created a further record in his illustrious squash career when he beat Australian Anthony Ricketts in the final of the Saudi Squash International to ensure starting next year as world number one – returning to the position he last held more than four years ago!
It is difficult to imagine a more dramatic climax to the end of the Professional Squash Association's record year of 2005 than the one provided by the Saudi International, new PSA Super Series Platinum event staged in the Saudi Arabian city of Al-Khobar.
Once the quarter-finals of the second richest PSA Tour event of the year had been resolved, it became clear that three of the four semi-finalists would take over the world No1 ranking on 1st January 2006 should they win the $127,500 title - with a fourth player, Egypt's world champion Amr Shabana, earning the title should England's surprise semi-finalist Nick Matthew, the 11th seed, succeed!
Both Matthew and Frenchman Thierry Lincou, the world number one throughout 2005, bowed out at the last four stage – leaving second seed Power and third seed Ricketts, 26, from Sydney, to fight for the double reward.
After the 31-year-old from Montreal took the opening two games, Ricketts fought back to take the third for the loss of just four points. But Power turned on his greater experience and, after 65 tense minutes, threw his racket in the air to celebrate his historic 11-4 11-9 4-11 11-5 triumph.
"This was my goal this year, to give it a big push and go back to the top," Power told www.squashsite.co.uk afterwards. "I always knew I had it in me, I just had to stop finding excuses and actually do it!"
The Saudi triumph marks Power's fifth PSA title success of the year in his fifth final – and the 37th trophy of his career since July 1992, when he won the Chicago Open.