WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: West Edmonton Mall Canadian Open Squash Championship, Edmonton, Canada

Semi-finals:
[1] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt [4] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 15-6, 15-8, 15-6 (49m)
[5] Jonathon Power (CAN) bt [6] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) 15-11, 15-11, 8-15, 15-10 (68m)

Nicol & Power Revisit Canadian Open Meeting Place

Eight years after meeting for the first time in the final of the last Canadian Open in Burlington, arch rivals Peter Nicol and Jonathon Power will celebrate their 36th career clash in the final of the $80,000 West Edmonton Mall Canadian Open Squash Championship at the Ice Palace in Edmonton.

Only ten days after meeting in the semi-finals of the World Team Championship in Austria, England's top-seeded Peter Nicol, the world No1, faced France's fourth seed Thierry Lincou.  From the start, the Frenchman tried to keep the ball in the front of the court - but Nicol was having none of it, constantly keeping the ball deep in the back court, a strategy which worked to perfection as he jumped to a 6-0 lead before winning the game easily 15-6.  World No4 Lincou changed tactics in the second game, but it was to no avail as the Englishman moved 2/0 ahead.

In the third game, Lincou played with an air of desperation as he constantly experimented with different strategies to try to throw Nicol off his rhythm.  But the world's leading player was able to handle everything that was thrown at him and after 49 minutes cruised to a 15-6 15-8 15-6 win - and revenge for his four-game defeat in Vienna.

In the other semi-final, the partisan audience once again noisily showed their support for local hero Jonathon Power, the world No5 from Montreal, in his battle against Australia's Anthony Ricketts, ranked one place below.  The first game was played at a fast pace, with both players moving well and hitting with great accuracy.  At 9-10 down, Power shifted his play into a higher gear, his backhand volley being especially effective.  Unable to contend with the Canadian's fierce attack, Ricketts conceded the game 15-11.

Power maintained his level of play in the second game racing to an 8-1 lead.  At 9-2, Ricketts mounted a comeback, but Power was able to fend him off and move 2/0 ahead.

With Power leading 2-1 in the third game, Ricketts hit Power hard on his left calf with a forehand cross-court shot.  Power yelled at his opponent and jabbed his racquet into Ricketts' midriff.  The referee was quick to warn both players and ordered play to continue.  It was evident that Power had lost his focus, however, and Ricketts quickly took advantage of the situation to take the game.

Power regained his momentum and started to display his unmatched deception.  Rally after rally, Ricketts was fooled into moving the wrong way.  Leading 9-5, a seemingly tired Power asked the referee for an injury time-out.  The referee denied his request stating that whatever injury Power may have had was not inflicted by Ricketts and ordered him to play on.  Power then stepped to the T and began to retie his shoelaces.  The referee, viewing Power's actions as a delay tactic, ordered Power to resume play.  He returned to his box to receive the Australian's serve - but as Ricketts served the ball, Power raised his hand asking for a let.  At this point, the referee's patience with the Canadian's antics had run out and he denied Power's let. 

However, despite losing the point, Power's tactics seemed to give him enough of a rest, allowing him to win the game and the match 15-11 15-11 8-15 15-10 in 68 minutes.

The final will be Power and Nicol's third meeting within a month - with Nicol now ahead 18/17 in their career head-to-head tally after stunning five-game victories over his rival in the British Open in Nottingham and World Team Championship in Vienna.

Official website:  www.wemcdnopen.com