WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: Cleveland Squash Classic, Ohio, USA

Semi-finals:
[4] Dan Jenson (AUS) bt [1] Jonathon Power (CAN) 11-3, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8 (75m)
[2] Graham Ryding (CAN) bt [6] Rodney Durbach (RSA) 10-11 (0-2), 11-7, 11-5, 11-10 (5-3) (90m)

Jenson Jettisons Jonathon In Cleveland Upset

World No9 Jonathon Power failed to progress beyond the last four in a PSA Tour event for the third time in a month when he was defeated in four games by Australian Dan Jenson, ranked nine places lower, in the semi-finals of the Cleveland Squash Classic in Ohio, USA.

The Australian Open champion will face another Canadian in the final after No2 seed Graham Ryding survived a 90-minute marathon, and two tie-breaks, to beat South Africa's Rodney Durbach in four games.

Fourth seed Jenson was on the attack from the word go as he formulated the upset of the tournament.  The 29-year-old from Adelaide essentially controlled the match until the third game when he began to tire and slowed down the pace, which allowed the former world No1 from Montreal to start to use his trademark flicks and push the ball around the court.

Jenson, who reached last month's US Open quarter-finals as a qualifier, held on in the fourth game with some scintillating volleys and attacked the top seed at every chance he had.  Despite losing to Power only a week earlier in the Motor City Open in Detroit, Jenson stuck to his task and came through to claim his 11-3 11-6 8-11 11-8 win in 75 minutes.  It was the Australian's career-first victory over the Canadian, which takes him into his 15th PSA Tour final.

The other semi-final provided another great battle with sixth seed Rodney Durbach looking fresh and determined from the start.  Ryding, the Canadian national champion, appeared frustrated in the first game but knuckled down in the second and third games, making few errors.

The fourth was a long game - but Ryding proved too strong in the end, producing a couple of winners that forced unforced errors from the South African which led to the Canadian's 10-11 11-7 11-5 11-10 victory, and a place in his first PSA final for almost two years.