19-Nov, Final:
[2] Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt [7] Jonathon Power (Can)
      9/11, 11/10(3-1), 11/6, 7/11, 11/8  (80m)

Lincou ends Power's
Canadian reign
Liz Shaughnessy reports from Toronto

Canada's Jonathon Power came close to winning his fourth PACE Canadian Squash Classic at the BCE Centre in Toronto, but it was world number two, Thierry Lincou of France, who took home the silverware, winning 3/2 after playing a cool, calculated match.

Thierry is a muscular, tough player who likes to occupy the centre of the court, causing his opponents to run around him. Time and time again Power appealed to the referee that his opponent was not clearing the ball. But the truth was that Lincou's advisers had obviously worked out a strategy to beat the charismatic Canadian. Lincou volleyed everything he could, worked both front corners and did to Power what Power normally does to his opponents.

Lincou was particularly deadly in the right front and constantly had Power in all sorts of trouble. Meanwhile Power's magic touch, that had been thrilling the crowds all week, deserted him and he made more errors in one night than he had throughout the entire tournament.

Power took the first game, leveraging a tentative start by his opponent, but started the second game with two errors in the first three rallies and from that point Lincou led the game. Power was suffering pain in his left foot, which Lincou had trodden on early in the first game, but still managed to send the game into a tie break. He was twice denied lets and Lincou took the 20-minute game 13-11.

In the third game, Power was feeling his thigh and it looked as though the injury curse was about to rear its head. Power played tentatively and, not surprisingly, the game was over in seven minutes, 11-6 for Lincou. Power was given some treatment for a pulled right quadriceps in the break.

But Jonathon Power is always full of surprises, and he started the fourth game with some fine winners. At 2-2, Lincou was incensed when the referee called one of his balls down. He argued at length and virtually pushed the self-destruct button. With his concentration gone, Lincou allowed Power to forge ahead to 6-3 and although he pulled it back to 7-7, Power was in his stride, his touch returned and he won the game handily, 11-7, to tie the match.

The fifth game see-sawed back and forth: Lincou led 3-1, and then Power led 8-7. The next rally was critical and Power gave the point away on a backhand cross-court that hit the tin. Lincou hit two winners to get to match ball. Power finished the match with another error.

Bitterly disappointed at losing in front of a very packed, partisan crowd, Power said that it was hard to lose in front of his greatest supporters.

"I couldn't produce my form consistently tonight and Lincou played extremely well. There's not much else to say," Power said accepting the loser's cheque.

Lincou thought it was one of his best performances this year.

"I kept to my game plan. Keep him in the back before going short. You can't attack too early with Power. I was waiting for him to put me in the front of the court rather, than me put him there," Lincou said. Of his collapse in the fourth game Lincou claimed: "I was sure my ball was up and I got angry. Tension was very high."

This is Lincou's first Canadian title and bodes well for his return to the number one spot in the world rankings.
 

• 2003 Event
• En Français

 

 

Liz Shaughnessy


 

Power drops Pace Final to Frenchman Globe and Mail "To beat Jonathon in his homeland, and especially in front of this home crowd, means something really special to me. "When I won on Thursday, I was really up for the final to do well, to give everything I had in front of this crowd. To beat Jonathon, you really have to play your best squash. I think that's what I did. Throughout the tournament, I think my level just went up and up. It's good I had my peak in the final." Thierry Lincou "Today was one of those days when you get to the final, you've played too many hard games to get there, and weren't fit enough to perform. The fitter player on the day wins." Jonathon Power Full report from the Globe and Mail

 

Jonathon Power

Jonathon Power

9/11, 11/10(3-1), 11/6, 7/11, 11/8

Thierry Lincou

Thierry Lincou

Qualifying:

Finals (Sun 14th):
Paul Price (Aus) bt Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned)  11/6, 11/10(2-0), 6/11, 11/8
Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt Joey Barrington (Eng)  9/11, 7/11, 11/5, 11/9, 11/10(6-4)
Rodney Durbach (Rsa) bt Martin Heath (Sco)  7/11, 11/9, 3/11, 11/5, 11/1
Peter Barker (Eng) bt Jan Koukal (Cze)  11/4, 11/6, 11/4

First Round:
Paul Price (Aus) bt Matthew Giuffre (Can)  11/8, 11/8, 11/8
Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt David Phillips (Can)  11/9, 11/8, 11/7
Joey Barrington (Eng) bt Shawn De Lierre (Can)  10/11(0-2), 11/6, 11/3, 7/11, 11/7
Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt Shahier Razik (Can)  11/9, 8/11, 11/9, 11/3
Rodney Durbach (Rsa) bt Gavin Jones (Wal)  11/10(3-1), 11/9, 4/11, 11/3
Martin Heath (Sco) bt Aaron Francomb (Aus)  11/2, 11/7, 11/4
Peter Barker (Eng) bt Ian Power (Can)  7/11, 11/9, 11/7, 11/4
Jan Koukal (Cze) bt Simon Parke (Eng)  11/7, 11/5, 9/11, 11/3 

Power Outlasts Ricketts
 
In the best match of the PACE Canadian Squash Classic so far, Canada’s Jonathon Power outlasted Anthony Ricketts of Australia to win 3/2 in the semi-finals, after five games of superb, skilled and dramatic squash. By reason of age, Ricketts (the younger player) should have walked off the court as victor after 91 minutes, but Power clearly demonstrated that he can still put in the necessary hard work to get the job done.

They started the first game with long patient 60 shot rallies and Power hinted that he was prepared to do whatever was necessary. Power led from the beginning but Ricketts stayed the pace, never allowing Power to relax. Even with Power at game ball, 10-8, Ricketts remained calm, forced two errors from Power to bring on a tie break. Power took the first point on a Ricketts error and then hit a superb cross court which had the Australian diving in vain to get it back. After 23 hard minutes, Power won 11-10.

Power was not pleased at having to play a hard ninety-one minute match the day before a final, but the smile on his face showed that he was pleased with his performance. “That was the best that Ricketts has played for months and I was just happy to be able to wear him down physically. I got a little tired in the third and went through bouts of fatigue, but I knew he was more tired than I was. I have never seen him not run for a ball, so I knew he was hurting. In the fifth, I just went back to my game and made him twist and turn.”

Power opened up in the second game, constantly taking Ricketts to the front and making him work. The game was over in 13 minutes, 11-6, for Power and when he ran to an 8-3 lead in the third game, it looked as though he was home free.

As he did in his previous match, Power became hesitant, allowing Ricketts back in and then made a series of unforced errors to allow Ricketts to catch and force another tie-break. In full flow, Ricketts won the game 11-10.

Power led the fourth game, but once more Ricketts, who was now going short and hitting some fine drops shots, ran out the winner 10-8. Power was looking tired, while Ricketts seemed to gain a second wind.

But the effort required to come back from two games down was too much for the young Australian and Power, sensing the fatigue, played tight squash and used his drop shots to superb effect, winning the final game 11-2 in just eight minutes.

Ricketts had mixed feelings about his performance: “I felt in the last three weeks that my form has returned,” he explained, referring to his long layoff due to a knee problem. “But, I did get tired because coming back from two games down requires a huge amount of physical effort.”

Two Canadians in Classic Semis
Liz Shaughnessy reports from Toronto

For the first time in the five year history of the tournament, two Canadians, Jonathon Power and Graham Ryding ,will advance to the PACE Canadian Squash Classic semi-finals  at BCE Place in Toronto. Injuries plagued the Australians in the quarter finals as first 8th seed Joe Kneipp and later Paul Price fell to the injured list.

The evening had been a rare occurrence with three of the four quarter-final outcomes decided by injuries. Following world number one Lee Beachill’s lame finish, due to a pulled abductor muscle, Kneipp was forced to retire in the middle of the third game allowing Thierry Lincou, the second seed to proceed into the semi-finals with minimum effort.

In the final match of the evening, Price also had to retire in the third game against Canada’s Graham Ryding. He suffers from severe back problems, an ailment that interrupted his career several times for the last four years.

This gives Canada two players in the semi-finals for the first time ever. Jonathon Power will play Anthony Ricketts, while Ryding will face world number two Thierry Lincou.

Ryding the Storm
Liz Shaughnessy reports from Toronto

Graham Ryding, Canada’s second best player made his way through to the quarter-finals of the PACE Canadian Squash Classic in Toronto last night, but not before giving his many fans a bit of a fright.

He seemed comfortably in charge against Joey Barrington, son of the great British squash legend Jonah, taking the first game 11-6 and running to a 10-3 lead in the second, when the lightning struck. Barrington stopped hitting the tin with his forehand drives, hit a couple of winners and suddenly Ryding went negative. There was nothing the Canadian could do about the streak and Barrington took an amazing nine points in a row to win the game 12-10.

Barrington is known as a runner and many of his matches go to the full five games, something Ryding was keen to avoid in a first round match. Ryding, a Toronto native who is ranked 20 in the world, was not about to lose in front of his home crowd to a player ranked 24 places below him. He came out for the third game in a determined mood and ran Barrington off the court 11-4 in just eight minutes. The fourth game took a little longer, but Ryding led from the beginning and had an answer for everything that Barrington tried, taking the game 9-5 to complete his 3/1victory

Lack of concentration, he said, was the start of his troubles in that second game. “I must have let up a little bit and lost concentration and once he had won a couple of points I started to tighten up. I tried to relax and that made me play too tentative,” he explained. “Barrington is a bit of a comeback kid. He tightens his game up and closes you down. In the third game, I went back to what had been working, moving the ball around the court and playing a little quicker and that took Joey out of his rhythm.”

Lincou and Kneipp in London

15-Nov, Round One:

[1] Lee Beachill (Eng) bt [Q] Rodney Durbach (Rsa)
     11/3, 11/2, 11/6 (34m)
Anthony Ricketts (Aus) bt [5] Nick Matthew (Eng)
      w/o
[3] Peter Nicol (Eng) bt [Q] Jonathon Kemp (Eng)
     11/6, 11/6, 10/11(2-4), 11/3 (35m)
[7] Jonathon Power (Can) bt James Willstrop (Eng)
     11/5, 11/2, 9/11, 11/4 (56m)

Liz Shaughnessy reports from Toronto

Beachill fails to spare the Rod

Lee Beachill showed why he is ranked number one in the world when he over-ran Rod Durbach, ranked 30, in a little over 30 minutes in their first round match of the PACE Canadian Squash Classic.

On a sparkling four-wall glass court, the lanky Englishman played near faultless squash to keep South African Durbach constantly under pressure. Beachill, after some frustrating injury-prone years, is now at the peak of his powers and he brings a ruthless accuracy to the game that few of the top players can abide.

The first game was over in eight minutes with Beachill dictating the play from the word go. He volleyed at every possible opportunity and every loose reply from Durbach was cut into the nick for a winner.

The second game was even quicker, 11-2 for Beachill in just over six minutes and it wasn’t until the middle of third game that Beachill made his first error as he tried to slam the ball low for a winner and hit the tin. Durbach found a couple of winners of his own and managed to stay on equal terms to 6-6. Beachill dispelled any ideas about a comeback by upping his game to run away to an 11-6 win to earn his place in the quarter-finals.

Durbach, a very experienced player, was philosophical afterwards.

“He was too accurate and doesn’t give you too much to hit. His consistency of shot is hard to deal with. It’s a very good court and Beachill has played on it often, but for me it was the first time. I was struggling to see the ball so that made it very hard to read which meant I was always chasing the ball,” he said.

Power not ready to retire yet
Globe and Mail

14-Nov, Qualifying Finals:
'Lucky' Joey survives Qualifying
Final qualifying for the Canadian Classic in Toronto saw Paul Price, Rodney Durbach, Jonathan Kemp and Peter Barker claim places in the main draw, with Joey Barrington, who lost a marathon match against Kemp, receiving a 'Lucky Loser' spot following the withdrawal of fourth seed David Palmer.

Qualifying Rewards
Australian Paul Price justified his top seeding in the qualifying competition with a 3/1 victory over young Dutchman 'LJ' Anjema to set up a meeting at the BCE Place with sixth seed Karim Darwish.

Rodney Durbach won a see-saw encounter with tour veteran Martin Heath, now a resident of Toronto, coming from 2-1 down and cantering to an 11/1 win in the fifth. Durbach's reward is a meeting with top seed Lee Beachill in the main draw.

England's Peter Barker won the battle of the youngsters, as Jan Koukal was unable to repeat the form that saw him beat Simon Parke in the first round, Barker winning 11/4, 11/6, 11/4 to set up a clash with Joe Kneipp on Tuesday.

'Lucky' Joey
Joey Barrington makes a habit of playing marathon qualifying matches, and it was no different in Toronto. Having beaten local favourite Shawn De Lierre in five in the first round, Barrington met compatriot Jonathan Kemp in the finals, went 2-0 up before eventually losing 16-14 in the fifth. But it wasn't wasted effort, as Joey received the 'lucky loser' spot made available by Palmer's withdraw, and faces another Canadian, Graham Ryding in the main draw. More luck for Joey, in that he now gets a day off!

Palmer Out
Earlier on Sunday, tournament director John Nimick was contacted directly by Australian David Palmer, (#4 in the world) who has had to pull out of the competition due to a shoulder injury sustained during the Harris British Open last week. The injury was further aggravated during practise sessions earlier this week.

Junior Jam
Following the Sunday qualifiers, fourteen of the top PSA players in the world, including 10 of the top 15, participated in a "Junior Jam" for children at the Mayfair Lakeshore Club. Over 125 kids, 8 - 15 years of age, from across Ontario had the opportunity to play and learn from the best in the sport.

"Squash is a very grassroots sport", said Jonathon Power, defending PACE Canadian Squash Classic Champion, "and this is a great opportunity for us to give back to our sport and help the next generation of international players".

---

14-Nov:
Power Back to defend his Title

Canada's Jonathon Power will be bidding for his fourth Canadian Classic title in Toronto, and his third in a row, but the defending champion starts his campaign as seventh seed following a year troubled with injuries which have seen him slip down the rankings.

"I've had a tough go of it," Power told Gregory Strong from the Canadian Press, "but the last month or so I'd say, I'm feeling pretty good."

After winning last year's event Power injured his hand in Qatar, forcing him to miss out on the Qatar Classic and the World Open,  the two richest events of the year. A leg injury followed at the Canadian Nationals in April, and further problems forced him to pull out of September's US Open.

The Canadian star got back into action with a series of events in the US, losing out in the semi-finals in Detroit, St Louis and Cleveland, before finally getting back on the winning track in last month's Hungarian Open.

"Hopefully it's the right time, just in time for the tournament in Toronto and the world championships," Power said. "It should be good."

Down at number nine in the world, Power faces tougher than usual draws in the major tournaments, and this week faces rising star James Willstrop, the world number 13, in the first round. Willstrop beat Power the last time they met, in Kuwait this January. "It's a tough start to the week. He's playing pretty good squash," Power said. "I'm looking forward to it. I enjoy playing with him and he plays a nice style."

In the Qatar World Open at the end of the month, Power has a first-round date with Aussie Dan Jenson, who beat him in Cleveland, and if he wins that a second round meeting with arch-rival Peter Nicol looms.

"I'm sort of on a similar time schedule. Peter and I have had very similar careers," Power said. "We've sort of won everything there is to win and been No. 1 numerous times. Really I just want to keep playing for Canada in the next world championships and the Commonwealth Games."

Power beat Nicol to win gold at the 2002 Games in England, four years after Nicol beat the Canadian in the final of the 1998 Games in Malaysia. So is there the possibility of a decider in Australia in 2006?

"Yeah, I hope so." said Power. "I mean we'll both be trying to hang on. There are going to be lots of good players but I'd like to see that for sure. Three in a row, that would be good."

But for now, Power is concentrating on winning his home event, "his British Open" as he described it when playing John White in a challenge match in London last month.

"It's a different feeling playing at home. I've always had awesome support," said Power. "That's why I take the tournament so seriously, maybe more than some of the other players because I want to please the local fans. I like playing here at home and I'm trying to promote squash in Canada."

Original Story from The Canadian Press
                                                      
                                                                           Photo courtesy www.prosquash.ca

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13-Nov:
Canadians Fall in Classic Qualifying
The first qualifying round in the 2004 Canadian Classic was not kind to the home players, as all five Canadians fell at the first hurdle, held at Toronto's Fitness Institute (T.D. Centre) and the Cambridge Club.

Price & LJ deny home hopefuls
Australia's Paul Price, the world number 23, is top seed in qualifying and will face the Netherlands' Laurens Jan Anjema after both enjoyed 3/0 victories over Canadians Matthew Giuffre and David Phillips.
 
Koukal Shocks Simon
One qualifying place rests between two youngsters, England's Peter Barker and Czech Jan Koukal. Barker ended Ian Power's hopes of joining brother Jonathon in the main draw, while Koukal provided the biggest upset of the day, beating England's in-form Simon Parke in four games.

Fifth English Guaranteed
 

Preview:
Pace Canadian Classic
Celebrates Fifth Anniversary

Celebrating its fifth anniversary, the Pace Credit Union Canadian Classic welcomes the world's best squash players once again to Toronto's fabulous BCE Place from 15-19 November 2004. The $50,000 (USD) PSA Five Star Championship will feature the world's top five players and eight of the top ten, including new world No1 Lee Beachill (England), current No3 Peter Nicol (England) and perennial Canadian squash superstar and three-time Canadian Classic Champion, Jonathon Power. The Pace Classic is the only major squash championship held in Canada for 2004.

Canadian Classic Finals:
2003: Jonathon Power bt David Palmer
2002: Jonathon Power bt Peter Nicol
2001: Peter Nicol bt Stewart Boswell
2000: Jonathon Power bt Peter Nicol

New Scoring A Hit
Recent changes in the scoring for men's professional squash argue well for increased competition at this year's Classic. A groundbreaking change by the Tour's sanctioning body reduced the point threshold for game-winning from 15 points to 11 (PAR). The result is more crisis in the course of each game and a reduction in overall match length. The system was utilised to resounding applause during both the Hong Kong Open (August) and the US Open (September).

According to event promoter John Nimick, who produces the Classic along with the US Open, British Open and the Tournament of Champions in New York, three of the PSA World Tour's other major events, the scoring change is a success: "The feedback has been tremendous," says Nimick. "The PSA took a chance with the change as it opened them to criticism on many sides, but the proof is in the pudding. We experienced the best competition ever at the US Open and it was due in large part to the intensity brought to every stage of each match by the players. We are looking for more of the same in Toronto. When the score gets close to 5-5, everyone is paying attention!"

Power aims for Home Glory
Power, ranked No9 at the entry deadline for the Classic, remains a strong contender on his home turf, though his first round match-up against the highly-touted Englishman James Willstrop (No12) may be a severe test. Beachill, Nicol, world No2 Thierry Lincou (France) and No3 David Palmer (Australia) are expected to threaten in the final rounds. Canadian Graham Ryding, ranked 19, receives a wildcard slot in the main draw of 16 and will face a tough challenge against Palmer in the first round.

Canada's premier squash championship is held on a transparent glass court in the middle of the Allen Lambert Galleria in BCE Place and features more than 450+ in surrounding seating. The Fitness Institute and Cambridge Club present the qualifying rounds on November 13 and 14, while the Mayfair Lakeshore Club hosts the third annual Junior Jam Clinic with the Pros on Sunday afternoon, November 14.

Majestic BCE Place
As Nimick sums up: "Torontonians should prepare for a gangbusters tournament at BCE Place. The site has always been a majestic location for squash, perhaps not quite the equal of the Pyramids of Giza, but certainly the Canadian equivalent of Grand Central Station (home of the US Tournament of Champions), and the event sits in the heart of the busiest season for the pro tour. Under the new system any of the top players can win, so Power will have his hands full trying to become a record setting four time champion."

Pace Credit and Savings Union, Ontario's top ranked member-owned bank, is the event's title sponsor. Secondary sponsorship is provided by Dundee Wealth Management Group, The Globe and Mail and TD Newcrest. Associate sponsors include Dunlop Sports, LeDrew Laishley Reed LLP, Novotel Toronto, Primus Telecommunications and Tom's Place.