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15th Cathay Pacific
Hong Kong Open
24th~29th Aug 1999, $74k

SquashPlayer Exclusive reports
from Mike Wilson in Hong Kong

• Nicol Crushes Power in Final
• Semis go by the book
• Ryding run continues in quarters
• Cream rises to top in 2nd round
• Stormy start in Hong Kong
   

The Final

NICOL BLOWS HOT IN HONG KONG
Scotland's Peter Nicol turned back the clock, and overturned the seedings in the final of the Cathay Pacific Open Squash Championships in Hong Kong yesterday which blew away his arch rival, number one seed and reigning champion Jonathon Power in straight sets to give his world championships a major psychological boost.

Having dropped a set to third seed Ahmed Barada of Egypt in the semi, whilst Power defeated fellow Canadian in straight sets to qualify for the final, there was not a PSA professional in Hong Kong prepared to back the Scot to win his first ever Hong Kong title, except for Nicol himself, whose self belief was unshakeable.

Seeing Nicol sitting, trance-like before the final, whilst Power was his normally laid-back self should have been a hint of what was to come, but it was in fact the Canadian who had the best of the early exchanges, as Nicol seemed tentative in going behind, before finding his range and rhythm, with a string of points eked out from rallies frequently of 50 strokes or more.

Nicol took the first set, 15 - 10 in 18 minutes, and, in the second, the anticipated Power surge never materialised, as Nicol stepped on the gas, dominating his opponent in a fashion rarely seen. An uncharacteristic string of unforced errors from Power was as a consequence of the pressure exerted on the Canadian, Nicol's length and depth unerring throughout a second set he won 15 - 8 in 15 minutes.

The expected Canadian comeback was long overdue, but again, much as Power tried to revive his fortunes and get into a match he had barely contested, an inspired, and totally focused Nicol saw his opportunity for a quick, and emphatic victory.

Incredibly, the Scot had still more fire-power in his locker, and ultimately had Power reduced to a leaden footed by-stander, relentlessly beating the Toronto man with length, depth and touch, manipulating him around the court in a manner which had the sell out crowd clapping every rally and point to Nicol.

The end came, with a composed final set of 15 - 8 for Nicol's first Cathay Pacific Open Squash title, and, as Power hit into the tin at match point, Nicol's joy was as palpable as his relief, as he punched the air, ahead of shaking his opponents hand in as warm an exchange as it is likely to get from these two adversaries.

Speaking immediately after his win, Nicol was clearly overjoyed with his victory, but it was the manner of his performance which had pleased him most. "I came here to win, and I did, and I bossed the match from beginning to end. Jonathon did not play well, but then again I did not let him, and Peter Nicol is still a major force in world squash." He continued, "I was seeing the ball early, confident, but I still feel I can play better than that. I will take a few days rest at home in London before continuing my preparations for Cairo, and I believe I can win there."

Meanwhile, Power was magnanimous in defeat, saying, "Peter deserved to win here today, and he never let me into the match." The Canadian confessed, "I did not feel great out there, and could not get going, but Peter's depth and length were so good, I could not get a toe-hold in the game." He concluded, "Still, I came here to prepare for Cairo, and a win would have been a bonus, but I take many, many positives from my improving performances here, and I will win the world title next month.

Nicol won a first prize of UKL7,500, but gathered insufficient bonus points to overtake Power at the head of the world rankings and go into the world showcase as number one in the world. That said, his confidence must have received a massive boost, not only to win, but to win comprehensively, and it is Power who has it all to do with a fortnight to the shoot out for the undisputed world champion of squash.

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Semi-Finals

BY THE BOOK IN THE SEMIS
The semi finals of the Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open Squash went with the form book yesterday to produce an enticing Super Series final worthy of the longest established tournament on the PSA tour.

Top two blast through
World number one, Jonathon Power of Canada literally powered past his compatriot, travel companion and practice partner Graham Ryding to set up a mouthwatering head - to - head final clash with Scotland's Peter Nicol, number two in the world who, after an uncharacteristically slow start blew away the abrasive your Egyptian Ahmed, taking the final three sets in under half an hour.

See you in Cairo
The "cheating" storm from Friday night, when Wales's Alex Gough had publicly accused Barada of "Deliberate obstruction in what was not a game of squash" rumbled on, fuelled by suggestions that Gough would face a torrid time at the world championships in Barada's home city of Cairo next month, but the main focus, thankfully, was on the ProCourt, as the final event before the worlds reached its penultimate stage.

With both semi finals going according to form and relatively one sided, there was a sense of anti-climax which today's final needs to address, but for the first and second seeds Power and Nicol it was a case of 'business done' with the summit meeting of world squash the true agenda later today.

Ryding, who has been the surprise package of the Hong Kong Open, impressing with his smooth, stylish game, got off to the worst possible start against his mentor Power, losing the first six points , and although he dug in and rallied, Power had just too much firepower in his locker, to keep the pupil and master relationship intact, running out winner in straight sets, 15 - 10, 15 - 7 15 - 15 - 13.

It was an low key Power afterwards, who responded to his victory afterwards by saying, "I'm pleased with my improving form, my fitness and game are getting better with every game, and I'm looking forward to the final regardless of who I meet."

Nicol warms to task
In fact his final opponent will be arch rival and second seed, British number one Peter Nicol, who after a strangely somnambulant opening set against number three seed Barada, woke up to the task in hand to blow the North African off court with a vintage diplay of controlled dominant squash.

A surprise looked to be on the cards when the youngster took the first set 15 - 14, but Nicol composed himself, and in typically business-like fashion, proceeded to impose his game on Barada, leaving his opponent little scope for the antics he had been accused of in the quarters.

Nicol rarely looked back once his game was back in the groove, and he finished off Barada in 45 minutes to set up the final clash the squash world and Hong Kong have been waiting for. 

Nicol said afterwards that, "Once I gave myself the kick up the backside I needed after the first set, I was very pleased with my performance, and I am looking forward to my final with Jonathon very much." He added , "Barada is a very difficult opponent, especially if you let him dominate, which I did initially, and he will be a handful on his own turf at the world championships." 

The Egyptian, although disappointed to go out, did acknowledge Nicol's performance, commenting, "Peter in the form he showed after set one will be very difficult to beat, here and in Cairo."

Number 16 coming up
The stage is set for what is arguably the world championship final in advance, and despite the protestations of both finalists that the Hong Kong event is part of their world championships build up, the two, whose style and character keeps them apart off court, will be determined to get one over on the other and go into the world showcase not only UKL7,500 to the good, but, more importantly, with that crucial psychological edge in their bid to become undisputed champion of the world of squash.

The final will be the sixteenth meeting between Power and Nicol, with the Canadian world champion currently ahead 9-6.

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Quarter-Finals

SEMI FINAL SHAKE OUT AT HONG KONG OPEN
The semi final line up went according to the form book with one major exception, as Canadian outsider Graham Ryding forced his way into the last four at the expense of English fourth seed Paul Johnson to set up the biggest Super Series match of his career against his good friend, coach and training partner, world number one and favourite for the Hong Kong crown Jonathon Power.

Power has to dig deep
It was as bad a day for England as it was successful for the Canadians, with not only fourth seed Johnson going out at the expense of Ryding, but  sixth seed Simon Parke lost in four sets to Power, in a match, on reflection he could have won. Power came within a point of going two sets down to Parke, only to haul himself back from the brink, imposing sheer willpower on the match to retrieve matters, suggesting afterwards that he performs best when up against it.

"Simon was on the verge, and I just dug deep, and gave myself the kick up the pants I needed. I think I perform best under pressure, and that was pressure here tonight," he said, before looking ahead to the
clash with his compatriot Ryding. 

"Graham deserves this, and he is playing his best squash right now, and neither of us will have a problem dealing with the clash - whatever the outcome, we will be good friends come Saturday night."

Ryder sets up all-Canadian semi
Ryding, the surprise packet of the tournament looks sharp, dominant and confident, and will probably never get a better opportunity to claim the scalp of his mentor. Power is not yet firing on all cylinders, whilst he is at the peak of his powers.

Ryding is looking forward to the contest. "We will not practice together on the day, and this is serious business, and I am confident of acquitting myself well against Graham. That said, he has helped enormously with my game this year, and Canadian squash will be the real winner tomorrow, with a player in the final."

Gough lambasts Barada
Elsewhere, controversy flared after the quarter final match between tenth seeded Alex Gough of Wales and the abrasive young Egyptian, the talented Ahmed Barada. Following a match which was both physical and tension filled, which Barada won 3 - 1, Gough, together with several of the tour's senior players accused the Egyptian of "Cheating."

Gough claimed that Barada, "deliberately obstructs his opponents, is on the lookout for lets and on occasions will not call foul shots," before going on to say, "It is such a shame, because Ahmed is too good a player to have to resort to that."

Barada refuted the accusations, claiming, "It is a question of style, and I have my way of playing, which is like Jansher, and he has his." The Egyptian added, "There is a referee there to keep players within the rules, and sometimes, the English players like to cry when  results go against them."

Nicol moves smoothly on
Meanwhile, Peter Nicol quietly went about his business away from the furore, and put in a highly polished performance in easily dispatching the unseeded Billy Haddrell of Australia in straight sets.

In a match played in a fine spirit, in contrast to the acrimony which had preceded it, Nicol continued his improvement, looking physically and mentally composed in a match he dominated from start to finish.

"I'm very happy with my performance tonight, and Billy is a tough player, which puts my form in context, " he said, continuing, it is all coming right at the right time, and I'm confident I can impose my game on Ahmed in our semi."

In the final shake out, aside of Ryding, the cream of world squash has floated to the top, and, regardless of the proximity of the world championships which get underway on 10 September, there is no question of any of the quartet using Hong Kong as a warm up exercise as they seek ascendancy and the UKL 7,500 winners cheque come Sunday evening.

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Day 3

CREAM RISES TO THE TOP IN ROUND 2
The cream of world squash began to float to the surface at the 15th Cathay Pacific Open Squash Championship yesterday, with number one seed Jonathon Power, and arch rival Peter Nicol cruising into the last 16 without dropping a set in their second round ties.

Power firing on three
Championship holder Power, who had looked ring rusty in his opener, stepped up a gear against the awkward Australian Stewart Boswell to win in 42 minutes in straight sets. Power likened himself to a car following his match, saying, "I'd been like an automobile not firing on all cylinders in round one, but I have worked on a few things, physical and mental, and am running much more smoothly, although there is still room for improvement. I am running at around 65% right now, and need to improve further, and am definitely here to win; the world championships do not feature in my thinking, and will not until the job is done out here."

Nicol wins leftie battle
Meanwhile, second seed Nicol, who has never won the Hong Kong title despite four starts, also showed marked improvement on his stuttering first round performance, defeating fellow leftie Chris Walker in straight sets in 40 minutes. Nicol dominated the T and playing Walker on his own terms, and looked much more assured and accomplished as the match proceeded. Nicol, who faces outsider Billy Haddrell of Australia in the last 16, should face his first serious test on Saturday, when he is scheduled to meet aggressive Egyptian youngster Ahmed Barada, seeded three, who  took four sets to defeat the impressive Mark Chaloner of England who could just not maintain the pressure on the Egyptian in the later stages of a closely fought game.

Hill walks out on Billy
Hadrell had earlier proceeded into the quarter finals in controversial and somewhat bizarre fashion, as his compatriot Anthony Hill stormed off court whilst leading, accusing referee Peter Hill of "Being unfair" but later cited a "Hamstring injury" as the true cause of his default. Perhaps time to reflect upon an impending year long ban and hefty fine brought about the change of mind, and organisers, and PSA officials  await the referee's report before deciding on their next steps.

Good day for English
It was as good a day for the English as it was disappointing for the Scots, as fourth and sixth seeds respectively, Paul Johnson and Simon Parke moved comfortably into the next round, whilst fifth seed Martin Heath blew his prospects of a big tournament showing, losing out to Welshman Alex Gough, seeded five places lower at ten. Gough now faces an uphill task against Barada if he is to proceed further.

Ryding run continues
Surprise packet of the tournament so far is Canada's Graham Ryding, who, seeded 14, saw off Belgian ninth seed Stefan Casteleyn, and now faces the toughest test of his career in facing number four seed Paul Johnson. Ryding, who is touring and working with number one seed Power, looks impressive, and should he get past the Englishman, would face his friend and mentor in Saturday's semi final, as prospect he clearly relishes. "Jonathon had been helping me a lot recently, and the benefits are showing, but if we meet, our close friendship will be put to one side for the occasion, but we both have tough matches before we even consider that."

Into the Arena
As the tournament moves into the televised stage, sponsors Cathay Pacific gave it a timely boost, announcing an extended three year commitment to what has become one of the most attractive events on the PSA Super Series event, which takes on greater significance this year with its proximity to the forthcoming world championships next month.

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Day 2

HONG KONG OPEN SHAPES UP WITH POWER STRUGGLE
The first round of the15th Cathay Pacific Hong Kong Open was concluded last night with an under par display from world number one Jonathon Power who looked less than convincing in dispatching English outsider Nicholas Taylor in four sets. Power proceeded into today's last 16 where he faces Australian Stewart Boswell, who threw up one of the early shocks of the tournament by beating former Hong Kong winner Rodney Eyles in a stormy encounter.

Power looked rusty and out of touch in seeing off 21st seed Taylor, 15 -12, 13 - 15, 15 - 11, 15 - 3, but his class shone through in a one sided final set. Afterwards, Power said, "I felt a little out of sorts for a while out there, timing was off, but it was a matter of playing that out of my system and getting some rhythm and form."

The number one seed will have to continue his improvement as he faces Australia's Stewart Boswell, who saw off fellow Australian and No12 seed Rodney Eyles in a stormy encounter. Boswell is looking forward to his biggest test yet, as he faces up to world number one and tournament favourite Power in the second round today. "It has given my confidence a huge boost beating Rodney out there tonight, and I am confident going into my clash with Power."

Former Australian and now Scottish John White made it a hat - trick for the Scots when he defeated his ex-compatriot Byron Davis in quick time setting up a second round clash against Belgian No 9 seed Stefan Casteleyn, but it was Canadian number two Graham Ryding who looked most impressive with a polished one hour, four set victory over England's Stephen Meads, raising the possibility of a clash with his countryman, friend and mentor Power in the semis. 

English class prevailed in the final second round encounters, as number 4 seed Paul Johnson cruised through his opener against Egypt's Omar Elborolossy 3 - 0 after a tight 17-16 first set, as sixth seed Simon Parke totally outclassed l Hong Kong's number one Faheem Kahn in under half-an-hour. Local boy Khan said afterwards, "The step up in class was just too much, and playing part time, as opposed to full time on the tour is a gulf which is difficult to bridge, I thought Simon looked very good, and he should be a factor in the later stages of the tournament.

Round two is played to a conclusion today (Thursday), and it looks to be very competitive with the seeds facing some very hungry challengers in the chase for the half million Hong Kong dollar prize fund.

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Day 1

15th HONG KONG OPEN GETS OFF TO STORMY START
The 15th Cathay Pacific Open Squash Championship got underway yesterday with the first round proper, following a day of disruption to the Qualifying Round as Typhoon 'Sam' hit the City.

As the last Super Series event before the World Championships in Egypt next month, there is much to play for, not least the prize fund of UKL50,000, the significance of the tournament not lost on all the top 20 world ranked players taking part, as they look for form ahead of Cairo in the middle of next month.

The longest running, and one of the most popular events world-wide amongst PSA professionals, it was the bottom half of the 32 man draw which got proceedings underway, and it was a double scotch for number two and five seeds respectively, as Peter Nicol and Martin Heath swept aside unseeded players, Thierry Lincou of France, and Australia's David Palmer, both dropping a set for victories in less than an hour, Nicol putting it down to "A little rustiness following my lay off," whilst compatriot Heath blamed "Jet lag and a loss of concentration."

Performance of the day came from England's Mark Chaloner, seeded 24, as he swept aside fancied Australian Dan Jensen to set up a tough second round tie on Thursday against third seed Ahmed Barada of  Egypt, who took five sets to dispose of compatriot and 38 seed Amr Shabana.

It was one win and one loss for Wales as tenth seed Alex Gough from Newport cruised through to the second round, but countryman David Evans found high flying Aussie Anthony Hill too hot to handle, going down in straight sets.

The top half of the draw gets underway later today (Wednesday) and world number one and top seed Jonathon Power should prove too powerful for England's Nick Taylor, whilst number four seed Paul  Johnson of England should proceed against fellow Englishman Mark Cairns. Meanwhile, local support will be a factor as England's sixth seed Simon Parke takes on Hong Kong number one Faheem Khan, but should have too much firepower to allow the local player to proceed into the second round.

Veteran campaigner and PSA Chairman Rodney Eyles, seeded 12, opens his account later today against outsider Stewart Boswell, also of Australia, and Eyles, winner of the event in 1996 said, "The Hong Kong event is a great favourite amongst the PSA guys, top squash in a fantastic city, with the added piquancy of the World Championships looming in under a month."

Seventh seed Derek Ryan earlier in the day withdrew from the tournament with a troublesome back injury, and is facing an uphill struggle to get himself match fit for the World Championships in Cairo starting 11 September.

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