3-Feb,
Qualifying Finals: Martin Knight (NZL) bt
Robin Clarke (CAN) 11-5, 11-9, 11-3 (50m)
Jan Koukal (CZE) bt Scott Arnold (AUS) 6-11, 13-11, 11-7,
11-9 (59m)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Adil Maqbool (PAK) 11-4, 9-11, 11-0,
11-6 (41m)
Mohd. Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Wade Johnstone (AUS) 11-6,
7-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-9 (79m)
02-Feb, Qualifying Day 1 Robin Clarke (CAN) bt Mike
Smeltzer (CAN) 11-6, 11-4, 11-3 (18m)
Martin Knight (NZL) bt Josh Rudolph (CAN) 11-8, 11-3, 11-3
(27m)
Jan Koukal (CZE) bt Maxym Leclair (CAN) 11-9, 14-12, 11-1
(22m)
Scott Arnold (AUS) bt Matthew Serediak (CAN) 11-5, 11-7,
11-3 (28m)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Fred Reid (CAN) 11-6, 11-8, 11-8
(28m)
Adil Maqbool (PAK) bt Thomas Brinkman (CAN) 11-6, 9-11,
11-5, 11-8 (34m)
Wade Johnstone (AUS) bt David Vidal (ESP) 11-6, 11-13, 11-5,
11-7 (45m)
Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Matt Bishop (CAN) 11-6, 11-6,
11-8 (36m
Thierry Triumphs At Bluenose Classic In
Canada
Frenchman Thierry Lincou
triumphed in a 73-minute final of the fifth edition of the Bluenose Classic,
beating England's Daryl Selby in four games in the climax of the $40,000
PSA World Tour squash event at St Mary’s University Tower in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, to win his first title in Canada.
Lincou, the former world
champion from Marseille, was the third seed - but made his breakthrough in the
semi-finals by beating Australian rival and fellow 33-year-old David Palmer,
the defending champion and second seed.
Like the Frenchman, Daryl
Selby also only dropped one game en-route to the final. The fourth seed toppled
top seed and fellow countryman Peter Barker in the other semi-final.
Lincou easily won the
opening game and led 8-5 in the second. But Selby fought back to draw level
and, after Lincou won the third, sprung to a 6-2 lead in the fourth to suggest
that a fifth game decider was on the cards.
But Lincou won six points
in a row to claw back the deficit before clinching the title on his second match
ball to win 11-2, 10-12, 11-8, 12-10.
The success chalks up
Lincou's first Tour win since last June - but the 22nd of his illustrious
career.
Top Seeds Downed As Lincou & Selby Reach
Bluenose Final
Epic semi-final battles in
the Bluenose Classic in Canada led to the downfall of the top two seeds
at St Mary’s University Tower in Halifax in Nova Scotia -
and a final of the $40,000 PSA World Tour squash event which will feature
third seed Thierry Lincou and fourth seed Daryl Selby.
Former world number ones
and fellow 33-year-olds Thierry Lincou and David Palmer, the No2 seed
from Australia, have fought out countless duels since joining the PSA Tour in
the early nineties. And the pair did not disappoint as they battled for a place
in the Bluenose final - defending champion Palmer looking for a second
successive appearance.
But it was Frenchman Lincou
that prevailed, winning 11-8, 11-5, 2-11, 11-7 in 60 minutes to reach the 40th
Tour final of his career.
It took 105 minutes to
resolve the other semi-final, where fellow Englishmen and Essex county
compatriots Daryl Selby and Peter Barker, the top seed, fought for
supremacy. Again, Barker was seeking a second successive time in the final
after finishing as runner-up to Palmer 12 months ago.
But Selby, the 27-year-old
world No15 dug deep to master his good friend - ranked eight places higher - and
win 8-11, 15-13, 11-9, 11-5.
Selby is celebrating the
11th Tour final of his career - and only his third meeting with Lincou, with
Frenchman hitherto boasting a 2/0 career advantage.
Thierry Avenges Iskandar Defeat In Nova
Scotia
After losing to the
Malaysian a week ago in the Motor City Open in the USA, third seed
Thierry Lincou gained his revenge by defeating Mohd Azlan Iskandar in
the Bluenose Classic in Canada to reach the semi-finals of the $40,000
PSA World Tour squash event in its fifth year at St Mary’s University
Tower in Halifax in Nova Scotia.
Frenchman Lincou was two
games ahead when fifth seed Iskandar conceded the match with a leg injury.
The one time world number
one from Marseille will now face a fellow former world number one after David
Palmer, the defending champion from Australia, saw off another Malaysian,
sixth seed Ong Beng Hee 11-6, 11-9, 11-3.
Local interest in the event
expired when former champion Shahier Razik bowed out to England's top
seed Peter Barker. Last year's runner-up, from London, beat
Toronto-based Razik 11-9, 11-9, 11-3 in 57 minutes.
Barker will now line up
against fellow countryman Daryl Selby, the third seed who ousted unseeded
Australian Aaron Frankcomb 11-5, 11-9, 11-2.
Razik Raises Local Hopes In Nova Scotia
Shahier Razik
raised hopes of local success in the Bluenose Classic when the unseeded
32-year-old from Toronto upset eighth seed Renan Lavigne in the first
round of the $40,000 PSA World Tour squash event in its fifth year at
St Mary’s University Tower in Halifax in the Canadian province of
Nova Scotia.
Razik, the 2007 champion,
rallied from 2-6 down in the first game to beat Frenchman Lavigne, ranked 35 in
the world, 11-8, 11-7, 11-1 in 42 minutes.
"It’s only the first round
so I’m not getting too excited about it," said Razik, currently ranked higher
than Lavigne at 31. "It was good. I was moving well and hitting pretty good
length. I feel good and I’m pumped up for the rest of the tournament.
"We usually have longer
matches," said Razik. “He’s a very tough opponent and we know each other’s game
really well."
The Canadian now faces
Peter Barker, the top-seeded Englishman who needed 68 minutes to overcome
Czech qualifier Jan Koukal 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-4.
Second seed David Palmer
took only 39 minutes to defeat Malaysian qualifier Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan
11-9, 11-6, 11-9. The defending champion from Australia will now meet another
Malaysian, sixth seed Ong Beng Hee, for a place in the semi-finals.
