YMG Capital Classic 2000
Toronto, Canada, 27-Nov ~ 01-Dec, $50k


POWER SCORES EASY HOME WIN


Final:
[2] Jonathon Power (Can) bt [1] Peter Nicol (Sco)  15/8, 15/4, 15/5

Jonathon Power delighted a packed gallery at the BCE centre in Toronto, winning the final of the new $50,000 event with a comprehensive victory over world #1 Peter Nicol to conclude an historic return of professional squash to Canada after a gap of more than a decade.

Nicol was clearly suffering the effects of a two month lay-off and three long matches to reach the final, and was only able to put up significant resistance for the first half of the first game. From 5-4 up in that first game Nicol fell away as Power levelled their personal head to head record at 11-11.

The announcement that YMG Capital Management would continue sponsorship for at least another year delighted the audience, champion Power and promoter John Nimick, who all see this event as providing a launch pad for a surge in the game in Canada.

 

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YMG Capital Classic
1st Round - Mon/Tue 27/28 Nov Quarters - Wed 29  Semis - Thu 30  Final - Fri 01
     [1] Peter Nicol (SCO)
 14-15, 15-10, 15-10, 15-10
Graham Ryding (CAN)
Peter Nicol
11-15, 15-13, 15-13, 13-15, 15-9
 Mark Chaloner
Peter Nicol

10-15, 17-15, 15-12, 15-8

Ahmed Barada

Peter Nicol

 

15-8, 15-4, 15-5

 

Jonathon Power

    Mark Chaloner (ENG)
15-8, 16-17, 11-15, 15-7, 15-3
Anthony Hill (LL)
    [4] Ahmed Barada (EGY)
11-15, 15-6, 17-15, 15-13
Del Harris (ENG)
Ahmed Barada
15-11, 15-4, 15-4
Paul Price
    [8] Paul Price (AUS)
15-12, 10-15, 15-12, 13-15, 17-14
[Q] Mark Cairns (ENG)
    [6] Paul Johnson (ENG)
16-17, 15-6, 15-8, 11-15, 15-8
[Q] Rodney Durbach (RSA)
Paul Johnson
13-15, 15-11, 15-8, 15-11
Martin Heath
Martin Heath

15-9, 15-8, 7-15, 15-8

Jonathon Power

    [3] Simon Parke (ENG)
15-14, 12-15, 15-13, 15-6
Martin Heath (SCO)
    [7] David Palmer (AUS)
15-12, 15-12, 15-13
[Q] Nick Taylor (ENG)
David Palmer
15-11, 17-14, 15-9
Jonathon Power

    [2] Jonathon Power (CAN)
15-13, 15-8, 15-10
[Q] Stewart Boswell (AUS)

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RESULTS & Reports
Qualifying  

1st qualifying round:
John White (SCO) bt Stefan Casteleyn (BEL)     15-10, 15-10, 15-17, 17-16
Mark Cairns (ENG) bt Shawn Delierre (CAN)      15-4, 15-7, 15-6
Anthony Hill (AUS) bt Jason Jewell (USA)          15-9, 15-10, 15-11
Nick Taylor (ENG) bt Shahir Razik (CAN)           15-12, 12-15, 15-12, 15-6
Rodney Durbach (RSA) bt Joe Kneipp (AUS)      15-10, 15-10, 15-11
Derek Ryan (IRL) bt Josh MacDonald (CAN)       13-15, 15-10, 15-4, 15-8
Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Kelly Patrick (CAN)    15-5, 15-10, 15-7
Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Ian Power (CAN)            15-5, 15-10, 15-13

Qualifying finals:
Mark Cairns (ENG) bt John White (SCO)            15-9, 15-12, 15-8
Nick Taylor (ENG) bt Anthony Hill (AUS)             15-5, 17-14, 15-12
Rodney Durbach (RSA) bt Derek Ryan (IRL)        15-12, 15-7, 15-8
Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Thierry Lincou (FRA)    14-17, 15-10, 15-10, 6-15, 15-7
First Round  
In a disappointing day for England on the first day of the new $50,000 YMG Capital Squash Classic in Toronto, Canada, three English players failed to survive the first round.

Qualifier Mark Cairns, the 33-year-old former British National champion from Oxfordshire, twice fought back from behind against 8th seed Paul Price, the 24-year-old world No8 from Melbourne.  Price, a surprise finalist in last
month's British Open, ultimately overcame the determined opposition, winning 15-12, 10-15, 15-12, 13-15, 17-14 in 101 minutes - the longest match of the day.

Price now meets 4th seed Ahmed Barada in Wednesday's second round at BCE Place - after the Egyptian overturned a one-game deficit to beat England's world No10 Del Harris 11-15, 15-6, 17-15, 15-13 in 92 minutes.

Local hero Jonathon Power, the 26-year-old world No2 from Toronto playing in his first PSA Tour event in his hometown since topping the world rankings last year, opened the day's play with a 75-minute 15-13, 15-8, 15-10 win over Australian qualifier Stewart Boswell.  The second seed's opponent in the next round will be another Australian David Palmer, the 24-year-old world No7 from New South Wales who ended title-holder Power's run in last month's British Open.  Palmer needed 65 minutes to quash English qualifier Nick Taylor 15-12, 15-12, 15-13.

1st round (1st day):
[4] Ahmed Barada (EGY) v Del Harris (ENG)                     11-15, 15-6, 17-15, 15-13
[8] Paul Price (AUS) v [Q] Mark Cairns (ENG)                    15-12, 10-15, 15-12, 13-15, 17-14
[7] David Palmer (AUS) v [Q] Nick Taylor (ENG)                 15-12, 15-12, 15-13
[2] Jonathon Power (CAN) v [Q] Stewart Boswell (AUS)       15-13, 15-8, 15-10


WORLD CH7AMPION NICOL BACK TO FORM IN TORONTO

Scotland's world champion Peter Nicol showed signs that his recent leg injury is now behind him as he overcame a one-game deficit to beat local star Graham Ryding 14-15, 15-10, 15-10, 15-10 in the first round of the $50,000 YMG Capital Squash Classic in Toronto, Canada.

The London-based Scot was forced to miss last month's British Open as a result of his injury, then suffered his first opening round defeat for more than four years when he made his comeback in the Florida Open three weeks ago.  The 27-year-old world No1 from Aberdeen, the top seed, beat the Toronto-based Pan American Games champion in 63 minutes, and now faces fellow Briton Mark Chaloner in the quarter-finals at BCE Place.

The unseeded Chaloner, ranked 11 in the world, was due to play British Open champion David Evans, but the fifth-seeded Welshman withdrew on the eve of the event with an Achilles injury.  Australia's Anthony Hill, the former world No5 who was beaten by England's Nick Taylor in qualifying, stepped in as a late 'lucky loser' - and led 2-1 before the England international gained the upper-hand to win 15-8, 16-17, 11-15, 15-7, 15-3 in 100 minutes.

Scotland's Martin Heath pulled off the only upset of the day when he beat England's 3rd seed Simon Parke, the world No3 from Nottingham, 15-14, 12-15, 15-13, 15-6 in 61 minutes.  Edinburgh-based Heath, 27, from Oban, now faces another Englishman in the last eight.  Paul Johnson, the world No6 from London, dismissed South African qualifier Rodney Durbach -Nicol's conqueror in the Florida Open - 16-17, 15-6, 15-8, 11-15, 15-8.

1st round (2nd day):
[1] Peter Nicol (SCO) bt Graham Ryding (CAN)              14-15, 15-10, 15-10, 15-10
Mark Chaloner (ENG) bt Anthony Hill (AUS)                   15-8, 16-17, 11-15, 15-7, 15-3
[6] Paul Johnson (ENG) bt [Q] Rodney Durbach (RSA)  16-17, 15-6, 15-8, 11-15, 15-8
Martin Heath (SCO) bt [3] Simon Parke (ENG)                 15-14, 12-15, 15-13, 15-6

Quarter-Finals  

NICOL JOINS FELLOW SCOT HEATH IN TORONTO SEMIS

World champion Peter Nicol was fully extended by England's Mark Chaloner in the quarter-finals of the $50,000 YMG Capital Squash Classic in Toronto, Canada, but will join fellow Scot Martin Heath in tonight's (Thursday) semi-finals at BCE Place.

It took 86 minutes for top-seeded Nicol, the 27-year-old world No1 from Aberdeen, to conquer his great rival Mark Chaloner 11-15, 15-13, 15-13, 13-15, 15-9.  The Scot, winning matches in his first PSA Tour event since withdrawing from October's British Open with a leg injury, now faces Egypt's world No4 Ahmed Barada, who quickly dismissed Australia's Paul Price, runner-up in this year's British Open, 15-11, 15-4, 15-4 in 33 minutes.

Unseeded Martin Heath, 27, from Edinburgh, removed his second seed of the tournament when he beat England's world No6 Paul Johnson 13-15, 15-11, 15-8, 15-11 in 59 minutes. In a repeat of the final of the Florida Open earlier this month, the Scot will now meet local hero Jonathon Power, the Toronto-based world No2 who overcame Australia's David Palmer 15-11, 17-14, 15-9 in 63 minutes.

[1] Peter Nicol (Sco) bt Mark Chaloner (Eng)               11-15, 15-13, 15-13, 13-15, 15-9
[4] Ahmed Barada (Egy) bt Paul Price (Aus)               15-11, 15-4, 15-4
Martin Heath (Sco) bt [6] Paul Johnson (Eng)              13-15, 15-11, 15-8, 15-11
[1] Jonathon Power (Can) bt [7] David Palmer (Aus)     15-11, 17-14, 15-9

Semi-Finals  

NICOL & POWER SET FOR TORONTO SHOWDOWN

Scotland's world champion Peter Nicol and Canada's world No2 Jonathon Power will contest the final in Power's hometown Toronto in an eagerly-awaited clash which will be the pair's 22nd of all-time, but only the first in Canada since their maiden encounter in the final of the Canadian Open in Burlington in October 1995.

Power, the sport's greatest showman, will be hoping that local support in the first major PSA Tour event in his homeland in more than a decade will spur him on to level the head-to-head tally between the world's top two players, which currently stands at 11-10 in favour of the Scot.

In the opening semi-final at BCE Place, top seed Nicol fought back from a game down to overcome 4th seed Ahmed Barada 10-15, 17-15, 15-12, 15-8 in 73 minutes. It was the 27-year-old world No1 from Aberdeen's fourth successive victory over the Egyptian superstar this year, and extends Nicol's four-year head-to-head record against the 23-year-old from Cairo to 11-2.

Later, in a repeat of this year's Tournament of Champions and Florida Open finals in the USA, Power defeated Scotland's unseeded Martin Heath 15-9, 15-8, 7-15, 15-8. The 70-minute victory was Power's fourth successive four-game win over the 27-year-old world No9 from Edinburgh.

Semi-Finals:
[1] Peter Nicol (Sco) bt [4] Ahmed Barada (Egy)    15-9, 15-8, 7-15, 15-8
[2] Jonathon Power (Can) bt Martin Heath (Sco)     10-15, 15-7, 15-2, 15-8

Final  

[2] Jonathon Power (Can) bt [1] Peter Nicol (Sco)   15-8, 15-4, 15-5

Jonathon Power delighted a packed gallery at the BCE centre in Toronto, winning the final of the new $50,000 event with a comprehensive victory over world #1 Peter Nicol to conclude an historic return of professional squash to Canada after a gap of more than a decade.

Nicol was clearly suffering the effects of a two month lay-off and three long matches to reach the final, and was only able to put up significant resistance for the first half of the first game. From 5-4 up in that first game Nicol fell away as Power levelled their personal head to head record at 11-11.

The announcement that YMG Capital Management would continue sponsorship for at least another year delighted the audience, champion Power and promoter John Nimick, who all see this event as providing a launch pad for a surge in the game in Canada.

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