The world's top 32 squash players were back in Bermuda today as the Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters kicked off in style at the Jessie Vasey Sports Centre in Hamilton.


[1] Amr Shanana (Egy) bt Joey Barrington (Eng) **
      11/5, 11/6, 11/6 (33m)
[9] John White (Sco) bt Mohammed Abbas (Egy) **
       11/7, 8/11, 11/13, 11/1, 11/9 (72m)

[5] James Willstrop (Eng) bt Shahier Razik (Can)
      11/6, 9/11, 11/6, 11/8 (61m)
Graham Ryding (Can) bt [13] Olli Tuominen (Fin)
      11/6, 8/11, 12/10, 11/6 (51m)

[4] Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt Adrian Grant (Eng) **
       11/3, 13/11, 11/6 (54m)
[15] Stewart Boswell (Aus) bt Bradley Ball (Eng)
       11/6, 11/5, 11/6 (17m)

[8] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt Mark Chaloner (Eng) **
      10/12, 11/2, 11/6, 13/11 (58m)
[12] Azlan Iskandar (Mas) bt Peter Barker (Eng)
        11/13, 11/7, 11/3, 11/8 (64m)

**  on the Glass court at BHS, other matches at BSRA
 

PHOTO GALLERIES

Solid Start for Shabana

First on court was world champion and new world number one Amr Shabana, dubbed by many as the 'Prince of Egypt'. Shabana represented a daunting challenge for young Englishman Joey Barrington, son of one of the ultimate squash legends Jonah, many time-British Open Champion.

But Barrington was anything but daunted as he took the game to the Egyptian in the early stages. Shabana is famed for his shot-making skills, but it was Barrington who was finding the winners as he took a quick 4/1 lead in the first game.

Shabana has matured in the past two seasons, and began to show that maturity as he lengthened the rallies, playing the long game that Barrington usually favours and gradually finding his way into the match.

Shabana took the first 11/5 and by the start of the second was beginning to play the shots that make him the most exciting player on the tour, and despite some great interceptions by Barrington that had the crowd hooting with delight the lead was soon doubled.

Barrington was not done, and fought back well to stay in touch in the third game, but from the midway point Shabana opened up with a series of trademark winners to earn himself a rest day before his second round match.
 

"He's a fantastic player, playing the best squash in the world right now, so it's hard to know what to do, he has all the skills and now he's playing disciplined squash too, it's hard to break him down. "I started well, there was no pressure on me except the pressure I put on myself to do well. I've been injured for two weeks and hardly played, so it's a bit of a shock to the system to come up against the number one player! "I would play a good rally, then three or four bad ones, it was quite frustrating, I felt I was playing in fits and starts. But at least it's more experience for me on the glass court, it's the first time I've played on one since the nationals." Joey Barrington

White sweats it out

Shabana's opponent on Tuesday will be Scotland's John White, renowned as the hardest hitter in the game. White, only just arrived in Bermuda after a long and arduous trip from New Zealand, knew he would have a hard match against Egypt's Mohammed Abbas ... he always does, and this was to be no exception.

Similar in build and style, both were going for their shots from the word go, matching each other winner for winner. White took the first, coming off the floor to hit the winning shot and Abbas levelled with a fabulous rally to take the second.

The Egyptian kept his momentum in the third, where a winner or error from either racket was never far away, keeping the Bermudian crowd royally entertained. Having taken the third on a tie-break Abbas let the fourth slip 11/1 after falling behind, and couldn't pick the pace up again as White raced into a 7/1 lead in the decider.

The crowd thought it was all over, and so did White probably, but it was a nervous finish for the 2002 Masters champion as Abbas saved three match balls as an increasingly desperate White searched for the winning shot. It came courtesy of a straightforward length that was too tight for the Egyptian, and a relieved White goes on to face Shabana.
 

It was a closer match than expected with Razik pushing Willstrop hard in all four games.

"I'm very pleased to win because Shahier is very dangerous on a bouncy court like that one. The court doesn’t suit my game and I'm happy to have that one over and done with."

James Willstrop

Canada's Graham Ryding created the first upset of the event as he put out Finland's thirteenth seed Olli Tuominen in four games ...

"I'm very pleased with the result. I played well in the first and fourth games and was lucky in the third game which seemed to break his spirit a little. Overall I was pleased to win."

Graham Ryding

"I was too tired, not fast enough. I couldn't take the ball as early as I like to and that tired me out faster than normal. The courts are quite bouncy but the ball was a little dead ... I can't explain it really .."

Olli Tuominen

It was a quick win for Australia's Stewart Boswell, against Englishman Bradley Ball, starting another comeback after a series of injury problems ...

"Bradley was obviously struggling in his first match back after injury and I know exactly how that feels! I'm looking forward to getting onto the glass court for the next round."

Stewart Boswell

The final match at the BSRA was the longest, as Malaysia's Azlan Iskandar fought off a strong challenge from Peter Barker ...

"That was a hard first round match, someone had to win it and I'm glad it was me. It was great squash, just hard rallies and I played that little bit better. I'm looking forward to the next round and getting onto the glass."

Azlan Iskandar

Thierry Takes Birthday Win

Thierry Lincou held the world number one spot for the whole of 2005, and for much of it was World Champion too. A dip in form saw him slip to number five at the start of the year but victory at the Canary Wharf Classic in February seems to have put the Frenchman back on the upward trail.

Today, on his 30th birthday, he faced young Englishman Adrian Grant and started brightly, quickly taking the first game as Grant made nervous errors.  There was a battle for the 'T' in the second as both players tried to move in front, resulting in the referee being called on to make many, many let decisions as they jostled for position. There was no arguing, no

Lincou took the second, just, after trailing 8/9, and that gave him enough of an edge to stay in control of the third and final game, profiting from three consecutive errors from Grant to give him match-ball, which he took on his first opportunity. Lincou will be grateful for a 3/0 win that sees him through to round two without too much of a struggle, and a rest day in hand.

"I was a bit too anxious in the first game, didn't get settled into my rhythm. I should have stuck in a bit more in that one. "I got my game going in the second, I decided to push up so we were both fighting for the same space in the middle, which caused so many lets. "The lets were a good thing for me, it showed that I was competing. It was never aggressive or anything, but it's going to be like that when two players compete for the same space. "I felt I should have sneaked the second, but it's a different story from 2-0 down, and I made a few errors in the third and he pushed on from the middle of the game." Adrian Grant

Youth over Experience

The final match on the Glass court pitched tour veteran and PSA President Mark Chaloner against fellow Englishman and new National Champion Nick Matthew, one of the games, rising stars.

Although Chaloner's experience allowed him to take the first game on a tie-break, Matthew regrouped to win the next two games comfortably before fending off a spirited fightback by Chaloner to take the fourth on another tie-break.

"I seem to have identical games against these 'older' guys - Chip, Parky, Goughy. We always have a really tough first game, maybe I'm playing too many rallies, thinking I've got more in the tank for later, rather than being aggressive and taking the game to them. "But you can't underestimate Mark, he's got all the experience, and a lethal forehand. "I'm glad to get off in four and have a rest day, you don't realise how much the travelling and the pressur of an event like the Commonwealth Games, which we were all building up to for a long time, takes out of you." Nick Matthew

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