Shabana & Nicol To Meet In Bermuda Showdown

Egypt's new world number one Amr Shabana will meet fellow left-hander Peter Nicol, the world No6 from England, in the final of the Virtual Spectator Bermuda PSA Masters, after the dismissal of two Frenchmen in the semi-finals of the PSA Super Series Platinum event in Hamilton, presented by Logic and hosted by Endurance.

In the opening match on the all-glass court at the Jessie Vesey Sports Centre, top seed Shabana took on France's Thierry Lincou, the fourth seed and former world No1. This was the pair's 12th meeting since September 2003 - the most notable of which was in December 2003 when the Egyptian prevailed in the final of the World Open in Pakistan to become the first Egyptian to claim the title.

Lincou played exceptionally well in the first game, taking it 11-7, but then reality set in as Shabana rattled off six unanswered points in the second and never looked under pressure as he tightened his game and maintained his lead to draw level.

Mid-way through the third game, it was clear that Shabana was in control, and a series of sustained rallies ended with either the Egyptian playing an immaculate drop, or with Lincou hitting the tin. After 77 minutes, it was Shabana who emerged victorious in a 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9 scoreline to record his third successive four-game victory over the Frenchman this year.

"Any time you beat Thierry, it's a good win," said the 26-year-old from Cairo afterwards. "When he controls the game he gives you very few openings, and you get lost trying to find a winner, which is what happened to me tonight. He started well, like he did the last couple of times we played, but I started getting in front of him in the second and thank God it was enough."

Shabana, beaten only once this year, is now in his 17th PSA final - and one win away from extending his remarkable record of six wins out of six successive finals!

After his brilliant demolition of David Palmer the previous night - just 24 hours after celebrating his 33rd birthday - it was widely questioned whether Peter Nicol would be up for a second successive tough match in two days, especially against a rapidly-improving Frenchman who is ten years his junior.

Nicol had suffered a 3/2 loss to Gregory Gautier just seven weeks earlier in New York - but 54 minutes later he had emphatically answered the question after a straight game win against the young Frenchman 11-5, 11-8, 11-5.

Nicol delighted the crowd, playing almost flawless squash throughout the match, constantly keep his young opponent on the move, and being content to wait for Gaultier to make mistakes. Gaultier led 4-1 in the first game, but after the score levelled at 5-5, it was Nicol in the lead for the rest of the game and the match.

"After the Commonwealth Games, I felt mentally exhausted and emotionally gone - but physically I feel great. When I arrived here I was just thinking of getting to the first round and competing. Now I'm looking forward to tomorrow and then I'm taking a few weeks off.

"He (Amr) is a phenomenal talent and the man to beat. He's good for the game. I played him in the World Open in December and he took me apart. It will be great to have another crack at him."

Nicol is no stranger to records in his sport: He recently celebrated 60 months at the top of the world rankings - and last month added two Commonwealth Games gold medals to bring his medals total in three Games to a record six.

His match against Shabana will mark his 69th appearance in a PSA Tour final - but victory would bring up his half century of 50 PSA titles!

Semi-finals:
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [4] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 7-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-9 (77m)
[6] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt [11] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 (54m)