Wild Card Kyme Gets Toughest Opener In Bermuda Masters Draw

Bermuda's National champion Nicholas Kyme, awarded a wild card in next month's Virtual Spectator Bermuda PSA Masters, finds himself facing top seed Thierry Lincou, the world No1 from France, in the first round of the draw which is announced today.

The $120,000 PSA Super Series Platinum event, presented by Logic & hosted by Endurance, will be staged on an all-glass court at the Jessey Vesey Sports Centre in Hamilton from 4-9 April - featuring the world's top 31 players.

It is the first time in the event's six-year history that the event has welcomed a 'wild card' player - an honour which Kyme, ranked 68 in the world, is determined to do justice.

"I'm absolutely ecstatic about the wild card - what a fantastic opportunity!" said the 24-year-old who won the Bermuda National title in February. "To be the first player outside the world's top 32 to play in this tournament is a dream come true and makes all the training and the hard work seem worthwhile.

"I'd like to pay tribute to the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association (BSRA) for all their efforts towards making this opportunity possible. To be able to play in the largest professional squash tournament in the world bar the World Open, in front of my own countrymen on the island of my birth - well, it's pretty special."

Ross Triffitt, Director of Bermuda Squash, said Kyme "fully deserved" the wild card slot: "Nick is the best Bermudian squash player ever and is a product of our thriving junior programme," he said. "He's been a professional for close to two years now and we are starting to see signs of genuine progress in his game. He earned the wild card at the inaugural Bermuda Open in 2004 and acquitted himself admirably against Peter Nicol, losing in three well-contested games. I'm confident Nick learnt a great deal from that experience and, coupled with the improvements in his game over the last year, will be more than capable of holding his own in the main draw. I wish him the very best of luck."

This is the first time the PSA Masters has been held in the western world since its inception in 2000 (it has previously been held in Egypt and in Qatar), and it brings to Bermuda the world's best players from 11 countries and five continents.

England's Lee Beachill, the world No2 from Yorkshire who won the Bermuda Open last year, is the No2 seed and drawn to face compatriot Bradley Ball in the first round. Third seed Peter Nicol, the former world No1, is also in the lower half of the draw and expected to meet compatriot Beachill in the semi-finals.

Australia's David Palmer, last year's runner-up who has a base in Bermuda, is the fourth seed and drawn to meet fellow Australian Paul Price in the first round. His anticipated semi-final opponent is French favourite Lincou.

There will also be a number of additional events taking place at around the same time as the PSA Masters, including the Bank of Bermuda Foundation Junior Open 2005, to attract overseas juniors, along with the Bermuda Open Graded Championships, specially-designed to attract overseas amateurs to visit the Island and compete in a tournament while also being able to watch the world's best in action.

Bermuda is one of the most isolated and beautiful places on earth, approximately 650 miles off the coast of North Carolina, USA, and just over 3,000 miles from London, England. In travel time, Bermuda is just over two hours from most US East Coast gateways, two and a half hours from Toronto, Canada, and six hours from London.

1st round draw:
[1] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v Nicholas Kyme (BER)
[10] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Renan Lavigne (FRA)
[6] Jonathon Power (CAN) v Mark Chaloner (ENG)
[9] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Simon Parke (ENG)
[4] David Palmer (AUS) v Paul Price (AUS)
[12] John White (SCO) v Alex Gough (WAL)
[7] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Shahid Zaman (PAK)
[16] Mohammed Abbas (EGY) v Ong Beng Hee (MAS)
[11] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) v Shahier Razik (CAN)
[5] James Willstrop (ENG) v Rodney Durbach (RSA)
[14] Adrian Grant (ENG) v Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS)
[3] Peter Nicol (ENG) v Wael El Hindi (EGY)
[15] Joseph Kneipp (AUS) v Olli Tuominen (FIN)
[8] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Dan Jenson (AUS)
[13] Graham Ryding (CAN) v Mansoor Zaman (PAK)
[2] Lee Beachill (ENG) v Bradley Ball (ENG)