Illingworth Triumphs In Northern Ontario Championship

Less than 24 hours after surviving the longest match of his professional career, US number one Julian Illingworth dashed home hopes of success in the Northern Ontario Championship in Canada when he beat Shawn Delierre in the final of the PSA World Tour Challenger 15 squash event in its third year at the Sudbury YMCA in Sudbury, Ontario.

"Julian had a mammoth 123-minute battle with Chris Simpson in the semis and there were questions as to how well he would recover before the final," explained tournament spokesman Michael McCue. "Delierre was also stretched to five games but did not have his fitness sternly tested.

"The theme of the week - long rallies interspersed with explosions of offense - won out again today. Canadian Delierre is known for his lengthy matches, but Illingworth has a more attacking reputation. The American was hitting the ball cleaner than his previous match, especially to the front, which forced Shawn into outstretched lobs."

After surviving a crucial second game, coming back from 8-9 down, top seed Illingworth went on to close out the match 11-7, 11-9, 11-6 in 63 minutes.

"Illingworth sensed the importance of the moment and strung together three excellent rallies," added McCue. "He remarked afterward that this was the key point of the match."

It was the ninth Tour clash between the pair - all of which had been on North American soil - with Illingworth easing ahead 5/4 in their head-to-head tally.

The win also marks Illingworth's sixth PSA World Tour title - and comes just a month after the 28-year-old from New York won a record eighth US national crown.

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