Champion Lincou Survives Amid Surprises by Howard Harding
June 23, 2011-While
there were major upsets all around him, home hero Thierry Lincou
successfully began the defence of his title in the Squash Pro
Internationaux de la Reunion when he beat Malaysian Muhd Asyraf Azan to
reach the quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour International 25 squash
event in its second year at Eventsport 61 in Saint Pierre on Reunion
Island.
Lincou, the world No8 from France, won the inaugural PSA Tour event on
the island of his birth in 2009 - and is seeded to repeat his home
triumph this week.
The 35-year-old former world champion and world number one defeated
Azan, ranked 67 in the world, 11-5, 11-2, 12-10 in 35 minutes.
"This was a good day for me," the favourite told www.sitesquash.com
afterwards. "I was a bit tense for this first round back home, but my
tactic was good in the first two games. I did relax slightly in the
third, and it led to a tie-break."
It was a good day for French outsiders: Unseeded Julien Balbo ousted
higher-ranked fellow Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet, the No4 seed, 1-11,
11-7, 11-6, 14-12 to claim a surprise place in the last eight.
"I'm of course extremely happy to have won that franco-french duel, and
to feel I'm able to compete again," said Balbo, the Grenoble-born world
No70.
And after one of two matches delayed overnight following nose injuries,
unseeded Frenchman Yann Perrin claimed the event's biggest upset by
overcoming Scotland's No3 seed Alan Clyne 11-8, 11-8, 4-11, 4-11, 11-8
in 87 minutes of playing time.
In the other nose-affected match, Malaysian Kamran Khan fought back
from 2/1 down to quash 17-year-old Egyptian qualifier Marwan El
Shorbagy 11-7, 7-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-6.
But two qualifiers did make it through to the quarter-finals: Olivier
Pett, an Englishman ranked outside the top 100, edged out USA's world
No75 Christopher Gordon 11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 11-3 to earn a meeting with
favourite Lincou.
Meanwhile Dane Rasmus Nielsen survived a battle with fellow qualifier
Billy Paton. The 28-year-old from Odense beat 26-year-old Paton, from
Piton St Leu on Reunion Island - making his PSA Tour debut - 11-3,
11-6, 11-8.
RESULTS: PSA International 25 Squash Pro Internationaux de la Reunion, Saint Pierre, Reunion Island