BOSTON, Sept 21: Peter Nicol and Lee Beachill, the world's top two squash players, will meet in first all-English final of the US Squash Open Championship after mutually supportive semi-final Triumphs.

At stake is not only one of the sport's most desired titles, but also the next World No1 ranking. A successful title defence by Nicol would give top seeded 31-year-old his fifth US Open title and guarantee his hold on pole position in PSA world rankings.

But should Beachill, second seed, claim what would be only his third PSA Tour victory over his rival, Yorkshireman would win a first US Open crown and earn enough rankings points to become World No1 for the first time on Oct 1.

Joe Kneipp came out strongly in first game of semifinal against Nicol. The eighth seed from Australia quickly went up 4-0 up before top seed Nicol responded, bringing score back to 4-4. Title-holder went on to take the game.

But not before dazzling near capacity crowd with a 90-second rally that had both players reaching, spinning, and wheeling and dealing. Game two started with a fetching bout of cat and mouse, but Nicol despatched 30-year-old Australian in just 11 minutes to build up a two game lead. He finished the match in convincing style, winning 11-6 11-6 11-6 in just 37 minutes.

The other semifinal saw Australia's fourth-seeded David Palmer assert his presence with authority and take a commanding 10-4 lead before snatching first game against Beachill.

A few words of encouragement from compatriot Peter Nicol seemed to do trick for Beachill. He rocketed to a 6-0 lead before handing serve to Palmer. Despite several excellent rallies, the Aussie couldn't produce and Beachill levelled the match. As Palmer's frustrations increased, so Beachill gained a tighter grip on the match and won in 64 minutes.

SEMIFINAL RESULTS: