10 December 2004	Friday	27 Shawwal 1425

ISLAMABAD, Dec 9: There were more surprises at the $65,000 Bank Alfalah Pakistan Open on Thursday as Canadian defending champion Jonathan Power and No 2 seed Nick Matthew went down in contrasting semifinals at the Mushaf Squash Complex.

Eighth seeded James Will strop put the brakes on No 2 seed Matthew in the first pre-final walking off a 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 winner in an all-England clash while Australian Anthony Ricketts ended Power's tournament with a 11-9, 13-11, 7-11, 1-11, 11-7 victory.

Friday's final will now see for only the second time in the history of the championship two foreigners competing for the top prize and it will also be the second instance that no Pakistani will be on show.

Power, the No 5 seed had beaten Peter Nicol of Scotland in the last edition of the championship in 2002 at Lahore. And on Thursday he did everything he could to stay in the hunt in his title defence but Ricketts had better luck.

"I am disappointed to lose this match. In the last game some decisions went against me and I also committed some mistakes and paid for that," Power said. "I did not expect to lose because I was playing well in the tournament after beating David Palmer in the quarterfinals, I was hoping to win the title."

In a high quality clash marked by long rallies and fierce strokes, Ricketts kept his nerve to take the first two games, both of which were hotly contested. But Power, a former world champion, came back to take the closely fought third game and also the fourth which he won with consummate ease.

With the match delicately poised, it was Ricketts who surged ahead after the scores were level at 4-4 and did not let Power catch up with him to pull off a remarkable victory.

Power could have won the first game when he led 5-1 but fortunes swung and Ricketts bounced back to pull level and then went ahead leading 6-8 before the Canadian got his act together to equalise the scores at 9-9.

However Power dropped two points at the fag end to go 0-1 down in 0 - ? the match. But if the first game was a tight affair, the second was even tighter as both players appeared in no mood to give in.

They stood at par five times in the game which saw nail-biting rallies and an exciting mix of strokes and it required a tie- break to separate the two. Becoming increasingly frustrated at some of the decisions of the referee, Power's measured strokes and especially his drop shots earned him victory in the third game while the fourth was a cakewalk for him as he dropped only a point to force the match into decisive fifth game, in which he faltered.

For Ricketts, who had beaten 7th seeded Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in Wednesday's quarterfinals, it was a well deserved victory as he fought hard all through, except in the fourth game.

The other semifinal was in stark contrast. Matthew could not put up the kind of show that merited the occasion. Will strop dictated play, and executed his shots with perfection.

For Will strop, conqueror of third seed Amr Shabana of Egypt on Wednesday, the first game was a romp as he made Matthew run all over the court with points just flowing for him.

Again in the second, Will strop was in firm control all through while in the third Matthew grew frustrated and threw his racket in anger earning a conduct warning from referee Jamshed Gul. But for him the writing was on the wall and it was only a matter of time before his fate was sealed by his country-fellow.

RESULTS (SEMIFINALS): James Willstrop (Eng) bt Nick Matthew (Eng) 11-4, 11-5, 11-5; Anthony Ricketts (Aus) bt Jonathan Power (Can) 11-9, 13-11, 7-11, 1-11, 11-7.

FINAL (FRIDAY): James Willstrop (Eng) v Anthony Ricketts (Aus).