"Big match? 'Big' is not the word. That was a huge one for us and Dane did a great job to beat Bernardo", said Canadian team coach Yvon Provencal (photo: Steve Cubbins) A crucial match in final qualifying rounds of the Men’s World Team Squash Championship in France – the outcome of which would either have put one nation into the world top 16 for the 1st time ever or another out of the elite group for the 1st time in 21 appearances – saw Canada edge past Colombia 2/1 to maintain top 16 status since 1971.
The glass-court clash for second place in Pool B, behind former champions England, got underway when squad number three Andrew Schnell put 15th seed Canada ahead with an 11-4, 5-11, 11-9, 11-4 victory over Andres Vargas. Colombia’s new world No19 Miguel Angel Rodriguez took on Shawn Delierre and beat the experienced Canadian in straight games to level the tie. The decider saw 28-year-old Dane Sharp, the world No82 from Toronto, beating Bernardo Samper, a 31-year-old New York-based Colombian 13-11, 11-3, 11-6 after 44 minutes.
Last sixteen round draw:
[1] EGYPT v [15] CANADA
[8] INDIA v [10] HONG KONG CHINA
[4] AUSTRALIA v [14] PAKISTAN
[6] GERMANY v [12] NEW ZEALAND
[5] MALAYSIA v [11] USA
[3] FRANCE v [13] MEXICO
[7] SOUTH AFRICA v [9] FINLAND
[2] ENGLAND v [16] SCOTLAND
All results at the official event website: http://worldmensquash-mulhouse2013.fr/
