A shock of seismic proportions rocked the Bermuda Open yesterday proving that squash ? like every other sport ? is truly unpredictable.

Recent world number one and the tournament's top seed Thierry Lincou of France was sent packing in the first round's opening match by upcoming Englishman Nick Matthew in an absorbing five sets.

The men from the opposite sides of the English Channel battled for more than 90 minutes before the unseeded Matthew celebrated the most coveted win of his blossoming career.

The 23-year-old giant killer prevailed 15-11, 11-15, 15-11, 13-15, 15-7 to earn a quarter-final date versus world champion Amr Shabana of Egypt today.

"Yeah, it's not quite sunk in yet cause it was such a long match and tough. He was number one only last month and he is the top seed for this tournament so it's my best-ever win. I'm pretty pleased," declared a clearly jubilant Matthew, savouring the spotlight.

Displaying a smooth, all-court game, the world number ten never looked outclassed or awed by his opponent and, in fact, it was Lincou who appeared to be struggling at various junctures. However, the depth of his quality kept him in the match despite falling behind twice in sets.

In the fifth set, though, Matthew discovered another gear and powered ahead with a combination of awesome strokes and deft touches.

"I was doing better when I was playing my own game and moving him to the back and being positive. You have to keep that going for an hour and a half to win and the problem was that before I'd do that for maybe half-hour but not for long enough.

"Today, I was consistent throughout the match," said the winner, assessing his performance.

Noting this triumph will do wonders for his ranking, Matthew refused to consider whether other competitors will now be sizing him up as the one to beat.

Lincou, 27, was complimentary of the rising star to whom he succumbed.

"I had a bit of pressure as the top seed but all credit to Nick. He played very well and he was very aggressive. This was a good lesson for me."

The Frenchman had hoped to excel here as he seeks to regain the world number-one ranking.

Meanwhile, Shabana was determined not to provide the Open with any further upsets as he disposed of defending champion Ong Beng Hee of Malaysia by a scoreline of 15-6, 14-15, 15-13, 15-11.

The 25-year-old is now enjoying his squash again after a period of angst following his crowning as world champion last November.

"I made my point that I could be one of the best players on the circuit but it gave me some pressure which I didn't need. Every time I go onto a court now everybody is out to get me, being world champion but I've got my head sorted out and I'm trying to win one match at a time now."

World and tournament number four seed Lee Beachill of England dispatched Canadian qualifier Graham Ryding 15-13, 15-8, 14-15, 15-7 but was quick to indicate it was not as easy as it looked.

"Graham is a good player and he has been around for a long time. His ranking slipped a little and that's why he found himself in qualifying but he came through that quite comfortably and I knew he was one of the worst ones to get when the draw was made.

"I knew it was going to be a hard match, especially in these difficult conditions. I'm just pleased to come through it," said the 26-year-old.

He too plans to take the Open "match by match" but is encouraged by how well he hit the ball in the first round. His quarter-final rival will be Joe Kneipp who devoured another qualifier, England's Adrian Grant, in straight sets 15-7, 15-10, 15-10.

Australian Kneipp thinks he has an even chance against Beachill though the latter, he said, is probably playing better than he is at present.

"He is playing well and on form he is maybe a bit stronger than me right now so I'll have to put my game on to beat him," said the 30-year-old.

As for dismantling Grant's ambitions, Kneipp admitted the humid conditions sapped him after two sets and that the third was "a bit scrappy".

"My movement started to deteriorate and I was making some silly mistakes."

Grant, who had been the talk of the qualifying series with a 3-2 comeback win after being 2-0 down, conceded Tuesday's marathon match had drained him.

"It's always hard when you go through qualification and then come up against main-draw players who are fresh," said the 23-year-old.

"Obviously, coming back from 2-0 down wasn't ideal preparation and these conditions completely wiped me out."

True to his surname, Jonathon Power, romped into the last eight with an imperious 15-3, 15-9, 15-8 win over Mark Chaloner of England.

The 29-year-old Canadian is optimistic he can maintain the good rhythm which he steered him through the first round but he is not misguided about the mission before him.

"It's a top field here and I'll have to play well to win but like in any tournament I give myself a good chance and hopefully I can put it all together."