Ong Beng Hee and Thierry Lincou will contest the final of the Logic Bermuda Squash Open tonight, after putting paid to the chances of John White and Joseph Kneipp, respectively.

Beng Hee's tigerishness and Thierry Lincou's French polish were enough to set up an intriguing climax to an event that has seen five of the world's top players, plus three of Bermuda's best, battle it out at the Bermuda Squash Racquet Association's Middle Road courts.

Malaysian Beng Hee defeated Scotland's White 3-1 (17-15, 14-17, 15-11, 15-12) in a little over an hour and ten minutes.

While Lincou, who last week was the beaten finalist at the Tournament of Champions in New York, kept his good run going, with a 3-1 (12-15, 15-6, 15-10, 15-11) win over Australian Kneipp in 56 minutes.

Both Beng Hee, the world No.9, and world No.6 Lincou felt they had come across opponents who were not on top of their game last night.

The Malaysian felt world No.5 White had made too many unforced errors, while Lincou believed he had benefited from a first round draw that pitted him against Bermuda's James Stout, while Kneipp was forced to battle past world No.12, Mark Chaloner of England.

"I have always done very well against (John), I have beaten him a lot of times," said Beng Hee. "He is a very erratic player - he can play very well on a good day and sometimes, when he is not playing as well, he plays pretty bad.

"I think today he didn't play very well and made a lot of mistakes and so I got the upper hand.

"I moved pretty well and covered the court pretty well and I think that frustrated him and he just kept hitting the tin. He gave me a lot of points."

Lincou said he felt that Kneipp may have ran out the winner of his tie if only he had had the energy.

"I think he was controlling the game. He went for some shots and he made me really move," Lincou said. "I was struggling a little bit. I think I was too defensive today. He tried to really push me and really made me work but at the end he got tired.

"He played the whole match - he had the points and the mistakes.

"I think he was tired from the match yesterday. I think I am quite lucky to win - but that's the draw, you know. I didn't play my best squash but I am looking forward to playing better tomorrow (today)."

The beaten semifinalists were left to reflect on what might have been.

"I should have won the first, I was up 13-10, and I think that was the crucial game in a hot and bouncy court. I let that slip," said White, who believed he should have taken advantage of good positions in the second and third games as well.

White also felt he did not get the rub of the green in one important decision in the final game, when Beng Hee was awarded a point that gave him match ball.

White felt it should have been a let and then it would have still been anybody's game.However, he was sporting enough to say it was just one of those things.

"There are no complaints," he said. "You win some, you lose some. He played better on the day, was more patient and played a great deal of winners as well, so full credit."

Kneipp, despite winning the opener, said there was an air of inevitability about his match with Lincou.

"I started off great but I knew what was going to happen. At the end of the first I started to get tired.

"I am not trying to take anything away from him, but my match yesterday (Monday) was one of the nastiest matches I have had in a while," he said.

"Conditions here are very tough. We played for an hour and a half and it was unbelievably painful. When I finished yesterday I was finished.

"Playing a guy in form like Thierry is, I knew after winning the first that the chances that I would be able to continue on at that pace were very unlikely.

"It is actually a horrible feeling of inevitability because I know almost for sure that I am playing well but he is going to run me out."

Tonight's final is scheduled to begin around 6 p.m.