Joseph Kneipp probably took longer to get through airport immigration and customs than he did to be ousted from the Virtual Spectator Bermuda Masters yesterday.

The tournament?s 15th seed was sent packing in 27 minutes by a no-nonsense Olli Tuominen of Finland as first-round action continued at the Bermuda Squash Racquets Association.

In a ruthless exhibition of agility, timing and excellent shot selection, the latter doomed his more esteemed opponent to an early departure with a shocking 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 victory.

That Tuominen, who turns 26 on April 15, won was not the real surprise ? as he has beaten Kneipp before ? but rather the inexplicably lacklustre manner in which the Australian capitulated.

The vanquished player?s erratic, verbal sparring with the referees could hardly have improved his rattled state.

By contrast, Tuominen remained composed and focused to complete his devastation ? and with good reason.

?Sometimes I lose focus at various stages so I wanted to concentrate hard and keep the match in my hands. When you give a guy like Jo a chance he grabs it and it?s difficult to get it back,? explained the winner.

Smiling and extremely happy with his result, the squash pro said it appeared that Kneipp ?wasn?t ready for my pace? and played ?up and down?.

Anthony Ricketts ensured Australia did not go totally Down Under, winning his encounter comfortably against Shahier Razik 11-6, 11-6, 11-4.

Controlling the majority of points, the 26-year-old mixed power with well-disguised deftness and several angled shots ? a combination for which the wilting Canadian had few answers in his 44 minutes on court.

Razik later disclosed he had been somewhat ill in recent days but admitted that, even at his best, Ricketts would likely have been too tough a prospect.

?He was a notch quicker than me and after the first game I fell off the pace and I was struggling after that,? acknowledged the 27-year-old.

?He is playing some of the best squash on tour right now and he is pretty strong.?

Ranked sixth in world, Ricketts said once he got his rhythm and confidence he felt the match was his. He is optimistic of playing deep into the week.

?I look forward to events like this. It?s one of the biggest tournaments and it?s my first time in Bermuda so I?m trying to relax and play my best squash. If everything falls into place, hopefully I?ll be in the final on the last day.?

First, he must get past Englishman James Willstrop who rebounded admirably from a game down to sweep past Rodney Durbach 7-11, 14-12, 11-6, 14-12 in 64 minutes.

Willstrop?s temperament more than anything else earned him this result, and he conceded as much in his post-play comments.

Not at all pleased with what he called ?a very unsatisfactory performance...probably one of the worst I?ve ever put in?, the 21-year-old noted it was an all-guts effort.

?It was a terrible start. Rodney came out of the blocks better than I did. The whole match was a scramble,? said Willstrop.

?Sometimes you play badly and that was bad but, after the first, I had to dig it out and make him work. I managed to get ahead in the games and win it but it wasn?t through any flamboyant play. It was just a matter of grinding out the victory.?

The sobering reality of facing Ricketts for a quarter-final berth means he must acquit himself much better today.

?I expect a lot of myself ? more than that (yesterday?s performance). Nothing was fluent and this is a much harder game. I?m going to have to play better and I know I can.?

South African Durbach thought he played well overall but blamed ?too many loose shots and unforced errors? for his loss. He also didn?t think too highly of certain refereeing decisions.

Meanwhile, Egypt?s Karim Darwish took 39 minutes to overcome Dan Jenson of Australia 11-6, 12-10, 11-3, advancing to battle Tuominen today.