PSA World Series JP Morgan Tournament of Champions, New York, USA

Matthew Is ToC Champion - & New World No1

An 85-minute all-English climax to the 2012 JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York saw Nick Matthew not only win the prestigious PSA World Series squash title at Grand Central Terminal for the first time, but also wrest the world number one ranking from his opponent James Willstrop.
"This win is right alongside the Worlds and Commonwealth Games gold medals as my best victories," said the jubilant 31-year-old after his fourth Tournament of Champions final and playing his first tournament after two months off the tour to recover from an injury.
The eagerly-awaited clash before a jam packed crowd glued to their seats in Vanderbilt Hall at Grand Central Terminal was the 28th Tour meeting between the two Yorkshiremen - with Matthew, the world No1 throughout 2011, boasting a 19-8 advantage and an unbroken winning streak of 12 matches since December 2007.
But it was their first confrontation since Willstrop had run off three PSA World Series titles in a row and replaced his rival at the top of the PSA world rankings at the beginning of this year.
The match was marked by physical play, wall-hugging rallies and several mini shifts in momentum. "I think one of the differences tonight was that I did a better job of capitalising on the momentum when it shifted my way," said Matthew.

That was certainly true in the third and fourth games - but in the first it was 28-year-old Willstrop who took advantage when he surged ahead 10-7 after being down 5-7. Willstrop rode the momentum from his 11-8 first game win to take an early 5-2 lead in the second.
Matthew fought back to move 6-5 ahead. Later up 9-7, Willstrop moved Matthew to the four corners of the court and looked to be heading to game-ball when he forced a loose shot from his opponent at the front of the court.
Instead, he hit the tin. "The end of that second game was really the difference in the match," explained Willstrop later. "I needed to put it away." Instead of being ahead 2/0, the 2010 ToC title-holder was tied at one-all with an opponent who was physically fresher as a result of not having played any tournaments for two months.
"One could also see Matthew's confidence build as play continued," suggested tournament spokesperson Beth Rasin. The third game saw Matthew stay in front of Willstrop almost the whole way to take the game 11-5.
The fourth game was marked by several swings in momentum. Matthew jumped out to an early 5-1 lead, but Willstrop clambered back to 5-5.
"At 5-1, I started thinking about winning the match, and then, before I knew it, it was 5-5," said the eventual winner. "So I had to re-focus."
After Matthew took the next point on a stroke decision, Willstrop stayed close but couldn't snatch back the lead. A few times during the game, especially as play got physical, Matthew got emotional. "I knew I needed to be aggressive," said Sheffield-born-and-raised Matthew.

"But sometimes it was also the pent up emotion of the last couple of months. It was hard to lose the No1 ranking because of inactivity, and sometimes I could be a real pain to be around."
At match ball, 10-7, Matthew passed Willstrop on the forehand side with a shot that was too crisp and too deep to retrieve. After four trips to the final, Matthew was taking home the ToC Trophy and reclaiming the world No1 ranking in February.
The 8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 triumph earns Matthew the 22nd PSA World Tour title of his career.
Willstrop later acknowledged that he "needs to work harder" to figure out a way to beat his long-time rival.

Experience outweighs youth in Tournament of Champions

Determination wasn’t going to be enough for Pallikal however, as Grinham’s tour experience paid dividends in the final. The 20-year-old was never allowed to settle into the match as Grinham demonstrated methodical shot selection and impeccable court coverage. 25-minutes was all it took for the No2 seed to play out the final, utilising a good length and width to deny Pallikal time in the middle of the court, and subsequently, the young player never looking likely to threaten the higher seed. The Indian national champion professed to twitter followers after her ninth match in ten days: “Horrible day on court today. Legs just gave up. Hard few weeks on court.”
The 2012 Tournament of Champions winner revealed after the match exactly how she set about defeating an opponent 13-years her junior: “Dipika is quite handy with the racket and she volleys well so I made sure not to put the ball where she could easily reach it.”
Grinham’s win is her 17th WSA title and her first Tournament of Champion

RESULTS: PSA World Series JP Morgan Tournament of Champions, New York, USA
Final:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [2] James Willstrop (ENG) 8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 (85m)
Final Women:
[2] Natalie Grinham (NED) bt [7] Dipika Pallikal (IND) 11-4,11-3,11-3 (25m).

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ATCO World Series Squash Finals

SHABANA CROWNED KING OF THE SQUASH COURT AT QUEEN’S

Egypt’s Amr Shabana came through an intriguing battle with Frenchman Gregory Gaultier to take the title at the ATCO World Series Squash Finals today, whilst World number one Nicol David (Malaysia) continued her domination of the women’s game with victory at the famous Queen’s Club, London.
Shabana avenged his defeat to Gaultier in the event’s group stage earlier in the week, eventually winning the epic battle 6/11, 12/10, 11/7, 7/11, 11/8 in 91 minutes. The thrilling encounter was an exhibition of the highest calibre squash for the sell-out crowd at Queen’s and audience of its live broadcast on Sky Sports.
On winning his first title on English soil, the 2012 ATCO World Series Squash Finals Champion, Amr Shabana said: “I was nearly out of the sport last year. If it wasn’t for my family and friends – like Greg – I think I would have retired.
“I live on to fight one more day.”
Gaultier added: “To me, he is still the best player and a great example to the younger players.”
Women’s World No.1 Nicol David closed out three tight games to come through her final test in straight sets against Madeline Perry. Perry will feel like she had to opportunity to test the World Champion to a greater extent after the first two games but ultimately fell to an 11/9, 11/9, 11/9 (41m) defeat in their best of five match-up.
David, said: “Madeline is a strong contender and came out flying from the start.
“All of the games were close and I had to concentrate at the end of each to finish them off. I’m really happy to have won.”

Queen's Club, London
Final Results - Day 5 – 08.01.12
Women’s
Final
Nicol David (MAS) bt. Madeline Perry (IRL) 11/9, 11/9, 11/9 (41m)
Men's
Final
Amr Shabana (EGY) bt. Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 6/11, 12/10, 11/7, 7/11, 11/8 (91m)

Further event details: www.worldseriesfinals.com

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James Willstrop: A PSA Master & World No1

The climax to an incredible end-of-year run by James Willstrop on the international squash circuit saw the Englishman clinch his third successive PSA World Series title today at the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters in India in a victory which will ensure his status as world number one in the January Dunlop PSA rankings.

The 28-year-old from Leeds, whose title triumphs in the Hong Kong Open and Kuwait PSA Cup in November catapulted him to second place in the world rankings this month, faced French rival Gregory Gaultier in the climax of the ninth and final PSA World Series event of the year at the Siri Fort Complex in the Indian capital New Delhi.
Willstrop went into the match with 14 successive Tour match wins under his belt since November - but was lining up against the last player who beat him, in the World Open semi-finals in Rotterdam.
And the opening game was a classic. The battle lasted almost an hour, with rarely more than a point separating the pair until the Frenchman emerged the winner 21-19 after one of the highest-scoring games in the history of the 'PAR to 11' scoring system.
But Willstrop fought back in the second game to draw level and was in control in the third as it became clear that all was not well with his opponent.
After treatment in the break, world No3 Gaultier returned to the court - but was clearly suffering from cramp. After a few points, the Frenchman conceded the match to give Willstrop the title, and much more!
"Winning the PSA Masters is a massive big deal," said the new champion at the trophy presentations after his historic 19-21, 11-8, 11-4, 4-1 (ret.) triumph in 99 minutes.

"We've been proud to play this event for three years now - we've been extremely well looked after. It's been a very enjoyable event to play in - so thanks to everybody involved, especially Punj Lloyd."
It was in India that Willstrop won his first major title - the World Junior Championship - in 2002, and at the same venue in New Delhi eight years later that he contested the Commonwealth Games final. But it required victory in today's final for Willstrop to overtake the ranking points average of fellow Yorkshireman Nick Matthew, thereby succeeding his England team-mate at the top of the first world rankings of the New Year.
"There are so many people back home to give thanks to - but I think might avoid doing that as I'll just forget some very important people," continued the new PSA Masters champion, now winner of 15 career PSA World Tour titles.
"It's a very special day for me. I can't really believe I've played and won this match - and I'd like to thank Greg for the great spirit in which it was played.
"It's special to have achieved this here with so many close people here, including my girl-friend Vanessa (Atkinson), a fantastic and loyal friend; my Dad, Malcolm, who's given me an incredible amount of attention since the start; and my brother David, the endless sessions and work we've put in together; and Mick (Todd).
"To have had them here has made such a difference. If I'd done it here alone on this day - and Greg talked about not having his team with him here, but I've been lucky as we planned this - it's just the most special thing: they've given me so much!
"The day is so special - it wouldn't mean half as much if I hadn't had these people behind me.
"I'm very proud I've done it here in India - I've had some really nice times here - and won the world junior title here as well."
The success also means that Willstrop heads the 2011 Dunlop PSA World Series Standings, and that the line-up for January's ATCO PSA World Series Finals - which features the top eight players in the list - is now finalised.

RESULTS: PSA World Series Punj Lloyd PSA Masters, New Delhi, India
Final:
[3] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 19-21, 11-8, 11-4, 4-1 ret. (99m)

2011 Dunlop PSA World Series Standings:
Position (Prev) Total
1 1 James Willstrop (ENG) 525
2 1 Nick Matthew (ENG) 425
3 3 Ramy Ashour (EGY) 400
4 4 Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 335
5 6 Karim Darwish (EGY) 270
6 5 Amr Shabana (EGY) 265
7 7 Peter Barker (ENG) 240
8 8 Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 170
9 9 Stewart Boswell (AUS) 150
10 12 Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) 145
11 11 Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) 135
12 10 David Palmer (AUS) 120
12 12 Tom Richards (ENG) 120
14 12 Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 115
14 16 Cameron Pilley (AUS) 115
16 17 Daryl Selby (ENG) 110
For all the latest Tour news: www.psaworldtour.com

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Kuwait PSA Cup

James Willstrop Clinches Kuwait PSA Cup

England's James Willstrop won the biggest title of his career when he beat Egypt's Karim Darwish in tonight's final of the inaugural Kuwait PSA Cup, the eighth and penultimate PSA World Series squash event of the year at Green Island in Kuwait City.

It rounded off a sensational ten-day period for the 28-year-old from Leeds who won his first World Series title of the year at last week's Hong Kong Open - again beating Darwish in the final - and can now look forward to returning to second place in the world rankings for the first time since first achieving his career-high ranking exactly six years ago.
The Englishman won a close first game, pulling away from six-all to take the lead. The Egyptian got the better start in the second and led 6-3, but Willstrop recovered to earn a game ball at 10-9.
But after a rare sequence of unforced errors from the Yorkshireman, it was Darwish who took the game to draw level - thus ending Willstrop's run of 28 consecutive games without defeat.
The tall Englishman, seeded three, was immediately back in front in the third, leading 6-1 before taking the game. It was one-way traffic in the fourth - Darwish only scoring two points as Willstrop marched on to close out the match 11-7, 10-12, 11-4, 11-2 to win his first title in Kuwait.
"I'm incredibly pleased," Willstrop told www.squashsite.com afterwards. "When you try and backup two tournaments, the odds are against you - but I was pleased with the way I played, and maybe you actually can manage back to back wins when you keep on winning 3/0. That way, you put yourself under less pressure physically, even though it's still a hard battle mentally, turning up for every match, and trying to win each and every one.
"I've been receiving tremendous help from my team back home that helped me improve my physical side. And I basically adapted my squash to my physical constitution," added the new Kuwait champion who will now turn his attention to the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters, the last World Series event of the year next month in India.
"Can I win three in a row? Well, I guess it can be done," said Willstrop. "If I can produce squash like that, I can win the next one! And I'm not going to let the fact that it's three in a row get in the way!"
Darwish was not entirely unhappy with the outcome: "In the third, I didn't hit the wall physically, but mentally more. I was fine physically, but I was just frustrated, I just couldn't get the ball to the back of the court anymore," said the 30-year-old from Cairo.
"I'm very happy with two finals in a row, it's very positive - and now I'm going to go home and get ready for India and the rest of the season."
In addition to producing the 14th PSA World Tour title success of his career, Willstrop's win also takes him to equal top position in the latest 2011 Dunlop PSA World Series Standings, where he shares 425 points with fellow countryman Nick Matthew. Beaten semi-finalist Gregory Gaultier rises to fourth place in the list, while Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar narrowly holds onto eighth place.

RESULTS: PSA World Series Kuwait PSA Cup, Kuwait City, Kuwait
Final:
[3] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [2] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-7, 10-12, 11-4, 11-2 (65m)

Latest 2011 Dunlop PSA World Series Standings:
Position (Prev) Total
1= 1 Nick Matthew (ENG) 425
1= 3 James Willstrop (ENG) 425
3 2 Ramy Ashour (EGY) 375
4 5 Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 270
5 4 Amr Shabana (EGY) 265
6 6 Karim Darwish (EGY) 245
7 7 Peter Barker (ENG) 200
8 8 Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 155
9 9 Stewart Boswell (AUS) 150
10 10 David Palmer (AUS) 120
11 14 Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) 110
12= 11 Tom Richards (ENG) 105
12= 12 Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 105
12= 13 Thierry Lincou (FRA) 105
15 20 Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) 105
16 14 Cameron Pilley (AUS) 100

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Hong Kong Open

James Willstrop Wins Hong Kong Open Crown

20 November 2011
James Willstrop ended the five-year Egyptian stranglehold on the Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open title when he beat Karim Darwish in straight games in today's final of the seventh PSA World Series squash event of the year to become the first English winner of the prestigious trophy since Peter Nicol in 2002.

The 28-year-old third seed from Leeds was in awesome form this week - reaching the final without dropping a game, then despatching second seed Darwish 11-5, 11-9, 11-4 in 53 minutes on an all-glass court at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre to clinch his first PSA Tour title since January 2010 and end a run of five successive runner-up finishes over the period.
"Every player who wins a World Series event knows how difficult it is," said the jubilant champion minutes after his success in his maiden appearance in the event's final at his sixth attempt.
"It takes a lot of time to put it together in a week like this. If I was going to win one World Series event, the World Open would be nice - but this comes a close second.
"This is as special as it gets," added the Yorkshireman.
Willstrop acknowledged that he and Darwish had played each other "thousands of times" since their earliest meeting as juniors in 1991. Their PSA Tour head-to-head record on the eve of the final showed the Englishman 11-5 ahead - with a string of seven successive wins over the past five years.
But it was Darwish who triumphed in their most recent clash - in August's World Team Championship final decider in Germany, where Egypt pipped England to the title.
"We know each other's games so well now - but people change their games over the years and you can't expect the same player every time," explained Willstrop.
The triumph marks the 13th - but biggest - Tour title of Willstrop's career, and his fifth World Series crown.
Willstrop's success also takes him up to third place in the latest 2011 Dunlop PSA World Series Standings. Compatriot Nick Matthew, a quarter-final casualty in Hong Kong, heads the list, with Egypt's Ramy Ashour, unable to compete in the event due to injury, in second place. Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar, who reached the semi-finals unseeded, moves into the top eight for the first time.

Seven in a row for Nicol

It was a tough ask for 10th seed Raneem El Weleily to put an end to Nicol David's 34-match unbeaten streak in Hong Kong, and for two games in the first final of the evening at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre it looked as though the pressure had got to her.

David took a 4/1 lead in the first, and although the Egyptian levelled it was only a temporary respite as Nicol raced through to take the lead 11/5. A 4/1 lead in the second, but this time the mini-comeback only got as far as 6/3 before Nicol doubled her advantage 11/4.
She wasn't needing to do anything special, was the world champion and six-time defending Hong Kong champion, just her usual steady speedy self, and Raneem was helping her along the way too with a few typically casual errors.
But, in Nicol's own words, "she just fired in a few winners in a row in the third," and she did too. A 4/1 lead for Raneem became 4-all, but she continued her improvement and led 9/8 as Nicol's video appeal after being denied a let after a lungbusting rally was denied.
That was as close as Raneem got though, three points in a row for Nicol and that seventh title was hers.
"In the beginning, I was too eager to win, too exited and I just didn’t play my game at all," admitted El Weleily."In the third, I thought, nothing to lose, and maybe I started looking a bit better on court!"
Nicol was naturally delighted with a seventh success at a venue which really started it all with her first World Open win in 2005.
"It was pretty hard tonight, especially when she played six nicks in a row in the third, I had to just keep on running and running. Hong Kong has special memories for me so to win here again feels just great. That’s that feeling I’m working for and that I want to keep every time I play."

RESULTS: PSA World Series Cathay Pacific Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open, Hong Kong
Finals:
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [10] Raneem El Weleily (Egy) 11/5, 11/4, 11/9 (30m)

[3] James Willstrop (Eng) bt [2] Karim Darwish (Egy) 11/5, 11/9, 11/4 (53m)

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World Open Squash 2011

"MANY PICTURES IN TOURNAMENTS"

Mighty Matthew Retains World Open Title

6 November 2011

Nick Matthew, who last year became the first Englishman to win the PSA World Open squash title, today became the first player for 15 years to defend the premier PSA World Tour crown when he beat Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in a stunning 92-minute final before a packed crowd at the New Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam.
Gaultier, playing in his third World Open final since 2006, pulled away to take a tough first game - but the 31-year-old from Sheffield took an equally tough second, then pulled clear at the end of the third after the Frenchman took a small injury break after a mid-court collision.
The defending champion made a strong start to the fourth, and at 6-1 it looked as if the end was in sight. But Gaultier, appealing to the crowd for help, started on a comeback that was cut short at 6-4 by a couple of errors.
Once Matthew had re-established the lead, the Yorkshireman closed out the match 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 - and raised his arms in triumph.
"Being called 'double World Open champion' - it sounds amazing," said the jubilant Matthew after receiving his trophy - and consigning the Frenchman to his third runner-up finish. "I can't tell you how tough playing Greg is. We've been playing since we were 15 or 16. I have two or three years on him, but it shows how tough he is that even at 16, he was pushing and beating me sometimes when I was 18. He's younger than me and he will get his name on this trophy, no doubt.

"I don't know how long that second game lasted. Greg's been so well this week, winning in Qatar and the way he played yesterday against James was unbelievable. I just stuck in and stuck in and started to attack just a little bit.
"I don't think there was one thing that made a difference today," Matthew continued. "It was probably an accumulation of a few different things. Much like when I played Pete (Barker, in the semi-finals) I had to tell myself not to get frustrated, because I was playing well - it's just that they're playing a little bit better at the time.
"So when I was 1/0 down, there was no need to panic. Sometimes you can get a bit frustrated and try to get the momentum with one shot at the wrong time, or with one tactic rather than eating away, little by little. So I was pleased with that mentality in that second game, because there were a few collisions, a few chats with the referee - things that can potentially spoil your concentration - so I'm glad I came through that period."
Matthew, now with 21 Tour titles to his credit, had to avenge his shock defeat to young Egyptian Tarek Momen in last month's Qatar Classic in the second round, before surviving a tough five-game battle with world No8 Mohamed El Shorbagy, also a young Egyptian, in the third.
"No one can say that I've not had a tough draw," continued the world number one. "The second round against Tarek in Victoria, after Qatar; the Shorbagy match; being one down against Pete; Darwish yesterday; and Greg tonight. I've not won too many tournaments lately. I think that when you get to number one, it's all about winning tournaments.

"My percentage of finals to wins, is good - apart from Qatar - but you've got to win finals. I picked my moment this week though - no one can argue!
"My manager Paul Walters said to me that the Shorbagy match might have been a blessing in disguise - because I then had the day off, and I showed that I can come through and, after Qatar, losing to Shabana in the US Open and a few losses to Ramy, I may have been doubting my fitness and strength, but that's always been there.
"Maybe that match made me realise, playing Shorbagy, that after that, having come through such a tough game physically and mentally, I felt that I could come through anything off the back of that," concluded Matthew.


RESULTS: PSA World Open, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Final:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 6-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 (92m)

Nicol Supreme for Six

Malaysian superstar Nicol David collected a record SIXTH World Open title here at the Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam with a supreme performance to dismiss second seed Jenny Duncalf in straight games in just under half an hour.

The English world number two didn't do anything wrong, made very few unforced errors, but it was hard to see where her points were going to come from, such was the control that the Malaysian, moving and hitting supremely well, was exerting on the match and on her opponent.

Nicol led 5/0 in the first after some long opening rallies, taking it 11/2, she led 6/2 in the second, finishing it off 11/5, and was totally dominant in the third as Duncalf's spirit visibly wilted.

Six titles in seven years for Nicol. Supreme.

"She was ridiculously good today," admitted Duncalf. "I wanted to stay on there as long as possible, but she had other ideas…"

Nicol was impressed too: "This is my best performance ever. I didn’t expect anything but I wanted it so badly, I didn’t want anybody to put their hands on that trophy but me. I had a great support in the crowd, they were magnificent, I had my parents, Liz, and a big team of supporters from Squash City in Amsterdam that came to support me.

"My World Open titles mean the world to me, but I would gladly trade the six of them for just one Olympic Medal…"


Result:
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [2] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) 11/2, 11/5, 11/0 (28m)


More information can be found on the official tournament site www.worldopensquash2011.com


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Champion Matthew & Gaultier To Contest World Final

5 November 2011

England's Nick Matthew and Frenchman Gregory Gaultier will contest the PSA World Open final after surviving straight games semi-finals today at the New Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam.
Title-holder Matthew, who is hoping to become the first man in 15 years to successfully defend the title, beat Egypt's third seed Karim Darwish 11-9, 11-9, 11-1 - while sixth Gautier, the runner-up in 2006 and 2007, put paid to an all-English final by beating James Willstrop 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 and is now bidding to make it third time lucky on Sunday.
It was neck and neck in the first two games of the first semi - with Matthew edging both games before overwhelming the 30-year-old from Cairo in the third to reach the final for the second year in a row.
"The first two games were crucial," explained Darwish to the official event website www.worldopensquash2011.com afterwards. "We were point for point the whole game, but he managed to win the crucial points, playing extremely well at the end of each game."
It was a blow for the Egyptian, who had reached the final without dropping a single game - while Matthew had been stretched the full distance in the last 16 round and to four games in the quarter-finals.
The Englishman was delighted with the way the match panned out: "Getting through in three is obviously a massive bonus. We know Karim can come back from those situations - he's beaten me from two love down before.
"When you have two close games like that, it's massively important to keep momentum. I knew that if I had a good start in the third it would be a very long way back for him.
"The crowd were amazing today," added the 31-year-old from Sheffield. "There wasn't a home player as such, but they seem to get behind squash as a sport. Hopefully the final will live up to the expectations and I look forward to playing in it tomorrow."
The success marks the 46th PSA World Tour final of Matthew's career - and his 11th since winning the 2010 World Open crown in Saudi Arabia last December.
Hopes of a repeat of last year's Matthew/Willstrop final were dashed when Gaultier repeated his victory over the Yorkshireman in last month's Qatar Classic final - but unlike that match, which went to four games, this was wrapped up in three.

But the Frenchman was full of praise for Willstrop - with whom he shared a 6/6 head-to-head record before the match: "We've been playing each other since we were kids. Our generation had a lot of strong players Thierry, James, Nick - it's nice to still compete with all these players.
"It was a bit of a fight in the first game, but then I think we both relaxed," Gaultier continued. "I don't think either of us wanted to be too aggressive on court. He's not like that at all and I don't think I'm too like that either!
"It was nice to play from the second game. It was a much better game and I tried a lot more and so we relaxed a lot and he chose a better game I think. So we gave 100% in this semi-final stage of the World Open.
"This week I took it match per match. I've felt very relaxed on court and haven't been thinking about the title. It's not over yet so I'm just going to try and relax tonight and my physio can get to work. I'll try to do my best tomorrow. I wish him luck, but I also wish myself a lot of luck!"
Gaultier's win marks up his 42nd Tour final appearance.
More information can be found on the official tournament site www.worldopensquash2011.com

RESULTS: PSA World Open, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Semi-finals:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [3] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-9, 11-9, 11-1 (53m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [4] James Willstrop (ENG) 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 (64m)

Nicol David On A Roll

Nicol David’s bid to win the World Open a record sixth time carried her to a notable revenge and to the semi-finals in her adopted home country of The Netherlands. The Amsterdam-based Malaysian overcame Kasey Brown, the sixth-seeded Australian who beat her in the US Open in Philadelphia in August, by 11-7, 12-10, 11-4 in a match which, David said, felt like a five-setter – or “possibly a six-setter.” The pace was at times frenetic as both players looked to step forward to up the pace, but eventually it caught up with Brown as she faded in the third. Afterwards David said she thought the women’s game was improving all the time as players tried to close the gap on her.
“There’s always a challenge but every time you step up your game these girls are still coming at you,” she said. “But I look forward to every challenge.”

Her next one is a repeat of the 2009 final in Amsterdam against Natalie Grinham, who prevented an all-Malaysian semi-final by beating Low Wee Wern 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 - despite a cut to her nose requiring a ten-minute injury time out early in the third game. The former Australian turned Dutch international returned to the court knowing that if the bandage fell off and the bleeding restarted she would have to forfeit that game and, if it were repeated, the match. But Grinham won, as she had against the fourth-seeded Madeline Perry, because of the high quality of her front court game, and once again overcome the distraction of arriving with a pram carrying baby son Kieran and having to return to it afterwards.

The other semi-final will be between Samantha Teran, the first Mexican ever to reach a World Open semi-final, and Jenny Duncalf, the second seed from England. Duncalf had also gained revenge over an adversary as she downed British Champion Laura Massaro, her conqueror in the US Open. She played intelligent squash working the openings against an opponent who has had a fine 2011 and was one of the dark horses for the title. Teran secured her semi-final birth with a competent straight games victory over India’s Dipika Pallikal. The youngster appeared slightly over-awed by proceedings in the Luxor Theatre finding the tin with frustrating frequency and never really discovering the form that had seen her carve her way through the draw, however, that’s not to take anything away from Teran who was extremely business like in securing a first ever World Open semi-final.

Women's Quarter-Finals:
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [6] Kasey Brown (Aus) 11/7, 12/10, 11/4 (41m)
[12] Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt [16] Low Wee Wern (Mas) 11/7, 11/7, 11/5 (47m)
[15] Samantha Teran (Mex) bt Dipika Pallikal (Ind) 11/6, 11/8, 11/9 (36m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt [5] Laura Massaro (Eng) 11/9, 11/7, 11/7 (45m)

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4 November 2011

Ramy Suffers As Gaultier Makes World Semis

Clearly in considerable pain, Egypt's former champion Ramy Ashour was forced to concede his match in today's quarter-finals of the PSA World Open to allow sixth-seeded Frenchman Gregory Gaultier through to his fourth semi-final in six years at the New Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam.
There was no hint of what was to come in a fast and attacking evenly-contested first game. To the obvious delight of the crowd, Gaultier edged ahead to go one game up. But the second was entirely different as world No2 Ashour was suddenly almost immobile on the court - with the Frenchman serving the game out in just three minutes.
It was after just a single point in the third that the visibly distressed Egyptian, seemingly suffering with a hamstring injury, signalled the end of the match with the score at 11-8, 11-1, 1-0.
Gaultier moves on to face England's James Willstrop after the fourth seed made up for failing to close out two match-balls in the third game by beating Egypt's four-time world champion Amr Shabana 11-8, 11-2, 11-13, 11-1.
"To lead Shabana 2/0, you can get a little bit excited - but you don't really know where his head's at," explained the 28-year-old from Leeds afterwards. "Obviously he's been everywhere and there's nothing he hasn't done but you can't carried away. I knew that physically from 2/0 it's a massive boost.
"But massive credit to him to come out and do what he did. But I knew that if I kept pushing and pushing that I would get a few more chances.
"In Kuwait, we played in the World Open and he never relented physically at all. Everyone talks about his shots, but I think he's very underrated for the physical part of his game. If he needs to rally he will do.
"It's extremely pleasing to beat him in a big event. Everyone knows what a player he is. I'm feeling good and looking forward to the semis."

A significant moment in the history of the sport came earlier in the day when, after losing to Egyptian rival Karim Darwish, illustrious Australian David Palmer confirmed his decision to retire. The 35-year-old from New South Wales, winner of the world title in 2002 and 2006, had reached his seventh quarter-final since 2002 after a gruelling 96-minute five-game victory over French rival Thierry Lincou.
But third seed Darwish was too strong, winning 11-9, 11-7, 11-1 in 42 minutes.
"He was a little bit too good today," said Palmer, whose career summary includes 27 PSA World Tour titles (including 4 British Opens) from 55 final appearances. "It was my first match on the glass unfortunately - it would have been nice to get an early match on here, just to get a feel for it. But I thought I played ok.
"I needed that first game - I needed a good start to try and create pressure. He didn't make any mistakes today either, he didn't give me anything. Every point I won I had to really earn - and I think he realised he had a good game plan against me.
"But overall I'm happy," added the winner of six Commonwealth Games medals (two silver and four bronze) over three Games. "It's a great way to finish my career and I'm happy to make another quarter final - and at 35, I don't think it's a bad effort!"
"I have no regrets in my career really. Apart from maybe a gold medal at the Commonwealth Games - that's the only thing missing. Apart from that, I'm very proud of what I've achieved. Obviously I've left a few titles out there that I could have won, but I've won a couple of close ones too so it's evened out over my career I think."

Darwish now takes on top seed Nick Matthew. But the defending champion dropped the first game to seventh seed Peter Barker before beating his England team-mate 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 in 71 minutes.
"Pete has come on tremendously in the last year," said the 31-year-old from Sheffield. "He's been knocking on the door of the top for a while now. Maybe his injury this evening took it out of him a bit in the fourth, but we had three really tough games out there today.
"I didn't play badly in the first - he was just playing a bit better than me. He was varying the pace and his length and width were immaculate. But I came through that patch mentally and was able to change things a bit and turn the screws on him at the end of the second.
"He didn't then disappear in the third either - a year or two ago he'd have faded there, but he stuck in and showed the improvements that he's made over the last year.
"Karim's looking good - he's not dropped a game yet, I don't think, so I'll have to play better tomorrow."

RESULTS: PSA World Open, Rotterdam, Netherlands
Quarter-finals:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [7] Peter Barker (ENG) 6-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (71m)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [8] David Palmer (AUS) 11-9, 11-7, 11-1 (42m)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [5] Amr Shabana (EGY) 11-8, 11-2, 11-13, 11-1 (59m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) 11-8, 11-1, 1-0 ret. (24m)

Semi-final line-up:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [3] Karim Darwish (EGY)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [4] James Willstrop (ENG)

Teran Reaches Semi-Final

Nicol David’s bid to win the World Open a record sixth time carried her to a notable revenge and to the semi-finals in her adopted home country of The Netherlands. The Amsterdam-based Malaysian overcame Kasey Brown, the sixth-seeded Australian who beat her in the US Open in Philadelphia in August, by 11-7, 12-10, 11-4 in a match which, David said, felt like a five-setter – or “possibly a six-setter.” The pace was at times frenetic as both players looked to step forward to up the pace, but eventually it caught up with Brown as she faded in the third. Afterwards David said she thought the women’s game was improving all the time as players tried to close the gap on her.
“There’s always a challenge but every time you step up your game these girls are still coming at you,” she said. “But I look forward to every challenge.”

Her next one is a repeat of the 2009 final in Amsterdam against Natalie Grinham, who prevented an all-Malaysian semi-final by beating Low Wee Wern 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 - despite a cut to her nose requiring a ten-minute injury time out early in the third game. The former Australian turned Dutch international returned to the court knowing that if the bandage fell off and the bleeding restarted she would have to forfeit that game and, if it were repeated, the match. But Grinham won, as she had against the fourth-seeded Madeline Perry, because of the high quality of her front court game, and once again overcome the distraction of arriving with a pram carrying baby son Kieran and having to return to it afterwards.

The other semi-final will be between Samantha Teran, the first Mexican ever to reach a World Open semi-final, and Jenny Duncalf, the second seed from England. Duncalf had also gained revenge over an adversary as she downed British Champion Laura Massaro, her conqueror in the US Open. She played intelligent squash working the openings against an opponent who has had a fine 2011 and was one of the dark horses for the title. Teran secured her semi-final birth with a competent straight games victory over India’s Dipika Pallikal. The youngster appeared slightly over-awed by proceedings in the Luxor Theatre finding the tin with frustrating frequency and never really discovering the form that had seen her carve her way through the draw, however, that’s not to take anything away from Teran who was extremely business like in securing a first ever World Open semi-final.

Women's Quarter-Finals:
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [6] Kasey Brown (Aus) 11/7, 12/10, 11/4 (41m)
[12] Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt [16] Low Wee Wern (Mas) 11/7, 11/7, 11/5 (47m)
[15] Samantha Teran (Mex) bt Dipika Pallikal (Ind) 11/6, 11/8, 11/9 (36m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt [5] Laura Massaro (Eng) 11/9, 11/7, 11/7 (45m)


More information can be found on the official tournament site www.worldopensquash2011.com









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3rd Nov.2011

Gaultier Survives World Open Shootout

In the first of three matches in which higher-ranked players survived from two games down, four-time world champion Amr Shabana prevailed against fellow Egyptian Hisham Mohamed Ashour on the opening day of PSA World Open action on an all-glass squash court at the New Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam.
Left-hander Shabana, who had never before lost to his Cairo compatriot, also came back from behind in the fourth game before triumphing 3-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-5 in 48 minutes to reach the quarter-finals of the premier PSA World Tour event for the ninth year in a row.

"The way things were going early on, it was very one-sided," said the relieved 32-year-old former world number one. "I was thinking at 2/0 down that there'd be a flight home for me this evening!
"The desire is still there, otherwise you're just going to lose and look bad."
In what will be their 23rd Tour meeting since 2004, Shabana will now face James Willstrop, the fourth seed from England who ended the sensational maiden World Open run of 18-year-old Marwan El Shorbagy by beating the Egyptian qualifier 11-8, 11-3, 11-0.
"I'm playing James tomorrow - he's an amazing player," continued Shabana. "We've had so many battles. I think both of us have to raise our game for the World Open and the spectators are going to be in for a treat."
Willstrop, the only player not to have dropped a game in Rotterdam, felt that the second game was really important after getting a good start: "Mentally I was good there today, I stayed focussed.
"We obviously have one less rest day than the top half, but we do get onto the glass court a bit quicker - so whichever way you look at it, there are advantages. Obviously having won like that today and not spent too much time on court, it's better to do what I have been doing.
"Had I played a longer match today, then it would have been difficult having to play tomorrow too. It's difficult because it has to be organised one way or another, but I think it's evened out quite well," explained the 28-year-old from Leeds.
"I've performed consistently so far - I'm at No3 in the world now. I don't need to convince anyone - and getting to the final last week was good. But it's about producing it on a given week, and this is the one week of the year when we're all trying to do that at the same time - and that's the great thing about the challenge at the moment."
Domestic hopes were pinned on Laurens Jan Anjema - and by the time the six-time Dutch champion had gone two games up against sixth-seeded Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, a two-time world finalist, the crowd had worked itself up into a frenzy.

But after all the Dutchman's hard work, it was Gaultier who assumed control of the next two games to draw level. A good lead in the decider held the Frenchman in good stead as Anjema - urged on by the crowd - mounted a comeback.
But it was too late, and Gaultier prevailed 8-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-7 after 97 minutes.
"It was difficult in the beginning to make my mark on the court tonight," said world No5 Gaultier when interviewed court-side by Dutch international Vanessa Atkinson afterwards. "I was behind him and I managed to stay focussed."
The Frenchman then addressed the Dutch crowd: "And you guys chased me out so much. I'm not pleased with you all tonight, but hopefully tomorrow night you will come and cheer for me this time!
"I'm used to playing the home favourite. Last week, for example, in Qatar, when you play an Egyptian there you get the crowd against you. Maybe tomorrow I'll get some support!"
And there was more drama in the final match of the night when 2008 champion Ramy Ashour, the No2 seed from Egypt, also fell two games behind - to unseeded Alister Walker, of Botswana.
But the Cairo-based 24-year-old increased the tempo to draw level, then calmed down in the decider before closing out the match 8-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-3 in 69 minutes.
"It was one of the toughest matches I've played for a while," admitted Ashour later. "At this stage of the year everyone's hitting the ball as good as a world No1 so you have to be prepared and you have to be on your toes.
"I could barely see the ball in the first two games, he was all over me. The pace of the game is so high and I had to keep up with him, there was no way of winning unless I kept up the momentum.
"This win has given me more confidence in my body, and in my head and I'm enjoying it so far so I hope I can keep going."

RESULTS: PSA World Open, Rotterdam, Netherlands
3rd round (lower half of draw):
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [Q] Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) 11-8, 11-3, 11-0 (30m)
[5] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [15] Hisham Mohamed Ashour (EGY) 3-11, 8-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-5 (48m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [12] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) 8-11, 5-11, 11-5, 11-2, 11-7 (97m)
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Alister Walker (BOT) 8-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-3 (69m)

Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [7] Peter Barker (ENG)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) v [8] David Palmer (AUS)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) v [5] Amr Shabana (EGY)
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)

Grinham delights the Dutch

The main drama to happen at the theatre occurred in the evening session, but the first winner at the mightily impressive Luxor Theatre was Australia's Kasey Brown who won an up and down five-setter against in-form Egyptian Raneem El Weleily. El Weleily's shots were on target in the first but then she started find the tin as Brown came back to lead 2/1. El Weleily found her range again to level, but handed Brown too a good lead in the fifth, and despite fighting back to almost parity after an hour's play Brown finally put a ball too wide and deep to advance to the quarter-finals with a 4/11, 11/7, 11/3, 6/11, 11/8 scoreline.

There she'll play defending champion Nicol David in a repeat of their meeting in Philadelphia which the Australian won. David looked in good form against young Egyptian Nour El Sherbini who, although she managed to stay within reach of her illustrious opponent's score in each of the three games, never seriously threatened the five time champion who won 11/7, 11/6, 11/7. El Sherbini had almost not started the match having sustained an ankle injury whilst warming up but some swift physio action saw her able to take centre stage and demonstrate some of the skills that had seen her upset Donna Urquhart in the previous round. However, the defending champion was always looking to up the pace and cantered home in straight games.

The first upset of the day came as Malaysia's Low Wee Wern put in an inspired performance against France's Camille Serme, the seventh seed who made the semi-finals last year. Low was always ahead in the first, and crucially saved game ball before taking a close second. Serme hit back to take the third easily but the Malaysian always had the edge in the fourth, with Serme throwing in a few errors at crucial times. Low thus makes the quarter-finals for the second year in a row, 11/4, 12/10, 2/11, 11/7.

Twelfth seed Natalie Grinham delighted the ever-growing and excited Luxor audience with a straight-game win over Irish fourth seed Madeline Perry. Irresistible in the first two games with her flicks, holds, drops and relentless running, the four-time runner-up was in charge, although Perry's frustration wasn't helped by a number of unforced errors on her part. Perry steadied in the third, established a decent lead, but couldn't stop Grinham's comeback as she picked up where she left off in the first two, eventually winning on a stroke at the end of a scrambling rally.

Women's Round Two (top half):
[6] Kasey Brown (Aus) bt [11] Raneem El Weleily (Egy) 4/11, 11/7, 11/3, 6/11, 11/8 (65m)
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [Q] Nour El Sherbini (Egy) 11/7, 11/6, 11/7 (32m)
[16] Wee Wern Low (Mas) bt [7] Camille Serme (Fra) 11/4, 12/10, 2/11, 11/7 (31m)
[12] Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt [4] Madeline Perry (Irl) 11/6, 11/5, 11/8 (35m)


More information can be found on the official tournament site www.worldopensquash2011.com

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2nd Nov 2011

Palmer Prevails Over Lincou In World Open Thriller

In a sensational squash match between two of the great warriors of today's game, Australia's David Palmer emerged victorious over Frenchman Thierry Lincou after 96 minutes to claim a place in the quarter-finals of the PSA World Open in Rotterdam.
It was a match worthy of the two former champions - both of whom recently celebrated ten unbroken years in the world's top ten. And both 35-year-olds were also making their 12th unbroken appearances in the event since 1998.
Palmer twice took the lead, but Lincou levelled and opened up an 8-5 advantage in the decider. But in a tense finish, it was Palmer who took the final few points as the crowd rose to applaud the pair.
"Thierry's the master," said Palmer after the 11-9, 3-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9 triumph which takes him into his seventh - but last - World Open quarter-final. "Even at 2/1 up, he just hangs in and slows the pace down. I knew I had to play faster but he just he sucks it out of you somehow. The slow game suits him, especially on this court. I knew I had to inject some pace in there but it's hard when you're tired.
"In the end I just wanted to go down swinging. I've lost the last couple of matches where I've been tentative. Being my last one, when I got back to seven-all, I just thought if it's there for taking then I'm going to go for it. To be honest it was 50/50 at the end there. I went for some shots and caught him out. He got a bit tentative near the end there I think.
"Suddenly I relaxed and he tensed up a bit and obviously there were a couple of rallies there where we're trying to clear each other. It's one of those ones where 'do you try to play it, or take the let or stroke?' and I just came out better in those situations. It could easily have gone either way though.
"But, yes, I'm very happy to get through. My recent form hasn't been great, but my goal was to come here and get to the quarters.
"It's my last Word Open tournament and I've done that now so I'm very happy. It's nice to obviously have Melinda and the girls watching. And my physio Pat with me who's been with me all my career. I've a lot of good memories from this part of the world."

The US-based Australian will now take on Egyptian rival Karim Darwish after the third seed needed only 31 minutes to see off unseeded Spaniard Borja Golan 11-9, 11-7, 11-1.
But there was more drama to come when defending champion Nick Matthew, the world number one from England, was taken to the wire by Mohamed El Shorbagy before beating the 20-year-old ninth seed from Egypt 8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 5-11, 11-1 in a 100-minute marathon.
"It's a bit of a blur right now," said the 31-year-old from England who is bidding to become the first player to defend the title for 15 years. "It was one of the toughest matches I've had in a few years. I had to fight with every last drip of energy in my body, it was incredibly tough.
"You can't give him enough credit. He was excellent and it was a brutal match, but i just managed to get a good start in the fifth match and it saw me through. The court was really warm and bouncy. We both went through patches where, I think we had drops in energy and then came back fighting - it was a very momentum based game."

The event now moves to the city's New Luxor Theatre where all matches will be played on an all-glass court. Matthew will meet England team-mate Peter Barker, who beat Cameron Pilley 11-7, 12-10, 11-4 to reduce his head-to-head deficit to the Australian to 2/3.
"I'm pleased to be off the plaster courts now and onto the glass court," continued Matthew. "The glass court is where everyone wants to play. We have the extra day off, what with being in the top half of the draw, but the bottom half get an extra game on the glass court. I know which I'd prefer to have!
"The glass court is where squash is played at the very highest level of the game. Three rounds is a lot here, so I'm glad to get through. It's almost like two separate tournaments, with two eight-man draws and then another eight-man draw following that at the New Luxor Theatre in two days time.
"I need to go away now, recover well and come out fighting because it's going to get tougher and tougher."

3rd round (top half of draw):
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [9] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) 8-11, 11-5, 11-9, 5-11, 11-1 (100m)
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) bt [16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-7, 12-10, 11-4 (88m)
[8] David Palmer (AUS) bt [10] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 11-9, 3-11, 11-8, 6-11, 11-9 (96m)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 11-9, 11-7, 11-1 (31m)

Teran takes out Third seed Grinham

Day six of the World Open Squash 2011 at Rotterdam's Victoria Squash opened up with the biggest upset yet as Mexico's Samantha Teran, seeded fourteen, beat Rachael Grinham, the Australian who was champion in 2007 and was seeded three here. There was no sign of what was to come as Grinham eased through the first game, but Teran's hard-hitting game seemed to neutralise Grinham's slower, more measured game as the Mexican totally dominated the next two games, denying her attacking opportunities and catching her out with drops and boasts of her own. As the tension grew Teran managed to stay ahead in the fourth, setting up match ball at after a long rally saw a Grinham lob sail out to take it to 10/8. Teran thought she had won it at the first attempt but was denied a stroke before Grinham levelled it as Teran then got a no-let looking for a cheap stroke. However, two rallies later an obvious stroke was given and the Mexican was through to the Quarter-finals.

Having caused upsets in the the previous round Dipika Pallikal and Kanzy El Dafrawy were both eyeing up unexpected place in the World Open quarter-finals. It was the higher-ranked Indian who took advantage, taking the lead in all three games and never letting her younger Egyptian get a real foothold in the game. It the early stages of the third it looked as though Kanzy's more physical style was beginning to unsettle Dipika, but she held her composure and closed out the match with aplomb.

The evening session resumed with England's in-form Laura Massaro against Hong Kong left-hander Annie Au. Massaro has just moved up to a career best number four after her success in the US Open last month, and was looking to celebrate her 28th birthday in style. However, Au is no is also on the rise up to a high of 7, after reaching the final of the Monte Carlo Classic, and is always a dangerous opponent. The match was as close as those stats would suggest, with the Englishwoman just managing to stay ahead for most of the first game before pulling away at the end, then having to fight back after being a couple of points behind for most of the second. The hot bouncy conditions and court probably suited Massaro's more conventional game more than Au's deft boasts, drops and lob but each point had to be worked hard for with both players covering all of the court.

An English women's semi-finalist was guaranteed when Jenny Duncalf battled past Joelle King. The hard-hitting Kiwi matched Duncalf, the second seed, all the way for half an hour, but from the outset of the third the Englishwoman took control, taking the last two games for the loss of just four points.

Results:
[15] Samantha Teran (Mex) bt [3] Rachael Grinham (Aus) 4/11, 11/2, 11/3, 12/10 (53m)
Dipika Pallikal (Ind) bt [Q] Kanzy El Dafrawy (Egy) 11/6, 11/7, 11/7 (37m)
[5] Laura Massaro (Eng) bt [9] Annie Au (Hkg) 11/9, 11/7, 11/6 (40m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt [10] Joelle King (Nzl) 11/8, 7/11, 11/1, 11/3 (52m)

More information can be found on the official tournament site www.worldopensquash2011.com





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1st Nov 2011

El Shorbagy Junior Sinks Selby In Rotterdam

World junior champion Marwan El Shorbagy, at 18, the youngest player in the championships, caused the biggest upset in today's second round of the PSA World Open in Rotterdam when he overcame England's 11th seed Daryl
Selby in a bitterly-contested 94-minute marathon to reach the last 16 of the premier PSA World Tour squash event of the year at Victoria Squash in the Dutch City of Sport.
Marwan, younger brother of ninth seed Mohamed El Shorbagy, took the opening two games against the world No12. But British champion Selby fought back to draw level - then move 9-6 ahead in the decider.
Both had match-balls - indeed Selby thought he had clinched victory at 11-10 - but it was teenager El Shorbagy who ultimately prevailed, winning 11-8, 11-7, 4-11, 4-11, 14-12 after 92 minutes.
"I'm so pleased to have got the result here today," said the ecstatic youngster from Alexandria. "It's a massive thing for me to get to the third round in my first World Open. I can't describe it. I feel I played very well tonight in the first two games, but my concentration maybe dropped in the next two and he got back into it.
"My brother was telling me to stay focussed and not listen to him [Daryl] as he talks a lot on court and I tried not to get distracted. I managed to get back on track and hold him off in the last game."
Marwan goes on to meet Selby's England team-mate James Willstrop, the new world No3 who took just 13 minutes to reach the last 16 after his Canadian opponent Shahier Razik retired with an ankle injury with the score standing at 11-1, 4-1.
"Making it through to play James in round three on the glass court will be amazing," continued the UK-based 18-year-old. "My preparation for the Open has been fantastic and I just want to thank everyone who's supported me and helped me get here."

Meanwhile defending champion Nick Matthew made up for his shock defeat by Tarek Momen in last month's Qatar Classic by beating the 23-year-old Egyptian 11-4, 11-9, 11-4.
"There was a little bit of nervous anticipation today as Qatar was at the forefront of my mind," admitted England's world number one afterwards. "It was the last PSA match I'd had before this week and he beat me fair and square, convincingly, so I had to go away and do some research on him and come out with a plan to beat him on this court.
"I was ready for a big match - I knew it was going to be tough. He's very hard to play and he moves like lightning. But I was ready for him, pleased and relieved to get off court with a 3/0 - but even though it's a good win, it's only one round and we're only in round three so there's still a long way to go.
"A little bit of time at home maybe helped rejuvenate me," added the 31-year-old from Sheffield. "Some extra time with my coach to get me motivated. But I'm ready now and feel that whatever happens, someone will have to work very hard to beat me."

Momen took to the court less than an hour after discovering that he had leapt into the world top 20, to a career-high 19. "I'm really pleased to have got into the top 20 in the world," said the Cairo-based Egyptian. "It's quite an achievement for me and I really hope I can keep it up. I never really think about the rankings. I don't set myself ranking targets, I just try to do my best in every tournament and the rankings just reflect your performance."
Of his match, Momen added: "I think I played well today. I made a few more errors than I wanted but overall I think I played well and Nick was just onto everything I played today. He's playing so well. He was alert because of last time. Not an impossible task, but I think i could have sneaked the second game. I'm pleased with my performance and I hope that next time I will be better."

Unseeded Spaniard Borja Golan pulled off another notable upset later in the day when he beat Omar Mosaad, the 14th seed from Egypt, 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 in 76 minutes. The 28-year-old former world No10 is fighting back after major knee surgery - and is now celebrating his first appearance in the third round.
In one of the final results of the day, unseeded Alister Walker added a further surprise name to the last 16 line-up when he recovered from a game down to upset Mohd Azlan Iskandar, the No13 seed from Malaysia, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5.
Former England international Walker, now flying the flag of his country of birth, Botswana, will next face Ramy Ashour, the second seed. But the 2008 world champion from Egypt had a significant scare when he found himself 2/0 down to rising Swiss star Nicolas Mueller.
Ashour dug deep however and after exactly one hour clinched the 8-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-5 win which takes the 24-year-old from Cairo into the third round for the fourth time since 2006.

RESULTS: PSA World Open, Rotterdam, Netherlands
2nd round:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Tarek Momen (EGY) 11-4, 11-9, 11-4 (47m)
[9] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt Simon Rosner (GER) 12-10, 11-7, 12-10 (49m)
[16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Chris Ryder (ENG) 11-9, 11-3, 11-5 (46m)
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) bt Stephen Coppinger (RSA) 9-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-8 (57m)
[8] David Palmer (AUS) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 11-6, 11-13, 11-5, 11-5 (70m)
[10] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Stewart Boswell (AUS) 11-5, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7 (66m)
Borja Golan (ESP) bt [14] Omar Mosaad (EGY) 6-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-7 (76m)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt Wael El Hindi (EGY) 11-9, 11-3, 11-4 (52m)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Shahier Razik (CAN) 11-1, 4-1 ret. (13m)
[Q] Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [11] Daryl Selby (ENG) 11-8, 11-7, 4-11, 4-11, 14-12 (92m)
[15] Hisham Mohamed Ashour (EGY) bt Martin Knight (NZL) 11-3, 11-8, 16-14 (38m)
[5] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 5-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9 (50m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [Q] Cesar Salazar (MEX) 11-3, 11-9, 11-5 (49m)
[12] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-4, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5 (65m)
Alister Walker (BOT) bt [13] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 10-12, 11-8, 11-7, 11-5 (68m)
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 8-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-5 (60m)


3rd round line-up:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [9] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) v [16] Cameron Pilley (AUS)
[8] David Palmer (AUS) v [10] Thierry Lincou (FRA)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Borja Golan (ESP)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) v [Q] Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY)
[5] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [15] Hisham Mohamed Ashour (EGY)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [12] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED)
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Alister Walker (BOT)


Kanzy KO's Kawy ...

The first two matches completed saw qualifiers Lauren Selby and Tesni Evans turn in creditable performances against Rachael Grinham and Samantha Teran, both having had a good tournament and doing themselves credit in today's openers. "That was hard, she's a good player and very physical," Evans told Squashsite.co.uk. "But I've enjoyed my week, it's been great to see the the top players together and to watch them play."

Selby was also satisfied: "I thought I did alright, considering the matches I've had so far this week. Rachael's not the easiest to play when you have heavy legs, she holds the ball so well and you have to stop and start and turn so often. But I'm pleased with my tournament, I thought I did credit to myself and I got my laundry done!!"

Teran was happy too: "I'm happy to get started, and to have a tough game to get me ready for the next round, Tesni played well. It's normally hard to adjust after the travel from Mexico, but I've been here a couple of days already and I feel quite comfortable, I'm in good rhythm and playing well.

There was a huge upset in the second batch of women's matches as teenage Egyptian qualifier Kanzy El Dafrawy ousted eighth-seeded compatriot Omneya Abdel Kawy in three delicately poised games, 12/10, 11/9, 12/10.

"I can't believe it," said a delighted Kanzy, "I've never even taken a game off her before. But I was playing well, even if she isn't at her best at the moment, but when I was 10/6 down in the third I told myself I mustn't let an opportunity like this slip."

Another upset followed when Dipika Pallikal, who has just moved into the world's top twenty, took out 14th-seeded Kiwi Jaclyn Hawkes in four games.

"I started well then made too many errors in the second," said the Indian number one. "In the third and fourth I was trying to be more steady and I thought I did that well. I played Jackie in Malaysia in July so I knew what to expect, you have to be prepared to run and run like she does. "Really happy to get through, it should be a good game against Kanzy ..."

There were no further upsets in the afternoon session women's matches, as Jenny Duncalf, Annie Au, Laura Massaroand Joelle King all progressed never looking in serious danger. King found Swiss qualifier Gaby Huber a bit of a handful: "I'd never really seen her play, so it came as a bit of a surprise to find she hits the ball as hard as I do, which I'm not really used to," admitted the Kiwi commonwealth gold medallist, who won 11/7, 11/6, 11/6. "It's good to get started though and I'm very happy to win that one three-nil." King now meets second seed Duncalf, who had just as tough a time of it against Line Hansen, coming through 11/9, 12/10, 11/7 in just over half an hour.

Meanwhile Duncalf's English team-mate Massaro managed to quell the lively young Egyptian Yathreb Adel 11/9, 11/7, 11/6 and she'll meet Annie Au, who won her all-Hong Kong match with Joey Chan in four games. "We play each other so often, it feels strange to come all the way over here just to play each other again," chuckled Au.

The ladies got their first outing on Victoria's showcourt as locals Orla Noom and Natalie Grinham started their campaigns. Noom, who won the qualifying competition for the wilcard spot, performed well enough but Australia's Kasey Brown was a tough opponent, and the sixth seed came through in straight games despite Noom's best efforts and a noisy partisan crowd."It's never easy playing the crowd's home favourite," admitted Brown, "and they were definitely against me and pretty loud too, but I thought I coped with it well and played pretty well too."

The following match, featuring four-time finalist Grinham against her qualifier training partner Aisling Blake, was one the crowd had altogether different expectations of, and they weren't disappointed as the former Aussie who has just returned to the world's top ten came through in straight games in front of her watching husband and son.

Two contrasting women's matches followed. France's seventh seed Camille Serme, having lost to one young Egyptian (El Weleily) in Qatar was in no mood to lose to another today as she took a close first game against Nour El Tayeb, doubled her lead with more ease in the second and gratefully accepted the world junior champion's retirement with an ankle injury at 2/1 in the third.

Fourth seed Madeline Perry went two games up as well, but her opponent, Emma Beddoes, far from conceding stormed back to take the next two games. It was fairly comfortable for the Northern Irishwoman in the decider, who after an tough hour long match will be grateful for a day's rest before she takes on Natalie Grinham at the Luxor Theatre on Thursday.

Low Wee Wern had to work hard to secure a three-nil win over US veteran Latasha Khan, while five-time and defending champion Nicol David started off her defence on an outside court against compatriot Delia Arnold "Delia was struggling with the bounce on the court," said Nicol after her 11/3, 11/5, 11/6 win, "but I was too to start with, it took a little time to get comfortable on there. I had to remind myself it was the first round of the World Open and not let her get into it, she can be very dangerous if she does."

That left Donna Urquhart and Nour El Sherbini, who were by now into their fifth game too, Sherbini having taken the lead 2/1 after saving game balls in what proved to be a crucial third game. The fifth was a relative canter, the young Egyptian finally able to celebrate her 16th birthday with an 11/2 decider.

Women’s Round ONE – bottom half (in playing order)
[3] Rachael Grinham (Aus) bt [Q] Lauren Selby (Eng) 11/7, 11/4, 11/5 (24m)
[15] Samantha Teran (Mex) bt [Q] Tesni Evans (Wal) 11/5, 11/3, 11/7 (24m)
Dipika Pallikal (Ind) bt [14] Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl) 11/8, 9/11, 11/8, 11/7 (52m)
[Q] Kanzy El Dafrawy (Egy) bt [8] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy) 12/10, 11/9, 12/10 (35m)
[5] Laura Massaro (Eng) bt [Q] Yathreb Adel (Egy) 11/9, 11/7, 11/6 (41m)
[9] Annie Au (Hkg) bt Joey Chan (Hkg) 13/11, 11/6, 7/11, 11/6 (46m)
[10] Joelle King (Nzl) bt [Q] Gaby Huber (Sui) 11/7, 11/6, 11/6 (35m)
[2] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt Line Hansen (Den) 11/9, 12/10, 11/7 (32m)

[11] Raneem El Weleily (Egy) bt Sarah Kippax (Eng) 11/9, 11/9, 11/5 (30m)
[6] Kasey Brown (Aus) bt Orla Noom (Ned) 11/6, 11/5, 11/4 (32m)
[12] Natalie Grinham (Ned) bt [Q] Aisling Blake (Irl) 11/5, 11/3, 11/9 (37m)
[4] Madeline Perry (Irl) bt Emma Beddoes (Eng) 11/8, 11/4, 7/11, 7/11, 11/3 (58m)
[7] Camille Serme (Fra) bt Nour El Tayeb (Egy) 12/10, 11/7, 2/1 rtd (28m)
[16] Low Wee Wern (Mas) bt [Q] Latasha Khan (Usa) 11/6, 11/9, 11/8 (42m)
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt Delia Arnold (Mas) 11/3, 11/6, 11/5 (29m)
[Q] Nour El Sherbini (Egy) bt [13] Donna Urquhart (Aus) 10/12, 11/8, 13/11, 9/11, 11/2 (61m)

More information can be found on the official tournament site www.worldopensquash2011.com
For all the latest Tour news: www.psaworldtour.com

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Referees get tough on Davide Bianchetti

Day Four:

After three days of 32 matches we were down to a mere 24 today, as the men's first round concluded and the women's main draw was completed.

James Willstrop and Aisling Blake were the first winners of the day, and just as Shahier Razik joined them with two more matches under way, off went the power and the lights (and the internet).

"I'm happy the job is done," said the Irishwoman, "that's always the first aim and I've had two good matches and managed to get off both times in three. Happy to be in the main draw, let's just see who I get now." [she actually got, for the umpteenth time, training partner Natalie Grinham]

Two courts were still playable, so Daryl Selby and Gaby Huber completed their victories on those, and then the club was rebooted so that we could pretend that hour never happened.

"It wasn't ideal going to a different court," said the Swiss, "but it was the same for us both. All the games were tough but I managed to play well enough to win and I'm really pleased to qualify in my first World Open.

Resuming on three courts, Marwan El Shorbagy joined his brother in round two as a less than 100% Farhan Mehboob retired after the second game, and Hisham Ashour, Karim Abdel Gawad and Amr Shabana all weighed in with comfortable enough wins to make it a good afternoon for Egypt.

"I don’t know what happened last time [in Qatar], so today I just tried to control the T and play squash the way it’s supposed to be played and hope for the best," said four-time champion Shabana.

Lauren Selby was in no mood to offer Maud Duplomb birthday gifts, and after yesterday's scare Nour El Sherbini - it's her birthday tomorrow - looked in decent form as she beat Kylie Lindsay to a place in the main draw, the Kiwi glad to get a few points in the third after going 10-0 down.

"It was a bit easier than yesterday," said Selby. "Once I'd got the stiffness out of my legs I played so much better and I was much more comfortable on court. Now I just need to sort out my washing and my flights!"

A happier Kiwi was Martin Knight, who came from two games down to beat Jan Koukal in easily the longest match of the session, taking the last three games 11/8, 11/8, 11/8 in just over an hour and a half.
The evening session started with two up and down five game upsets as Mexican qualifier Cesar Salazar got the better of Adrian Grant in 68 minutes, while it took over an hour for young Egyptian Yathreb Adel to beat Victoria Lust in another hard-fought encounter.

"What to say about the 5th??," said a delighted Salazar, "tt was a flip of a coin. I changed my tactic again, and speeded up the pace as much as I could. We had some very hard rallies at 5/5, 6/5, and from that point on, I didn’t feel tired at all, the legs weren’t painful anymore, I felt strong, both mentally and physically.

"This is the best day of my life," concluded the Mexican.

There was mixed success against Frenchmen for the hosts on the showcourt as Qatar Classic champion Gregory Gaultier dismissed wildcard spot winner Dylan Bennett in straight games, while LJ Anjema looked on course to do the same to Greg Marche before the qualifier came back to take the second and give the packed crowd some tense moments before their favourite finally won 13/11 in the fourth after 84 minutes.

"No I was not surprised by Greg’s performance," said a relieved Dutchman. "I haven’t had the chance to see him play a lot of matches recently, but still, I’ve looked at his results, he is a very good player, he trains with Greg, so I didn’t underestimated him for a second and although I was ready for him, still, I was in trouble.

"Now, forget the fact that I’m the tournament, that I just won, just the fact that everyone who is anyone in squash is here, every coach, every official, every squash guru is here, in Rotterdam, in Netherlands, is the greatest feeling ever…"

Meanwhile drama on court 8 as Italy's Davide Bianchetti, a game behind and at 12-all in the second against India's Saurav Ghosal, argued sufficiently to get a conduct game awarded against him. Bianchetti continued to argue during the interval, persevered with his comments to the referee as they were about to start the third, when the referee's patience ran out and the match was awarded against him.

Shortly after Cesar's best ever win came the same result for Wales' Tesni Evans who temporarily halted the Egyptian advance with a 3/1 win over Heba El Torky.

"It's definitely my best ever win," said a delighted Evans, "and it's a good tournament to do it in - I'm in the main draw of the World Open, how good is that ?? I don't care who I get, I don't think I'll beat anyone, I just hope it's an early enough match for my flight home tomorrow!" [good news Tesni, it's 12 noon against Samantha Teran]

Kanzy El Dafrawy made it a hat-trick of Egyptian qualifiers as she beat Siyoli Waters in straight games to the delight of her new-found Dutch fans, and American veteran Latasha Khan grabbed the last spot with a relatively comfortable win over England's Lauren Briggs.

Second seed Ramy Ashour struggled to see off Kiwi qualifier Campbell Grayson in their first two games, but eased through the third to set up a meeting with Switzerland's Nicolas Mueller, Shabana's conqueror in Qatar who claimed another Egyptian scalp in beating Ali Anwar Reda in four games.

Alister Walker also won in three in a rumbustious encounter with an unhappy Omar Abdel Aziz, leaving the last place in the second round to be decided by Azlan Iskandar who won his all-Malaysian encounter between and Ong Beng Hee in 76 minutes.

Men's Round ONE (bottom half)
[4] James Willstrop (Eng) bt Max Lee (Hkg) 11/8, 11/6, 11/7 (33m)
Shahier Razik (Can) bt [Q] Joe Lee (Eng) 11/5, 11/9, 6/11, 11/6 (65m)
[Q] Marwan El Shorbagy (Egy) btFarhan Mehboob (Pak) 11/6, 11/8 (rtd) 28m)
[11] Daryl Selby (Eng) bt [Q]Adrian Waller (Eng) 11/2, 13/11, 11/7 (48m)
[15] Hisham Ashour (Egy) bt Zac Alexander (Aus) 11/6, 13/11, 11/6 (36m)
Martin Knight (Nzl) bt Jan Koukal (Cze) 3/11, 4/11, 11/8, 11/8, 11/8 (94m)
[5] Amr Shabana (Egy) v [Q] Eric Galvez (Mex) 11/8, 11/6, 11/6 (32m)
Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) bt Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak) 12/10, 11/9, 11/5 (34m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bv Dylan Bennett (Ned) 11/4, 11/3, 11/6 (29m)
[Q] Cesar Salazar (Mex) bt Adrian Grant (Eng) 8/11, 11/3, 11/5, 8/11, 11/5 (68m)
Saurav Ghosal (Ind) bt [Q] Davide Bianchetti (Ita) 11/5, 14/12* DISQ (35m)
[12] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt [Q] Greg Marche (Fra) 11/4, 10/12, 11/7, 13/11 (84m)
[13] Azlan Iskandar (Mas) v Ong Beng Hee (Mas) 11/3, 11/7, 3/11, 11/5 (76m)
Alister Walker (Bot) bt Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy) 11/5, 11/8, 11/8 (50m)
Nicolas Mueller (Sui) bt Ali Anwar Reda (Egy) 11/5, 11/9, 4/11, 11/3 (49m)
[2] Ramy Ashour (Egy) bt [Q] Campbell Grayson (Nzl) 11/9, 14/12, 11/5 (40m)

* conduct game at 12-all, followed by conduct match at start of third

Women's Qualifying Finals
Aisling Blake (Irl) bt Lisa Aitken (Sco) 11/5, 11/7, 11/7 (37m)
Gaby Huber (Sui) bt Olga Ertlova (Cze) 11/7, 11/5, 6/11, 11/5 (51m)
Lauren Selby (Eng) bt Maud Duplomb (Fra) 11/3, 12/10, 11/3 (31m)
Nour El Sherbini (Egy) bt Kylie Lindsay (Nzl) 11/7, 11/9, 11/4 (29m)
Yathreb Adel (Egy) bt Victoria Lust (Eng) 11/8, 1/11, 11/6, 6/11, 11/5 (65m)
Tesni Evans (Wal) bt Heba El Torky (Egy) 11/9, 4/11, 11/9, 11/8 (44m)
Kanzy El Dafrawy (Egy) bt Siyoli Waters (Rsa) 11/6, 11/4, 11/9 (33m)
Latasha Khan (Usa bt Lauren Briggs (Eng) 11/3, 11/3, 11/6 (37m)

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Palmer & Lincou survive

Playing probably his last world open, two-time champion David Palmer took an hour and a half in the opening match of the day to fend off the challenge of Scotland's Alan Clyne. After taking a two-game lead Palmer found himself at 8-all in the fifth before finally clinching the match, much to the relief of himself and his watching family.

"It was always going to be tough, we played last week in Qatar on the glass court, it was always going to be to my advantage, while here, it’s warm, on a bouncy traditional court, it was always to be to his advantage," said a relieved Palmer.

"I knew that in the fifth, if I could stay reasonably close at the end, I had the shots and the experience to close it out."

That was just one of three Aussie victories to start the day, as Ryan Cuskelly beat Joey Barrington and Stewart Boswell beat Nafiizwan Adnan, both in straight games.

If the first match on the show court wasn't close enough, Thierry Lincou, like Palmer a former world champ who has spent the last ten years in the top ten and may well be playing his last world open, found himself 5-0 down in the fifth to Canada's Shawn Delierre. The Frenchman recovered to 7-all but had to save two match balls on his way to a 15/13 in the fifth win after 98 minutes.

I really saw myself going home today," said Lincou, the 2004 champion. "He just played great squash on there, and if you lack a bit of intensity – like I did today – against tricky players like him they make you visit the four corners… end result, a permanent discomfort on there!"

The rest of the morning session was all Egyptian as Omar Mosaad beat qualifier Omar Abdel Meguid in just under and hour, and Wael El Hindi and third seed Karim Darwish both registered quick wins.

.There was much less drama in the evening session - Mohamed El Shorbagy beat Jon Kemp 3/1 in a 36-minute shootout, Simon Rosner eased past Clinton Leeuw after taking a tight first game, and defending champion Nick Matthew did the same after being 8/5 down in the first against qualifier Stéphane Galifi.

"I felt really threatened in the first game really," admitted Matthew. "I only got to practice on court this morning as the qualifiers were playing on it for the two past days, so I did struggle a little at the start. After Qatar, I worked on my movement intensity, which means to higher the pace, I move faster instead of just hitting faster. And that’s what I did. Now I’m used to the court, it will get better next time."

Matthew's conqueror in Qatar Tarek Momen beat Tom Richards 3/1, reversing last month's result in Philadelphia, and he now meets Matthew again on Tuesday.

Steve Coppinger made sure there would be South African interest - and another noisy gallery of springbok supporters - in round two as he beat Chris Simpson in straight games, and now meets another Englishman in seventh seed Peter Barker who eased past Aussie Aaron Frankcomb who was struggling for fitness.

The day was rounded off with a fourth Australian win as Cameron Pilley blasted his way past qualifier Raphael Kandra, and a third English winner as Chris Ryder came from a game down to beat Finn Olli Tuominen.



Men's Round ONE (top half, in playing order)

[8] David Palmer (Aus) bt Alan Clyne (Sco) 11/7, 11/6, 6/11, 4/11, 11/8 (90m)
Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) bt Joey Barrington (Eng) 11/5, 11/7, 11/5 (48m)
[10] Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt [Q] Shawn Delierre (Can) 13/11, 4/11, 11/3, 4/11, 15/13 (98m)
Stewart Boswell (Aus) bt Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas) 11/3, 11/6, 11/4 (46m)
Borja Golan (Esp) bt Julian Illingworth (Usa) 11/3, 11/6, 9/11, 11/3 (59m)
[14] Omar Mosaad (Egy) bt [Q] Omar A Meguid (Egy) 14/12, 12/10, 9/11, 11/9 (59m)
[3] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt [Q] Henrik Mustonen (Fin) 11/4, 11/1, 11/2 (21m)
Wael El Hindi (Egy) bt Arturo Salazar (Mex) 6/11, 11/7, 11/3, 11/1 (35m)

[9] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt Jonathan Kemp (Eng) 12/10, 11/8, 7/11, 11/6 (36m)
Simon Rosner (Ger) bt [Q] Clinton Leeuw (Rsa) 12/10, 11/6, 11/3 (40m)
[1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [Q] Stephane Galifi (Ita) 11/8, 11/1, 11/3 (35m)
Tarek Momen (Egy) bt Tom Richards (Eng) 11/9, 8/11, 11/1, 11/5 (53m)
[7] Peter Barker (Eng) bt Aaron Frankcomb (Aus) 11/4, 11/1, 11/4 (17m)
Steve Coppinger (Rsa) bt Chris Simpson (Eng) 11/1, 12/10, 11/8 (46m)
[16] Cameron Pilley (Aus) bt [Q] Raphael Kandra (Ger) 11/2, 11/3, 11/8 (32m)
Chris Ryder (Eng) bt Olli Tuominen (Fin) 8/11, 11/4, 11/4, 11/4 (55m)

Women's Qualifying Round Two

Aisling Blake (Irl) bt Stephanie Edmison (Can) 11/8, 11/6, 11/3 (30m)
Lisa Aitken (Sco) bt Alexandra Norman (Can) 11/6, 11/5, 4/11, 11/5 (44m)
Gaby Huber (Sui) bt Imelda Salazar (Mex) 11/0, 11/2, 11/6 (22m)
Olga Ertlova (Cze) bt Zephanie Curgenven (Eng) 11/4, 11/4, 11/4 (25m)
Maud Duplomb (Fra) bt Manuela Manetta (Ita) 12/10, 11/7, 4/11, 11/7 (45m)
Lauren Selby (Eng) bt Lucie Fialova (Cze) 11/12, 11/13, 9/11, 11/9, 11/9 (91m)
Nour El Sherbini (Egy) bt Sarah-Jane Perry (Eng) 11/7, 11/5, 10/12, 7/11, 12/10 (59m)
Kylie Lindsay (Nzl) bt Leonie Holt (Eng) 11/6, 11/6, 11/9 (27m)

Yathreb Adel (Egy) bt Samantha Cornett (Can) 11/6, 8/11, 12/10, 11/8 (46m)
Victoria Lust (Eng) bt Salma Hany (Egy) 11/1, 11/5, 12/10 (30m)
Tesni Evans (Wal) bt Sina Wall (Ger) 9/11, 11/4, 9/11, 11/4, 11/7 (54m)
Heba El Torky (Egy) bt Thaisa Serafini (Bra) 11/9, 11/6, 11/9 (18m)
Siyoli Waters (Rsa) bt Milou Van Der Heijden (Ned) 4/11, 11/4, 12/10, 11/8 (42m)
Kanzy El Dafrawy (Egy) bt Birgit Coufal (Aut) 11/8, 11/9, 0/11, 13/11 (42m)
Lauren Briggs (Eng) bt Sally Skaarenborg (Den) 11/7, 11/4, 11/2 (20m)
Latasha Khan (Usa) bt Coline Aumard (Fra) 9/11, 11/4, 11/6, 11/4 (38m)


Event website: www.worldopensquash2011.com

---

QATAR CLASSIC

"MANY PICTURES IN TOURNAMENTS"

Five for "too fast" Nicol, Greg comes good ...

Nicol David claimed her fifth Qatar Classic title with an impressive straight-games win over Madeline Perry, who summed up the performance of her Malaysian opponent as "too fast, too accurate, too good.
For Gregory Gaultier it was a first Doha title as he took a two-game lead over English rival James Willstrop, who stormed back to take the third but lost out in a tense finish to the fourth and final game. Gaultier thus collected his first major title for over two years, and boy was the Frenchman happy ...

Nicol too good
"Too fast," was Madeline Perry's instant verdict after Nicol David collected her fifth Qatar Classic title with a supreme performance in the final against the Northern Irish fourth seed playing in her first Doha final.

Nicol has been here before, and she was instantly at home, shrugging off an error on the first point of the match to take the next seven with a combination of drops, volley drops and boasts that were either winners or forced errors from Perry.
Madeline got one more point in the first, but Nicol continued in the same vein to take the opener 11/2 in 7 minutes, and at 5/2 in the second a very quick final looked on the cards with Madeline struggling to get a foothold in the match.
Gradually she managed to stay in the rallies, found a few openings appearing and pegged back that lead.
5/4, 6/5, then she levelled at 7-all as Nicol hit a rare tin, but the Malaysian followed that with four winners in quick succession, a dropshot, a loose shot driven away, a perfect dying length and a short drive glued to the wall for 11/7 after 17 minutes.
Two-nil down against a Nicol who's playing well isn't a nice place to be, and the match continued in the same vein, Nicol forcing the pace, Madeline doing her best to keep with it.
But the scoreboard kept rolling the Malaysian's way, 3/0, 7/2, and it only took one match ball, which was possibly the longest rally of the match, before a final dropshot left Madeline stranded and Nicol looking at the prospect of picking up the trophy for the fifth time.
Nicol may have been a little defensive at the start of the week, but by the end she was running, no purring, on all cylinders, and everyone had better watch out in Rotterdam next week ...
"That first game? Well, I had a hit with Greg this morning!!!!!," admitted Nicol after the match.
"It was far from easy, but today, I just had that feeling you get at the end of the tournament, on the last day, where you just want to get on there, and give it all. Madeline always played 100%, but she had a few matches that were more difficult than mine, it was an easy path to the final for me … I was lucky as she didn’t play as many shots as she normally does.

"This was the best I felt and the best I played all tournament, I felt good on there, and comfortable from the start. My length today was really good, I was able to contain her and prevent her from playing her shots, she is so dangerous on the volley. It’s one of those days where everything just comes together, and work your way….
"It is one of those events where you just love to come back to, a combination of the people, the organisation, the court, the fact I got to 5 finals, and that I won them all, and also, I have so many people that come and support me, that makes a big difference."
Perry was disappointed, but impressed with her opponent's performance:
" She took the ball so early and went short right from the start, volley dropping from the first rally. That's not what she usually does and it took me a bit by surprise, I was expecting to be able to work my way into the match for a few rallies.
"When she's playing well she gets on a roll and it's really tough to keep with her. If I'd managed to sneak the second maybe I could have held it, but once she was two-nil up I was struggling.
"Too fast, too accurate, too good."

Greg comes good


Both playing in their second Qatar Classic final - James Willstrop was champion in 2005, Gregory Gaulter runner-up in 2007 - both players had been in impressive form in the runup to the final, and the delivered a quality match to the packed audience in the permanent glass court arena.
After pulling clear from 7-all in a tight first game to take it 11/8, Gaultier was on top early in the second, establishing a 6/2 lead which despite Willstrop's efforts he couldn't close down as Gaultier doubled his advantage, 11/7.
The third was all Willstrop, and after the Englishman had pulled clear Gaultier let the last few points go, apparently readying himself for the fourth.
It was Willstrop though who made the stronger start, leading 4/1 and 7/4. But, with the crowd noisily on his side, Gaultier fought back, levelling at 8-all.
There were numerous lets played in a tense finish, but Gaultier eventually took the final three points to claim his first major title for over two years, and he was not backward at expressing his pleasure!
"We’ve been playing each other since we are that high, since we were juniors," said a delighted Frenchman. "We had some memorable battles. It’s actually nice to see each other back to the final. He is just a gentleman on court, such a fair player, I have tremendous respect for him.
"Doha is my second him now!!!!! Joke apart, I’ve been coming here since the age of 16 or 17, and I’ve seen all the great players win this title, so for me, it’s like a dream come true, especially as I didn’t win a major event for two years now."

Willstrop, like Perry, was full of praise for his opponent:
"In the first two games Greg played down the backhand side was much better than me, which is a bit frustrating as it’s normally considered as my strength. He played some super squash, his attacks were better than mine, his accuracy and length was just superior to mine.
"In the third, I put it together better, I used my brain plus the help of Chris [Roberston, ES National Coach], as I knew something had to change. I had to find a way to stop damaging me on that backhand side, as he was in a comfortable position to hurt me with his shots. Maybe I made a few too many errors there, but it was probably something to do with the way he was playing!
"There are reasons why he keeps on winning matches like that, my length and width was just not good enough to preventing him from attacking, which means that, at the end of the day, he played better. He’s been going on all week about how good he felt, how good he played, and he proved it tonight."

Results FINALS:
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [4] Madeline Perry (Irl) 11/2, 11/7, 11/3 (33m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [4] James Willstrop (Eng) 11/8, 11/7, 2/11, 11/8 (70m)




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David tested as Perry, Gaultier and Willstrop find three ways to win 3-0

The semi-finals of the XIth Qatar Classic at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha saw a contrasting set of semi-finals in which one defending champion stayed on course while one was dethroned, and three very different three-nil wins.
The women's semi-finals featured the same four players as last year, although they were playing different opponents.
Nicol David met Rachael Grinham in a repeat of the 2010 final, and just as then it was the Malaysian world number one who triumphed. She was tested though, sorely tested by an Australian who seemed not to know that she was on the wrong end of a run of 14 consecutive defeats to David, and so very nearly forced a deciding game.
David it was though who won a seesaw encounter 11/6, 4/11, 11/6, 11/8 to advance to her fifth final in six years where she will be looking to take a record fifth crown.
"Our matches are nearly always five setters or/and 1h30m, so needless to say I’m happy with this 3/1 victory in 50 minutes," said a relieved Nicol.

Her opponent will be Northern Ireland's Madeline Perry who beat Egypt's World Junior Champion Nour El Tayeb in straight games.
Both were playing their second successive Qatar Classic semi-final, but they had never played each other before. Not that you would have known as they traded blows for just over an hour with never more than two points separating them.
It was a dramatic encounter, with long rallies, fast action, dives and numerous interventions from the video appeals referee. In the end it was a relieved Irishwoman who won 11/9, 19/17, 11/9, but as she said afterwards, "It was a three-love but it was never a three-love, was it! I was just able to play the big points at the end of the games better, but I was very happy to win that last point!"

The first men's semi-final was the third meeting in Doha between Karim Darwish, Egypt's defending champion and third seed, and Gregory Gaultier, the Frenchman who reached the final in 2007 and is seeded sixth this time around.
Those meetings had been shared, but today Gaultier turned in one of his best performances, taking a close first game, increasing his control in the second and totally dominating the third.
"I was so comfortable on there," said a delighted Gaultier. "I was happy to play, so happy to play, and I hope I can keep on playing like that."

The final match of the day demonstrated a third way of winning three-nil as James Willstrop, champion here back in 2005, recovered from early deficits against unseeded Aussie Stewart Boswell in the first and third games, in between cruising through the second to win 11/8, 11/3, 11/9 in just short of an hour.
"He's such a smooth operator, I had to be really dogged to get through tonight," said Willstrop. "The scoreline doesn't really do him justice, but I'm so pleased to get through to the final."

Semi-Finals:
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [3] Rachael Grinham (Aus) 11/6, 4/11, 11/6, 11/8 (51m)
[4] Madeline Perry (Irl) bt [13] Nour El Tayeb (Egy) 11/9, 19/17, 11/9 (61m)

[6] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [3] Karim Darwish (Egy) 11/8, 11/4, 11/1 (42m)
[4] James Willstrop (Eng) bt Stewart Boswell (Aus) 11/8, 11/3, 11/9 (56m)

The finals commence at 17.30 on Friday.

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Normal order restored in Doha Quarter-Finals

After a seemingly endless succession of upsets in round two, normal order was restored in quarter-final action in the XIth Qatar Classic at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha as all but one of the eight matches went according to expectations.

Top seed and defending champion Nicol David was always in control against young Egyptian Raneem El Weleily, who didn't help her own cause with numerous unforced errors in each of the three games. Only in the third did the Egyptian threaten to extend the match, but David soon closed that opening to win 11/6, 11/4, 11/8 in 27 minutes.
Third seed Rachael Grinham took just a little longer to end the run of England's Emma Beddoes who had scored two upset wins to reach this stage, but for the Australian it was a case of taking the first game in the face of a stiff challenge from Beddoes. Thereafter Grinham's shotmaking held sway.

The first men's match promised another upset when unseeded Swiss Nicolas Mueller raced into an 11/2 and 4/1 lead against Karim Darwish, the third seeded defending champion. Darwish settled, and dominated from that point on to win 2/11, 11/8, 11/5, 11/4 in 35 minutes.
James Willstrop and Peter Barker had met at this stage in the US Open just over a week ago, and just as then it was Willstrop, the fourth seed, who won 3/1 after Barker had taken the first game.
The match looked as though it was heading for a decider as Barker led throughout the fourth, but his frustration grew as Willstrop pegged back the lead, saved two game balls, and took the match in extra points, 6/11, 11/7, 11/4, 13/11.

The evening session started with a hard fought straight games win for Madeline Perry over Malaysia's Low Wee Wern. Each of the games were close to the midpoint but the Northern Ireland fourth seed's experienced showed as she forged ahead in all three to win 11/8, 11/5, 11/9 in 26 minutes.
Nour El Tayeb and Nour El Sherbini met in a replay of their recent World Junior and WISPA Alexandria finals. In a match featuring dramatic retrieving and tremendous shotmaking from both Egyptian teenagers, it was the elder of the two El Tayeb who emerged the 3/1 winner this time, thus emulating her achievement last year in making the semi-finals.

There was to be no further upset for Tarek Momen, who after his explosive dismissal of top seed Nick Matthew last night, found Gregory Gaultier a step too far.
Not that the sixth-seeded Frenchman had it at all easy - despite winning in straight games 11/5, 11/8, 11/7 the match took over an hour (some of it wasted with some, shall we say confusion, over the video referral decisions) and the young Egyptian had his chances in each of the last two games.

An upset of sorts finally arrived in the last match of the day as Stewart Boswell got the better of fellow Australian Cameron Pilley in four games, 11/8, 11/5, 4/11, 11/4. Both are unseeded, but if there were to be sixteen seeds then Pilley, ranked #16, would have got the nod. On the night however it was Boswell, who beat another compatriot in David Palmer in the previous round, who won through.

Women's Quarter-Finals
[1] Nicol David (Mas) bt [9] Raneem El Weleily (Egy) 11/6, 11/4, 11/8 (27m)
[3] Rachael Grinham (Aus) bt Emma Beddoes (Eng) 14/12, 11/4, 11/7 (30m)
[4] Madeline Perry (Irl) bt [12] Low Wee Wern (Mas) 11/8, 11/5, 11/9 (42m)
[13] Nour El Tayeb (Egy) bt Nour El Sherbini (Egy) 11/8, 5/11, 11/8, 13/11 (46m)

Men's Quarter-Finals
[3] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt Nicolas Mueller (Sui) 2/11, 11/8, 11/5, 11/4 (35m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt Tarek Momen (Egy) 11/5, 11/8, 11/7 (65m)
[4] James Willstrop (Eng) bt [7] Peter Barker (Eng) 6/11, 11/7, 11/4, 13/11 (56m)
Stewart Boswell (Aus) bt Cameron Pilley (Aus) 11/8, 11/5, 4/11, 11/4 (68m)

Semi-finals begin at 17.30 on Thursday.

From http://www.squashsite.co.uk
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Momen Momentum Downs Matthew In Qatar

Unheralded Egyptian Tarek Momen scored the best victory of his career when he crushed England's world number one Nick Matthew in today's second round of the Qatar Classic to claim an unlikely place in the quarter-finals of the sixth PSA World Series squash event of the year in the Qatar capital Doha.
The straight games upset brought to an end a remarkable run of ten successive PSA World Tour final appearances by the 31-year-old Englishman - which began immediately following Matthew's semi-final exit in last year's Qatar Classic.

Matthew led 6-1 in the first game and 5-1 in the second, but both times the confident 23-year-old from Cairo battled back. The out-of-sorts top seed recovered from 1-6 and 6-9 down in the third and went on to save two match balls - but it was third time lucky for Momen as the underdog raised in arms in triumph after his shock 11-9, 12-10, 11-8 victory after 44 minutes.
"I'm speechless," said Momen to www.squashsite.co.uk after his shock win at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex. "I've been so inconsistent for the past three years, I had my upsets, but today is by far my best result.
"Today, everything was going my way, and I thought 'you've got to take the opportunity, it may never happen again'.
"Nick is such an amazing player - you just have days where you don't get it right, and I'm sure he'll be back very strong in the next tournament," added the world No26.
Matthew was happy to try and explain matters later: "He made me feel very slow today, he was so quick, and if anything, the score flatters me. Today, was not my day, but he was too good today.
"Players have no respect for reputation, you've got to go on there and play the ball, and that's exactly what Tarek did today - and maybe the English young players should take example on him, as they sometimes give too much respect to their opponent.
"But I'm getting older, I have to accept the fact that there will be days where hungry young players get the better of me - I did it when I was young, with David Palmer, Peter Nicol, John White, etc, when the adrenalin takes you to the finishing line. That's what happened today with Tarek.
"But don't you worry, I'll be back strong for the Worlds!"
Momen, celebrating his first appearance in a 2011 PSA World Series quarter-final, will now meet Gregory Gaultier after the sixth seed from France defeated Indian qualifier Siddharth Suchde 11-3, 11-3, 11-8 in the final match of the day.

There was disappointment for his compatriot Thierry Lincou earlier in the day. Unseeded on the PSA Tour for the first time for more than a decade, the 35-year-old former world number one faced Peter Barker, the seventh seed from England to whom he had never lost in four meetings since early 2006.
The left-hander from London looked to be heading for a comfortable win as he pulled clear from six-all in the first and took the second 11/3 - but, as expected, Lincou dug in and made the third tough.
At nine-all Lincou was annoyed to lose the point as Barker hit the ball from the back into the Frenchman's leg, and having used his video appeal fruitlessly on that one, had none left when Barker put in a tight forehand volley to win the match 11-6, 11-3, 11-9.
"Too many errors, unforgiveable," was the Frenchman's verdict.
Barker admitted that he had been pumped up by seeing his head-to-head record with Lincou before the match: "Just before going on the court, I saw the record on the screen, and thought, well, that's no good, is it!
"I didn't play badly yesterday, but I knew I had to step up today, and I'm very happy with my two games, I think I contained him quite well, prevented him to get in front of me.
"In the third, it was a different story - he used his experience and physicality to step in front, and to be honest, I feel that I was lucky to win the third.
"Thierry is a absolute living legend, and beating him while he is in the top 100 is such an honour, and especially 3/0. I'm very happy," added the world No7.
Barker will now face England team-mate James Willstrop for the fourth time this year - and the 15th time in his Tour career. The fourth seed from Leeds overcame German number one Simon Rosner 11-5, 11-2, 14-12.

Swiss star Nicolas Mueller continued his impressive Doha run. Two days after ousting Egypt's fifth seed and former champion Amr Shabana, the unseeded 22-year-old from Zurich upset higher-ranked Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar 11-8, 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6 in exactly an hour.
"In the US Open a few days ago, he beat me easily 3/0, so when I took the first game, it boosted my confidence," said Mueller.
Celebrating his maiden appearance in a World Series quarter-final, Mueller now faces third seed Karim Darwish. The defending champion from Egypt recorded the swiftest win of the day beating Finnish qualifier Henrik Mustonen 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 in just 29 minutes - in a repeat of their first round clash in the 2010 event.
Cameron Pilley guaranteed Australian presence in the semi-finals when he defeated England's Tom Richards 11-7, 11-2, 13-11 after saving two game balls in the third.
The world No16 from New South Wales will face Canberra-born Stewart Boswell, the world No19 who beat fellow countryman and eighth seed David Palmer - for only the second time in 15 career meetings - 11-8, 4-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-5 in 80 minutes.
It was another match influenced by the pair's pre-match head-to-head record, spotted by underdog Boswell: "I was not too happy about the 13/1 stats," admitted Boswell, who is now in his first World Series quarter-final since January 2008. "David was over me for over a decade, so I'm happy to squeeze this one tonight."

RESULTS: PSA World Series Qatar Classic, Doha, Qatar
2nd round:
Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [1] Nick Matthew (ENG) 11-9, 12-10, 11-8 (44m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [Q] Siddharth Suchde (IND) 11-3, 11-3, 11-8 (44m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 11-8, 7-11, 8-11, 11-7, 11-6 (60m)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [Q] Henrik Mustonen (FIN) 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 (29m)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Simon Rosner (GER) 11-5, 11-2, 14-12 (47m)
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) bt Thierry Lincou (FRA) 11-6, 11-3, 11-9 (56m)
Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt [8] David Palmer (AUS) 11-8, 4-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-5 (80m)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Tom Richards (ENG) 11-7, 11-2, 13-11 (54m)

Quarter-final line-up:
Tarek Momen (EGY) v [6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) v [7] Peter Barker (ENG)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Stewart Boswell (AUS)
For all the latest Tour news: www.psaworldtour.com

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Ramy Retirement Sees Richards Through In Qatar

England's unseeded Tom Richards secured a surprise place in the last 16 round of the Qatar Classic after second seed Ramy Ashour conceded their first round match in the sixth PSA World Series squash event of the year in the Qatar capital Doha after just 18 minutes.

Ashour, the world number two who heads the 2011 Dunlop PSA World Series Standings, was clearly struggling with an injury that hampered his movement on the all-glass court at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.
Richards, the world No24 who lost to the Egyptian at the North American Open in February, took the opening two games before Ashour offered his hand in defeat.
"I know he could barely move on there," said the 25-year-old from Surrey to www.squashsite.co.uk after his surprise win. "Yet I still had to play the best squash I ever played to beat him!"
Richards goes on to face Cameron Pilley after the world No16 from Australia saw off India's world No32 Saurav Ghosal 11-6, 12-10, 11-7.
Earlier, an all-Australian second round clash was set up after Commonwealth Games Doubles silver medallists David Palmer and Stewart Boswell survived their first round battles.

Palmer, four times a runner-up in the Doha event, was given a good workout by Scotland's Alan Clyne in his last Qatar Classic.
"At the end it wasn't the best," said eighth seed Palmer after his 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4 victory in 56 minutes. "But I'll take the win - nowadays, I take what I can!
"But tomorrow, I'll have to play better," added the 35-year-old from New South Wales.
Boswell had lost after leading two-nil against Mohamed El Shorbagy in last week's US Open in Philadelphia - but having taken the first two games against his younger brother Marwan El Shorbagy, the Aussie finished it off this time, racing through the third for the loss of just two further points to set up a meeting with long-time adversary and Australian team-mate Palmer.

Distinguished Frenchman Thierry Lincou gave one of the day's most impressive performances to set up a meeting with England's No7 seed Peter Barker.
Unseeded on the PSA Tour for the first time for over ten years, former world number one Lincou found himself two games down against Egyptian Hisham Mohamed Ashour, Ramy's older brother.
But the determined 35-year-old Frenchman bravely fought back to record an impressive 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6 victory after 62 minutes.
"Anything I was putting at the front ended in the tin, and I couldn't find any length either, as he was twisting and turning me too much," said the Marseille man about the first two games. "I was only able to play one rally the whole match where I was in control. I'll be ready and sharp for playing against Peter tomorrow!"
Germany's Simon Rosner, who had won his last four encounters with Chris Ryder, extended that run with a four-game win over the English qualifier.
"I'm happy to get through," said Rosner. "Although I don't think either of us were playing at our best, and I was disappointed that I relaxed a bit in the third. Still you have to win those matches."
Rosner will next face James Willstrop, after the fourth-seeded Englishman beat Egyptian qualifier Mohammed Abbas 11-6, 11-4, 11-3.







RESULTS: PSA World Series Qatar Classic, Doha, Qatar
1st round (lower half of draw):
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [Q] Mohammed Abbas (EGY) 11-6, 11-4, 11-3 (30m)
Simon Rosner (GER) bt [Q] Chris Ryder (ENG) 11-6, 11-4, 7-11, 11-5 (56m)
Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Hisham Mohamed Ashour (EGY) 9-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6, 11-6 (62m)
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) bt Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-6, 11-6, 9-11, 11-2 (63m)
[8] David Palmer (AUS) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 11-4 (56m)
Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt [Q] Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) 11-7, 11-8, 11-2 (35m)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-6, 12-10, 11-7 (54m)
Tom Richards (ENG) bt [2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) 11-4, 11-6 ret.


2nd round line-up:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Tarek Momen (EGY)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [Q] Siddharth Suchde (IND)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) v Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) v [Q] Henrik Mustonen (FIN)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) v Simon Rosner (GER)
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) v Thierry Lincou (FRA)
[8] David Palmer (AUS) v Stewart Boswell (AUS)
Tom Richards (ENG) v Cameron Pilley (AUS)

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Mueller Shocks Shabana In Qatar Classic Upset

Just ten days after winning the US Open, Egypt's Amr Shabana suffered one of the biggest shocks of his illustrious career when he went down in straight games to unseeded Swiss opponent Nicolas Mueller in today's first round of the Qatar Classic, the sixth PSA World Series squash event of the year at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in the Qatar capital Doha.
It was the four-time world champion's first opening round exit since December 2009, after reaching at least the quarter-finals in 13 successive Tour events since August last year. Furthermore, Shabana had reached the Qatar final in his last three appearances in the event!
Mueller played superbly well against the out-of-sorts Egyptian to reverse the result of their only previous meeting - ironically, in the first round in Doha twelve months ago.
"Today is probably the best match I've played in my life, even if I realise that Shabana was not 100%," the 22-year-old world No30 from Zurich told www.squashsite.co.uk after his 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 shock victory over the fifth seed, ranked five in the world.
Mueller will now face Mohd Azlan Iskandar for a place in the quarter-finals after the Malaysian overcame 16-year-old Qatari wildcard Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi 11-9, 11-4, 11-4.

But there was better news for two of Shabana's fellow countrymen later in the day: Tarek Momen got the better of fellow-Egyptian Omar Abdel Aziz in three close games, the 23-year-old from Cairo emerging triumphant 15-13, 11-8, 11-5 over qualifier Aziz in his first Tour meeting with his 28-year-old Cairo compatriot.
"I think we really played well today, both of us," said Momen. "I'm happy with the way I played, even if I made a few too many errors."
And Cairo-based third seed Karim Darwish successfully began the defence of his title with a 20-minute 11-2, 11-2, 11-2 win over Malaysian qualifier Kamran Khan.
The much-anticipated all-Finnish clash between Olli Tuominen and Henrik Mustonen fizzled out after just two minutes when the experienced Tuominen retired with a calf injury sustained earlier in the week. Qualifier Mustonen, who was winning his second conceded match in Doha in three days, will now go on to meet Darwish.
Top seed Nick Matthew produced an identical score-line to Malaysia's Azlan Iskandar when he beat Pakistan's Aamir Atlas Khan 11-9, 11-4, 11-4 in 38 minutes.
World number one Matthew, bidding to win the title for a second time since 2009, will now line up against Tarek Momen in the last 16 round

Siddharth Suchde delivered a second upset of the day to put out Egypt's Mohd Ali Anwar Reda. After taking a two-game lead, the Indian qualifier looked set for a straight games win - but although Reda fought back to take the third, Suchde was unstoppable in the fourth to win 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-1.
"It's quite tough to come from the qualification, you have no easy matches nowadays," said the delighted 26-year-old from Mumbai. "And then, you've got to adapt from the traditional court to the glass court. But the good thing is you've got no pressure on you at all."
Suchde's next opponent will be France's sixth seed Gregory Gaultier, who was in no mood to allow another upset, dismissing 18-year-old Egyptian qualifier Mohamed Abouelghar 11-8, 11-3, 11-4.
For all the latest Tour news: www.psaworldtour.com


RESULTS: PSA World Series Qatar Classic, Doha, Qatar
1st round (top half of draw):
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) 11-9, 11-4, 11-4 (38m)
Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [Q] Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) 15-13, 11-8, 11-5 (47m)
[Q] Siddharth Suchde (IND) bt Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 11-1 (64m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [Q] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 11-8, 11-3, 11-4 (31m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt [5] Amr Shabana (EGY) 11-6, 11-7, 11-4 (30m)
Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 11-9, 11-4, 11-4 (24m)
[Q] Henrik Mustonen (FIN) bt Olli Tuominen (FIN) 4-1 ret.
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [Q] Kamran Khan (MAS) 11-2, 11-2, 11-2 (20m)

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Ramy Ashour Retains ROWE British Grand Prix Title

"MORE PICTURES IN TOURNAMENTS"
After winning just a single point in the opening game, Egypt's world No2 Ramy Ashour went on to overcome Nick Matthew, the world number one from England, in four games in the final of the ROWE British Grand Prix to retain the PSA World Series squash title at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.

Matthew was in dazzling form in the first game while Ashour had a 'fallout', he later admitted.
But, with two successful victories over Matthew in the last six weeks, Ashour bounded back into the match - quickly building up a 5-1 lead in the second as the Yorkshireman's control began to evaporate.
More and more errors crept into the local hero's game as the mercurial Egyptian claimed winners from all parts of the court before going on to claim his 1-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 victory in 67 minutes.
The triumph marks Ashour's third PSA World Series title of the year, and the 22nd Tour trophy of his career.
"This court has never let me down," said the 23-year-old from Cairo who is unbeaten on the ASB all-glass court in four appearances since the World Open in 2008. "It's just an honour to win this prestigious event another time.
"That was the best game I played all through the tournament," added the jubilant Egyptian. "I felt I got better and better all week.
"Every time you play Nick you have to be 100% focussed - he's very fast on court. I have to adapt my game against him and keep as solid as I can.
"I may not be one of the oldest guys on the Tour, but I have spent my whole life since I was six years old working towards this. But I always try and learn something new from each match."

When asked to explain the first game, Ashour said: "I had a bit of a fallout in that game - and Nick came out fighting. But sometimes it's like that. You have patches in a match where you lose concentration, sometimes they're in the middle, sometimes at the end - but this time it was at the beginning.
"But I am very pleased with the win - and want to thank various people including my sponsors Ziad and EgyptAir, my coaches Mohamed El Said and Hosam, my manager Mick Todd, my brother Hisham, and my feeder Hisam Ashoush."

A downcast Matthew, who lost to the Egyptian twice in August - in the Australian Open final and the World Team Championship final - admitted that he lost his way in the middle of the match.
"There as a crucial point in the second game where I got frustrated by a few decisions and lost my concentration for a few minutes," said the 31-year-old from Sheffield.
"Then he came back like a steam train - he was just too good."

Despite his defeat, Matthew will retain his world number one ranking.
"It doesn't feel like I'm world number one," said the Yorkshireman. "He's beaten me now three times in a row.
"But I'll go away and come back stronger."
Ashour and Matthew, who have contested all four PSA World Series finals this year, lead the latest 2011 World Series Standings by a considerable margin - Ashour in the lead with 365 points and Matthew in second place.
There is just one change in the all-important top eight - with Karim Darwish, a British Grand Prix semi-finalist, moving into eighth place after competing in only two World Series events this year.


Official event website: www.britishsquashgrandprix.com


RESULTS: PSA World Series ROWE British Grand Prix, Manchester, England
Final:
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [1] Nick Matthew (ENG) 1-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-4 (67m)

For all the latest Tour news: www.psaworldtour.com


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Matthew & Ashour To Star In Dream ROWE British Grand Prix Final

The world's top two squash players Nick Matthew and Ramy Ashour will contest a dream final of the ROWE British Grand Prix in Manchester after identically-timed semi-final victories in the PSA World Series squash event in its second year at the National Squash Centre.

The ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2011, the fourth of nine PSA World Series championships in 2011 - and the biggest squash event to be staged in the UK this year - has attracted a star-studded field featuring 16 of the world's top 20 players, including six former world number ones.
In a career rivalry stretching back more than ten years, England's world number one Matthew beat Amr Shabana 11-8, 11-4, 6-11, 11-3 in 54 minutes to claim his tenth PSA World Tour victory over the four-time world champion from Egypt.
Shabana, competing in his first Tour event for six months, twice led in the opening game - but Yorkshireman Matthew bounced back to take the game and lead throughout the second.
The 32-year-old left-hander from Cairo picked up his game in the third and was ahead throughout before reducing the deficit.
But after a tight start in the fourth, Matthew rattled off eight points in a row from three-all to clinch victory.
"Every rally was so evenly-contested - you can never relax for one minute against Shabs," the 31-year-old from Sheffield told the event website www.britishsquashgrandprix.com afterwards.
In describing the third game, Matthew said: "He came out and upped the pace - which was fast enough already! We got into too many exchanges at the front of the court.
"I got a bit lucky with a few errors in the fourth - and went from three-all to 8-3 without realising it. It took me by surprise as I was just concentrating on my shots," added Matthew, now in the 44th Tour final of his career.
"My coach DP (David Pearson) was a great help in my corner. I tend to get a bit excitable in games, and he helps calm me down - and that's what he did before the fourth."
Earlier Ramy Ashour, the world No2 from Egypt, took out fellow countryman Karim Darwish, ranked just a single place below, 11-7, 5-11, 11-2, 11-5 - also in 54 minutes.

The charismatic 23-year-old from Cairo came back from losing the second game to turn on his dazzling style - winning 11 points in a row to take the game from 2-0 down.
"I think I was really focussed - but you have to be against Karim," said Ashour, now in his 35th Tour final. "He gets very confident very fast. He hits a lot of winners, especially on his forehand.
"But the more I play him, the more I learn. There's a great rivalry between us."
In trying to explain the loss of the second game, Ashour said: "Sometimes the demons can play in your head - and you have a bad patch. But that's what the game's all about - you have to keep scrappy thoughts out of you head, it's so easy to lose focus."

Remarkably, Ashour has never lost a match on the ASB all-glass showcourt in Manchester: "This court has never let me down - so I hope it won't tomorrow!"
Third seed Darwish was disappointed with his game: "I was not sharp today. I tried to slow down the pace.
"But he attacks every shot, he's a really tough opponent," said the former world number one, also from Cairo. "All credit to him."
Matthew and Ashour will be meeting for the fifth time this year - and the fourth time in PSA World Series event final.
"Ramy's got the better of me the last two times we played - but I'm more confident in my game this week than in the whole season, so I hope that translates into a good performance tomorrow," concluded England hope Matthew.

RESULTS: ROWE British Grand Prix, Manchester, England
Semi-finals:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [5] Amr Shabana (EGY) 11-8, 11-4, 6-11, 11-3 (54m)
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [3] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-7, 5-11, 11-2, 11-5 (54m)

Official event website: www.britishsquashgrandprix.com

Tickets for the ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2011 can now be booked online at www.isportgroup.com/ticketing or by telephone on 0844 8797 949. For further information email: sales@isportgroup.com
For all the latest information, visit the official website: www.britishsquashgrandprix.com

-----------------------------------------------------------

Darwish & Ashour Set Up All-Egyptian ROWE British Grand Prix Semi

Karim Darwish and title-holder Ramy Ashour will meet in an all-Egyptian semi-final of the ROWE British Grand Prix after prevailing in today's second day of quarter-final action in the PSA World Series squash event in its second year at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.
The ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2011, the fourth of nine PSA World Series championships in 2011 - and the biggest squash event to be staged in the UK this year - has attracted a star-studded field featuring 16 of the world's top 20 players, including six former world number ones.
Cheered on by the capacity crowd surrounding the ASB all-glass court, defending champion Ashour faced Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, the sixth seed, in a high quality encounter.
Underdog Gaultier took the lead various times in the opening game - and had two game-balls from 10-8. But gifted world No2 Ashour refused to submit, winning four points in a row to take the game after 27 minutes.
With both players producing a dazzling array of winners, Ashour edged ahead from four-all in the second to open up a two-game lead. And, after recovering from a 'lost ball' at 5-3 in the third, the Egyptian surged ahead to clinch his second match ball, winning 12-10, 11-7, 11-9 after 69 minutes.
"The first game was the longest ever," the exuberant Ashour told the event website www.britishsquashgrandprix.com afterwards. "We both kept hanging in there. I gave a big push - but it could have been anybody's game.
"Winning the first game always gives you a boost," added the 23-year-old from Cairo. "Greg was hitting nicks all over the place. Hisham told me to be patient - and I tried to be as patient as I could. There were some crucial points for both of us.
"Karim and I play each other a lot - we know each other's games. It's always a physical and mental battle. I just hope I can play well and stay injury-free."
In the first quarter-final, former world number one Karim Darwish took on fellow countryman Omar Mosaad, the second young opponent he has faced from his home city of Cairo who is rapidly making a mark on the PSA World Tour.
The unseeded 23-year-old Omar Mosaad took his place in the last eight - only the second World Series quarter-final of his career - after a significant upset over experienced Frenchman Thierry Lincou, the former world champion who was seeded eight.

And after Darwish led through most of the first game, it was underdog Mosaad who took the early upper hand in the second, forging a 7-4 lead.
The third seed reeled off five points in a row to put himself back into contention and after Mosaad saved one game ball it was soon 2/0 to Darwish.
The senior Egyptian romped to a 5-0 lead in the third before Mosaad replied, but Darwish held off his tall opponent's advances to close out the match 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 after 57 minutes to earn his first World Series semi-final berth this year.
"I tried to be patient on court today. I didn't make a lot of mistakes," said Darwish.
"I had to move him around the court, he's a big guy. He's a very tough opponent, he played really well."
When asked what he thought of the fact that he might meet a third successive compatriot in the semi-finals, Darwish responded: "There are a lot of Egyptians in all events today. If I want to reach a final, I'm sure to need to beat an Egyptian."
Darwish agreed that his win in the decider of the World Team Championship final had given his game a boost: "It's especially significant in this position in the rankings where you really need to be confident. It's 80% in the head - you have to be really confident."
Saturday semi-final line-up:
2.00pm [2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [3] Karim Darwish (EGY)
4.00pm [1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [5] Amr Shabana (EGY)
Official event website: www.britishsquashgrandprix.com
Tickets for the ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2011 can now be booked online at www.isportgroup.com/ticketing or by telephone on 0844 8797 949. For further information email: sales@isportgroup.com
For all the latest information, visit the official website: www.britishsquashgrandprix.com

ROWE British Grand Prix

"MORE PICTURES IN TOURNAMENTS"

Matthew & Shabana Make ROWE British Grand Prix Semis

World number one Nick Matthew was fully tested by England team-mate Peter Barker in tonight's quarter-finals of the ROWE British Grand Prix before finally emerging triumphant after 78 minutes to earn his anticipated place in the last four of the PSA World Series squash event in its second year at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.
The Yorkshire favourite will meet Egypt's former world number one Amr Shabana, who denied the crowd an all-English semi-final when beat Londoner Adrian Grant.
The ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2011, the fourth of nine PSA World Series championships in 2011 - and the biggest squash event to be staged in the UK this year - has attracted a star-studded field featuring 16 of the world's top 20 players, including six former world number ones.
It was favourite Matthew, the double Commonwealth Games gold medallist from Sheffield, who provided the most drama in the final match of day - coasting to victory in the first game and leading up to 8-6 in the second.
It was then that left-hander Barker, the world No7, began to assert his authority on the match - picking up four points in a row to reach game-ball.
But Matthew fought back - the advantage seesawing between the pair as Barker battled to save three game-balls against him before the Yorkshireman finally clinched the game 15-13.
Barker, however, was not to be outdone, and led almost all the way through the third before reducing the deficit.
A more-determined-than-ever Matthew returned for the fourth to build up a 9-2 lead. Barker continued to try and deny his close friend an easy conclusion, but after two match-balls the favourite clinched his 11-5, 15-13, 8-11, 11-7 victory.
"He's one of my best friends off-court, so it's always difficult to play him," said Matthew after his marathon win.
"It hinged on crucial points - and we had one or two of those in the second game," added the 31-year-old. "Then he came back in the third. But I knew Peter was coming in fresh.
"I was really good in the first game and a half and made very few errors."
Earlier, Cairo star Amr Shabana ended Londoner Adrian Grant's impressive run in the World Series event. Grant, returning to form after a hip injury, produced a blistering display in the previous round to upset England No2 James Willstrop, the runner-up in 2010.

But the 30-year-old former world No9 couldn't match the inspired play of the Egyptian who boasts 26 PSA World Tour titles including four World Open crowns.
Shabana, too, is making a determined bid to return to the top of the world rankings, a position he held for 33 months until the end of 2008. The charismatic left-hander led for most of the match, recording an 11-5, 11-6, 12-10 victory after 46 minutes - a win which takes the world No5 into his seventh successive PSA World Series semi-final.
When asked by compere Sue Wright, the former England international, to comment on the fact that the first game seemed tough, Shabana responded: "The whole match was tough. Adrian clearly had a game-plan and stuck to it. I was happy to get away in three."
When reminded by Wright that, despite his major title successes all over the globe, he had yet to win a tournament in England, Shabana said: "I did win a British Junior Open plate title a few years ago - but it is time for another one!"

The Prince of Cairo had much praise for his opponent: "Since his injury, he's much faster and much stronger. I had to play my best squash to beat him."
Shabana admitted that he thought his career was ending after problem with both knees in 2009 and a slipped disc the year after. "I thought about what I could do next, but hard work and determination got me back to where I am now.
"I'm in a semi-final - I must be playing well!"

RESULTS: ROWE British Grand Prix, Manchester, England
Quarter-finals (top half of draw):
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [7] Peter Barker (ENG) 11-5, 15-13, 8-11, 11-7 (78m)
[5] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Adrian Grant (ENG) 11-5, 11-6, 12-10 (46m)

Remaining quarter-final matches (Friday):
7.00pm [3] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
8.00pm [2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)

Tickets for the ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2011 can now be booked online at www.isportgroup.com/ticketing or by telephone on 0844 8797 949. For further information email: sales@isportgroup.com
For all the latest information, visit the official website: www.britishsquashgrandprix.com

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London Pair Progress To ROWE British Grand Prix Quarters

Londoners Adrian Grant and Peter Barker booked themselves into the quarter-finals of the ROWE British Grand Prix after impressive victories in today's second round of the PSA World Series squash event in its second year at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.

The ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2011, the fourth of nine PSA World Series championships in 2011 - and the biggest squash event to be staged in the UK this year - has attracted a star-studded field featuring 16 of the world's top 20 players, including six former world number ones.
Grant, a former world No9 fighting back after a career-threatening hip injury, faced fellow countryman James Willstrop, the world No4 who finished as runner-up in the inaugural event last year.
Left out of England's world championship team this summer, 30-year-old Grant showed that he is still a force to be reckoned with by upsetting the fourth-seeded Yorkshireman, the England number two, 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 to claim an unexpected place in the last eight.
Grant built up a 5-2 lead in the opening game before Willstrop fought back to move 6-5 up. The underdog recovered the momentum to move to game-ball at 10-6 - but again Yorkshireman Willstrop battled back to win six points in a row to capture the first game.
Midway through the second, Grant fell to the floor after turning on his ankle. His three-minute injury break was extended when it became clear that the thumb on his left hand was also bleeding.
Seemingly unaffected by the break, Grant went on to win the next two games - and in the fourth, rallied back from 5-7 down to win six straight points to pull off the biggest victory since his layoff.
"The first three or four points seemed a bit laboured and I think I panicked when I saw him coming back," explained world No17 Grant afterwards. "But in the second, I stuck to a solid game-plan.
"By the fourth, I could see he was an inch or two behind - I was snapping at everything and it all came off. But you can't relax with James - when he's down he can still be lethal.
"That injury I had was the worst and best thing that ever happened to me. It took me out of the game for a long time, but it gave me the chance to re-assess my approach to the game - and I have come back stronger.
"And I'm not young anymore, of course," added the 30-year-old.

Barker, the world No7, was delighted to record his first Tour win over Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar, ranked six places below.
"I knew it was going to be a hard game," said the left-hander after his 11-4, 11-9, 11-6 win over an opponent who has beaten him twice since 2003. "We're good friends off the court, and sometimes that can be quite tough.
"But I'm happy to come off 3/0 so that I can conserve some energy for tomorrow."
Later in the evening, world number one Nick Matthew joined his England team-mates in the quarter-finals after despatching Egyptian Mohd Ali Anwar Reda 11-5, 11-4, 11-4
The 31-year-old from Sheffield will now line up against Barker for a place in the semis.
There was a further significant upset earlier in the day when unseeded Egyptian Omar Mosaad removed eighth seed Thierry Lincou 11-7, 6-11, 2-11, 11-5, 11-4 after a 66-minute battle.
The world No14 from Cairo had only beaten illustrious Frenchman Lincou once before - and that was also after being 2/1 down.
Mosaad, who immediately raced out of the arena to phone his father, later agreed that his opponent was a good player - "a world number one with lots of experience."
At the beginning of the fourth game he decided to be more focussed. "I changed my game. And I was determined to get a good lead in the fifth to get an early advantage.
"I'm really happy to beat Thierry - it's my first time in the tournament and it's great to be in the quarter-finals," added the 23-year-old.
Despite being downcast, Lincou agreed that the better player won: "The conditions really suited him today - the court was cold and the ball slow - and I just wasn't able to get into my rhythm.
"He's a big guy and very powerful, also very accurate," said the former world number one and world champion. "He really deserved the win - he just outplayed me in the last two games."
Mosaad's next opponent will be Karim Darwish, the third seed who survived an all-Egyptian clash with qualifier Tarek Momen, winning 11-7, 4-11, 11-7, 11-4.
Darwish, the 30-year-old world number three, was full of praise of his younger compatriot: "He's a great guy. He's pretty tricky to play, very quick on court and really good at the front. He's dangerous and has a very good future."

Two more Egyptians will line up at the last eight stage: Four-time world champion Amr Shabana had to be on top of his game to see off German qualifier Simon Rosner.
"He's a terrific player - totally different from when I last played him," said the distinguished 32-year-old from Cairo after his 11-9, 14-12, 4-11, 11-7 win.
"He's much faster and much lighter. He's the next German player to bring squash back to Europe.
"He took me out of my comfort zone. I was happy to get away in four," added the fifth seed.
With four world titles and 33 months as world number one to his name, did Shabana still have outstanding goals? "It would be nice to have a shot at being world number one again, or winning another World Open. If I did one of them, it would cap off my career nicely!"
It was a disappointing end to a great run by top-ranked German Rosner: "It wasn't easy. He's difficult to read and puts you under a lot of pressure. I gave it my best," said the 23-year-old from Paderborn.

Gregory Gaultier avenged Lincou's defeat by making sure of French interest in the last eight. The sixth seed from Aix-en-Provence defeated England's Daryl Selby 11-2, 10-12, 11-4, 11-4 in 61 minutes - repeating his win over the world No11 from Essex at the quarter-final stage last year.
Ramy Ashour became the fourth Egyptian through when he beat Australian Cameron Pilley 11-7, 11-8, 12-14, 11-3. The title-holder from Cairo will now face Gaultier for a place in the semis.

RESULTS: ROWE British Grand Prix, Manchester, England
2nd round:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 (38m)
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) bt Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 11-4, 11-9, 11-6 (60m)
[5] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [Q] Simon Rosner (GER) 11-9, 14-12, 4-11, 11-7 (54m)
Adrian Grant (ENG) bt [4] James Willstrop (ENG) 10-12, 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 (83m)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [Q] Tarek Momen (EGY) 11-7, 4-11, 11-7, 11-4 (48m)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt [8] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 11-7, 6-11, 2-11, 11-5, 11-4 (66m)
[6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Daryl Selby (ENG) 11-2, 10-12, 11-4, 11-4 (61m)
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-7, 11-8, 12-14, 11-3 (62m)


Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [7] Peter Barker (ENG)
[5] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Adrian Grant (ENG)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)

Tickets for the ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2011 can now be booked online at www.isportgroup.com/ticketing or by telephone on 0844 8797 949. For further information email: sales@isportgroup.com
For all the latest information, visit the official website: www.britishsquashgrandprix.com

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MEN'S WORLD TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP

MORE PICTURES IN TOURNAMENT
--PICTURES UP-DATED --

Egypt Clinch World Title After Thrilling Final

Egypt sensationally retained their title in the WSF Men's World Team Squash Championship after upsetting favourites England 2/1 in a thrilling final today in Paderborn, Germany.
The 23rd staging of the World Squash Federation event - the first senior world championship since the IOC announcement that Squash is on the shortlist for Olympic inclusion in 2020 - has been taking place in Germany for the first time.
With sell-out crowds throughout the week, the final between the top two seeds on the spectacular new blue all-glass showcourt at the Ahorn-Sportpark was the dream climax to an event which is being hailed as the best world championship ever.
The top two players in the world took to the court for the opening clash, with Egypt taking early honours when Ramy Ashour beat Nick Matthew, the world number one from Sheffield, 11-7, 11-9, 14-12. Ashour, who also beat Matthew in the final of the Australian Open in Canberra earlier in the month, went into the match 8-6 ahead in their head-to-head count - but had never before beaten the Englishman in straight games.
Matthew saved a match ball in the third game before going on to have his own game ball. But Ashour kept his cool to wrap up the match without dropping a game.
"He played a lot better than me - he deserved it," said Matthew after the match. "I wasn't playing my best squash. But if I'd won that third game I think I could have gone on to win the match."
Londoner Peter Barker brought the top seeds back into contention when he overcame Ramy's older brother Hisham Mohamed Ashour 11-6, 11-9, 11-7.
The decider featured second strings Karim Darwish and James Willstrop - a pair who have been opponents on a squash court since the world junior championships in 2000, with Englishman Willstrop boasting a 12-6 head to head advantage.

But, after losing out to Frenchman Thierry Lincou in the semi-finals, Darwish was determined to make amends. The 29-year-old from Cairo took the first two games, then survived the loss of the third to record an 11-5, 13-11, 9-11, 11-4 championship-winning victory - his first over the Yorkshireman since 2006.
Darwish was immediately engulfed by his team-mates on the court as the Egyptian supporters in the crowd went wild in celebration of Egypt's third world team title success since 1999.
"I didn't play well against Thierry yesterday because of the pressure, I just didn't play my game," said a beaming Darwish minutes after his victory. "Today, I decided to enjoy myself, and was much more relaxed. In fact I think I played one of my best matches - I think I played superb squash. I don't think a lot of people expected us to win.
"James is a great player - and I had to be 100% against him. It was one of the biggest matches I have ever played, and I was really focussed - I really didn't want to lose.
"I am really grateful to my team and Amir Wagih. They gave me a good push for the match."
Fourth seeds Australia won the play-off for third place, upsetting last year's runners-up France, the third seeds. After David Palmer lost the opening to French No1 Gregory Gaultier in straight games, Aussie No3 Stewart Boswell brought the former champions back into contention with a four-game victory over Gregoire Marche.

And after a 64-minute decider, it was second string Cameron Pilley who clinched victory for Australia, beating Thierry Lincou 12-10, 11-9, 7-11, 11-6 to claim his first win over the world No8.
"It was a fantastic tie," said team manager Byron Davis. "To go to three matches was very exciting for the spectators. Greg came out firing as we expected him to do after his loss last night - but Stewart was as solid as a rock and played a really good game.
"And the decider was a great match - and, in the first match they'd ever played, Cameron did well to beat Thierry, especially the way he's been playing here this week. Cameron is improving all the time and loves playing for Australia. He did the job perfectly."
There were some notable final finishes lower down the order. Eighth seeds USA beat India, the sixth seeds, in the play-off for seventh place to record their best finish since 1983. Squad number one Julian Illingworth put the underdogs in the driving seat by beating Saurav Ghosal, ranked five places higher, in four games.
"With Gilly (Lane) still recovering from his back injury, we essentially played the whole tournament a man down," said team coach Paul Assaiante. "We'd love to have had the luxury of being able to rest our players. But to beat India today was very special and Julian's win was especially impressive."

Hosts Germany, the 16th seeds, beat Netherlands 2/0 in the play-off for ninth place to record their best finish since 1997.
"It really could not have been better," said Simon Rosner, the Paderborn-based German number one who has been the championship's ambassador. "For me, personally, it was awesome to beat three players (Laurens Jan Anjema, Shahier Razik and Borja Golan) who I've never beaten before.
"And we didn't have the best draw, being in the same pool as England - but we beat every country here except the two finalists, and this makes me very proud. The whole experience has been incredible - awesome crowds, every day sold out. I am so pleased for Paderborn and my club."
Denmark also had much to celebrate. Seeded in the 17/24 group, the three-man squad upset higher-rated teams through the week and today beat 11th seeds South Africa to claim 13th place - their best finish of all-time.

Official website: www.wmtc2011.com




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England & Egypt To Contest World Final In Paderborn

Favourites England and title-holders Egypt will contest Sunday's final of the WSF Men's World Team Squash Championship after contrasting semi-finals in Paderborn, Germany.
The 23rd staging of the World Squash Federation event - the first senior world championship since the IOC announcement that Squash is on the shortlist for Olympic inclusion in 2020 - is taking place in Germany for the first time.
England, four times winners of the title since 1995, comprehensively defeated fourth seeds Australia 3/0 on the spectacular new all-blue glass court at the Ahorn-Sportpark, thereby avenging their defeat by the record eight-time champions in the play-off for third place in the 2009 championship.
England number two James Willstrop delivered his best performance of the tournament so far to despatch Cameron Pilley 11-7, 11-8, 11-2. Willstrop, the world No4, was extending his career head-to-head record over the world No14 to ten successive wins since 2007 - but played down their previous history.
"To beat someone of Cameron's ability like that is good," said the Yorkshireman. "It's also good that the match wasn't too long - to keep me fresh for tomorrow."

England now brought on their trump card, the world No1 Nick Matthew, also from Yorkshire, to face Aussie veteran David Palmer, a two-time world champion and former world No1.
Going into the match, Palmer boasted a 12-9 career lead over his English rival over exactly ten years - but Matthew had had the upper hand since last losing to Palmer in the 2007 World Team Championship.
But a fit and focussed Matthew brought down the Aussie, winning 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 in 58 minutes to take England into the final for the seventh time.
"James led the way really well - which made my life a little bit easier," said Matthew after his decisive victory. "It's never easy to play David - but that's the best I've played all season.
"But we came here not to get to the final but to win it, and that's we've got to do tomorrow."
Palmer was gracious in defeat: "He's been the world's top player for probably the past two years. It was good quality squash, but he was just too strong for me today."
Third string Peter Barker made it a clean sweep for England by beating Stewart Boswell 12-10, 11-8 in a best-of-three dead rubber.

Later in the day Egypt, the No2 seeds lined up against third seeds France in the other semi. And the underdogs took a popular lead when Thierry Lincou ended an eight-match losing sequence stretching back to November 2006 by beating world No3 Karim Darwish 11-7, 3-11, 12-10, 4-11, 11-6 in a controlled 70-minute match.
"We couldn't have asked for a much better start," said the 35-year-old former world No1 who finally seems to have put the effects of a recent injury behind him.
"Personally, I'm proud of myself - it's been a long and hard road back from injury, especially after losing first round after first round on the tour. I have had fantastic support from my friends and family and I now really feel motivated.
"Yesterday's match was a turning point for me, but this was another level above - another intensity, another pressure. I think my experience has helped me a lot."
But the French high was short-lived as top-ranked Egyptian Ramy Ashour levelled the tie with a stunning 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 victory over Gregory Gaultier, the world No6.
It was the decider that had the packed crowd on the edge of their seats, however, as Mohamed El Shorbagy and Mathieu Castagnet battled to put their countries into the final. After both players had game balls in the first, it was Egyptian El Shorbagy that drew first blood.

Castagnet struck back to take the next two games to open up a 2/1 lead - and the 24-year-old world No56 moved ahead in the fourth.
But 20-year-old El Shorbagy drew level and, after the lead changed hands in the decider, it was the world No9 from Alexandria who emerged triumphant, taking Egypt into the final for the fifth time since 1999 following his marathon 14-12, 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-6 victory in 91 minutes.
"I am so happy," said Egyptian coach Amir Wagih. "Ramy is an unbelievable player and if he can play like he did just now in tomorrow's final, England will find it very tough.
"France gave us a fantastic match and Mohamed played a great game to get us through. He will learn from this experience and it will do him a lot of good in the future
"It's another great performance by him for Egypt - he's getting more experienced all the time."




Final:
[1] ENGLAND v [2] EGYPT
3rd place play-off:
[3] FRANCE v [4] AUSTRALIA
5th place play-off:
[5] MALAYSIA v [9] ITALY
7th place play-off:
[6] INDIA v [8] USA
9th place play-off:
[14] NETHERLANDS v [16] GERMANY




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USA Make World Quarter-Finals After Canada Victory

An upset over neighbours Canada takes USA into the quarter-finals of the WSF Men's World Team Squash Championship in Paderborn, Germany, and ensures the nation its first top eight finish in the championship since 1983.
The 23rd staging of the World Squash Federation event - the first senior world championship since the IOC announcement that Squash is on the shortlist for Olympic inclusion in 2020 - is taking place in Germany for the first time.
A surprise earlier qualifying defeat by Italy led USA, the eighth seeds, to be drawn against a higher seeded team in the last 16 round. But team rookie Todd Harrity, a 20-year-old from Philadelphia, put the USA ahead - inflicting the first defeat of the tournament on Andrew Schnell by beating the Canadian No4 from Calgary 13-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-4.
But it was squad number one Julian Illingworth who clinched the US victory over the seventh seeds. The world No32 from New York recovered from 2/0 down to beat career-long rival Shahier Razik, ranked three places higher, 6-11, 3-11, 11-2, 11-0, 11-5 in 64 minutes.
"Todd was magnificent, despite the fact that he's not had this sort of experience before," explained US national coach Paul Assiante afterwards. "The team worked with him before coming here, the strategy being to try and make him more aggressive - which wasn't easy for him - but he did it. And after that third game, he made the change - and that was impressive.
"Julian did a great job - all the pressure was on him, and one of the most difficult games you can play is one against someone you're supposed to beat. I thought he was brilliant and showed a tremendous amount of courage. He's a seasoned pro and, after coming through the third and fourth games, knew that Shahier would have something left in the tank for the decider.
"Hats off to Julian and hats off to the team. Now we're in the quarters against Egypt - it doesn't get much better than that!"
Defending champions Egypt did indeed survive their first knockout round to make the last eight - but the No2 seeds were severely tested by hosts Germany and the sell-out crowd surrounding the stunning new all-glass court at the Ahorn-Sportpark.

With each successful German shot being supported by wild cheering, whistling, stamping and drumming from the vociferous crowd, it was perhaps no surprise that underdog Raphael Kandra, the world No125 from Koblenz, took a game from Egypt's world No9 Mohamed El Shorbagy - and local star Simon Rosner twice led world No2 Ramy Ashour!
But there was not be a fairytale ending for the home side as Ashour upped his game to beat Paderborn-based Rosner, the world No30, 9-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4, 11-8 to consign Germany to the lower play-off places.
"Simon played the best match ever," conceded the 23-year-old from Cairo. "He played with no pressure, he had nothing to lose. He was on his best day ever - the only thing he wanted was to beat me!
"The whole setting here is absolutely amazing, playing squash in front of so many people. They are making even more noise than in Egypt! It was like Soccer tonight, Manchester United against Real Madrid or something! And it's good for us, and it's good for the game," added Ashour.
"I was taken aback by the support he got - there were a thousand plus Germans shouting, and that was amazing."
For the second day in a row, English-born Marcus Berrett played a major part in steering Italy to unexpected success in the championship. In the third and deciding match against Mexico, the 35-year-old former world No37 stemmed a fightback by full-time player Eric Galvez to beat the world No79 11-9, 11-4, 5-11, 4-11, 11-6 - and was immediately engulfed by his joyful Italian team-mates.
"That's the biggest piece of drama I've ever been involved in," said Yorkshireman Berrett, who has lived in Milan for more than six years. "Playing the decider, fighting back from losing a two-games advantage, then coming back in the final game - that's the drama of sport. It's why we're involved."
There could well be three Yorkshiremen in the quarter-final when Italy take on England. The favourites, with two Yorkshiremen Nick Matthew and James Willstrop in the squad, brushed aside Hong Kong China in little more than an hour of playing time.
In the lower play-off ties, New Zealand rediscovered their winning ways by beating Korea 3/0. But the experienced Kiwis, seeded 15, were fully stretched by the fledgling nation making only their second appearance in the event.
New Zealander Martin Knight, ranked 48 in the world, twice had to recover from fight backs from Seung Taek Lee before beating the unranked Korean 11-4, 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-0.
"We knew we were going to be tested - all three players were good, even though we didn't know much about them," said Paul Hornsby, the new NZ national coach. "Their racket skills were good and they moved well - we had to play tidy squash to beat them."

Another standout clash in the 17th-32nd place play-offs saw 41-year-old Irishman Derek Ryan notch up his 200th match as Ireland beat Colombia 3/0. Later in the day, in front of the 1000-strong crowd surrounding the all-glass court, Championship Manager Norman Farthing presented Ryan with a special cap to mark his record achievement.
Ryan made his European championship debut for Ireland in 1988 and his world team championship debut a year later. He has only missed one world championship since, in 2005, when it clashed with exams he was taking for his current career as a physiotherapist.
The Dubliner retired from the World Tour seven years ago after celebrating a career-high world ranking of 7 in 1999. Winner of 8 Irish national titles, and finalist 15 times, Ryan has won all three matches he has already played in Paderborn.
"I wasn't expecting this - it's fantastic," said the popular Irishman. "My Dad (Brendan) will be absolutely chuffed - he's been counting them each year since the beginning!"
When asked by the tournament MC how many more championships he expects to play, Ryan responded: "Loads."
Irish team manager Ed Dunne told the crowd: "He's been a great ambassador for squash back home - and always shows squash in a great light."




Quarter-final line-up:
[1] ENGLAND v [9] ITALY
[4] AUSTRALIA v [6] INDIA
[3] FRANCE v [5] MALAYSIA
[2] EGYPT v [8] USA




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Denmark Upset Casts Pakistan Out Of The World Top 16

Outsiders Denmark pulled off the biggest upset in the WSF Men's World Team Squash Championship by beating Pakistan in today's final qualifying round in the German city of Paderborn - a result which pushes one of the world's most successful squash nations out of the world's top 16 for the first time in their history.
The 23rd staging of the World Squash Federation event - the first senior world championship since the IOC announcement that Squash is on the shortlist for Olympic inclusion in 2020 - is taking place in Germany for the first time.
Second string Yasir Butt put 12th seeds Pakistan ahead at the Ahorn-Sportpark after surviving a five-game battle with Rasmus Nielsen, beating the higher-ranked Dane 2-11, 11-4, 11-9, 9-11, 11-9 in 53 minutes.
But late call-up Morten Sorenson, a 32-year-old former pro from Copenhagen who last played for his country in the 1999 championship, played the game of his life to fight back from 2/0 down to beat 19-year-old full-timer Waqar Mehboob 3-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-8.

In a tense decider, Kristian Frost Olesen sealed the sensational upset by overcoming Aamir Atlas Khan, the world No23 ranked 42 places higher, 11-2, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9.
"That was a really big win for us," said Danish national coach Francesco Busi. "We've been training solidly for the past six weeks - we tried to prepare the best we could. I'm really happy with the form and condition of the players. We thought we had the chance to compete with Pakistan, and were disappointed when Rasmus lost in the fifth.
"Morten played an amazing game - and the whole team played with heart. I could not be happier."
Sorenson was on holiday in the south of France 12 days ago when he received the surprise call from the Danish selectors: "I immediately went to Monaco to train with Gus Hansen, then back to Denmark to join the rest of the squad.
"I've now played every day for 12 days - and it's the first time I've done that for 12 years," added the former world No91 who retired from World Tour at the beginning of last year. "The touch is coming back. We have a really good team spirit. It was amazing how Kristian finished it off."
Olesen, who was overwhelmed by his team-mates when he came off court, said: "That was my biggest victory so far - not just for me, but for my country. It was very special. The team is amazing and the way we support each other is fantastic - that makes all the difference."
Pakistan team manager Wing Commander Irfan Asghar admitted that his team was not up the challenge: "We are very disappointed, of course, this is not a good result for our country. I thought my boys were not fit enough to compete against those boys, especially in those warm and humid conditions."
Italy and USA were playing for supremacy in Pool H, with just a single seeding position separating the two nations. And it was Italy - the ninth seeds, led by players born in France, England and Egypt - who prevailed to win.

Former Englishman Marcus Berrett, a 35-year-old Yorkshireman once ranked 37 in the world, led the way with an 11-4, 11-6, 11-9 victory over Christopher Gordon, the world No80 from New York. Cairo-born Amr Ramsy Swelim clinched victory after beating Todd Harrity 8-11, 11-9, 11-3, 11-6, before Stephane Galifi survived a five-game clash against Julian Illingworth, beating the record seven-time US champion 7-11, 11-4, 11-6, 7-11, 11-9.
"This win was great for the team's morale," said Italian coach Vinicio Menegozzi. "To be honest, we feel that we are one of four teams of similar standards - including USA - but this a great confidence-booster.
"Marcus's win really opened up the opportunity for us - it was important to get that momentum. We did well last time in Odense - finishing in seventh place - so it would be nice to make the top eight again. Stephane has strengthened the team since then."
Berrett was delighted with his win over a full-time pro: "I think I played well, though I was a bit edgy in the end. I don't get too many matches now that I'm not on the circuit. Once it started, I could feel it was possible to beat him.
"I like being the underdog - I was often in that position back in England. I use that to take the pressure off me.
"I've been in Italy six years - I went there for a life experience, and now and I'm there to stay. It isn't hard, coming from the grey and drizzle of Halifax! I have two kids now - the eldest is three, and I'm learning Italian from her!"

Hosts Germany gave the capacity crowd surrounding the stunning all-glass showcourt the result they wanted over rivals Spain. Second and third strings Jens Schoor and Andre Haschker played the games of their lives to beat Spaniards Alejandro Garbi Caro and David Vidal, respectively, before squad number one Simon Rosner made it a clean sweep over Borja Golan, beating the experienced former world No10 11-5, 11-6, 11-3 - his first ever win over the Spanish No1.





















"I never expected something like this after the first two matches," said a jubilant German team manager Oliver Pettke. "It was my dream that we would win the deciding tie 2/0 so that it would take the pressure off Simon.
"Both Jens and Andre played the best I have ever seen them. It's good for the tournament that we have another match on the glass court.
"I'm speechless, and very proud of the team. They are very focussed, which makes it very easy."
Former champions Australia played their first match on the glass court - beating Finland 2/1 to take top honours in Pool D. Aussie stalwart Stewart Boswell, the world No21, put his team into the lead after beating Henrik Mustonen, a 20-year-old ranked almost 40 places lower.

"I probably needed a hard game to get me into the tournament - but not that hard," said the 33-year-old former world No4.


Last sixteen round:
[1] ENGLAND v [17/24] HONG KONG CHINA
[9] ITALY v [10] MEXICO
[4] AUSTRALIA v [14] NETHERLANDS
[6] INDIA v [17/24] DENMARK
[5] MALAYSIA v [11] SOUTH AFRICA
[3] FRANCE v [13] FINLAND
[7] CANADA v [8] USA
[2] EGYPT v [16] GERMANY
Official website: www.wmtc2011.com

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Matthew Avenges Defeat To Lead England To Victory Over Hosts Germany

Just two years after an ankle injury against the German number one caused Nick Matthew to pull out of the WSF Men's World Team Squash Championship - and his team to finish an all-time low fourth - the Yorkshireman avenged his loss to Simon Rosner in today's second qualifying round of the 2011 championship in Paderborn to lead favourites England to victory over hosts Germany.
The 23rd staging of the World Squash Federation event - the first senior world championship since the IOC announcement that Squash is on the shortlist for Olympic inclusion in 2020 - is taking place in Germany for the first time.
The tie was played out on a spectacular new, more TV-friendly, blue all-glass showcourt at the city's Ahorn-Sportpark - surrounded on all four sides by a sell-out crowd of 1,000, 99% of whom were cheering every single winning shot by the German side.

Top strings Matthew and Rosner opened the proceedings - and, despite having three game-balls in the opener, the English world number one went down 13-11 to Rosner, much to the ecstatic delight of the crowd.
Rosner, ranked a career-high 30 in the world, continued to battle on - but Matthew soon gained the upper hand before closing out the match 11-13, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8.
"I had goose pimples walking onto court - it was like a World Open final," said Matthew after his 76-minute win - his second longest match in five world team championships' appearances since 2003.
"The crowd was fantastic. I've played squash all around the world for many years now and think it's probably the best crowd I've ever played in front of," added the 31-year-old from Sheffield.
"We came here to win - and playing in this atmosphere has been a fantastic introduction to what we can expect throughout the week."
Rosner, enjoying the dream of leading his country in a world championship in his own home club, was equally overcome by the atmosphere: "The crowd were unbelievable. I tried my best, but he is the number one player in the world.
"I am pleased with the way I am playing - my aim is to get into the top 20 in the next 12 months."
James Willstrop, the world No4 from Leeds, clinched England's second win in two days with an 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 win over Raphael Kandra, the German No3, before Londoner Peter Barker made it a clean sweep by defeating Andre Haschker 11-6, 11-6, 11-5.

Third seeds France, runners-up in the 2009 championship in Denmark, triumphed on the all-glass showcourt earlier in the day, beating 14th seeds Netherlands 3/0.
Gregory Gaultier, the world No6 from Aix-en-Provence, put France ahead with an 11-3, 11-6, 11-2 defeat of six-time Dutch champion Laurens Jan Anjema before 35-year-old French stalwart Thierry Lincou sealed victory after beating Piedro Schweertman 11-5, 11-5, 11-4.
In his maiden world team championship match for his country, Mathieu Castagnet defeated Bart Ravelli 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 to give France maximum points.
National coach Andre Delhoste was pleased with France's progress: "So far it's looking good - we're getting in shape. We're trying to focus on the task ahead - which is to reach the semi-finals."
Lincou, who achieved a notable milestone this month when he completed 10 full years in the world's top ten, was delighted to be back at the venue of one of his earliest squash successes: "I was here 21 years ago. I was 14 years old and playing No3 for France. I won all my games and was named player of the day!
"It's always good to come here, everything is always well-organised and we can feel a great atmosphere."

French number one Gaultier was overwhelmed by the new court: "It's the first time I have played on a court this colour - and it's even better. You can see the ball really well and there's much more support on the floor, which is even better for our legs and knees.
"It's the best court I have ever played on, by far. ASB do great work on thinking about the future, with new inventions. With all the lights around the court, it makes it very special - I have never seen anything like this before - it's great for the presentation of squash. It's these small details that make such a difference.
Canada rookie Andrew Schnell averted a significant upset when he battled back from 2/0 and 6/2 down to beat more experienced Erik Tepos Valtierra 6-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-3, 11-7 as sixth seeds Canada fought off Mexico, the No10 seeds, 2/1.
Underdogs Mexico took an early lead when Cesar Salazar, a 23-year-old from San Luis Potosi who is leading the squad in the absence of his injured twin brother Arturo Salazar, beat higher-ranked Canadian campaigner Shahier Razik in straight games.
Shawn Delierre restored order for the sixth seeds by beating former Mexican number one Eric Galvez 4-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-4 - before Valtierra stormed to a commanding lead over 19-year-old Canadian senior international debutante Schnell.
"It's definitely right up there," replied a jubilant Schnell when asked if that was the biggest win of his life. "Coming back from two games down was special - and especially to do it for Canada. I'm so proud to do it for my country.
"I finally did what my coaches told me to do - be patient," explained the Calgary-based teenager who had also clinched the decider only 24 hours earlier against Scotland.
"After yesterday, I knew I could win a decider - and that took the pressure off. But the key thing was patience.
"Oh - and I changed my shirt after the third game!"
Canadian national coach Yvon Provencal was hugely impressed with his new squad member: "The kid's a good learner - he's willing to learn and in the last year his game has improved enormously.
"We kept on telling him what to do - and he did it. He's someone with tremendous potential and that's why he's here."

RESULTS: World Team Championship, Paderborn, Germany
2nd qualifying round - Pool A:
[1] ENGLAND bt [16] GERMANY 3/0
Nick Matthew bt Simon Rosner 11-13, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 (76m)
James Willstrop bt Raphael Kandra 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 (25m)
Peter Barker bt Andre Haschker 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (43m)
[17/24] SPAIN bt [25/32] IRELAND 2/1
Borja Golan bt Arthur Gaskin 11-2, 11-1, 11-5 (27m)
Alejandro Garbi Caro lost to Derek Ryan 11-5, 7-11, 9-11, 6-11 (58m)
David Vidal bt Steve Richardson 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 (35m)

Official website: www.wmtc2011.com
------------------------------------------------------------

Hosts Germany Tested By Ireland In World Team Opener

Veteran Irishman Derek Ryan, a 41-year-old who retired from the World Tour seven years ago, pulled off a stunning win in the opening tie of the WSF Men's World Team Squash Championship which looked set to upset hosts Germany in front of a capacity crowd at the Ahorn-Sportpark in the city of Paderborn.

The 23rd staging of the World Squash Federation event - the first senior world championship since the IOC announcement that Squash is on the shortlist for Olympic inclusion in 2020 - is taking place in Germany for the first time.
Ryan, a former world No7 and the oldest competitor in the championship, despatched German number two Jens Schoor, a 24-year-old from Koblenz ranked 86 in the world, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 in 43 minutes.
But the hosts' top string Simon Rosner soon righted the ship. The 23-year-old world No30 from Paderborn - a member of the club and championship ambassador - beat the Irish number one Arthur Gaskin 11-5, 11-2, 11-8.
With the crowd cheering every single winning German point, the hosts' fourth string Andre Haschker took to the court in a do-or-die battle with another veteran Steve Richardson, a 38-year-old who has been an Irish international since the early 90s.
All the games were close, but it was Haschker who became the toast of Paderborn when he beat Richardson 11-9, 14-12, 11-8 in 45 minutes to give Germany a popular 2/1 tie victory.
"I thought I had a chance - I love playing on the glass court, it takes me back to the old days," said Ryan after his opening match upset. "I had a strategy and kept to it. I was pleased with the way I played - I was moving well."
When asked if, now that he is a full-time physiotherapist in Dublin, he still has the chance to play a lot of squash, Ryan said: "I played in the Europeans in April, but I haven't really played much since, apart from some recent squad sessions with our new coach Hadrian Stiff.
"My saving grace has been where I work in Dublin, where a group of us get together at 6.00am a couple of days a week and do two intense 45-minute workouts. If it wasn't for that, I don't think I'd be in the shape I'm in.
"I first played in the world team championships in 1989 and have only missed one since then - in 2005, when I was taking my physio exams. This match gave me my 198th cap - and hopefully I'll make 200 while I'm here!"

Richardson, an experienced international despite the fact that he has never been a full-time pro, was disappointed with his performance: "I had a chance - we had a chance. Both the first two games were really close - and the second game was crucial. I'm really disappointed.
"I was playing well, but I was about 10% off when I needed to be there."
Simon Rosner was understandably delighted with the outcome, and the support of the crowd: "It's just amazing - the crowds, the setting, the court, the atmosphere, it's unbelievable. It's how you wish all tournaments could be.
"Having a tournament like this in your country is great, and your town even better - but at your home club is incredible. It can't get any better than this," said the top-ranked German.
"Everybody has really come together for this - from the government down to the club - and the result is fantastic. I'm really happy - especially to win today after the disappointing start. Now we look forward to playing England tomorrow, then Spain, and hope to finish in the top two in the group."

Top seeds England and Egypt both comfortably overcame their first qualifying opponents. England, the favourites, beat Spain 3/0 - though top string James Willstrop, the world No4, dropped a game against Spaniard Borja Golan.
Egypt entertained the exuberant glass-court crowd who had earlier seen home team Germany come through. The defending champions, seeded two, saw off Sweden 3/0.
And the title-holders will now face Hong Kong China, who secured the day's only upset by beating 15th seeds New Zealand. A 63-minute see-sawing first match saw the 17/24 seeds pull ahead when Dick Lau beat Kiwi Campbell Grayson 11-9, 4-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7.
And it was top string Max Lee, the Hong Kong champion, who clinched the unexpected victory by beating higher-ranked Martin Knight 11-6, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7. Leo Au made it a clean sweep when he defeated left-hander Evan Williams 12-10, 11-5, 11-7.

"It could have gone either way," conceded team coach Abdul Faheem Khan, a former Hong Kong international. "Dick played really well to get us off to a good start and I thought Max could beat Martin as they've been training a lot together recently - and although Max has never beaten him before in a tournament, I think he knew he could do it.
"Now we've got Egypt, and that will give us some good matches. But I can't say we're in a particularly tough pool - I think all the pools are tough."

RESULTS: World Team Championship, Paderborn, Germany
Qualifying rounds - Pool A:
[1] ENGLAND bt [17/24] SPAIN 3/0
Peter Barker bt Ivan Flores 11-2, 11-5, 11-8 (26m)
James Willstrop bt Borja Golan 11-6, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 (53m)
Daryl Selby bt David Vidal 11-4, 11-5, 11-4 (29m)
[16] GERMANY bt [25/32] IRELAND 2/1
Jens Schoor lost to Derek Ryan 8-11, 6-11, 8-11 (43m)
Simon Rosner bt Arthur Gaskin 11-5, 11-2, 11-8 (42m)
Andre Haschker bt Steve Richardson 11-9, 14-12, 11-8 (45m)

Official website: www.wmtc2011.com

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MATTHEW MASTERS BARKER TO RETAIN
HIS ISS CANARY WHARF CLASSIC TITLE

World champion Nick Matthew retained his ISS Canary Wharf Classic title last night by overcoming a fierce challenge from No.4 seed Peter Barker.
Matthew, the 30-year-old world No.1 from Sheffield, fought back after losing the opening game to win 5-11, 11-4, 11-1, 11-3.
Both players were forced into some gut-wrenching retrievals to keep in play some spectacular attacking shots from each other.
Barker, buoyed by his first-ever career victory over No.2 seed James Willstrop the previous evening, started in positive fashion.
He looked focused and disciplined as he constructed tight rallies that presented serious problems for the top seed.

Londoner Barker took the opening game 11-5 and his home supporters in the sell-out crowd at the East Wintergarden were hoping for another shock victory.
However, Matthew responded in devastating fashion, demonstrating exactly why he has been the dominant player in world squash for the past year.
He powered ahead in the second game, and, as the challenge from Barker faded, he took complete control to clinch victory in 58 minutes of entertaining squash.
Barker, despite doing most of the chasing, refused to give up and launched himself into some massive diagonal runs as Matthew powered winners into the four corners of the court.
Matthew said: “Peter started very well and it took me a while to get into the match and start moving properly. But I was pleased with the way I played and I hope the crowd enjoyed the match, despite me beating the home favourite.

“This is one of the best tournaments in the world and all of the players love coming to Canary Wharf. Next year is a big year for sport in London and I hope it’s not too late for the IOC to change their mind about having squash in the Olympics.”
Matthew was impressed by the success of the Video Replay trial organised by the PSA that enabled players to direct an appeal a TV judge, who was able to study replays of any controversial incident before making a decision that flashed up on the huge screen above the front wall of the glass court.
He said: “I think it worked well. There were one or two tweaks by the end of the week and allowing one appeal per game, plus one in the tiebreak, was the right number.
“It cut out the arguments between players and referees and helped the crowd to get involved in the whole process.”

Runner-up Barker said: “I started well but Nick showed what a great player he is by the way he came back. Overall I have to be happy with the whole week and I need to start reaching more finals like this.”

Before the match, Welsh international Jethro Binns entertained the sell-out crowd with some amazing trick shots while balancing on a giant Swiss medicine ball.

ISS CANARY WHARF SQUASH CLASSIC
East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf, London

Final

(1) Nick Matthew (England) beat (4) Peter Barker (England) 5-11, 11-4, 11-1, 11-3 (58 mins)

Tournament website: www.canarywharfsquash.com

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24-03-11

BARKER BREAKS HIS DUCK AGAINST WILLSTROP

World No.7 Peter Barker finally broke his long losing run against England team-mate James Willstrop to reach the final of the ISS Canary Wharf Classic against world champion Nick Matthew.
Top seed Matthew received a walk-over into the final when his opponent Gregory Gaultier quit through illness with the score at one game each.
Matthew admitted he felt deflated at winning in such an unfortunate fashion, but No.4 seed Barker was delighted to break his duck in front of a full-house crowd at the spectacular East Wintergarden venue.
The 27-year-old Londoner had lost to No.2 seed Willstrop on every occasion they had played throughout their junior and professional careers, so achieving a maiden victory in front of his home crowd tasted even sweeter.

Barker said: "I had a game plan tonight, but I have had a game plan against James since the age of ten and I'm very pleased that it finally paid off, 17 years later."
As his mother cried tears of joy in the front row, Barker showed his respect for his opponent by saying: "I have played James for years, ever since our junior days, and never beaten him, so tonight is very special, especially as it's here in London, and at such a wonderful venue with a sell-out crowd every night.
"James is not only a great squash player but a great guy and I knew it would require a massive effort to beat him."
Barker revealed that he will now have to cancel plans to travel to France with his fiancee to celebrate his future mother-in-law's 60th birthday.
He added: "It's a shame to miss out on a lovely trip to Paris but I hope my girlfriend appreciates the fact that I have to go back to work tomorrow."
Barker was apologetic after breaking his racket on his leg after a momentous tiebreak at the end of the first game. "That was a mixture of adrenalin and stupidity," he said.
"I felt I should have won that first game and I had to quickly refocus for the second.”

Barker came out for the second with all guns blazing, and powered through 11-1 as Willstrop, a three-time Canary Wharf champion, began to look jaded.
The 6ft 4in Yorkshireman responded positively to lead 7-5 in the third game, but Barker hit back to win six points in a row to win it 11-7.
From 3-3 in the fourth game, Barker pushed ahead to 8-5. Again Willstrop fought back to level at 8-8, but the effort took its toll and Barker reeled off the final three points, with Willstrop conceding defeat with a weak shot down the middle of the court to concede a penalty point.
No.3 seed Gaultier was taken to hospital for a check-up after retiring against Matthew with a mystery virus.
Astonishingly, he had begun the match in superb style, moving ahead from 5-5 to win the opening game 11-5.
However, at 4-4 in the second game he seemed to be in obvious distress as Matthew took control and picked up a string of points in quick succession to win it 11-5.

Gaultier complained of feeling faint at courtside between games and, after being treated by a doctor and paramedics, he was taken to hospital for checks.
Matthew said: “Nobody likes to win a match like that. Apparently Greg was up all night feeling unwell so I find it amazing that he started the match playing such great squash. He made me look very average at times.
“At the moment I can’t begin to think about the final because my thoughts are with Greg. I just hope he’s OK.”
The unlucky Gaultier had only recently returned to the PSA World Tour after suffering a hamstring injury in the World Open in Saudi Arabia in December.


ISS CANARY WHARF SQUASH CLASSIC
East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf, London

Semi-finals:

(4) Peter Barker (England) beat (2) James Willstrop (England) 14-16, 11-1, 11-7, 11-8 (77 mins)
(1) Nick Matthew (England) beat (3) Gregory Gaultier (France) 8-11, 11-5 retired (31 mins)

Tournament website: www.canarywharfsquash.com

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Massaro Ends David's 14-Month Unbeaten Run In 'Dream' Win

It was already the biggest final of Laura Massaro's career - and it led to her biggest win of all-time when the eight-seeded Englishwoman inflicted the first defeat of world number one Nicol David for 14 months in the final of the Women's Cleveland WISPA Classic in the USA.

In her giant-killing run to the final of the WISPA World Tour Gold squash event at Cleveland Racquet Club in Cleveland, Ohio, Massaro despatched world No2 Jenny Duncalf in straight games in the first win over her England team-mate in almost five years - then ousted Madeline Perry, the No4 seed from Ireland.
And the 27-year-old world No10 from Preston in Lancashire walked onto the court to face David 9-0 down in her career head-to-head record against the Malaysian.
Furthermore, earlier on the same day it was confirmed that Nicol David was celebrating her 58th month at the top of the world rankings - thus equalling Australian Michelle Martin's achievement as the player with the second-longest world number one reign of all-time.
But Massaro was on a roll - and the England number three jumped out of the blocks to a 7-2 lead in the first game.
"She showed no respect whatsoever to the world champion, as she patiently rallied up and down the wall before catching David with a deceptive boast or a winning volley kill," said Cleveland Racquet Club Squash Director Nathan Dugan. "David, who is known for her ability to get herself back into a game from a losing position, then reeled off six straight points and it appeared the momentum had shifted largely in the Malaysian's favour.
"As David once again levelled at nine-all, the atmosphere in the crowd was tense, realising that this was maybe a game Massaro had to win to make the night competitive. When Massaro held game ball, so did the breaths of the spectators as Massaro hit a winning forehand volley drop to take the first game and an unexpected lead in the match."

Massaro went on to take the second game before David took the third, albeit from a position of nine-all in the game.
"As David served at the start of the fourth game, many thought we would now see what we knew David was capable of delivering," Dugan continued. "David looked to pick up the pace and her trademark rushing between points as she took a 3-1 lead - but was later tempted into a few unforced errors, giving her opponent a 7-5 lead."
David saved two match balls from 6-10 down before Massaro clinched her historic 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8 triumph in 61 minutes.
"I'm really pleased with the win," said the jubilant Massaro. "To beat the world number one, two and six in the same tournament was a dream before tonight.
"I can't believe I have achieved one of my dreams.
"I thought I played really well and am looking forward to getting home to celebrate with my family," concluded Massaro.
Dugan added: "It would be interesting to know the statistics of when in fact a player last beat the world number one and two to win a title in the same event - but tonight's is an achievement that I am sure will be unmatched for quite some time."

RESULTS: WISPA Cleveland Classic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA
Final:
[8] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [1] Nicol David (MAS) 11-9, 11-7, 9-11, 11-8 (61m)

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Friday 14-01-11

Matthew & Shabana To Contest World Series Final in London

England's Nick Matthew will play Amr Shabana, Egypt's four-time world champion, in the ATCO PSA World Series Finals final after convincing victories in the semi-finals of the flagship $110,000 PSA World Tour squash event at The Queen's Club in London.
Matthew, the world No1, world and Commonwealth Games champion, beat long-time rival and fellow Englishman James Willstrop in a one-sided match 11-4, 11-6, 11-8. Shabana wasted little time in ousting Ramy Ashour, his younger compatriot and one of the future stars of the game, in a repeat of the 2009 World Open final.

The Egyptian left-hander, 31, will now attempt to win for the first time on British shores after finishing runner-up here on four occasions since first reaching the final of the British Junior U14 Open in 1993. Ashour, feeling the effects of a hamstring injury, went down 4-11, 5-11, 5-11 in 27 minutes.
"Playing here at Queen's is proud moment," Shabana admitted afterwards. "I have always enjoyed watching the tennis on TV since I was a kid. Hopefully Nick and I can play another great match in front of this great crowd."
Both Matthew and Shabana will also bid to become World Series champion for the first time, the Egyptian having also lost to Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in the 2008 final.
For Willstrop, the defeats continue to mount against his fellow Yorkshireman. The 27-year-old from Leeds last beat Matthew in the 2007 English Open final and each match he had lost since (11 of them) now has clearly played a psychological advantage as 30-year-old Matthew's dominance has increased on the world stage.
Not that Willstrop has gone down without a fight. He lost out in a brutal British Open final in 2009, when Willstrop held match balls, and in last year's Canary Wharf Classic semi-finals, which saw the younger Yorkshireman's bid end with severe cramp after one of the finest contests in recent years.
In the World Series semi-final, Matthew stretched his opponent early, creating a number of winners from Willstrop's loose angles in the opening game.
In the second he raced to a 6-1 lead before Willstrop produced his best squash of the match, using his backhand volley drops to clinical effect to close the gap to 7-5.

At 9-6 down, Matthew sent a forehand winner to the back wall as Willstrop failed to find a way past his opponent. He was denied a let, claiming he clipped Matthew's shoe, and his frustration played into Matthew's hands as he closed out the second 11-6.
Sheffield-based Matthew refused to play short in the third as he bid to dig Willstrop into the ground. However the 6' 4" Pontefract player - wearing a rare set of cycling shorts, a sign that he was struggling with injury - kept in the match as he crawled two points ahead at 7-5 before Matthew, yet again, surged towards the winning post.
"I tried to keep the pressure on all the way through," said Matthew. "You get that bit between your teeth when you see the winning line and you lose a little bit of composure. It's important to will yourself on with those big points, like the Egyptians do so well, but I think I achieved that tonight."
A clearly despondent Willstrop said: "I'm really sad I couldn't produce it today. I was really flat. For two years I have been second best to him and all I can do is keep battling away."
He was also hard on himself when asked for his highlight of the week. "Beating Ramy, even though he was on one leg," Willstrop added.
Official site: www.worldseriesfinals.com
PSA's SquashTV is the official live and video on-demand website of the Professional Squash Association.
Watch all the live action and highlights at www.psasquashtv.com


RESULTS: ATCO PSA World Series Finals, London, England
Semi-finals:
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [3] James Willstrop (ENG) 11-4, 11-6, 11-8 (46m)
[4] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 (27m)

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Wednesday 12-01-11

Shabana Overcomes Matthew In World Series Classic

Amr Shabana has produced his fair share of classic tussles with English rivals over the last decade - but the great Egyptian, for all his achievements, has yet to win on British shores.
The four-time world champion went a step closer on Wednesday night at the ATCO PSA World Series Finals when he shaded a brutal battle with Nick Matthew, the world No1, at The Queen's Club in London.

Playing the best-of-three format that this event stipulates in the pool rounds, Shabana edged the 30-year-old Matthew 5-11, 11-7, 17-15 in a match lasting just shy of the hour mark. The world champion from Sheffield now needs to win his last match on Thursday night against compatriot Peter Barker if he harbours dreams of progressing to Friday's semi-finals after missing last year's event following shoulder surgery.
Shabana said afterwards: "Nick has raised the bar for all of us. It is a fine line and I had to perform my best - but at least it means I am right on track to have what it takes to finally win here [in the UK]."
The match was billed as the first to go the distance after straight-games wins on Tuesday and they duly lived up to the hype. Level at seven career wins apiece stretching back to 2001 - Shabana won the majority of his matches during his domineering years five years ago - a methodical Matthew took early bragging rights with a comfortable opener.
Back came Shabana. Having lost out to Matthew on his way to becoming the first Englishman to win the world title in December, the 31-year-old Cairo right-hander took the second after uncharacteristic errors from the Englishman.
It paved the way for an unforgettable decider. At 7-5 down, Shabana advanced to hold two match balls at 10-8. The pair then traded match balls in a gruelling period involving a number of key lets before Shabana's denouement.

James Willstrop then produced a vintage performance to recoup pride after the home favourite's loss. Willstrop, Matthew's Yorkshire rival since junior days, just pipped Egypt's world No2 Ramy Ashour - whom Willstrop last beat on his way to lifting the Tournament of Champions title last January - winning 10-12, 11-6, 11-9.
On a night when the victors paid tribute to their opponents, Willstrop said: "Ramy is so unique and he has the great ability to leave you with little oxygen even when he is being deceptive. It is just a higher pace of squash with him but I'm feeling good."
Willstrop never let Ashour settle after losing a tight first game. He won a succession of tight drops and managed to hold court even when the pair visibly tired in the third. The former world junior champion's retrieval play was also exceptional as Ashour's frustration increased during the 49-minute tussle.

In the final match of the evening, Peter Barker beat Wael El Hindi in straight games to give himself a chance of reaching the semi-finals.
The Londoner, who needed to win after losing to Shabana on Tuesday, was handed a conduct warning during the match but kept his nerve to beat his Egyptian opponent 13-11, 11-9.
Earlier Alister Walker lost his second match in succession and failed to qualify for the semi-finals. Walker, 28, lost to Thierry Lincou, of France, 11-8, 12-10 in another high-tempo match.
Having come out of the stalls early against James Willstrop on the opening night, Walker opted for a more sedate opening against the Frenchman but a number of errors counted against the former Leeds-based player as Lincou took the opener 11-8.
The tempo increased in the second as both players jockeyed for mid-court supremacy. It was level-pegging until Walker found himself with two match balls at 10-8. However the dogged Lincou, who has never lost to Walker, won four points in a row to put himself in the driving seat for a semi-final berth.
Backed by Ziad Al-Turki, the charismatic Saudi businessman and Professional Squash Association chairman, the ATCO PSA World Series Finals are the culmination of the 2010 PSA Super Series season.
The eight players will play in two pools of four until Friday's semi-finals. The finals will take place on Saturday.
PSA's SquashTV is the official live and video on-demand website of the Professional Squash Association.
Watch all the live action and highlights at www.psasquashtv.com




RESULTS: ATCO PSA World Series Finals, London, England
2nd pool round:
Pool A
[5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [8] Alister Walker (ENG) 11-8, 12-10 (28m)
[3] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) 10-12, 11-6, 11-9 (49m)
Pool B
[4] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [2] Nick Matthew (ENG) 5-11, 11-7, 17-15 (63m)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) bt [7] Wael El Hindi (EGY) 13-11, 11-9 (41m)

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Saudi PSA World Open

PICTURES IN TOURNAMENT, MORE TOMORROW

Nick Matthew Wins Historic World Open Title

Nick Matthew overcame a tired fellow countryman James Willstrop in the final of the $327,500 Saudi PSA World Open Squash Championship in Saudi Arabia to become the first English World Open champion in the 34-year history of the sport's premier event.
The climax of the richest PSA World Tour championship of all-time, at Sunset Beach Resort in the Saudi Arabian city of Al-Khobar, was a repeat of October's Commonwealth Games final in Delhi - and extends Matthew's unbeaten Tour run over his England team-mate and fellow Yorkshireman to nine matches since December 2007.
Matthew, the top seed from Sheffield, reached the final after dethroning title-holder Amr Shabana, the former world number one from Egypt who was in line to win the title for a fifth time.

But Willstrop arguably had a more brutal route to the final, fighting off marathon challenges from two further England team-mates Daryl Selby and Peter Barker in the third round and semi-finals, respectively.

The 27-year-old sixth seed from Leeds started the more impressively, surging ahead from seven-all to take a well-deserved first game lead after 21 minutes - causing Matthew to concede his first game of the tournament.
But Willstrop's earlier toil began to take effect as Matthew began to dominate - drawing level after a further 18 minutes before going on to wrap up the match, and his first World Open title, 8-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 in 74 minutes.

But the Englishman will have to maintain his form in next week's Pun Lloyd PSA Masters, the tenth and final 2010 PSA Super Series event in Delhi where he and Willstrop are also expected to contest the final.





RESULTS: Saudi PSA World Open, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Final:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [6] James Willstrop (ENG) 8-11, 11-6, 11-2, 11-3 (74m)


For all the latest news, visit the official event website: www.atcosquash.com
--------------------------------------------------

Matthew & Willstrop In First All-English World Open Final

Yorkshiremen Nick Matthew and James Willstrop will contest the first ever all-English World Open final after prevailing in the semi-finals of the $327,500 Saudi PSA World Open Squash Championship, the richest PSA World Tour event of all-time at Sunset Beach Resort in the Saudi Arabian city of Al-Khobar.

Matthew, seeded to become England's first winner of the title in the premier event's 34-year history, ousted defending champion Amr Shabana, the former world number one from Egypt who was hoping to become a five-time winner of the trophy.
The 30-year-old from Sheffield, 5/7 down in their career head-to-head count before the match, got off to the perfect start, quickly establishing a 6-1 lead before finishing off the opening game with three winning shots.
In the second it was Shabana's turn to take a lead, but Matthew, took five points in a row to draw level. The pair matched each other point for point before Shabana squandering his first game ball to allow Matthew to move two games ahead.
A tense third game saw the score move from five-all through to 10-all with the players winning alternative points before Matthew converted his first match-ball to win 11-6, 12-10, 12-10 after 59 minutes.

"I got off to a very good start in the first game, then I was just hanging on, he was just so tight down the forehand side, he was killing me there," said Matthew, now in his first World Open final.
"I just got the belief from being one up, then two up, I just kept pushing and pushing, there was absolutely nothing in it.
"So proud to have two English boys in the final, but it's not done yet," added the world No2.
Willstrop also secured his first appearance in a World Open final after beating England team-mate Peter Barker. Despite having played each other countless times before - both on the Tour and in numerous junior clashes, including the World Junior Championship final - none can have been as crucial as this.

Willstrop went into the match 10/0 up on their Tour career head-to-head count - but it still took the 27-year-old from Leeds 87 minutes to see off Londoner Barker 8-11, 14-12, 11-4, 11-8 in a tense and closely-contested affair.
"It was on a knife edge again," said Willstrop afterwards. "If I had gone two down against so physical a player as Pete, I would have been in big trouble. I just had to try to get past every hurdle, take it inch by inch, point by point and then move on to the next one.
"I knew I had an opening in the draw with Ramy going out - but seeing it and taking it are different things.
"World Open final: it's what you dream about lying in bed as a ten-year-old .... and for it to be against another Englishman too!
"The pressure's all on Nick tomorrow, he's favourite. I'll just try to do my best."
The pair last met in the Commonwealth Games final in Delhi in October, with Matthew winning gold. Matthew has not lost to Willstrop since December 2007 and goes into the Saudi clash 15/8 ahead on their Tour head-to-head tally.

RESULTS: Saudi PSA World Open, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Semi-finals:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [3] Amr Shabana (EGY) 11-6, 12-10, 12-10 (59m)
[6] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [8] Peter Barker (ENG) 8-11, 14-12, 11-4, 11-8 (87m)


For all the latest news, visit the official event website: www.atcosquash.com




------------------------------------------------

Barker Leads Historic English Trio Into World Open Semis

In a first for the championship, three Englishmen will contest the semi-finals of the $327,500 Saudi PSA World Open Squash Championship after Nick Matthew, James Willstrop and Peter Barker came through the quarter-finals of the richest PSA World Tour event of all-time at Sunset Beach Resort in the Saudi Arabian city of Al-Khobar.

Londoner Barker claimed his first semi-final appearance in his eighth attempt after Egyptian opponent Karim Darwish, the fourth seed, retired injured midway through the third game.
The Englishman had maintained an advantage throughout the 14-minute first game, but an equally-determined Darwish fought back to take the second with a run of five points from six-all.
But with Darwish leading 7-6 in the third, the Egyptian slipped and took an injury timeout to receive treatment to the back of his left thigh.
After the allotted three minutes had elapsed, the 29-year-old from Cairo went back on court - but, before a ball had been struck, offered his hand in defeat.
"I thought I was playing well and had a good chance to go through," explained a subdued eighth seed Barker afterwards. "But no-one ever wants to do it like that.
"It's a very physical game and when there's a bit of sweat on the court that can happen to anyone. I really feel for Karim and wish him a speedy recovery.
"I'm in the semi-finals of the world open, and I'll get to play Shorbagy or James. If it's James, then I've never beaten him - what better time to do it!"
It was a bitter blow for the in-form Darwish who arrived in Saudi after success in last month's Qatar Classic and October's El Gouna International Open in Egypt - and was runner-up in the 2008 World Open.

Barker's opponent will be Willstrop who, in the final match of the day, defeated rising Egyptian star Mohamed El Shorbagy to ensure that three Englishmen will contest the World Open semi-finals for the first time in the event's 34-year history.
It was a closely-contested affair in which the pair went point for point for three games - the 19-year-old Egyptian holding a single point advantage in each of the three games, but Willstrop finding the necessary impetus to finish each off.
The penultimate rally was one of the best of the tournament, 27-year-old Willstrop moving his opponent from corner to corner before delicately volley-dropping Shorbagy's boast with the Egyptian nowhere in sight.
Then, to finish it off, Willstrop scored with a mishit at the front of the court!
"It's not really good to finish like that," said the Yorkshireman after his 50-minute 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 win. "But a few have gone against me in my time, so I'm happy to take that one."
Willstrop was full of praise for his opponent: "All credit to him, he came out firing, stuck in and his intensity never dropped - good stuff for a 19-year-old. When I was down towards the end of the games he started getting confidence in his shots and I had to dig in - the extra seven or eight years experience probably helped there."
England team-mates Willstrop and Barker have contested countless matches throughout their distinguished junior, and now senior, careers. But their PSA Tour record shows Willstrop 10/0 ahead.
"I'm not thinking about my record against Peter, he's a good man and I know we'll have a good clean match," said Willstrop. "We've played each other a lot and played some tough matches together for England, so there's a lot of respect between us."

Distinguished Egyptian Amr Shabana stands in the way of the event's first English champion. Defending champion and winner of the title a total of four times, Shabana eased his way into the semis for the sixth time in a row after beating French rival Gregory Gaultier.
But, again it was a thigh injury that caused fifth seed Gaultier to concede the match prematurely after winning the opening game.
It was early in the third game that the Frenchman pulled up, stretching forward, and took a short injury break. On the resumption, he quickly went 4-0 down, and fell to the floor clutching his thigh before conceding.
Shabana will face Nick Matthew, the 30-year-old from Sheffield who is seeded to become England's first ever world champion.
Matthew faced Thierry Lincou, the seventh-seeded Frenchman who was champion in 2004. Matthew took the first game and Lincou led briefly in the second. But the Englishman soon resumed control before charging to his 11-3, 11-5, 11-2 victory in 38 minutes.
"I was focused, but he was even more focused," said Lincou. "I didn't play tight enough and he took advantage of all my loose balls, I just couldn't do anything to get him off the 'T'."
The 34-year-old Frenchman, who has played in each event since attempting to qualify in 1997, did not rule out future World Opens though: "I'm playing well enough to reach the quarters, but maybe the last four is a bit of a step up. If I can keep playing like this there's no reason I can't play more World Opens."


RESULTS: Saudi PSA World Open, Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia
Quarter-finals:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 11-3, 11-5, 11-2 (38m)
[3] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [5] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 6-11, 13-11, 4-0 ret. (57m)
[8] Peter Barker (ENG) bt [4] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-7, 6-11, 6-7 ret. (45m)
[6] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [13] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 (50m)

Semi-final line-up:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [3] Amr Shabana (EGY)
[6] James Willstrop (ENG) v [8] Peter Barker (ENG)

For all the latest news, visit the official event website: www.atcosquash.com

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Qatar Classic

PICTURES IN TOURNAMENT

Karim Claims Qatar Classic Crown

Third-seeded Egyptian Karim Darwish upset compatriot Amr Shabana in the final of the $147,500 Qatar Classic to win his second PSA Super Series squash title in three weeks at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha.
Both players had reached the climax after gruelling five-game semi-finals - Darwish, the world No3, gaining his first win over England's world No2 Nick Matthew in almost two years, and reigning world champion Shabana overcoming France's fourth seed Gregory Gaultier.
Darwish recovered from a game down to beat Shabana, the second seed looking for his maiden Super Series title his year, 8-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-6 in 54 minutes.

"We know each other's game so well, we both take the ball so early, and they were some accidents as we were going for the ball. But it was a fair game, a clean game," Darwish told www.squashsite.com afterwards.
"It was more of a mental match than a physical one," added the 29-year-old from Cairo. "In the middle of the third, we had some crucial points, I gave it a bit push to make sure I would come on top leading 2/1. And after that, I think he lost a bit of his focus, and I gave it a good push to finish.
"When you come to a tournament, you want to win - but you can't expect to win nowadays, as the competition is fierce and there are so many formidable players around," concluded Darwish, who won the El Gouna International in Egypt last month and now boasts 19 PSA Tour titles.
Despite two 70-minute matches leading to the final, Shabana had no excuses: "Both of us had strong matches earlier in the week, so I can't blame this defeat on a long match!

"In the second, he played far too well, my length dropped and he took full advantage of it," explained the former world number one. "But in the third, I had my chances. But today was not to be my day."
The Qatar triumph sees Darwish move up to third place in the latest 2010 PSA Super Series Rankings, the penultimate list before the final event of the year - the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters in Delhi in December. Egypt's world No1 Ramy Ashour heads the rankings, with Nick Matthew in second place. England's Peter Barker strengthened his all-important position in the top eight, 30 points ahead of ninth-placed Australian David Palmer.




RESULTS: Qatar Classic, Doha, Qatar
Final:
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [2] Amr Shabana (EGY) 8-11, 11-2, 11-7, 11-6 (54m)



___________________________________

Nicol David Celebrates Half Century In Qatar

Malaysian squash star Nicol David reached another significant milestone in her illustrious career when she beat Australian Rachael Grinham in the final of the $74,000 Women's Qatar Classic to net her 50th WISPA World Tour title at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha.
The top-seeded world number one overcame the disappointment of losing at the semi-final stage last year by beating unseeded Egyptian Nour El Tayeb to reach the 2010 final.
And the climax against career-long rival Rachael Grinham, the fourth seed and a former world champion, marked the pair's 32nd Tour clash since the first in April 2000 in Malaysia.
David was in dominant form from the outset, triumphing 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 in just 34 minutes to claim her fourth Qatar Classic crown since 2006.
"It's great to win again in Qatar," David told www.squashsite.com later. "I didn't like losing here last year.
"Rachael and I know each other's games so well, you're always going to get close matches and long rallies," explained the new champion after extending her head-to-head record to 26-6.

"You try not to think about past matches, head to head records - but the one you lost always comes to your mind and you know it's not going to be easy.
"It was great that the crowd got involved, I get so much support here it really helps, so thanks to the supporters, the organisers and the sponsors for another great tournament, it's so good to keep coming back here year after year.
"It's good to finish the WISPA season on a winning note. Now it's back to Malaysia for a few days and then join up with the rest of the team for the Asian Games."
Grinham rued missed opportunities in the third game: "I maybe wasn't as patient as I needed to be today, especially when I was up in the third, I tried to finish it too quickly I think.
"I wasn't as accurate as I'd like either, I sprayed a few balls around and missed a few basic straight shots, it could be about a bit of stiffness and not being as properly stable on the shot, but that's something everyone has to deal with," added the 33-year-old Queenslander.
"Not too bad overall, but I could have done with snatching that third."

RESULTS: Qatar Classic, Doha, Qatar
Final:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [4] Rachael Grinham (AUS) 11-5, 11-8, 11-9 (34m)











--------------------------------------------------------
11-11-12

Darwish Dashes Matthew Title Hopes In Qatar

Egypt's third seed Karim Darwish fought back from two games down to beat English favourite Nick Matthew to claim a surprise place in the final of the $147,500 Qatar Classic, the ninth and penultimate 2010 PSA Super Series squash championship at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha.

Darwish, winner of last month's El Gouna International in Egypt, will face compatriot Amr Shabana, the four-time world champion looking for his first Super Series win this year, who beat Frenchman Gregory Gaultier.
At two games up in the repeat of last year's final, defending champion Nick Matthew looked to be heading for his eighth Super Series final this year. But Darwish turned his game around and stunned the 30-year-old world number two from Sheffield by battling back to win 8-11, 5-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-8 in 73 minutes.
"Nick has been winning pretty much everything last year, he was world number one still a few months back, so beating him tonight is very special to me," Darwish told www.squashsite.co.uk afterwards. "When I can play like that, I'm alright.
"Against Shabana tomorrow, I won't be able to afford to wait the third game to play. I'll have to start from the first rally," added the 29-year-old world No3 from Cairo, now in his 32nd Tour final.

The defeat was Matthew's second in less than two weeks from the position of a 2/0 lead - after crashing out of the Kuwait Open to England team-mate Daryl Selby.
"Karim did well to come back from 2/0 down," said the Englishman. "It's really a good effort, well done to him.
"You are never too old to learn. Now there's a few weeks of hard work for the Worlds - whatever the result here, that's always been my target."
In the other semi-final, second seed Shabana saved a match-ball to beat Gaultier, the fourth seed, 3-11, 11-4, 11-7, 6-11, 12-10 in 71 minutes to earn the 39th PSA Tour final appearance of his career.
"Today, I don't feel like he lost," said Shabana, the world No5 from Giza. "I just feel that I've played an incredible match against an incredible player, and in the end, it was just a flip of a coin. One minute it was me, then the next minute it was him, next it would be me again. Honestly, it was a flip of a coin!"

RESULTS: Qatar Classic, Doha, Qatar
Semi-finals Men:
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 3-11, 11-4, 11-7, 6-11, 12-10 (71m)
[3] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [1] Nick Matthew (ENG) 8-11, 5-11, 11-8, 12-10, 11-8 (73m)


PSA's SquashTV is the official live and video on-demand website of the Professional Squash Association.
Watch all the live action and highlights at www.psasquashtv.com

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ROWE British Grand Prix

Ashour Beats Willstrop To Deny English British Grand Prix Win

PICTURES IN TOURNAMENTS


"He's got my number at the minute," admitted a dejected James Willstrop after the English hope went down in four games to Egypt's world number one Ramy Ashour in tonight's (Monday) final of the ROWE British Grand Prix, the biggest squash event in Europe this year at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.
The climax of the $92,500 PSA Super Series event was the eleventh meeting of the pair's careers, and their fourth this year - Yorkshireman Willstrop winning the first in the Tournament of Champions final in New York to take the first PSA Super Series title of the year, and Ashour twice gaining his revenge in his home town Cairo and last month in Hong Kong.
Willstrop, the world No6 who claimed his unexpected place in the final after outlasting France's world No5 Gregory Gaultier in a 100-minute semi-final marathon, led 7-3 in the opening game.



But Ashour, the 22-year-old from Cairo who reclaimed the world number one ranking this month from Willstrop's England team-mate Nick Matthew, immediately turned things round by taking the next eight points in a row to win the game.
In a remarkable reversal of fortunes, it was crowd favourite Willstrop who then came out firing - racing to game ball at 10-0 before Ashour picked up a couple of points to prevent a whitewash.
At one game apiece, a more assured Ashour returned for the third and Willstrop seemed unable to match the speed and accuracy of Egypt's latest squash star. After 40 minutes, it was second seed Ashour who raised his hands in triumph to celebrate his 11-7, 3-11, 11-3, 11-5 victory.
"It's such a letdown when you can't produce," said the distraught runner-up afterwards. "It was too physical - he was just too good.
"I wasn't physically good enough today - I don't know why," explained 27-year-old Willstrop, from Leeds. "I expected to come out stronger. I gave it everything I

A jubilant Ashour expressed his delight at competing in the event - and winning his 17th PSA Tour title: "I'm really glad I came here and really glad to win. I think it was a really good match, but I think we were both tired - James had a very long game yesterday for more than 100 minutes.
"I was a bit stuffed mentally when I arrived here - I was OK physically - but I really pushed myself during the week. My brother (Hisham) has done a great job - I've learned a lot from him.
"And I have been able to phone my parents every day - and that helped me a lot too.
"James is a great player - I played him in Hong Kong last month, but this was tougher. He has a special kind of game - a mixture of Egyptian and English.
"It's always great to play him," concluded the new champion Ashour.

RESULTS: ROWE British Grand Prix, Manchester, England
Final:
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [5] James Willstrop (ENG) 11-7, 3-11, 11-3, 11-5 (40m)

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Willstrop Survives Marathon To Make ROWE British Grand Prix Final

England's James Willstrop reached the final of the biggest squash event in Europe this year after surviving an incident-packed semi-final in the ROWE British Grand Prix in Manchester today (Sunday) - and will now meet Egypt's world number one Ramy Ashour for the $92,500 PSA Super Series event title at the National Squash Centre.
The Yorkshireman's clash with Gregory Gaultier was his latest encounter with the life-long French rival whom he first competed against as a fellow 14-year-old. Leading by two games, the now 27-year-old world No6 from Leeds suffered a dead leg after an accidental collision with the Frenchman, ranked one place higher.
After a seven-minute injury break, Willstrop returned to the court and recovered from 1-5 down to lead 9-7 - two points away from a straight games victory.

But the determined Gaultier fought back to take the game - and then won the fourth to force a decider.
The world No5 twice led - and also had injury break for four minutes after treatment for an ankle injury. But Willstrop held his nerve to clinch a remarkable 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 5-11, 11-9 win after 101 minutes.
"When both of us are playing at the highest of intensities - which both of us were today - you can't keep it going for five games," explained Willstrop afterwards. "When we were good, we were very good.
"I'm just glad to have come back in the fifth.
"That third was a most bizarre game. The injury break didn't help me - but I remember thinking at 8-5, 'I can't settle down'," said the England number two from Leeds.
"It's brilliant to be in another Super Series final," added Willstrop, now in the 22nd Tour final of his career. "I love playing here - the crowd was incredible."
A dejected Gaultier admitted that he hadn't stuck to his game-plan: "I didn't follow the tactic I wanted at the beginning. I was a bit disappointed to lose the second game.
"In the third, I think he was a bit tired and I tried to make the rallies longer. The fifth was anybody's game.
"I am really disappointed to lose - but I will come back stronger next time," added the former world number one from Aix-en-Provence.

Ramy Ashour, who despatched his three earlier opponents 3/0 in little more than an hour of playing time, dropped the first game against veteran Australian David Palmer, the 34-year-old from New South Wales who is the event's No8 seed.
Palmer, who celebrated ten unbroken years in the world's top ten a month ago, was playing the game of his life - while 22-year-old Ashour was scurrying around the court to keep up with the former world No1 and two-time world champion.
Second seed Ashour reclaimed the upper hand in the second game, but the US-based Aussie battled back to earn four game balls in the third before his younger opponent forged a 2/1 lead.
Palmer twice led in the fourth, but again Ashour recovered before closing out the match 5-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-9 in 57 minutes.
"I couldn't believe it - he was incredible today," Ashour acknowledged to the crowd afterwards. "Sometimes, there was nothing I could do against him."
On the prospect of the final, Ashour said: "James is a great player - very skilful on court. I'm sure it will be a great game."
Despite losing, Palmer took positives from his performance: "It's given me encouragement," said the four-time British Open champion. "I haven't been able to play a match like that for the last four or five months.


"The Commonwealth Games is very important to me - and it looks as if I'm back in form. It's better late than never!
"So I can go back home and be happy now.
"But it's going to be very tough in Delhi - James looks like he's in great form," concluded Palmer.


RESULTS: ROWE British Grand Prix, Manchester, England
Semi-finals:
[5] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [4] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 5-11, 11-9 (101m)
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [8] David Palmer (AUS) 5-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-9 (57m)

Official website: www.britishsquashgrandprix.com

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ISS CANARY WHARF SQUASH CLASSIC

NICK MATTHEW WINS ISS CANARY WHARF SQUASH CLASSIC

By ALAN THATCHER

Top seed Nick Matthew won his first ISS Canary Wharf Classic title by overpowering Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in tonight’s final.

The 69-minute victory crowned a magnificent week for the 29-year-old world No.2 from Sheffield, who was kept on court for more than two hours in his semi-final battle with fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop the previous evening.

Matthew showed few signs of fatigue following one of the most epic battles in squash history and it was Gaultier who blamed tiredness for letting slip a 6-2 lead in the third game.

Gaultier was still ahead at 9-6 but was unable to convert that lead as Matthew forced the second tiebreak of the match, finally clinching it 13-11 after Gaultier held game ball at 11-10.

Matthew then ran out an easy 11-3 winner in the final game as Gaultier’s challenge wilted.

Earlier, Matthew had won the crucial opening game 12-10, despite Gaultier holding game ball at 10-9.

The Frenchman, who topped the world rankings in November, responded in stunning style, racing to a 5-0 lead and winning the game comfortably by an 11-6 margin.

He continued the attack in the third game but was unable to maintain his control as Matthew mounted a phenomenal physical response to clinch the title and continue his quest for the world No.1 slot.

Result: ISS Canary Wharf Squash Classic Final, East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf, London:
(1) Nick Matthew (Eng) beat (2) Gregory Gaultier (Fra) 12-10, 6-11, 13-11, 11-3 (69 mins)

Legends of Squash Challenge:
Simon Parke (Eng) beat Peter Nicol (Eng) 11-8, 9-11, 11-7

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SAUDI INTERNATIONAL

Ramy Rallies To Saudi Success - & World No1 Ranking

It was a dramatic 110-minute final that brought the 2009 Saudi International to a fitting climax today (Friday) at Sunset Beach in Al-Khobar in Saudi Arabia when Egyptian Ramy Ashour not only clinched the $250,000 PSA World Tour Super Series squash title in sensational style, but ensured that he would become number one in the PSA world rankings in January 2010 for the first time.
Described by Professional Squash Association (PSA) CEO Alex Gough as "the most incredible, most tense match I have seen in a long time", the clash was watched not only by a packed - and partisan - crowd at Sunset Beach willing 'local' hero Ashour to win, but also by thousands of squash enthusiasts around the world via the new internet TV streaming service www.psasquashtv.com launched by the PSA at the final Super Series event of the year.
Top seed Ashour was facing England's third seed Nick Matthew - with both players eyeing up both the winner's cheque of $37,400 and the next world number one ranking.

The match was not only Ashour's longest of the tournament - but his longest all-time (by almost 20 minutes) on the PSA World Tour.
"I think we both played well, and to be honest, this is probably the toughest match I ever played," conceded the new champion to the official website www.atcosquash.com afterwards. "And I think it’s good that Nick and I are pushing each other that hard, because we’ll keep playing for a long time.
"I was able to relax at the start of each game, but when I got the lead, then I started thinking, and started to get all tense, and didn’t go for my shots!
"Tonight, it could have been anybody’s, it was the most amazing match ever! But at the end, it was so slippery out there! The sweat was coming out of our bodies, our shirts, our shoes!!! Maybe it was my shoes I don’t know, but I kept slipping on there!
"I’m so happy about winning this title, that’s something I’ve been working hard all my life. It was my dream, my brother, my mum, my dad, my coaches, and all the people that have been pushing and supporting me all those years."
Despite missing out on the world number one spot, world No4 Matthew has the consolation of knowing that he will rise to a career-high No2 in the January list.
"We fought hard, really we fought all the way, but there is an immense respect between us too," said the 29-year-old from Sheffield. "I think we both played well tonight, and there was the smallest of margin at the end.
"I had Adrian (Grant) in my corner, he was pushing me hard - but at some point, I had the impression that we were two against 2,000! Still, I kept imagining everybody back in Sheffield, looking at the match at the club on the big screen, and supporting me, and shouting for me. So I kept on telling myself, come on, push, just push, for them. And that gave me a lot of strength."
"All credit to Ramy - he deserves this victory, and the title. Although, we were smiling with Ziad (Al-Turki) during the trophy ceremony, when he said that he worked all his life to get that title, he is only 22! I really have worked all my life, so I think he should have let me have it then!

Alex Gough stated that it was the most incredible match he had seen in a long time. "Considering what was at stake, both players played fearlessly and produced squash of the highest quality," added the former world number four.
"It's an old cliché, but it was a shame someone had to lose - but tonight Ramy was the one who held up in the final throws. Tough for Nick to take, but he can be proud at being as close as he was.
"2010 is set up to be an incredible year all around and we have the players to elevate the sport to where it deserves," concluded the PSA CEO.

For more details, visit the official website www.atcosquash.com

Result Final:
[1] Ramy Ashour (Egy) bt [3] Nick Matthew (Eng) 11/7, 7/11,
11/9, 9/11, 11/8 (110m)

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QATAR CLASSIC

Matthew & Duncalf Celebrate Qatar Classic Double

In a sensational day for English squash at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex in the Qatar capital Doha, Nick Matthew and Jenny Duncalf both beat higher-ranked opponent in today's (Monday) finals of the Qatar Classic in straight games, to claim their biggest titles on the international Tours.

Matthew, fourth seed in the men's $147,500 PSA World Tour Super Series event, knocked out Karim Darwish, the defending champion from Egypt who has topped the world rankings for most of this year.

Earlier Duncalf, who like Matthew is also from Yorkshire, followed her second upset in two weeks over Malaysia's world number one Nicol David yesterday, to crush Australia's world No4 Rachael Grinham in the climax of the $74,000 WISPA World Tour championship.
Indeed, it took 27-year-old Duncalf, the world No6 from Harrogate, only 23 minutes to despatch Grinham 11-5, 11-3, 11-3 – thus reducing the 8-4 career head-to-head lead the Queenslander boasted before today's clash.
The stunning victory brings Duncalf's tally of Tour wins this month to three – following the Soho Square Championship success in Egypt on the first of the month, and her triumph in the US Open in New York just seven days later.

Winner of the British National Championship at the beginning of the year, Duncalf has enjoyed a remarkably consistent run on the WISPA Tour since last year's appearance in the Qatar Classic in October 2008 – reaching at least the quarter-finals in the 16 events since.
"I think it was a combination of me playing well and Rachael not being on today - she wasn't moving well and made quite a few errors," Duncalf told www.squashsite.co.uk after her career-best success.
"It's a funny sort of win - there's no adrenalin pumping or anything - but I've won the Qatar Classic, even though I can't quite believe it yet!
"I was thinking beforehand that this would be my 13th win a row, hoping it wouldn't be unlucky 13! I wish there was another tournament next week now!"

Nick Matthew has enjoyed a stunning return to top form after a nine-month layoff following shoulder surgery at the beginning of last year. But top seed Darwish boasted a 3-1 head-to-head record over the 29-year-old from Sheffield going into today's meeting.
However, while Matthew prevailed in a semi-final which lasted only a game and a half after his England team-mate opponent Peter Barker was forced to retire injured, Darwish reached the final following two hard five-game battles over former world champions Thierry Lincou, of France, and compatriot Ramy Ashour.
The final took 51 minutes, but it was Matthew who emerged triumphant in an 11-5, 12-10, 11-6 scoreline.
"Karim is such a great champion, he’s been the world number one for a long time and he’s played some fantastic games over the past years," said the new Qatar Classic men's champion. "Today, he was bound to be tired, having had had a couple of three-twos with Thierry and Ramy.
"I know I’ve had a bit of 'bad luck' recently with my injuries – but, for me, the glass is always half full. Actually, it’s always three-quarters full! I never let myself feel sorry for myself; there are things much more important that can happen to you than a little injury. Look at (Anthony) Ricketts and (Lee) Beachill - they had to give up because they had major troubles, so as long as it’s little things like that, I’m not complaining," added Matthew.
"I really would like to thank Neil (Guirey) who was here with me this week; my team back in Sheffield; and DP [David Pearson] for all the efforts they’ve been doing with me since I was a teenager. It’s nights like this one that makes it all worthwhile for us all."
The Qatar triumph brings Matthew's career Tour tally to ten titles, including the Swedish Open and British Open trophies this year.

Results Qatar Classic Finals:
[4] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt [2] Rachael Grinham (Aus)
11-5, 11-3, 11-3 (23m)
[4] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [1] Karim Darwish (Egy)
11-5, 12-10, 11-6 (50m)

Follow the action from the PSA and WISPA World Tours live on WWW.PSALIVE.TV - the webstreaming service of both the Professional Squash Association and Women's International Squash Players' Association. Enjoy live action, replays, download archive matches and exclusive Live & Uncut DVDs

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FOREXX WOMEN'S WORLD OPEN

Nicol David Wins Fourth World Open Title

Defending champion Nicol David destroyed Dutch dreams of local success in the Forexx Women’s World Open Squash 2009 when she beat Netherlands number one Natalie Grinham in today's (Sunday) final of the $118,000 WISPA World Tour event at Frans Otten Stadion in Amsterdam.
The Amsterdam-based Malaysian now becomes only the third player in the history of the championships to win four titles, alongside Australia's Sarah Fitz-Gerald and New Zealander Susan Devoy.
But it was second seed Natalie Grinham, showing the form of her life in these championships, who set the early pace in the 30th international meeting of their career - dropping just three points en-route to taking the first game.
Midway through the second game, it was again Grinham who looked to be heading to victory - a win which would have been her first over the long-time world number one since April 2007, and one which would have reduced the 22-7 head-to-head lead that Nicol had as the pair took to the court.
But the balance of play swung towards the favourite at 7-6 up in the second: David won the next four points to draw level, and soon established a 7-1 lead in the third.
Grinham, the former Australian who became a Dutch national last year, snatched a further two points before David again rattled off four points in a row to lead 2/1.

Thought by many to be hot favourite to win the title for the first time in her fourth final, Grinham established leads of 4-1, 6-3 and 8-6 in the fourth game - but a determined David just didn't give up.
Two lengthy and crucial rallies saw the score move to eight-all - then two winners from David followed by a miss-hit by Grinham took David to match-ball at 10-8.
Seconds later, referee Chris Sinclair awarded the Malaysian a stroke - and Nicol David raised her arms in delight and relief to celebrate her astonishing 3-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-8 title triumph after 51 minutes.
"I knew it was going to be tough - I felt those eight-all and nine-all points were so crucial," said the new champion, former winner of the crown in 2005, 2006 and 2008.
"I needed that second game. After she won the first, I just didn't want her to get any more confidence.
"I just knew that the rallies would go on and on."

Nicol David, the 26-year-old from Penang who this month became the third longest holder of the world number one ranking of all-time, arrived in Amsterdam with her invincibility slightly shattered after losing in the quarter-finals of the British Open.
"To come back from last week and win my fourth world title means a lot to me," added David.
"I'm so happy. I just don't know what to say."
Natalie Grinham was clearly devastated by the defeat: "I'm still thinking about the game," said the 31-year-old from Almere shortly afterwards. "I wish there was more to play.
"When I think of how sick I was at the start of the year, being able to get a silver medal in the worlds is a great achievement in a way - I’m really delighted to be competing again at such a high level.
"But I’ve been second three times already, and I didn’t come here to be second again, so of course I'm disappointed.
"I thought I was definitely up there."

Final:
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [2] Natalie Grinham (NED) 3-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-8 (51m)