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North American Open 2011
18-26 Feb, Richmond, Virginia, Usa, $115k |
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26-Feb, Final:
[1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt
[2] Ramy Ashour (Egy)
11/9, 11/5,
8/11, 8/11, 11/6 (83m)
Mighty Matthew masters Ashour to retain Richmond title
Alan Thatcher reports
 Top
seed Nick Matthew retained the North American Open title after
beating his great rival Ramy Ashour in a momentous final of this
$115,000 PSA World Series Tour event at the Westwood Club in
Richmond, Virginia.
The 30-year-old world champion from Sheffield, England, triumphed
11-9, 11-5, 8-11, 8-11, 11-6 after 85 minutes of magical squash as
the two giants of world squash competed in their third consecutive
Richmond final.
With honours level at one victory each, Matthew recovered from 8-6
down to win the first game and then powered through the second,
playing superb squash to force a succession of errors from his
23-year-old Egyptian opponent.
Matthew continued to dominate in the third game and when he advanced
to 8-6 he was within touching distance of the trophy.
However, Ashour suddenly tightened up his game and reeled off five
points in a row to fend off defeat.
 Matthew
continued to play tight, stylish and intelligent squash to generate
a 6-4 lead in the fourth game but once again Ashour responded with
his own unique brand of attacking play.
The winners began to flow as the capacity crowd at the Westwood Club
roared their encouragement.
Ashour collected five points in a row to lead 9-6 and then, after
Matthew had crept back to 8-9, he closed out the game to take the
match to a fifth game.
But he failed to maintain the momentum as Matthew marched
imperiously towards his second Richmond title.
Ashour won the first point of the game but Matthew produced a
devastating brand of controlled, almost error-free squash to lead
5-2 and then 8-3.
Ashour had the crowd on their feet as he won three vital points to
reach 6-8 but Matthew closed out the match to gain revenge for his
defeat in the final of the Tournament of Champions in New York, the
first World Series event of the year.
 A
delighted Matthew said: "Ramy and I are building quite a rivalry but
that match in New York was our first meeting since August last year,
which shows how many good players there are at the top of the game
who stop us from meeting in every final.
"It was a great match and as Ramy is a lot younger than me I hope I
can keep the rivalry going for a few more years.
"I know the crowd were cheering for him to come back when I was 2-0
up but I won't hold it against them. This tournament gets bigger and
better every year and we have all enjoyed the superb new venue at
the Westwood Club.
"The crowds have been great every day and the game is gaining a
massive foothold in the United States.
"We had live coverage on ESPN for the semi-finals and finals and we
hope that squash fans over here will continue to follow the Tour on
our own PSA SquashTV streaming channel."
For a third consecutive evening, the crowd finished the evening's
play with a standing ovation. This time Ashour, who reached the
final with two spectacular victories against Gregory Gaultier and
James Willstrop, failed to deliver.
Ashour said: "Nick is a great champion and today he showed why he is
number one in the world. It was a fantastic match and I am sure we
will have many more of them as we go round the world playing in so
many great tournaments like this one."
Ashour dedicated his victory in New York to the Egyptian nation and
did the same in Richmond as he collected the runner's-up trophy. |
The tournament poster, by Dan Bogosh
Photos by
Patricia Lyons
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  North
American Open 2011
18-26 Feb, Richmond, Virginia, $115k |
Round One
20/21 Feb |
Round One
22/23 Feb |
Quarters
24 Feb |
Semis
25 Feb |
Final
26 Feb |
[1] Nick Matthew (Eng)
9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (49m)
[Q] Julian Illingworth (Usa) |
[1] Nick Matthew
11/7, 11/4, 11/8 (34m)
Shahier Razik |
[1] Nick Matthew
8/9 rtd (23m)
David Palmer |
[1] Nick Matthew
11-8, 5-11, 11-6, 11-5 (40m)
[4] Amr Shabana |
[1] Nick Matthew
1/9, 11/5, 8/11, 8/11, 11/6 (83m)
[2] Ramy Ashour |
Shahier Razik (Can)
12-10, 11-7, 11-7 (59m)
Gilly Lane (Usa) |
Stewart Boswell (Aus)
12-10, 11-9, 5-11, 11-4 (64m)
Alister Walker (Eng) |
Alister Walker
11/6, 3/11, 11/6, 11/9 (61m)
David Palmer |
David Palmer (Aus)
11-2, 11-8, 11-7 (40m)
[8] Wael El Hindi (Egy) |
[7] Daryl Selby (Eng)
9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-5 (60m)
Azlan Iskandar (Mas) |
Azlan Iskandar
9/11, 11/1, 11/5, 11/7 (48m)
Simon Rosner |
Azlan Iskandar
11/7, 6/11, 12/10, 12/10 (48m)
[4] Amr Shabana |
Simon Rosner (Ger)
11-3, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5 (48m)
Joey Barrington (Eng) |
Jonathan Kemp (Eng)
11-7, 11-5, 11-5 (24m)
[Q] Cesar Salazar (Mex) |
Jonathan Kemp
11/8, 13/15, 8/11, 11/7, 11/8 (54m)
[4] Amr Shabana |
Arturo Salazar (Mex)
11-8, 11-8, 11-5 (29m)
[4] Amr Shabana (Egy) |
[3] James Willstrop (Eng)
2/10, 11/6 11/8 (37m)
[Q] Yann Perrin (Fra) |
[3] James Willstrop
11/7, 11/7, 11/5 (38m)
[Q] Martin Knight |
[3] James Willstrop
7/11, 11/4, 11/4, 11/5 (49m)
[6] Peter Barker |
[3] James Willstrop
11-8, 12-10, 5-11, 11-6 (45m)
[2] Ramy Ashour |
[Q] Mathieu Castagnet (Fra)
11/7, 2/11, 11/7, 11/8 (55m)
[Q] Martin Knight (Nzl) |
[Q] Stephane Galifi (Ita)
6/11, 11/8, 11/5, 6/11, 13/11 (93m)
[Q]Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas) |
[Q]Nafiizwan Adnan
11/2, 11/3, 11/5 (26m)
[6] Peter Barker |
Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy)
11/2, 11/6, 11/4 (29m)
[6] Peter Barker (Eng) |
[5] Gregory Gaultier (Fra)
11/4, 11/6, 11/4 (41m)
[Q] Aaron Frankcomb (Aus) |
[5] Gregory Gaultier
11/6, 11/6, 11/1 (36m)
Olli Tuominen |
[5] Gregory Gaultier
11/5, 9/11, 11/4, 6/11, 11/8 (68m)
[2] Ramy Ashour |
Olli Tuominen (Fin)
11/8, 10/12, 11/2, 11/9 (43m)
Mohammed Abbas (Egy) |
Hisham Ashour (Egy)
9/11, 15/13, 11/8, 11/7 (56m)
Tom Richards (Eng) |
Tom Richards
6/11, 12/10, 11/6, 11/9 (45m)
[2] Ramy Ashour |
Nicolas Mueller (Sui)
12/14, 11/5, 11/5, 12/10 (43m)
[2] Ramy Ashour (Egy) |
19-Feb, Qualifying Finals:
Aaron Frankcomb (AUS)
bt Joel Hinds (ENG)
11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (56m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt Mark Krajcsak (HUN)
7-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 (58m)
Martin Knight (NZL) bt Dylan Bennett (NED)
9-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 (72m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 8-11,
14-12, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 (122m)
Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
11-9, 8-11, 14-12, 2-11, 11-6 (101m)
Stephane Galifi (ITA) bt Siddharth Suchde (IND)
11-7, 11-6, 6-11, 11-8 (65m)
Yann Perrin (FRA) bt Zac Alexander (AUS)
13-11, 9-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-7 (92m)
Julian Illingworth (USA) bt Christopher Gordon (USA)
17-15, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9 (71m)
18-Feb, Qualifying Round One:
Aaron Frankcomb (Aus) bt Shaun le Roux (Eng)
3-11, 12-10, 11-5 70 mins
Joel Hinds (Eng) bt Sean Steinour ( local )
11-5, 11-6, 11-4 16 mins
Cesar Salazar (Mex) bt Jan Koukal (Cze)
11-9, 11-1, 11-7. 43 mins
Mark Krajcsak (Hun) bt Eddie Charlton (Eng)
7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-1.
65 mins
Martin Knight (Nzl) bt David Hetherington ( Local )
11-2, 11-3, 11-8. 22mins
Dylan Bennett (Ned) bt Francis Johnson ( Local )
11-4, 11-5, 11-5 19mins
Mathieu Castagnet (Fra)bt Eric Galvez (Mex)
11-8, 7-11, 12-10, 11-6
75mins
Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) bt
David Letourneau (Can)
11-7, 11-6, 11-2. 41mins
Zac Alexander (Aus) bt
Campbell Grayson (Nzl)
14-12, 11-8, 11-4 51mins
Yann Perrin (Fra) bt Jorge Ferreira (Mex)
11-7, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5. 50mins
Siddarth Suchde (Ind) bt Wade Johnstone (Aus)
11-5, 11-5, 5-11, 11-6. 55mins
Stéphane Galifi (Ita) bt
Andrew Wagih (Egy)
11-6, 7-11, 11-6, 11-9. 63mins
Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) bt David Phillips (Can)
11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 11-6 37mins
Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas) bt Patrick Chifunda (Zam)
11-5, 11-8, 18-16. 70mins
Christopher Gordon (Usa) bt
Arshad Burki (Pak)
11-5, 11-4, 11-7. 35mins
Julian Illingworth (Usa) bt
Kamran Khan (Mas)
7-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8,
12-10. 89mins
2010 Event
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MATTHEW MEETS RAMY IN AMERICAN DREAM FINAL
Alan Thatcher reports
World champion Nick Matthew meets Ramy Ashour in the final of the
$115,000 North American Open for a third year running after the top
two seeds stormed through their semi-finals at the Westwood Club in
Richmond, Virginia.
 The
two matches were both England-Egypt affairs, with Matthew overcoming
Amr Shabana in just 40 minutes and Ashour taking five minutes longer
to beat James Willstrop.
Matthew played tight, controlled squash to win the opening game but
Shabana responded in spectacular style to take the second with a
succession of dazzling winners.
 However,
Matthew regained control to dominate the third and fourth games to
book his place in the final.
Matthew said: "Amr was unplayable in that second game and you have
to try to restrict his shot-making opportunities or he will destroy
you. It feels great to be in another Richmond final. I'm feeling
good and looking forward to it."
Ashour and Willstrop received a standing ovation from the
enthusiastic Richmond crowd after an incredible display of
shot-making.
 Willstrop
played some superb squash in patches but No.2 seed Ashour was in
extravagant, outrageous form with sensational winners from all over
the court.
Ashour edged the first game but Willstrop wasted game ball in the
second, allowing Ashour to hit back and take the game on a tiebreak.
Willstrop tightened up in the third game and played immaculate
squash to win 11-5. However, Ashour got off to a flying start in the
fourth and although Willstrop clawed his way back to 5-7 with some
fine shots the Egyptian genius closed out the match in spectacular
style.
 Two
weeks ago Ashour joined the demonstrations on the streets of Cairo
but he clearly was unperturbed by any disruption to his training
schedule. He said: "That inspired me so much I didn't worry about
any gap in training.
"I love playing here in Richmond for such a knowledgeable crowd.
They inspire me, too.
"James is always a difficult opponent. He is so skilful and we
always have great matches, so I'm pleased to win and pleased that
the crowd enjoyed it as much as I did."
 Ashour's
meeting with Matthew is a repeat of their showdown in the final of
the first World Series event of the year, the Tournament of
Champions in New York, which the Egyptian won.
Ashour won the NAO title two years ago but was forced to concede in
last year's final because of injury. |
The tournament poster, by Dan Bogosh
Photos by
Patricia Lyons
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Matthew marches into Richmond
semi-finals as injury KOs Palmer
Alan Thatcher reports
 England’s world champion Nick Matthew was given a walkover
into the semi-finals of the $115,000 North American Open when his
Australian opponent David Palmer was forced to retire through
injury.
Matthew, the Sheffield-based world No.1, was trailing 8-9 in a tense
and physical opening game when the two players collided in mid-court
as Palmer tried to chase a ball into the back left corner.
 After lengthy treatment to a twisted ankle, the 34-year-old veteran
announced that he could not continue play in this World Series Tour
event, the second of the year, at the Westwood Club in Richmond,
Virginia.
Palmer said: “I have another tournament coming up soon and it would
be silly to risk it. The ankle swelled up really badly. It’s a shame
because Nick and I were both playing well and it was shaping up to
be a great match.”
 Top seed Matthew, the reigning NAO champion, meets Amr Shabana
in the semi-finals after the No.4 seed overcame Malaysian Azlan
Iskandar in a wonderful match full of attacking squash.
It was so tight that Shabana needed to squeeze home in two tiebreaks
before winning 11-7, 6-11, 12-10, 12-10 in 48 minutes of brilliant
shot-making and phenomenal retrieving.
 No.3 seed James Willstrop maintained his unbeaten record
against England team-mate Peter Barker. In their 12th PSA
Tour meeting, Willstrop recovered after losing the first game to win
7-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 in 49 minutes.
It was a stylish, measured performance and No.3 seed Willstrop will
need a repeat performance in the semi-finals against Ramy Ashour.
The Egyptian genius overcame Gregory Gaultier in a
spectacular finale to the evening.
Gaultier played superbly but Ashour’s speed around the court and a
succession of deadly crosscourt kill shots proved the decisive
factors.
 After clinching a 68-minute victory, with a scoreline of 11-5, 9-11,
11-4, 6-11, 11-8, Ashour acknowledged the contribution of his
opponent. He said: “Greg has been out of action with an injury for a
long time since the World Open and he is back playing better than he
was before.
“That’s why I needed to be so fast, just to get the ball back. He
was playing incredible squash and I am very happy and relieved to be
through to the semi-finals against James. That should be another
great match.”
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The tournament poster, by Dan Bogosh
Watch the ankle ...
Photos by
Patricia Lyons
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23-Feb, Round Two (Bottom):
Ramy's relief as Richards rocks Richmond
Alan Thatcher reports
Rising England star Tom Richards came desperately close to a shock
win over No.2 seed Ramy Ashour in the second round of the North
American Open in Richmond, Virginia.
Richards won the opening game but squandered game ball in the second
and let slip a 9-4 lead in the fourth before the Egyptian maestro
clinched victory 6-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-9.
Richards dominated the opening game and held game ball in the second
at 10-9 but was unable to close it out. Ashour squeezed home 12-10
and from 5-4 down he won the third 11-6.
However, Richards roared back in the fourth and looked set to take
the match the full distance as he led 9-4, but the Egyptian maestro
put together an astonishing run of seven points without reply to
clinch victory.
Ashour said: "Tom played a great game and was ahead in all of the
games. I am a little bit disappointed with the way I played but all
credit to Tom. He played very well. But I will need to play a lot
better in the next round."
Richards said: “I am very disappointed to have lost because I was in
some very good positions in the second and fourth games and should
have finished them off. But in a couple of days I might feel a bit
differently.”
James Willstrop meets England team-mate Peter Barker in the
quarter-finals after both players crushed qualifiers.
Barker took just 28 minutes to beat Malaysian Nafizwan Adnan and
Willstrop took two minutes longer to beat New Zealander Martin
Knight in straight games.
With world champion Nick Matthew already through, the quarter-final
schedule features three Englishmen.
The draw features four outstanding contests, with Ashour facing
Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, who outclassed Finnish No.1 Olli
Tuominen 11-6, 11-6, 11-1.
Matthew meets Australia’s David Palmer, and four-times world
champion Amr Shabana tackles Malaysian Azlan Iskandar, who has
looked impressive this week at the Westwood Club. |
The tournament poster, by Dan Bogosh
Photos by
Patricia Lyons
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SPOTLIGHT ON TOM RICHARDS v
RAMY ASHOUR
 Tom
Richards is one of the rising stars of the game. He played a
great match to beat Egyptian Hisham Ashour in the first round
and tonight he meets his brother, Ramy.
Ramy Ashour won the 2008 World Open and has featured in the past two
Richmond finals. He has met England's current world champion Nick
Matthew on each occasion. Ramy won the 2009 championship match but
had to concede last year because of injury.
He and Nick met in the recent Tournament of Champions final at Grand
Central Station in New York, with Ramy claiming the first "Major"
squash title of 2011.
Although Tom and Ramy have never played each other on the PSA Tour
before, they contested both the British Junior Under-13 Open final
in January 1999, then the Under-15 final two years later in 2001.
Tom and Ramy meet in the third match of this evening's session,
which completes the second round schedule.
Ramy won both times: 9-0. 9-0. 9-0 the first time, and 5-9, 9-1,
9-5, 9-2 the second
It will be interesting to see what a difference 10 years makes!
22-Feb, Round Two (Top):
MATTHEW MASTERS THE DEMONS TO REACH RICHMOND QUARTER-FINALS
Alan Thatcher reports
 World champion
Nick Matthew admitted to “getting the demons out of
my head” after he and Egyptian superstar Amr Shabana advanced to the
quarter-finals of the North American Open in contrasting styles at
the Westwood Club in Richmond, Virginia.
The two are seeded to meet in the semi-finals of this $115,000 PSA
World Series event on Friday.
Matthew, the reigning NAO champion, beat Canadian No.1 Shahier Razik
in straight games, but Shabana had to fight back from 2-1 down to
overcome England’s Jonathan Kemp.
Matthew looked uncomfortable during his first round match with
Julian Illingworth, having complained about a slippery floor, but he
encountered no such problems against Razik, who tried his hardest
slow the game down.
 Matthew won 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 and said: “It was a battle of
contrasting styles. Shahier was trying to slow the ball down and I
was trying to speed things up. He is a very tricky opponent and I
was much happier with the way I played tonight. I was more relaxed
after getting the first match under my belt and I managed to get the
demons out of my head.
“There are so many good players around that competition is always
tough, no matter what round you play in and the pressure is always
on to deliver your best. Sometimes you have to take stock and
remember just how much you love playing this game for a living”
 In the quarter-finals Matthew meets Australian veteran David Palmer.
The former world champion showed that he can still play phenomenal
squash at 34 as he overpowered England’s Alister Walker in four
games, 11-6, 3-11, 11-6, 11-9.
Palmer admitted: “I relaxed a bit at 8-2 up in the fourth and
Alister showed what a dangerous player he is. It was very hard and I
lost the plot a bit in the second game but I’m happy to be playing
well and pleased to be in the quarter-finals.”
 Shabana was forced to battle all the way by Kemp, finally winning
11-8, 13-15, 8-11, 11-7, 11-8 after a brilliantly entertaining match
full of dazzling shots at the front of the court.
Kemp matched Shabana’s magical qualities for most of the match and
recovered well to win the second game tiebreak after trailing 10-8.
He maintained the momentum to win the third and a shock looked on
the cards as he led 3-0 in the fourth. But Shabana showed confidence
and composure in a crisis and strung together a run of points to win
the game.
 At 5-5 in the fifth it was wide open, but Shabana’s experience shone
through as he clinched his place in the quarter-finals.
After the match he was typically gracious to his opponent, saying:
"The way Jonathan has come back from hip and back surgery to
continue his career in squash is a phenomenal achievement.
“Those injuries would have finished the careers of many athletes and
he is a very talented player - always difficult to play against.
"At 5-5 in the fifth I wasn't really worried. I just knew that the
player who would win would be the one who could keep to his game and
not make too many mistakes. Fortunately that was me."
Shabana now meets Azlan Iskandar, who followed up his first round
win over new British champion Daryl Selby by beating German No.1
Simon Rosner. The Malaysian changed his approach after losing the
opening game and simply crushed his opponent 11-1 in the second.
The cool court suited his attack at the front of the court and
Rosner admitted: “I was hopeless. He changed his tactics and got in
front. After that I simply couldn’t get the ball past him to the
back of the court.”
Iskandar admitted: “They weren’t big changes, just a few subtle
alterations. I knew that I couldn't play anything loose because
Simon is such a good player these days that he was able to punish
all my mistakes.
“He has improved so much in the last few months and there are a lot
of guys like him who are putting pressure on the top guys. The cool
court may have looked like it suited my game but I grew up in
Malaysia with 100 per cent humidity so it's not something I'm used
to."
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The tournament poster, by Dan Bogosh
Photos by
Patricia Lyons
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21-Feb, Round One (Bottom):
RICHARDS NEEDS ANOTHER ASSURED PERFORMANCE IN RICHMOND
Alan Thatcher reports
 Rising
England star Tom Richards played some of the best squash of
his career to beat Egyptian firebrand Hisham Ashour in the first
round of the North American Open at the Westwood Club in Richmond,
Virginia.
Now he aims to produce a similar performance against Hisham’s
brother Ramy, the former world champion who is the No.2 seed
in this star-studded $115,000-dollar PSA World Series event.
Richards triumphed 9-11, 15-13, 11-8, 11-7 in 56 minutes of non-stop
attacking squash and both players deserved the ovation from an
enthusiastic audience.
 It
was a similar story in the following match as Ramy overcame Swiss
underdog Nicolas Mueller, the world No.36 from Zurich, in four games
of extravagant shot-making and breathtaking retrieving.
A shock looked on the cards as Mueller took advantage of a string of
errors from his opponent to win the opening game 14-12 on a
tiebreak, but Ashour responded in dazzling style, winning the next
two games 11-5 with an array of winners from all over the court. He
then had to hold his nerve as Mueller fought back in the fourth and
forced the game to another tiebreak. This time Ramy edged home
12-10.
 Richards
is looking forward to meeting the Egyptian maestro and said:
“Confidence is 80 per cent of what this game is all about. I feel
that I am now producing the type of squash that will help me do well
against the top players.
“I knew what to expect from Hisham and definitely came with a solid
game plan in mind and I am pleased that it worked. It was a great
game to play in and I was pleased to hang in at times when Hisham
was going for everything. We all know he can hit nicks from anywhere
in the court.”
 Ramy
was full of admiration for his Swiss opponent and said: “Nic is
improving all the time and one day I am sure I will be playing him
in finals of events like this instead of the first round.
“I often take a while to get my concentration going in the first
round but I was very pleased to get through a very difficult match.
I love coming here to Richmond. It’s a fantastic tournament and I
have been in the last two finals, so I hope I can reach another
one.”
Former world No.1 Gregory Gaultier made an impressive return
to the PSA tour after an injury suffered in last year’s World Open
kept him off court for eight weeks.
He overcame battling Australian Aaron Frankcomb in straight games
and said:
 "I
am so pleased to be back playing. After my injury in the World Open
I was out for two months and I got fed up with sitting on the sofa
putting on weight. I was playing very well at the time I got injured
and there was some great competition between the top five or six
players.”
Gaultier was striking the ball with pace and precision and his
immaculate line and length gave Frankcomb few openings.
Leading English players James Willstrop and Peter Barker
joined compatriots Jonathan Kemp, Alister Walker and world champion
Nick Matthew in the second round after victories.
Willstrop overcame Frenchman Yann Perrin in a scrappy affair while
Barker simply overpowered Egyptian Omar Abdel Aziz.
Both face qualifers in the second round, Willstrop meets Martin
Knight from New Zealand while Barker tackles Malaysia’s
Nafiizwan Adnan, who overcame the volatile Italian Stephane
Galifi in a physical battle.
Galifi received several conduct warnings and was reported after the
match by referee Wendy Danzey for unsporting behaviour.
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Photos by
Patricia Lyons
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20-Feb, Round One, Top:
British champion Selby crashes as Azlan roars
in Richmond
Alan Thatcher reports
New British squash champion Daryl Selby admitted that he was
"feeling flat" as he crashed out of the North American Open first
round to lion-hearted Malaysian Azlan Iskandar.
The London-based Iskander defeated Selby after losing the opening
game, hitting back to win 9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-5 in 60 minutes.
Selby, the No.7 seed from Essex, said he found it difficult to
repeat the fantastic form he showed a week ago to beat world
champion Nick Matthew in the final of the British Nationals in
Manchester.
Selby said: "I have to admit I was feeling a bit flat after winning
the Nationals. It's very difficult to play that well on a regular
basis and Azlan played superbly today. I didn't feel I was doing
much wrong but often felt half a yard off the pace. I guess that's a
sure sign that I was feeling a bit flat. But Azza deserved to win,
definitely. He hardly made a mistake."
Asked about the draw, which paired the world No.10 against the world
No.13 in the first round, Selby said: "I can't have any complaints.
I have benefitted in the past and I am sure these things even
themselves out over the year. I have heard that some fine tuning
might take place to sort out one or two possible anomalies, but I
have no complaints.”
Iskander said that he was fine-tuning his game under coach Peter
Genever in London. He said: "There are no massive changes, just some
subtle adjustments about how you play certain shots. You do the same
stuff all the time but Peter gets you to think creatively about some
subtle differences in playing certain shots.”
Iskander meets Simon Rosner in the second round after the German
No.1 beat Joey Barrington 11-2, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5 in a physical
battle in which Barrington received a conduct warning for remarks
made to referee Wendy Danzey.
 Reigning champion Nick Matthew was almost floored himself in the first
round. He blamed the slippery floor for his flawed performance
against US No.1 Julian Illingworth and needed to show his trademark
resilience to avoid a shock defeat.
The world champion complained of slipping on the recently-painted
court floor as he lost the opening game but he battled back to win
the three tight games that followed.
Matthew, the top seed from Sheffield, eventually triumphed 8-11,
11-6, 11-6, 11-7 in 49 minutes and was relieved to book his place in
the second round.
 Matthew said: "Julian played very well and put me under pressure for
the whole match. The floor was very slippery and I was struggling
badly at the start.
"Julian has come through qualifying and was obviously feeling a lot
more comfortable then I was at the start. He read the conditions
very well and was hitting a lot of hard, low shots that seemed to
shoot through on the floor.
"Julian is constantly improving and has the type of game that could
trouble a lot of the top guys, as he did with me tonight."
Illingworth was pleased with his performance and is doing all he can
to help squash grow in the US. He said: "We have a lot of schools
programs in place that are introducing young people to the sport and
staging major tournaments like this one helps to raise the profile
of the sport in America."
His compatriot Gilly Lane fell in straight games to an in-form Shahier Razik, the Canadian No.1 who meets Matthew in the second
round. Razik won in straight games but had to fight back from game
ball down in the first. He eventually won the tiebreak 12-10 and
managed to close out the second and third by an identical 11-7
margin.
 Former world champion David Palmer powered past Egyptian No.8 seed
Wael El Hindi to book a second round meeting with New York-based
Englishman Alister Walker, who overcame another experienced Aussie,
Stewart Boswell, in four games of high-paced, aggressive squash.
Amr Shabana, the four-time world champion from Egypt, cruised
through against Arturo Salazar but the Mexican earned the accolade
of “shot of the day” for a spectacular diving recovery shot from
behind his back after being sent from the front to the rear of the
court several times in a row. Earlier the Mexican’s brother, Cesar,
lost to a sharp-looking Jonathan Kemp from England.
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Photos by
Patricia Lyons
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19-Feb, Qualifying Finals:
US star Illingworth draws world champion Matthew
US squash star Julian Illingworth's reward for cementing his
domestic supremacy in the qualifying finals of the North American
Open was to draw world champion Nick Matthew in the first
round.
Illingworth overcame US team-mate Chris Gordon in a 71-minute clash,
triumphing 17-15, 9-11, 11-4, 11-9 after a marathon tiebreak in a
28-minute opening game.
It was far from the longest match on a day of brutal battles as the
game's rising stars fought for eight vacant places in the first
round, Mathieu Castagnet of France overcame Australia's Ryan
Cuskelly 8-11, 14-12, 11-8, 9-11, 11-9 in 122 minutes.
And Malaysian Nafizwan Adnan was not far behind with his
11-9, 8-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-6 victory over Egyptian Karim Abdel
Gawad taking 101 minutes.
Another Frenchman, Yann Perrin, recovered from two-one down
in games to beat Australia's Zac Alexander 13-11, 9-11, 8-11, 11-6,
11-7 in 92 minutes. Perrin meets No.3 seed James Willstrop of
England in the first round.
19-Feb, Qualifying Round One:
Gordon & Illingworth Boost US Interest In North
American Open
US interest in the main draw of the North American Open will be
doubled after Christopher Gordon and Julian Illingworth
set up an all-American qualifying finals clash.
New York-born Gordon despatched Pakistan's Arshad Iqbal Burki in
straight games in the first qualifying round.
But US number one Julian Illingworth was taken the full distance by
Kamran Khan before beating the Malaysian son of the legendary
Jansher Khan. Khan, the 20-year-old world No80, twice led in the
89-minute marathon - but Illingworth, the New York-based 27-year-old
ranked 40 in the world, maintained his focus to close out the match
7-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-8, 12-10 in the longest battle of the day.
Gordon and Illingworth will now resume their domestic rivalry to
fight for a place in the main draw to join Philadelphia wild card
Gilly Lane in the first round.
Australia earned the lion's share of the places in the qualifying
finals, with Hobart's Aaron Frankcomb, New South Welshman
Ryan Cuskelly and Queenslander Zac Alexander all safely
overcoming first round opponents.
Mexican Cesar Salazar took a step closer to joining his twin
brother Arturo in the main draw when he upset higher-ranked Czech
number one Jan Koukal 11-9, 11-1, 11-7. The 23-year-old world No59
from San Luis Potosi will now face Hungarian Mark Krajcsak
for a place in the first round. |
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World's Leading Squash Stars Renew Rivalry In
Richmond
World champion Nick Matthew will be seeking revenge from his
great rival Ramy Ashour next week in the North American Open,
the PSA World Series Gold event which is being staged at the stylish
Westwood Club in Richmond, Virginia.
The two players enjoyed a series of phenomenal battles last year as
they competed for the world number one ranking position.
That rivalry was renewed in the first major PSA World Series event
of the year in January, when the mercurial Egyptian Ashour triumphed
over Englishman Matthew in the final of the JP Morgan Tournament of
Champions in New York.
Now the world's leading players are heading to the USA for the
second 2011 World Series event. The $115,000 championship takes
place from 20-26 February, with qualifying on 18-19 Feb.
Defending champion Matthew is looking forward to returning to
Richmond. His maiden victory in the tournament last year helped
propel him to the world number one ranking status for the first time
in his career, in June 2010, and provided the springboard for a
sensational season of achievements.
 "Reaching
the number one spot in the world rankings was one of the main goals
I set myself last year," said the 30-year-old Englishman. "Winning
the World Open and achieving a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games
in India were the others - and there is no doubt that winning in
Richmond helped that process.
"Winning matches and winning tournaments gives you the confidence
you need to succeed. There is no doubt that the NAO is up there
among the greatest tournaments in the world, and that is a special
tribute to a dedicated team of people who make it happen every year.
"All the players look forward to going to Richmond," Matthew
continued. "They know they will be well looked after, the
hospitality and the administration is first class, and we are all
looking forward to playing in a new venue at the Westwood Club this
year."
Top seed Matthew is preparing to lock horns again with Egyptian
genius Ashour. The duo have shared the world number one ranking for
the past year and have featured in the past two Richmond finals,
Ashour winning in 2009 and Matthew triumphing last year.
Despite Matthew's ascendancy for most of 2010, Ashour began 2011 in
style by winning the sport's first "Major" of the year, the JP
Morgan Tournament of Champions, staged at Grand Central Terminal in
New York.
Despite the distractions of a revolution back home in Egypt, Ashour
produced a focused performance to regain the title he had won in
2009.
Now free of injuries, Ashour is also determined to regain the
Richmond trophy. He dedicated his triumph in New York, his 19th PSA
World Tour title, and the 13th World Series crown of his career, to
the people of Egypt, where squash ranks second only to soccer in
popularity.
Ashour said: "The really good thing about New York was that I was
moving well and in touch with my body. I was so happy to be feeling
good again and moving so well on court. Nick moved me to a lot of
corners in the final."
Matthew, who has also returned to the fray fitter and stronger after
a shoulder injury two years ago, was also pleased that Ashour was
injury-free. He said: "It is good to have Ramy back on the tour. He
is a much more exciting player to watch than I am."
New British national champion Daryl Selby, who produced the
most sensational performance of his career to beat Matthew in
Sunday's final, faces Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar in the first
round, with a seeded quarter-final against four-times world champion
Amr Shabana of Egypt.
Gregory Gaultier is another new national champion making his
Tour return in Virginia. The fifth seed won his fourth French
national title at the weekend - and will face a qualifier in the
first round in Richmond before a likely quarter-final clash with
Ashour.
The tournament wild card is US international Gilly Lane from
Philadelphia. He faces Canada's leading player Shahier Razik
in the first round, with the winner due to face top seed Matthew in
the second round.
Ashour meets rising Swiss star Nicolas Mueller, who was
promoted into the main draw following the withdrawal of England's
Adrian Grant.
The tournament features the new PSA seeding system, which has thrown
up some tremendous first round clashes, including Australia's former
world champion David Palmer against New York-based Egyptian
Wael El Hindi.
With several qualifiers drawn together in the bottom half of the
draw, a guaranteed second round place for at least two lower-ranked
PSA members.
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