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03-Nov, Finals:
Shabana, David crowned
Qatar Classic champs
TOP seed Nicol David of Malaysia trounced USA’s fifth seed Natalie
Grainger 9-6, 9-4, 10-9 to claim her second successive title in the
women’s final of the Qatar Classic squash tournament at the Khalifa
International squash tournament here tonight.
Later in the men’s final, top seeded Egyptian and world No 1 Amr Shabana
got the better of fourth seeded Frenchman Gregory Gaultier 11-4, 8-11,
11-6, 11-5 in 52 minutes, for his maiden triumph in Doha, after 12 years’
appearance in various tournaments here.
While Shabana collected the winner’s purse worth QR 60,681, David earned
QR 40,330 for her effort.
Meanwhile in the women’s final, David’s triumph helped her complete a
treble of wins in Doha, which is now proving to be her favourite hunting
ground after her gold medal winning effort at the 2006 Doha Asian Games
and the victory in the postponed event of the 2006 Qatar Classic held in
April this year.
With her second success in the Qatar Classic, David joined the exclusive
club of two-time winners in the event which include Australian Sarah
Fitzgerald and Vanessa Atkinson of Netherlands.
The 24-year-old from Penang was pleased with her display in the final.
“Getting back to winning ways is always a good feeling,” she said.
“I think the crucial factor that swung the match in my favour was that I
kept attacking despite Natalie growing in confidence and picking up points
in the third game. Eventually it paid off for me and I won the match,”
said David, who will now head to the Hong Kong Open to be held from Nov
5-11.
Grainger praised David for her fine performance. “Nicol (David) deserved
to win the match and it is a great comeback for her after the
disappointments at the British Open and at the World Open,” she said.
“I had a chance in the third game but failed to capitalise on the
opportunity. I am thrilled to know that I am pushing the top three players
in the world and also because I am back in a major tournament final.”
David proved difficult to handle for Grainger in the opening two games
with her ability to emerge on top in the rallies as well as winning the
big points with intelligent placements and superior anticipation.
Time and again, the Amsterdam-based David dug into her vast repertoire of
strokes to convincingly shut out her rival in the match.
The only occasion when there was a semblance of resistance from Grainger,
the 2003 Qatar Classic winner and the reigning Pan American Games
champion, was in the third game.
Trailing 4-8, Grainger improved on her returns to cut the deficit to 8-7
before equalising at 8-8. But after forging ahead 9-8, Grainger allowed
David to bounce back into contention with a touch drop and draw level at
9-9.
Later with a superbly executed low backhand shot, David wrapped up the
match at 10-9, to spark celebrations among the sizeable Malaysian
expatriate fans at the venue.
Meanwhile, the men’s final winner, Shabana was relieved that his trip this
time to Qatar had earned him a worthy reward. “This is a good tournament
and I have always wanted to win here. It is nice that I have achieved it
now,” he said.
“My stamina levels were ideal and good early rounds gave me a boost. I
came here staying focused and to play my best. I am happy it has worked
out well for me,” he added.
Following a closing ceremony featuring a performance by artistes from
China, Qatar Squash Federation (QSF) president Nabeel Ali bin Ali gave
away the trophies to the winners. Mohamed Jassim al-Kuwari, QSF assistant
general secretary and tournament director was also present.
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02-Nov, Shabana Interview:
Shabana craves
Olympic recognition ...
WORLD No 1 Amr Shabana of Egypt has slammed the sport’s governing body,
the World Squash Federation (WSF), for failing to market the sport
properly and not doing enough for its inclusion in the Olympics.
In an exclusive interview, Shabana said though the efforts have been
encouraging in recent times, the campaigning for the sport’s inclusion in
the Olympics should have started much earlier.
“The sport has been around for over a century but it is only in the
past few years that we have noticed a drive by the governing body for
gaining Olympic recognition,” he said.
The 2012 London Olympics will have only 26 sports after baseball and
softball were axed from the programme. Though squash and karate were
nominated as replacements, neither sport polled the two-thirds majority
required to gain Olympic recognition at an IOC meeting held in Singapore
in 2005.
The sport’s best chance for the long-held dream of Olympic recognition now
appears to be at the 2016 Olympics.
“The sport has grown vastly in recent years and at the top it is highly
competitive with very little separating the players. If we are a sport
struggling to become an Olympic sport the blame lies entirely with the
governing body,” said Shabana, who assumed the world No 1 ranking in April
2006.
“There was a time when I was very eager to compete at the Olympics. But
now since those hopes have been dashed I don’t worry about it any more.”
He also stated that though the sport figures at the Pan-American Games,
Asian Games, Commonwealth Games, World Games and in the All Africa Games,
the lack of sufficient publicity is reflected in the prize money at
various tournaments.
“It is only in the Middle East that the rewards are high. The prize money
is not much in Europe and in the Americas and the organisers in these
continents should consider events in the Middle East as a benchmark,” he
explained.
“The healthy competition in increasing the prize money between organisers
of tournaments in Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait is of great help to the
hardworking players,” said Shabana, who won the World Open in 2003 and
2005.
“The fact that I am at the top is because I was introduced to the game at
the age of six and grew up idolising world champions, Peter Nicol of
England and Canadian Jonathon Power and could play against top players
very early in my career. I plan my schedule for the year in advance and
increase the intensity of my training during major tournaments,” he
revealed.
Asked about his closest challengers, he said it was a wide pool. “Anybody
in the top 50 can prove difficult opponents on a given day as all the
players are making the best use of state-of-the-art facilities and
techniques available today,” he said.
“This is exactly the reason why I never underestimate my opponents. There
are no easy early rounds in a competition these days. Everybody is focused
on raising their levels.”
He also felt that it was much more difficult to stay on top these days due
to intense competition unlike in the past. “During the period when
Jahangir Khan and Jansher Khan dominated the scene the gulf in standards
was huge. Then it was only a handful of players at the top with the others
way behind.
“In the present scenario all players know each others strengths and
weaknesses and can beat you at any time,” he said.
Asked about the emerging talent from Egypt, he said the quality was high
as all the players were based in Cairo. “Club competitions are easy to
arrange and everybody has access to playing high calibre players without
travelling much.”
He also mentioned that as well as Ramy Ashour, the other players with
exciting potential were Wael El Hindi, Mohamed Abbas, Karim Darwish, and
Omar Mosaad.
Shabana mentioned his 2005 World Open win in Hong Kong as the most
memorable moment of his career. “I played the best squash of my life in
the final against Australian David Palmer,” he reminisced. “Motivation is
sometimes a problem. But I try to find reasons to enjoy myself on the
courts,” he said.
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01-Nov-07, Quarters:
David,
Grainger in women’s final, Shabana, Gaultier
to clash for men’s crown ...
TOP seed Nicol David of Malaysia survived a scare before overcoming
Australian third seed Rachael Grinham 9-7, 0-9, 2-9, 9-5, 9-1 to reach the
women’s final of the Qatar Classic squash tournament at the Khalifa
International squash complex here yesterday.
In the summit clash on Saturday, David will meet USA’s Natalie Grainger,
the fifth seed, who also rallied magnificently from a two-game deficit to
win her five game semi-final duel against England’s fourth seed Tania
Bailey 1-9, 0-9, 9-6, 9-4, 9-1.
In the men’s final, top seed Amr Shabana of Egypt will face fourth seed
Gregory Gaultier of France, who put it across Egyptian ninth seed Karim
Darwish 7-11, 12-10, 11-8, 8-11, 11-5. Shabana beat Australian third seed
David Palmer 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 in the first semi-final lasting 47 minutes.
Earlier in the women’s semi-final, David, the defending champion staged a
remarkable recovery after trailing 1-5 in the fourth game.
The reigning World Open champion, Grinham, after losing the opening game
won the second and third and appeared well poised to pull off an upset
victory and a repeat of her British Open triumph this year over world No 1
ranked David. But the 24-year-old from Penang reaped the fruits of her
never-say-die spirit, forcing her opponent to commit errors and equalising
at 5-5, before taking the fourth game at 9-5.
Jolted by the fourth game loss, Grinham failed to get going in the fifth
as David after having conquered one of the difficult moments of her career
continued with her growing confidence and won the match.
“I am delighted to be in the final particularly after beating Rachael
(Grinham) and this is definitely an important victory,” said a beaming
David.
“She produced some stunning shots and played unbelievably. When trailing
1-5 in the fourth my aim was to keep pushing and I always felt that it is
never over until it is over. I got one point and thereafter I made it 5-5
and kept the pressure, forcing her to commit mistakes.
“For a long while in the match she was controlling things and I really had
to produce something special which I managed to do in the latter half,”
she added. “She beat me in one tournament and now I have beaten her here.
It is a great result,” said David, referring to her loss to the older of
the Grinham sisters in the British Open.
“I will be focusing on a good start in the final irrespective of the
opponent.” she added.
Grinham was dejected with her performance. “I think I lost my
concentration towards the end and I am obviously disappointed,” she said.
“Leading 5-1 in the fourth, I am not sure what really happened but I feel
I tried to finish things too early. I think it is a combination of me
rushing things a bit and she regaining her confidence,” added Grinham.
Earlier, David used crisp placements and backhand drops to take a 7-3 lead
in the opening game but Grinham cut the deficit rapidly, before the top
seed took the first game at 9-7.
The second game saw Grinham coming into her own with swift court coverage,
excellent shot making and having an answer for everything unleashed by
David while winning at 9-0. In the third, Grinham displaying swift
reflexes maintained the tempo and pocketed the game at 9-2.
But with the crowd cheering every moment of the revival in her game, David
used an assortment of low backhand shots, low kills and placements to
clinch the fourth and fifth games, and place herself in line for her
second successive title in Doha.
Meanwhile, Shabana was pleased to be in the final of the tournament. “It
is a great feeling to have reached the final after 12 years of
participation,” said Shabana. “Today’s match was definitely my best
performance in this week’s tournament. I had to be really focused to get
past a tough opponent like Palmer,” he said.
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01-Nov-07, Quarters:
Grainger wins Natalie battle; Darwish stuns Lincou
AMERICAN fifth seed Natalie Grainger pulled off an upset victory over
Australian second seed Natalie Grinham 9-7, 9-5, 9-4 in the women’s
quarterfinals of the Qatar Classic squash tournament at the Khalifa
International squash complex here today.
In the semi-final, Grainger will take on England’s fourth seed Tania
Bailey, who dropped a game before handing Netherlands’ Vanessa Atkinson a
7-9, 10-9, 9-1, 9-2 defeat. In the other semi-final, top seed Nicol David
of Malaysia will face third seed and World Open winner Rachael Grinham of
Australia, who got the better of sixth seeded Vicky Botwright of England
1-9, 9-5, 9-3, 9-5 in a 41-minute match.
In the men’s semi-finals, Egyptian top seed Amr Shabana will clash with
third seed David Palmer of Australia and French fourth seed Gregory
Gaultier will play Egyptian ninth seed Karim Darwish, who surprised fifth
seed Thierry Lincou of France 11-5, 11-7, 8-11, 9-11, 11-9 in the late
match.
Earlier, Grainger, the 2003 Qatar Classic winner and the Pan American
Games champion displayed tactical supremacy to overcome the younger of the
Grinham sisters in the 35-minute contest.
Grainger was delighted with her performance. “I am glad that I have got
the breakthrough and that I am closing in on the top three players,” she
said.
“The match was about two players with contrasting styles of play, While
Natalie is quicker on the court, I am a much more powerful player keen to
dominate in the middle. My game plan for the match worked well. “I have a
good record against Tania (Bailey) and I am aiming for a victory,” she
said about her semifinal opponent.
“I am feeling physically fit and much better than I was four years ago. I
still have around five years of my career left and I hope to achieve
triumphs in the British Open and at the World Open,” she said about her
career goal.
After taking an early 4-1 lead in the opening game, Grainger improved her
returns to surge ahead 7-5, but Grinham cut the lead and drew level at
7-7. But Grainger raised her performance to take the game at 9-7.
In the second game, Grainger was unsparing and continued to dictate terms
before pocketing the game at 9-5 and later ook the third at 9-4.
Earlier, women’s defending champion, David prevailed over England’s Alison
Waters 9-7, 9-1, 9-2 in a match lasting 36 minutes.
“In the opening game, I was not hitting all that well and that allowed her
lots of room to do whatever she wanted in the front and gain points,” said
the 24-year-old from Penang.
“In the second game, I put pressure and prevented her from volleying
leading to her committing errors and thereafter I had it easy,” she said.
“I am eagerly looking forward to the semifinal,” said David, who will be
seeking to avenge her defeat to Rachael Grinham during their last meeting
at the British Open final.
In the men’s quarterfinals, Shabana was a 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 victor over
Malaysian Ong Beng Hee, who had stunned Egyptian eighth seed Wael El Hindi
in the second round.
“It is a good feeling to be in the first ever semifinal in Doha and after
tomorrow I hope it will be my first ever final here,” he said.
“I knew that after a tough match against Wael (El Hindi), he was bound to
be stiff and that if I got a good start I would be comfortable.
“There are no easy early rounds any more and I think I have played well in
this tournament so far,” he added. “Whoever the opponent is, I wish them a
long and tough match in the semifinal.”
In other quarterfinal matches, Palmer won a five-game thriller against
England’s sixth seed James Willstrop 4-11, 11-7, 11-7, 3-11, 11-8 in 74
minutes, Gaultier downed seventh seed Nick Matthew of England 12-10, 9-11,
12-10, 6-11, 11-9. |
Grainer beats Grinham
Lincou ousted by Darwish
David prevails over Waters
Shabana in first Doha semi |
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31-Oct-07, Round Two:
Palmer
powers past
Grant to reach quarters
WORLD No 4 David Palmer of Australia raised his levels when it mattered to
overcome the challenge of Britain’s Adrian Grant 11-3, 11-8, 9-11, 11-8 to
reach the men’s quarterfinals in the Qatar Classic squash tournament at
the Khalifa International squash complex tonight.
In the last eight, Palmer will take on sixth seeded Englishman James
Willstrop, who defeated Finland’s Olli Tuominen in straight games 11-8,
11-8, 11-8. In another match, Malaysia’s Ong Beng Hee stunned Egyptian No
8 Wael El Hindi 11-8, 7-11, 12-10, 9-11, 14-12 in a 112-minute encounter
to set up a meeting with world No 1 Amr Shabana. Shabana trounced 12th
seeded countryman Mohamed Abbas 7-11, 11-10, 11-5, 11-7 in a 38-minute
match.
The other players to enter the quarters were England’s Nick Matthew,
British Open champion Gregory Gaultier and 2004 Qatar Classic winner
Thierry Lincou of France. The last spot will be taken by the winner of the
late match between second seeded Egyptian Ramy Ashour and compatriot Karim
Darwish.
In the women’s section, defending champion Nicol David of Malaysia, the
Grinham sisters Rachael and Natalie of Australia, England’s Tania Bailey,
Vicky Botwright and Tania Bailey, American Natalie Grainger and
Netherlands’ Vanessa Atkinson sealed spots in the last eight.
Earlier, Palmer after taking the opening game with ease at 11-3, took a
7-5 lead in the second with quick finishes and fine placements. As the
game grew in intensity both players had to be calmed by the referee for
disputing decisions. Palmer thereafter employed low shots and deceptive
drops to win at 11-8.
The third game witnessed an interesting battle as the world No 20 ranked
Englishman cut down on his errors to level at 5-5 before going up 10-8 and
then clinching the game at 11-9. But Palmer, the 2002 and 2006 World Open
winner, regained his composure in the fourth game taking a 8-5 lead and
thereafter proved too much to handle for his rival, wrapping up the match
at 11-8.
 “I am happy with my performance. I started strongly in the first two games
but suffered a loss of concentration and lost the third,” said Palmer.
“The conditions were definitely tough. I felt the air conditioners were
not cooling adequately leading to the court getting slippery, steamy and
the ball skid off the side walls,” he said.
“It is one of my favourite courts so I was a bit surprised. I am happy
that I could concentrate well in the last game and win,” he said. “It is
definitely an amazing feeling to have reached the quarterfinals as I am
still recovering from a hamstring injury.”
“I am happy with my build-up for the World Open. I hope to be playing for
the next two years or until I enjoy it,” he added.
England’s Willstrop who defeated Finland’s Tuominen to make the
quarterfinal stage said he was delighted to have come out on top in three
well contested games.
“I have engaged in tough battles with Palmer in the past so I am eagerly
looking forward to the match,” he said, about his quarterfinal opponent.
Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Beng Hee who got the better of El Hindi
attributed his victory to not allowing his rival to play his normal game.
 “Wael likes to keep the ball in control and in the middle but I did not
allow him his usual style of play,” he said.
“The fact that he also lost his cool disputing decisions quite often
worked in my favour,” he added.
“I will be playing my normal game in the quarterfinals. I feel the
pressure will be more on the top ranked player,” said Beng Hee, referring
to his quarterfinal meeting with Shabana. |
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30-Oct-07:
Shabana, David cruise
into second round
TOP seeds Amr Shabana of Egypt and Malaysia’s Nicol David made a bright
start to their campaign registering comfortable victories in the first
round of the Qatar Classic squash tournament at the Khalifa International
squash complex yesterday.
Shabana prevailed over Spain’s Borja Golan in straight
games 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 in a 29-minute contest in the men’s section and
David had a 9-3, 9-3, 9-3 win over Mexico's Samantha Teran in the women's
section.
Shabana was delighted with his display in the first match. “It is a good
feeling to have won against a tough opponent. These days there are no easy
matches in the first round. Each player is highly competitive and one
cannot afford to drop guard,” he said.
“I hope to beat my training partner Mohamed Abbas in the second round,” he
added.
Later defending champion and second seed Ramy Ashour of Egypt overcame
qualifier Chris Ryder of England 11-6, 11-4, 11-10 in 27 minutes.
In other matches, 10th seeded Stewart Boswell of Australia was stunned by
Malaysia’s Ong Beng Hee 9-11, 11-4, 11-8, 7-11, 11-4. New Zealand’s Jaclyn
Hawkes upset seventh seed Omneya Abdel Kawy of Egypt 2-9, 9-0, 4-9, 9-4,
9-4 in the women’s section.
British Open champion and fourth seed Gregory Gaultier of France was a
11-6, 11-6, 11-1 winner against Pakistan’s Mansoor Zaman. Australia’s
Grinham sisters also advanced as World Open champion and third seed
Rachael Grinham got the better of England’s Sarah Kippax 9-7, 9-4, 9-0 and
second seed Natalie downed Netherlands’ Margriet Huisman 9-2, 9-3, 9-0..
Meanwhile, David, the women’s defending champion displayed good court
mobility, agility and emerged on top in the rallies to shut out the
challenge of her opponent in 49 minutes.
After taking the opening game at 9-3, the 24-year-old from Penang who has
won six titles this year continued her fine touch into the second game,
surging swiftly to a 7-3 lead. Thereafter the world No 1 used excellent
backhand placements and drop shots to pocket the game by an identical
margin as the first.
The hopes of the Mexican to stage a comeback in the third were however
dashed as David displayed alacrity and produced astute placements to take
a three-point lead at 6-3 before wrapping up the game and match at 9-3.
David was visibly pleased with her performance.
 “I
am happy to have got through the opening round match. It was an
opportunity to get a feel of the court,” she said.
“There were a couple of good rallies and my opponent played well. But I
was better than her today,” she added.
On the keen three-way rivalry developing between her and the Grinham
sisters, Rachael and Natalie, David said it was healthy.
“Everybody would like to be on top of the world rankings. But as far as I
am concerned I will continue to work hard.. The results are bound to
follow if I stick to disciplined training,” she explained.
Today’s second round matches will begin at 2.00 pm.
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29-Oct-07:
Ashour
determined to defend Qatar Classic crown
World No 2 ranked Egyptian Ramy Ashour has stated that he is
determined to defend his title in the Qatar Classic when main draw action
begins at the Khalifa International squash complex today.
In the postponed event of Qatar Classic 2006 held in April this year,
Ashour triumphed defeating World Open champion David Palmer of Australia ,
8-11, 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 in 66 minutes.
 “The
Qatar tournament is one of the most important and biggest events on the
men's circuit. I am really looking forward to playing to the best of my
ability to claim the top honours,” said the 20-year-old from Cairo.
“I will push as hard as I can as there are a lot of points to be won. If I
can stage a good display, I can move up the world rankings with a chance
to become the top ranked player by the end of the year,” said Ashour, who
became the first player in July 2006 to win the World Junior Championships
twice.
“I am feeling physically fit except for a sprained wrist. But I am sure,
it should be okay by the time I take to the court tomorrow,” explained
Ashour, who has won five titles this year, including the Sheikha Al Saad
Kuwait Open, one of the richest squash events in the world .
Referring to the 11-5, 11-5, 1-11, 11-9 loss to top ranked countryman Amr
Shabana in a 50-minute final of the Saudi International Open squash
tournament on Sunday, Ashour said his opponent was definitely the better
player on the day.
 “I
came pretty close but since he was mentally tougher he played better than
me to win the title. I just did not play my natural game and kept thinking
too much and that is the reason for my loss," he added.
Asked about the prospect of meeting Shabana again in the final, Ashour
said, “It will be a real treat for the crowd if myself and Shabana reach
the final. "I do have a game plan against Shabana if we reach the final,"
he said while declining to reveal his strategy.
Meanwhile world No 1 and top seeded Shabana too exuded confidence about a
good performance in the tournament he has failed to make a mark.
 Shabana
said that as the Qatar Classic had never been a favourite hunting ground
for him, he was keen to make amends.
“I have always lost early in this tournament and I am just hoping that I
get my act together,” said Shabana, who has had victories in the Bears
Stearns Tournament of Champions Open and in the Infor Windy City Open this
year.
Shabana however was guarded in his comments about his first round
opponent. “I have a tough opponent in Spain’s Borja Golan. I am aiming to
do well and will take it match by match in the tournament,” he said.
“I do not want to make ambitious statements at this point of time ...” |
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