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Shabana Celebrates World Open Hat-Trick In Bermuda
Howard
Harding reports...
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RESULTS: Endurance World
Open Squash Championship, Hamilton, Bermuda
Final:
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [2]
Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 11-7, 11-4, 11-6 (42m)
Following an impeccable
display of near faultless squash on an all-glass court at the Fairmont
Southampton Resort in Bermuda, Egypt's world number one Amr
Shabana beat France's Gregory Gaultier, the world No3, in straight
games in the final of the Endurance World Open Squash Championship to
become only the fourth player in history to lift the world title for a third
time.
The triumph marks Shabana's 20th
PSA Tour title and, after lifting his fourth successive PSA Super
Series trophy in under five weeks, it also his extended his unbeaten run
to 20 matches.
Second seed Gaultier, who only
24 hours earlier had been in devastating form to crush England's world No5
Nick Matthew in straight games, took a 4-1 lead in the first game.
But it turned out to be the
only lead the 24-year-old from Aix-en-Provence had in the match as left-hander
Amr Shabana took control of the encounter, playing a succession of sensational
winners to record his historic 11-7, 11-4, 11-6 victory in 42 minutes.
Shabana's brilliance could not
have been better demonstrated than by the championship-winning rally in which
Gaultier played a seemingly irretrievable shot - which the Egyptian
miraculously returned before smashing the ball out of the Frenchman's reach to
clinch the title.
"I came to Bermuda three years
ago and was blown away," the new champion told the packed and passionate crowd
of near capacity 1,400 spectators - from the island's total population of
60,000! "This is the perfect model of how squash tournaments should be."
Complimenting the hosts, led
by Tournament Director Ross Triffitt, Shabana later told journalists:
"With organisers like Ross, there's no reason why squash can't become a major
sport."
In paying tribute to his
opponent, Shabana said: "Greg is a true champion. But I was able to stop him
today. In the second game, I played like a dream. You can only play like
this once in your life."
When asked if he had thought
he could win the four titles in a row that he did - the World Open preceded by
the Saudi International, Qatar Classic and Hong Kong Open
since the end of October - the Egyptian replied: "When I am seeded one, I try
and win each match at a time - and then when I get into a run, I try and keep
winning.
"I don't think I have ever
played as well as today," added Shabana. "To beat Greg after the way he has
been playing this week - he beat everybody 3/0 - I had to play the best squash
of my life.
"And, of course, he beat me in
front of my home crowd in Egypt in the World Open last year," Shabana
recalled.
It was a downcast Gaultier
that tried to find words to describe his feelings: "I am very disappointed,
to be sure. But I felt heavy, almost overweight, after the first four points
- and just couldn't move, even though I tried to push myself.
"He played so well tonight -
and in the end I just didn't know what to do. I tried hard and didn't want to
give up. But it just wasn't my day.
"Maybe I was putting too much
pressure on myself. I will just have to refocus.
"But I will get this trophy
soon - that's for sure," added the Frenchman who was celebrating his 25th
appearance in a PSA Tour final.
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Willstrop Survives Second Marathon In Bermuda
Howard
Harding reports...
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RESULTS: Endurance World
Open Squash Championship, Hamilton, Bermuda
2nd round (bottom half of
draw):
[7] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [Q]
Omar Mosaad (EGY) 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 (46m)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt
[12] Mohammed Abbas (EGY) 3-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 (91m)
[6] John White (SCO) bt [13]
Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-10 (3-1), 11-6 (76m)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt
Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) 11-4, 11-8, 11-4 (26m)
For the second time in
successive rounds, England's James Willstrop came back from the dead
in the Endurance World Open Squash Championship in Bermuda to
overcome his opponent in a five-game marathon in the flagship $175,000 PSA
Tour event at the island's Fairmont Southampton Resort.
The fourth seed battled to a
93-minute win over Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema in the first round -
then again recovered from two games down in yesterday's second round to beat
Egypt's 12th seed Mohammed Abbas 3-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8,
11-5 in 91 minutes.
"It was almost a carbon copy
of my last match," said Willstrop, the 24-year-old England number one from
Yorkshire now in his third World Open quarter-final. "I started rusty and he
was really on his game."
Abbas, the 12th
seed from Cairo, started strongly, keeping Willstrop on the move, hitting a
better length and killing the ball at every opportunity. Willstrop was
struggling to get into the groove, but halfway through this first game he
showed true sportsmanship when awarded a let by the referee to the surprise
of Abbas. Willstrop came off court to explain that he was asking if Abbas's
ball was down, not for a let. The ball was judged good, and the let was
cancelled. The spectators cheered his honesty.
The Englishman began to show
his class in the third game as he edged ahead and began to increase in
confidence. At 10-5 game ball he lost four consecutive points - but finished
it off in style after a crowd-pleasing rally.
The outcome still remained
close through the fourth although it was clear that Willstrop was 'slowly but
surely' taking charge of the match. He cruised through the decider to earn
his popular win - dampened only by the fact that the glass floor was a
constant problem in Bermuda's humid conditions.
"I'm thrilled that I'm
through and to be playing tomorrow. The floor though was a real problem. We
both sweat a lot and at times it was almost unplayable," said Willstrop.
His next opponent is England
team-mate and fellow Yorkshireman Nick Matthew, the No7 seed who also
beat an Egyptian, qualifier Omar Mosaad 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 in the first
match of the session on the spectacular all-glass court housed in a massive
marquee with seating for 1,400 spectators.
"These were tough
conditions," said Matthew, from Sheffield, afterwards. "In that humidity, it
was hard to even hold your racquet, never mind your footing. The floor is
playing true; it's just the sweat. You need to make sure you're stepping up
at the right time. I could have done a little bit more to stretch him and
get a better lead. That's what you have to do against the better players.
Tomorrow night it really fires up and, hopefully, I can play at the next
level."
The other quarter-final
decided by the last two second round matches will pitch France's second seed
Gregory Gaultier, runner-up last year, against Scotland's John
White, the sixth seed who was the beaten finalist in 2002.
White twice had to come from
behind to oust Malaysia's 13th seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar
7-11, 11-5, 7-11, 11-10 (3-1), 11-6 in 76 minutes.
"If Willstrop v Abbas was a
nail-biter, this was as close and exciting as it gets," said event spokesman
Roger Sherratt. "White had great support from a highly partisan crowd
because of his long association with Bermuda. He was never in contention in
the first game, but gave his supporters something to cheer as he came back to
win the second."
Their joy was short-lived
when Iskandar took game three, and raced to an early 3-0 lead in the fourth.
It was all even at 8-8 but, after taking the next point, Iskandar sent White
to all corners of the court in a vain attempt to save match point. 10-8 for
Iskandar and one point needed to proceed to the quarters. This was a crucial
time in the match and a highlight of the whole evening as both players threw
themselves around the increasingly slippery floor. A series of brilliant
rallies saw White save two match balls despite going down full length as he
tripped over an outstretched Iskandar for a let call. At 10-all, Iskandar
inextricably hit two consecutive tins to concede the game.
White played at his best in
the decider and never looked to be in trouble as he claimed his popular
victory.
"I had it under control -
from the last point!" joked White later. "Physically, I felt okay. It was
just the change of pace. I hadn't played at that pace for some time. He's
quick, he takes the ball early and he was on his game volleying everything.
Once I slowed it down he started hitting tins, like at match ball for him he
hit two easy tins. In the fifth I got some rallies going and let him make
the mistakes. I think it was the change of pace that did it for me."
In the final match of the
day, Gaultier cruised to an 11-4, 11-8, 11-4 win in just 26 minutes over
unseeded Egyptian Hisham Mohd Ashour.
"If I want to be fresh in the
later rounds, I don't want to waste time," said Gaultier, succinctly. "I
really wanted to finish it off as quickly as possible. I feel fine, very
fresh. I stay focused. Tomorrow is another match," added the 24-year-old
world number three from Aix-en-Provence.
Quarter-final line-up
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [5]
Thierry Lincou (FRA)
[3] David Palmer (AUS) v Alex
Gough (WAL)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) v
[7] Nick Matthew (ENG)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v
[6] John White (SCO)
Follow the
action from the PSA World Tour live on WWW.PSALIVE.TV
- the Professional Squash Association's official webstreaming service.
Enjoy live action, replays, download archive matches and enjoy exclusive Live
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Issued on
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Kemp Captures First Seed Scalp In Bermuda World Open
Howard
Harding reports...
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RESULTS: Endurance World
Open Squash Championship, Hamilton, Bermuda
1st round (top half of draw):
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Renan
Lavigne (FRA) 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9 (54m)
[10] Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt
James Stout (BER) 11-5, 11-3, 11-4 (25m)
[5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt
[Q] Julian Illingworth (USA) 11-5, 11-3, 5-11, 11-0 (42m)
[Q] Jonathan Kemp (ENG) bt
[15] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4 (49m)
[3] David Palmer (AUS) bt [Q]
Shawn Delierre (CAN) 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 (24m)
[11] Peter Barker (ENG) bt [Q]
Bradley Ball (ENG) 8-11, 11-8, 11-10 (3-1), 11-5 (76m)
Alex Gough (WAL) bt [8] Lee
Beachill (ENG) 4-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-4, 11-5 (74m)
[9] Wael El Hindi (EGY) bt [Q]
Eric Galvez (MEX) 9-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-10 (3-1) (99m)
On the opening day of main
draw action in the Endurance World Open Squash Championship in
Bermuda, it was English qualifier Jonathan Kemp that caused the
first upset when he defeated Malaysia's 15th seed Ong Beng Hee
in the first round of the $175,000 flagship PSA Tour event in the
island's capital Hamilton.
The Opening Ceremony had all
the pomp and ceremony that the tiny British colony could muster, with a
Proclamation from the City of Hamilton Town Crier, stirring music
provided by the Band of the Bermuda Drum Corps - and Bermuda's Premier
and Minister of Tourism, Dr The Hon. Ewart F Brown formally declaring
the Championships open.
After winning the first two
games against Beng Hee, the 27-year-old world No18, Kemp eased back and
started to make careless errors, going for tight shots. The 26-year-old from
Telford in Shropshire went down 0-7 and started to get back into the game,
pulling back eight points before dropping the game.
But Kemp, who in three
previous World Open appearances had never before progressed beyond the first
round, regained his authority to record a notable 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-4
victory in 49 minutes.
"Bengy and I are good friends
and we train together a lot - it sort of felt like a practice match,"
explained the jubilant England No6 afterwards. "I managed to keep up the pace
while he was a bit sluggish. In the first game it was tough - nip and tuck
all the way until 8-8 and then I managed to put it away. The second was still
tight but I was always just ahead. I think the pace made the difference. I
tried to play as fast as I could and keep him behind me."
Kemp, the only qualifier to
survive the first day of first round action, will now face former champion
Thierry Lincou, the fifth-seeded Frenchman who beat sole US
representative Julian Illingworth.
"I had a knee operation last
summer and I'm just beginning to get back into the shape I was in before the
injury," Kemp continued. "Right now I feel fantastic. I have a day off and
then play Thierry. Being in the last 16 of the World Open and playing
Thierry: That's why we play squash!"
Illingworth, a qualifier, put
in a courageous performance against the experience Lincou. The first US
player to appear in a World Open, 23-year-old Yale graduate Illingworth took
the third game against the former world number one before Lincou ultimately
prevailed 11-5, 11-3, 5-11, 11-0 in 42 minutes.
"In the third game, it was a
lot more him than me," said Illingworth, the three-time US champion. "I got
into it, got my confidence up, a few shots came off - and we had a few not so
tough rallies so I was able to start running again. He started to pull back
but I managed to put it away.
"He's physically strong, and
he's very good at just bumping you a little bit. I've only played two in the
top ten - him and (David) Palmer - and they both play the same way. I was
satisfied with my performance. It's always good to play these guys. It's my
first time in Bermuda and it was great to qualify. Everything else was
gravy. Overall, I'm very pleased."
Later, on the all-glass show
court, veteran Welshman Alex Gough pulled off another impressive upset
when he beat England's Lee Beachill, the eighth seed and runner-up to
Lincou in 2004. Gough, the 36-year-old British Open O35 champion
playing in his tenth World Open since making his debut in 1996, twice came
from behind before recording his notable 4-11, 11-8, 5-11, 11-4, 11-5 triumph
in 74 minutes.
"Lee normally gets into a
groove before attacking like he did in the first, and I got a bit panicked,"
conceded Newport-born Gough later. "I knew he was still carrying an injury
and I had it on my mind for the first three games, then I starting hitting
better length and keeping him out of the middle. Once I was able to move him
around I could finish the rally.
"It's not like him to make so
many errors at the end of a match. I've had a good couple of weeks training
and got myself a little bit fitter. Now I'm looking forward to Tuesday."
Gough will face Egypt's
Wael El Hindi, the ninth seed who saved match balls in the fourth and
fifth games before coming through the longest match of the day against
qualifier Eric Galvez. The 24-year-old from Puebla, who became the
first Mexican to reach the main draw of a World Open, twice led the
experienced Egyptian before El Hindi prevailed 9-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-10 (2-0),
11-10 (3-1) in 99 minutes.
Outstanding 1st round matches:
[14] Olli Tuominen (FIN) v [Q]
Omar Mosaad (EGY)
[7] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Joey
Barrington (ENG)
[12] Mohammed Abbas (EGY) v
Cameron Pilley (AUS)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) v
Laurens Jan Anjema (NED)
[13] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS)
v Shahier Razik (CAN)
[6] John White (SCO) v [Q]
Alister Walker (ENG)
[16] Adrian Grant (ENG) v
Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v
[Q] Daryl Selby (ENG)
Follow the
action from the PSA World Tour live on WWW.PSALIVE.TV
- the Professional Squash Association's official webstreaming service.
Enjoy live action, replays, download archive matches and enjoy exclusive Live
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Issued on
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Injury Woes Strike Bermuda World Open
Howard
Harding reports...
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 Injury
problems have caused three seeds to withdraw from the Endurance World Open
Bermuda 2007 Squash Championship, the $175,000 PSA Tour event
which gets underway on the island on Sunday (25 November).
Ramy Ashour,
the world No2 from Egypt, is the highest-ranked casualty. The 20-year-old
from Cairo injured his left foot in the Qatar Classic earlier this
month. A calf injury has also led to the withdrawal of compatriot Karim
Darwish, the world No8.
Spain's Borja Golan
will also miss the PSA Tour calendar's most important event after sustaining
an injury in last week's Santiago Open at his home club. Furthermore
Englishman Stacey Ross, the world No41, has also pulled out of the
2007 World Open.
“It is a terrible shame that
Ramy, Karim, Borja and Stacey have been forced to withdraw under these
circumstances," said Tournament Director Ross Triffitt. "Our
sympathies go out to them, as it is never good news to hear of a player
suffering an injury and I’m sure they will be disappointed to be missing the
World Open Championship.”
A revised draw has elevated
France's world No3 Gregory Gaultier, winner of this year’s British
Open, to No2 seed. English players also benefit - with James
Willstrop promoted to fourth seed, and Nick Matthew and Lee
Beachill acquiring seedings within the top eight - at 7th and
8th, respectively. Furthermore, Londoner Adrian Grant
becomes the 16th seed.
These changes have the effect
of bringing Canada's world No27 Shahier Razik, France's world No28
Renan Lavigne and England's Joey Barrington, the world No29, into
the main draw.
It also means a change of
opponent for Bermuda’s wild card entry James Stout, who is now drawn
against 10th seed Stewart Boswell, the former world No4
from Australia. They will play the second match on Opening Night, Sunday
25th November.
"It is not unusual for
several players to have to drop out major championships due to injury because
squash is an exceptionally physical game demanding tremendous fitness," added
Triffitt. "In order to compete in the World Open, these players really have
to be at the peak of fitness.
"Players have started
arriving on the Island, and current World Open champion - David Palmer
of Australia, who makes his second home in Bermuda - has already visited the
venue and declared it to be spectacular. The 1400-seat specially-built
temporary see-through stadium sits on the magnificent Fairmont Southampton
hotel property overlooking Horseshoe Bay and the Island’s picturesque South
Shore.
For more information about
the Endurance World Open Bermuda 2007 Squash Championship, check the
official website at
www.squashworldopen.com
Revised 1st round draw:
[1] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Renan
Lavigne (FRA)
[10] Stewart Boswell (AUS) v
James Stout (BER)
[5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v
Qualifier
[15] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) v
Qualifier
[3] David Palmer (AUS) v
Qualifier
[11] Peter Barker (ENG) v
Qualifier
[8] Lee Beachill (ENG) v Alex
Gough (WAL)
[9] Wael El Hindi (EGY) v
Qualifier
[14] Olli Tuominen (FIN) v
Qualifier
[7] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Joey
Barrington (ENG)
[12] Mohammed Abbas (EGY) v
Cameron Pilley (AUS)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) v
Laurens Jan Anjema (NED)
[13] Mohd Azlan Iskandar
(MAS) v Shahier Razik (CAN)
[6] John White (SCO) v
Qualifier
[16] Adrian Grant (ENG) v
Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v
Qualifier
Follow the
action from the PSA World Tour live on WWW.PSALIVE.TV
- the Professional Squash Association's official webstreaming service.
Enjoy live action, replays, download archive matches and enjoy exclusive Live
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Issued on
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