|
|
ROWE British Grand Prix
2010
12-20 Sep, Manchester |
|
H2H |
Mon 20th Sep,
Final:
UK time
[2] Ramy Ashour (Egy) bt [5] James Willstrop (Eng)
11-7, 3-11, 11-3,
11-5 (40m) |
|
Ashour Beats Willstrop To
Deny English British Grand Prix Win
"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 the
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 could." |
|
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. |
|
"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."
|
|
Willstrop Survives Marathon
To Make Final
Howard Harding In
Manchester
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
event title.
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.
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. |
|
|
|
Malcolm in
Manchester
Normally the quarter finals of super series events are
guaranteed to provide quality and excitement, but,
unfortunately that was not so at the British Grand Prix in
Manchester.
Amr Shabana had to withdraw after a game, injured, leaving
everybody wondering why he has never won in England - a real
oddity when he has won five Cathay Pacific Opens in Hong
Kong in a row. The other three matches were all 3-0 and two
of them less competitive than might have been expected.
But the semi-finals made up for that.
Gregory Gaultier-James Willstrop
The match was full
of incident, distraction and drama. Willstrop won the first
game well, edged the second to take what seemed a decisive
lead. Gaultier led 3-1 when a heavy collision caused
Willstrop a dead leg and a lump in his calf. With the help
of physio, Jade Elias he was back on court after seven
minutes and recovered from 5-1 down to lead 8-5.
At 9-7 he was two points away from victory, but Gaultier
held together, won the game and then won the fourth
comfortably, after much dispute with referee John Masarella.
At 9 all in the fifth came the most bizarre happening of all
when Gaultier served a fault below the cut-line. Willstrop
converted the match ball without further ado and suddenly it
was all over. It was a high quality match, spoiled only by
some of the distractions.
David Palmer-Ramy Ashour
David Palmer may be nearing the end of his illustrious
career, but there were no signs of deterioration in his fine
performance against the World no. 1, Ramy Ashour. It cannot
be easy maintaining his standards from America, but here he
played extremely well, taking the game to Ashour, who looked
frustrated from time to time at his inability to dominate.
Ashour is the quickest of all starters, but it was Palmer
who won the first game comfortably 11-5 and although Ashour
levelled at one all, Palmer remained in contention, had game
balls to win the third before losing it 13-11.
Nor was he done with and he only lost the fourth 11-9.It had
been a splendid effort by the Australian, who will go to
Delhi much encouraged. Ashour, in his gracious post match
interview, explained how he had to hit many nicks to thwart
Palmer and was full of praise for his opponent, respect it
is called.
Appropriately, just in case it was his last appearance in
Manchester, in view of his outstanding record in the British
Open, tributes were paid to the Australian and the capacity
crowd rose to its feet to acclaim him-a suitable ending to
semi finals night.
 |
|
 |
"You can't help but think about the
friendship when you play someone like that, but I think I was a bit
more ruthless than him today," said Willstrop after his
11-7, 11-5, 11-4 victory.
"There's a lot of respect between both of us," added the
former world No2. "He's extremely quick - in fact, probably the
quickest on the Tour. You have to be very accurate against him."
"To be in the semis of a Super Series event is a pretty good effort.
It feels great – but that's not it; there's a lot more to do. I've
now got to get ready for the next one."
When asked if he was particularly focussed on regaining his England
No1 status, Willstrop said: "To be England No1 is a big thing,
without doubt – but I don't think about rankings.
"But I aspire to achieve what players like Nick (Matthew) and
Ramy (Ashour) do. They're at the top of their game. That's my next
step – and I'm playing well." |
|
Willstrop Waltzes Into Semis
Howard Harding In
Manchester
Hopes of home success in the
ROWE British Grand Prix Squash Championship rest exclusively
with James Willstrop after the fifth-seeded
Yorkshireman beat his Pontefract club-mate and Indian number
one Saurav Ghosal in straight games to claim a semi-final
berth.
It was a dazzling display of master v student as the
experienced 27-year-old from Leeds, ranked six in the world,
despatched the now 24-year-old from Calcutta who honed his
game while earning a first class honours Economics degree at
Leeds University.
Willstrop, winner of the first Super Series event of the
year in New York, is celebrating his fourth semi-final
appearance in 2010.
Ghosal, who was making his Super
Series quarter-final debut, was full of praise for Willstrop:
"He's playing really well – his accuracy is incredible," said the
world No26 from Chennai. "Most of the points I won, I really had to
work hard to get.
"I was with him for two games – and then he really went away. He
came out in the third game firing – playing ridiculou
s shots. I must have said 'great shot' to him about four times!"
On the effect of the friendship when they play each other, Ghosal
explained: "I think it's harder for me than it is for him.
"It was a privilege to play him – I really hope he goes on to win
the tournament."
|
|
|
Willstrop will now face
life-long French rival Gregory Gaultier, the former
world number one who denied the crowd an all-English semi by
beating Daryl Selby, the world No9 from Essex, 11-3,
11-8, 11-5.
Selby was disappointed with his
reversal of form over 24 hours: "I played really well yesterday
to reach the quarters, but I just didn't replicate that today,"
admitted the England international.
"That was half down to Greg playing well and half to me feeling a
bit sluggish. He started the match playing perfect squash – and once
he has that confidence, he's hard to break down.
"His movement is excellent and he's a phenomenal athlete – I've got
tremendous respect for his squash," added Selby, who will now
turn his focus on next month's Commonwealth Games in Delhi. |
|
 "I
have had seven weeks of great preparation and think I am playing
well – in fact I think I am better than I was at my peak," explained
the 27-year-old from Aix-en-Provence Greg Gaultier, who
slumped five places in the rankings just four months after reaching
No1 last November.
"I played really badly earlier in the year – I was really wasting my
capacity. But now I am happy with my life, and I think it shows on
court. I really want to get back to world number one." |
|
"It's a nagging back problem which
I've been aware of throughout the tournament," said the 31-year-old
from Cairo as he grimaced with pain while undergoing physiotherapy
treatment within minutes of leaving the court.
"I felt that if I pushed it hard, I might inflame it. I didn't want
to risk doing any serious damage," Shabana explained. |
|
The other semi-final will
feature Egypt's world No1 Ramy Ashour and Australia's former
world No1 David Palmer.
Palmer faced Amr Shabana, the reigning world champion
from Egypt. The capacity and knowledgeable crowd at
Sportcity were anticipating a high quality clash between two
giants of the game – but were treated to a brief encounter
which lasted just 10 minutes when Shabana offered his hand
to the Australian just two points into the second game. |
|
The final quarter-final was
also short – a 24-minute display in which second seed Ashour
despatched a less-than-fully-agile Frenchman Thierry Lincou
11-3, 11-4, 11-3. By contrast, the exuberant young Egyptian
was positively bubbling with enthusiasm for his performance.
"I feel my age is catching up on me
– some weeks I feel older than others, and this hasn't been a good
week for me," said the 34-year-old from Marseille.
"I have a problem with my left leg and this is restricting my
movement. When my movement is not efficient, I suffer. And Ramy was
playing at such a ridiculous pace, I couldn't do anything,"
explained the forlorn Frenchman. |
|
 "I
was very confident in my play today, but I knew he was not playing
his normal game," said 22-year-old Ashour, who has only spent
70 minutes over his three matches on the Manchester all-glass court.
"But tomorrow will be the biggest test – and if I am in the final,
that will be even bigger!"
|
|
|
Fri 17th Sep, Round Two:
[14]
Saurav Ghosal
(Ind) bt [Q] Chris Simpson (Eng)
4/11, 11/7, 14/12, 11/3 (55m)
[5]
James Willstrop (Eng) bt [11] Stewart Boswell
(Aus)
11/6, 11/9, 11/9 (45m)
[4]
Grégory Gaultier bt [9] Adrian Grant
(Eng)
11/4, 6/11, 11/6, 11/9 (75m)
[7]
Daryl Selby (Eng) bt [10] Alister Walker
(Eng)
11/5, 11/4, 11/9 (61m)
[8] David Palmer (Aus) bt [12] Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak)
11/4, 11/4, 9/11, 11/6 (53m)
[3] Amr Shabana (Egy) bt [13] Hisham Ashour (Egy)
11/7, 11/8, 6/11, 11/4 (38m)
[6]
Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt [15] Ali Anwar Reda (Egy)
11/9, 5/11, 11/7, 11/8 (60m)
[2] Ramy Ashour (Egy) bt [Q] Alan Clyne (Sco)
11/5, 11/7, 11/4 (23m)
|
Draw & Results |
|
 |
Malcolm pops up in Manchester...
 Adrian Grant has
invariably troubled Gregory Gaultier and things were
no different in their second round match in the British
Grand Prix at Sports City Manchester.
Gaultier, seemingly revitalised this season, reaching the
final of the Cathay Pacific in Hong Kong where he lost
narrowly to Ramy Ashour, began sharply as he does and aided
by errors from Grant, won the first game with some ease.
Surprisingly perhaps Grant came out strongly in the second
and levelled matters. Although Gaultier went 2-1 up the
fourth was always in doubt and with the Frenchman making
some errors Grant led 9-7, before Gaultier clinched a
quarter final place.
The match was played with overlong gaps between rallies,
which were at Gaultier's doing and to which Grant rightly
took exception. Frequent lets also rather spoiled what could
have been a decent match.
Stewart Boswell, on
familiar territory in Manchester, and James Willstrop
were next on. They often practise together and there was
scarcely a let in the match.
Boswell still retains high class form and competed all the
way through the match, two games going to nine. But in truth
he never threatened to win and Willstrop looked comfortable
throughout.
He will now face Pontefract clubmate, Saurav Ghosal, the
Indian no.1 reaching his first super series quarter final.
 To get there Saurav
beat Chris Simpson, who had advanced because of Nick
Matthew's enforced withdrawal.
Simpson began slowly and Ghosal won the first game very
easily, perhaps too easily, since Simpson found his stride
in the second as the game lengthened out and drew level at
one all.
The third was close and Ghosal was behind for much of it. He
won it on a tiebreak, though,and as Simpson tired, He won
the fourth and the match comfortably.
He will need to raise his game tomorrow,but as he showed in
his 3-2 loss to Amr Shabana in Hong Kong, he is quite
capable of doing just that. |
Howard Harding
chats to Greg
Gregory Gaultier became one of two Frenchmen to make the last eight
when he beat England left-hander Adrian Grant, the No9 seed. Gaining
revenge for an acrimonious clash on the same court in the Manchester
World Open almost two years ago, Gaultier beat London-born Grant
11-4, 6-11, 11-6, 11-9 in 75 minutes.
"I knew Adrian would be up for it as he's had some good
results - and he would want to play well in front of his home
crowd," said the Frenchman. "I managed to push hard in the fourth to
close the match. I wanted to make him work hard.
"I'm happy to go through. I played really well in Australia and Hong
Kong - that built up my confidence," added the 27-year-old from
Aix-en-Provence who is bidding to return to the form which saw him
reach No1 in the world rankings in November last year.
... And James
"Stewart is not only very good, but experienced too. I know him
pretty well - we train together a lot
When asked what are his goals, Willstrop replied: "Kuwait, Qatar,
India, Egypt," referring to the locations of the PSA Super Series
events which follow the British Grand Prix.
"To win a Super Series event is huge," admitted the 27-year-old
Yorkshireman. "And of course there's the Commonwealth Games, and
finally the World Open," added the former world No2.
Does the current world No6 yearn to reclaim his No2 position - then
move on to become the world's top-ranked player? "I concentrate on
the tournaments - I don't think too much about rankings. Do well in
the tournaments and hopefully the rankings will follow!"
...And Saurav
"It's my first quarter-final in a Super Series event - I am so
happy," said the Calcutta-born 24-year-old who is India's
highest-ranked player of all-time.
"Playing James is always a pleasure. I've learned so much from him.
I'm going to try and play the best I can - hopefully we'll play some
good squash," added the world No26.
|
|
And to finish....
Lincou now lines up against Egypt's new world number one Ramy
Ashour, the 22-year-old from Cairo who ended Alan Clyne's
run with an 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 win over the Scottish qualifier from
Edinburgh.
Ashour will be joined in the quarters by fellow countryman Amr
Shabana, the reigning world champion from Cairo who beat his
older brother Hisham Ashour 11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-4.
Shabana, a four-time world champion, boasts 26 PSA Tour titles - as
does his quarter-final opponent David Palmer, the eighth seed
from Australia who defeated Pakistan's Aamir Atlas Khan 11-4,
11-4, 9-11, 11-6.
 |
|
... While
Howard camps there...
 Daryl Selby, the No7
seed from Essex who broke into the world top ten this year,
was looking for his first Tour win over English rival
Alister Walker after defeats in their two previous Tour
clashes.
And the world number nine finally made his breakthrough with
an 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 win over Walker, the Leeds-based
world No17 from Gloucestershire.
"To get Alister in three games is no mean feat," said the
jubilant 27-year-old. "I want to do well in this tournament,
and if I carry on playing like that, anything can happen."
Selby feels he is back on track after a shock defeat to
lower-ranked fellow countryman Tom Richards in the first
round of the Australian Open last month. "That gave me quite
a kick start as I was playing well - but he played better
and thoroughly deserved the win.
"In hindsight, it perhaps did me some good, as I've been
playing better since then - sometimes you can learn more
from a loss than a win. You can turn a negative into a
positive.
"Perhaps I owe Tom a vote of thanks," added Selby.
 Gaultier will be joined in
the last eight by fellow countryman Thierry Lincou,
the sixth seed who fought for exactly an hour to quash
rising Egyptian Ali Anwar Reda, the 15th seed,
11-9, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8.
The 34-year-old from Marseille has little to prove - having
won the world title and reached world number one in his
illustrious career. "My goal for this season is to qualify
for the Super Series Finals. I need to be consistent and
make a few quarter-finals and semi-finals.
"But I still love the game, and love the training - and I
get great support from my family," added Lincou. "But my aim
isn't to get back to world No1 - I'd like to stay in the top
eight.
"And it would be nice to keep causing a few upsets!" |
|
Day Two Head 2 Heads |
Thu 16th Sep, Round One,
Bottom
Half:
[12] Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak) bt [Q] Amr Swelim (Ita)
11/3, 11/5, 11/7 (23m)
[8] David Palmer (Aus) bt Julian Illingworth
(Usa)
11/3, 11/7, 11/6 (38m)
[13] Hisham Ashour (Egy) bt Rafael Alarcon (Bra)
11/4, 11/6, 9/11, 11/7 (31m)
[3] Amr Shabana (Egy) bt Davide Bianchetti
(Ita)
11/8, 11/7, 11/5 (28m)
[15] Ali Anwar Reda (Egy) bt Campbell Grayson (Nzl)
13/15, 12/14, 11/7, 11/7, 11/8 (75m)
[6] Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy)
9/11, 11/4, 11/4, 11/5 (45m)
[Q] Alan Clyne (Sco) bt [16] Farhan Mehboob (Pak)
11/6, 11/8, 8/11, 5/11, 16/14 (61m)
[2] Ramy Ashour (Egy) bt [Q] Laurence Delasaux (Eng)
11-4, 11-7, 11-5 (23m) |
|
CLYNE OUSTS MEHBOOB
Howard
in Manchester
British interest in the ROWE British Grand Prix Squash
Championship was unexpectedly boosted in Manchester tonight
when Scotland's Alan Clyne claimed the first upset at the National Squash Centre.
The 24-year-old qualifier from Edinburgh took a two-game
lead over 16th seed Farhan Mehboob - but the world
No29 from Pakistan struck back to level the match before
forging an 8-0 lead in the decider.
The flying Scot reclaimed seven points in a single hand,
however, and went on to save three match balls before
finally celebrating a sensational 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 5-11,
16-14 victory after 61 minutes.
"That's definitely my best win ever," said the
Inverness-born world No55. "He's the first top 30 player
I've beaten - and it's in a Super Series event too. It's a
great result!"
Clyne now faces second seed Ramy
Ashour, the new world No1 from Egypt who dismissed
English qualifier Laurence Delasaux, from Hull, 11-4,
11-7, 11-5.
It was third time lucky for Mohd Ali Anwar Reda
earlier when he recovered from two games down to beat
unseeded New Zealander Campbell Grayson 13-15, 12-14,
11-7, 11-7, 11-8 in 75 minutes - the longest match in the
first round.
It was the 15th seed from Egypt's first win in Manchester in
three attempts. "When I was two games down, I thought 'oh
no, not again'," said the jubilant 21-year-old from Cairo.
Reda will line up against experienced Frenchman Thierry
Lincou after the sixth seed from France, one of six
former world number ones in the event, beat Egyptian Omar
Abdel Aziz 9-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-5. |
Shabana on way back
The reigning World Open champion
Amr Shabana also progressed in
straightforward fashion to the last sixteen with an 11-8, 11-7, 11-5
victory over Italian Davide Bianchetti 28 minutes.
The distinguished Egyptian, a four-time winner of the world title
and the world number one for 33 months in a row until December 2008,
has yet to win a title in England – and was reminded of the fact by
tournament MC Andrew Nickeas.
"There are still a few tournaments here – we'll see if it can
happen," quipped Shabana, who boasts 26 PSA titles.
The 31-year-old from Cairo also admitted that he is fighting back to
full fitness after suffering with tendonitis in both knees, coupled
with a back injury.
"I'm on my way back – but I feel I am currently only at about 60%!
It's been about two years now that I've been suffering with injuries
– and my main ambition is to get back my world number one ranking.
But first, I've got to get my health back," concluded the third
seed.
Shabana will meet Hisham Ashour in the next round after
his compatriot, the No13 seed, beat Brazilian Rafael Alarcon
11-4, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7.
Palmer will take on Aamir Atlas Khan, the 12th seed from
Pakistan who defeated Cairo-based Italian Amr Swelim 11-3,
11-5, 11-7. |
|
 David
Palmer speaks to Howard
Eighth seed Palmer, the
34-year-old from New South Wales who slipped to No12 this month to
end a remarkable unbroken ten-year run in the world top ten,
despatched Illingworth, the world No35 from New York, 11-3, 11-7,
11-6 to reach the last 16.
"To win three love on a pretty dead court is not bad," said US-based Palmer after his 38-minute win. "We play a lot in the US.
He's done well – he's dangerous."
The former world No1 and two-time world champion was struck down by
tonsillitis a week before the Australian Open, and was on
antibiotics for a month. "I haven't quite got back to my full
strength. I still feel a bit run down – though my results haven't
been disastrous.
"But I was terrible in Australia," admitted Palmer.
Winner of four British Open titles in England, Palmer now has his
sights on success in the Commonwealth Games in Delhi: "It's my
fourth Commonwealth Games, and I'm pretty proud of that. I've got a
few medals, but I'm still missing the gold!
"It's going to be pretty tough - but I feel, on my day, I can pull
off an upset. I just hope I get my health back."
Ambitions? "I would love to get back into the top eight again – and
also get one more World Open title!" |
|
Wed 15th Sep, Round One, Top
Half:
[10] Alister Walker (ENG) bt [Q]
Ivan Yuen (MAS)
11-4, 11-9, 11-5 (38m)
[7] Daryl Selby (ENG) bt [Q] Robbie Temple (ENG)
11-5, 11-3, 11-2 (38m)
[9] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt Jens Schoor
(GER)
11-4, 11-7, 11-4 (30m)
[4] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt Martin Knight
(NZL)
11-6, 11-2, 11-3 (27m)
[11] Stewart Boswell (AUS) v [Q] Kashif Shuja (NZL)
11-7, 11-2, 7-11, 11-13, 11-3 (57m)
[5] James Willstrop (ENG)
bt [Q] Max Lee (HKG)
11-7, 11-5, 11-2 (26m)
[14] Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Chris Ryder (ENG)
11/6, 11/4, 9/11, 11/8 (54m)
[Q] Chris Simpson
(ENG) bt [1] Nick Matthew (ENG) wo |
|
Qualifying
Round One Head 2 Heads |
Grant Back On Form
In ROWE British Grand Prix Opener
Howard Harding in Manchester
 After suffering the worst experience of his life, causing
him to be hospitalised for six days in Australia, England
international Adrian Grant
was clearly back at his best in today's first round of
the ROWE British Grand Prix Squash Championship in
Manchester where he despatched German opponent Jens
Schoor in straight games.
A high quality field, boasting six world number ones and
seven players from the current world top 10, are in action
at the National Squash Centre in the $92,500 ROWE British
Grand Prix – Manchester 2010, one of ten Professional Squash
Association Super Series events in 2010, and the only PSA
Super Series event to be staged in the UK this year.
It was after winning his first round match in last month's
Australian Open in Canberra that London-born left-hander
Grant was taken ill within an hour of eating an evening meal
with his England team-mates.
"I have never felt so ill – and it came on so suddenly,"
said the Leeds-based former world No9 who was later
diagnosed with severe gastro-enteritis, and spent six days
in hospital where he lost almost a stone in weight.
"It's the worst experience I've ever had - I was in an
absolute mess."
Grant then played at the Hong Kong Open, losing in the first
round: "I was only playing at about 20% - I'd lost all my
muscle strength.
"Getting home in itself was massive – and, with help from
the EIS here in Manchester, I had a really good two weeks,
building my strength back up.
"So my season starts here," said the event's 29-year-old
ninth seed after his 11-4, 11-7, 11-4 win over wildcard
Schoor. "I'm taking this as the first tournament of the
season - and I'm really focussed."
Grant will now face Gregory
Gaultier after the fourth-seeded Frenchman defeated
New Zealander Martin Knight 11-6, 11-2, 11-3.
The 27-year-old from Aix-en-Provence is making a notable
return to form after failing to exploit his world number one
ranking last November, when he slumped to sixth place within
the next four months.
"The most important thing was to get myself back in shape
and get my motivation back," said Gaultier, who became the
first Frenchman to win the British Open title on the same
all-glass court three years ago.
 "I'm looking for good times again – and I feel pretty
confident," added the world No5.
Grant was joined by two fellow Englishmen in the second
round after tenth seed Alister
Walker, from Leeds, beat Malaysian qualifier Ivan
Yuen 11-4, 11-9, 11-5 in the opening match of the day,
and Essex's No7 seed Daryl Selby defeated
Gloucestershire qualifier Robbie Temple 11-5, 11-3,
11-2. |
Matthew Forced To Withdraw
Nick Matthew, the top-ranked Englishman who was hoping to
reclaim his world number one ranking following success in the ROWE
British Grand Prix Squash Championship, was forced to pull out of
the $92,500 PSA Super Series event today less than two hours before
his opening match in Manchester
"During my practice session yesterday afternoon, I felt strange - my
heartbeat was going at about 200 beats a minute – and by the time I
got back to my hotel room I was really shivering," Matthew told the
crowd at the National Squash Centre after seeing the EIS (English
Institute of Sport) doctor in the same building.
"I woke in the middle of the night with a heavy fever and covered in
sweat. I left it as long as I could today before making my decision,
but the doctor has advised me not to play.
"I'm very disappointed to pull out," said the clearly emotional
Yorkshireman. "It's my favourite venue and I was really looking
forward to playing here."
Later Manchester favourite James
Willstrop, the No5 seed who was expected to line up against
his England team-mate in the quarter-finals, pulled away from
seven-all in the first game against Max Lee to beat the Hong
Kong qualifier 11-7, 11-5, 11-2 in 26 minutes.
"I really feel for him - he must be feeling dreadful at the moment,"
said the 27-year-old from Leeds when asked about Matthew. "Nick
being out of the event is obviously a bitter blow for the
tournament, but devastating for him.
"It's the worst thing getting injured - we all feel for him, we know
what it's like!"
Asked about his match against Lee, a 22-year-old making his Tour
debut in Manchester, Willstrop agreed that there are no easy games.
"I had to be on my toes - it was really level at seven-all - there
was not too much of a gap, to be honest."
|
|
From the Stands ... Simon Ho
with the Fans' view ...
Had a great time, atmosphere amongst players and spectators
is good. Players are really approachable, and mingle amongst
us. As it was my first time at a big event, I wasn't sure
what to expect, so it was nice to see.
I chatted to Max Lee, who sat next to me in the stand
whilst Walker was playing Yuen. I made it easier for him by
speaking Chinese, but his English is good, and to Martin
Knight after losing to Greg Gaultier in straight games
...
|
|
First time in
Manchester? "Yes, but I have spent a lot of time in England
over the last two years, first impressions, it's freezing!"
"I've never played James before, but have watched a lot of
him. I just hope to have a good game, play well, and to stay
with him as long as possible" (It got to 7-7 in the first
game).
What next? "Staying in England to train, in preparation for
the Asian Games."
before his match with Willstrop |
"It was a pretty severe loss.
He's in good form, and didn't let me in. Pretty tough."
Looking ahead?
"Commonwealth Games are next. Squad training in Singapore for a couple of
weeks, before heading to Delhi. It's a massive event for squash.
"Haven't seen seedings yet but hope to be top 8, 16, in the singles. We got
4th place in the doubles last time, I'd like to better that." (Partnering
Campbell Grayson)
|
ROWE British Grand Prix 2010
13-20 Sep, Manchester, $92k |
Round One
Top
15 / Bottom 16 Sep |
Round Two
17 Sep |
Quarters
18/ Sep |
Semis
19 Sep |
Final
20 Sep |
[1] Nick Matthew (Eng)
w/o
[Q] Chris Simpson (Eng) |
[Q] Chris Simpson 4/11, 11/7,
14/12, 11/3 (55m)
[14] Saurav Ghosal |
[14] Saurav Ghosal
11/7, 11/5, 11/4
[5] James Willstrop |
[5] James Willstrop
11/7, 11/9, 9/11, 5/11, 11/9
[4] Grégory Gaultier
|
[5] James Willstrop
19.30
[2] Ramy Ashour
|
[14] Saurav Ghosal (Ind)
11/6, 11/4, 9/11, 11/8 (54m)
Chris Ryder (Eng) |
[5] James Willstrop (Eng)
11-7, 11-5, 11-2 (26m)
[Q] Max Lee (Hkg) |
[5] James Willstrop
11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (45m)
[11] Stewart Boswell |
[11] Stewart Boswell (Aus)
11-7,
11-2, 7-11, 11-13, 11-3 (57m)
[Q] Kashif Shuja (Nzl) |
[4] Gregory Gaultier (Fra)
11-6, 11-2, 11-3 (27m)
Martin Knight (Nzl) |
[4] Grégory Gaultier
11/4, 6/11, 11/6, 11/9
[9] Adrian Grant |
[4] Grégory Gaultier
11/3, 11/8, 11/5
[7] Daryl Selby |
[9] Adrian Grant (Eng)
11-4, 11-7, 11-4 (30m)
Jens Schoor (Ger) |
[7] Daryl Selby (Eng)
11-5, 11-3, 11-2 (38m)
[Q] Robbie Temple (Eng) |
[7] Daryl Selby
11/5, 11/4, 11/9 (61m)
[10] Alister Walker |
[10] Alister Walker (Eng)
11-4, 11-9, 11-5 (38m)
[Q] Ivan Yuen (Mas) |
[Q] Amr Swelim (Ita)
11/3, 11/5, 11/7 (22mn)
[12] Aamir Atlas Khan (Pak) |
[12] Aamir A. Khan
11/4, 11/4, 9/11, 11/6 (53m)
[8] David Palmer |
[8] David Palmer
11/3, 2/0 inj.
[3] Amr Shabana |
[8] David Palmer
5/11, 11/6, 13/11, 11/9
(57m)
[2] Ramy Ashour |
Julian Illingworth (Usa)
11/3, 11/7, 11/6 (38m)
[8] David Palmer (Aus) |
Rafael Alarcon (Bra)
11/4, 11/6, 9/11, 11/7 (31m)
[13] Hisham Ashour (Egy) |
[13] Hisham Ashour
11/7, 11/8, 6/11, 11/4[3] Amr Shabana |
Davide Bianchetti (Ita)
11/8, 11/7, 11/5 (28m)
[3] Amr Shabana (Egy) |
Campbell Grayson (Nzl)
13/15, 12/14, 11/7, 11/7, 11/8 (75m)
[15] Ali Anwar Reda (Egy) |
[15] Ali Anwar Reda
11/9, 5/11, 11/7, 11/8 (60m)
[6] Thierry Lincou |
[6] Thierry Lincou
11/3, 11/4, 11/3 (24m)
[2] Ramy Ashour |
Omar Abdel Aziz (Egy)
9/11, 11/4, 11/4, 11/5 (45m)
[6] Thierry Lincou (Fra) |
[Q] Alan Clyne (Sco)
11/6, 11/8, 8/11, 5/11, 16/14 (61m)
[16] Farhan Mehboob (Pak) |
[Q] Alan Clyne
11/5, 11/7, 11/4 (23m)
[2] Ramy Ashour |
[Q] Laurence Delasaux (Eng)
11-4, 11-7, 11-5 (23m)
[2] Ramy Ashour (Egy) |
Mon 13th Sep, Qualifying Finals:
Laurence Delasaux (Eng) bt
Jaymie Haycocks (Eng)
11-8, 11-13, 11-5, 11-3 (57m)
Ivan Yuen (Mas) bt Adrian Waller (Eng)
9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (79m)
Chris Simpson (Eng) bt Siddarth Suchde (Ind)
11-8 11-8 11-4 (52m)
Kashif Shuja (Nzl) bt Matthew Karwalski (Aus)
7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-8 (42m)
Robbie Temple (Eng) bt
Steve Finitsis (Aus)
12-10 16-14 11-4 11-9 (78m)
Alan Clyne (Sco) bt Joe Lee (Eng)
8-11 11-4 8-11 11-3 11-6 (80m)
Max Lee (Hkg) bt Clinton Leeuw (Rsa)
11-8, 11-9, 11-4 (37m)
Amr Swelim (Ita) bt
Christopher Gordon (Usa)
8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 (50m)
12-Sep Qualifying Round One:
Jaymie Haycocks (Eng) bt Stephen Coppinger (Rsa) 1-11, 11-8,
12-10, 13-11 (55m)
Laurence Delasaux (Eng) bt Charles Sharpes (Eng)
11-6, 11-9, 11-8
(42m)
Adrian Waller (Eng) bt Pete Goodings (Eng)
11-7,
11-1, 11-6 (25mins)
Ivan Yuen (Mas) bt Eddie Charlton (Eng)
11-8,
11-8, 11-8 (41mins)
Chris Simpson (Eng) bt Adam Murrills (Eng)
11-2,
11-5, 11-3 (29m)
Siddarth Suchde (Ind) bt Lewis Walters (Eng) 11-7,
11-9, 11-7 (62mins)
Kashif Shuja (Nzl) bt Ben Ford (Eng)
11-7,
11-9, 11-3 (30mins)
Matthew Karwalski (Aus) bt Henrik Mustonen (Fin) 8-11,
7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 13-11 (70m)
Steve Finitsis (Aus) bt Ollie Holland (Eng)
11-4,
11-7, 11-2 (35m)
Robbie Temple (Eng) bt Anthony Graham (Eng)
10-12, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7 (52m)
Joe Lee (Eng) bt Andrew Birks (Eng)
11-9, 11-4, 11-13, 11-6 (63m)
Alan Clyne (Sco) bt Joel Hinds (Eng)
9-11,
11-4, 11-4, 11-5 (57m)
Max Lee (Hkg) bt Shaun Le Roux (Eng)
11-8,
11-7, 11-13, 6-11, 11-2 (84m)
Clinton Leeuw (Rsa) bt Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy)
11-9, 14-12, 7-11, 11-7 (65m)
Christopher Gordon (Usa) bt Richard Birks (Eng)
11-7, 11-4, 11-13, 11-7 (52m)
Amr Swelim (Ita) bt James Snell (Eng)
8-11, 11-4, 12-10, 11-6 (44m)
|
13-Sep:
Qualifying complete in Wolverhampton
It was a good day for the Brits in the British Grand Prix
Qualifying Finals, with half of the eight main draw places
going to home players.
In the opening matches of the night four nationalities took
to the court - England’s Adrian Waller who took the
first game 11-9 before Malaysia’s Ivan Yeun dug deep
to prevail 9-11 11-8 11-8 11-8 in a 79-minute match
characterised by a large number lets. On the adjoining court
New Zealand’s Kashif Shuja overcame Matthew
Karwalski of Australia 7-11 11-7 11-7 11-8.
Third seed Chris Simpson had a relatively straight
forward 3-0 win over India’s Siddarth Suchde but
local interest Jaymie Haycocks, who despatched No.1
seed Stephen Coppinger in the first round, was unable to
repeat the heroics against compatriot Laurence Delasaux
who, having lost the second game, dominated the final two to
close out 11-8 11-13 11-5 11-3.
Second seed Amr Swelim conceded his opening game 8-11
but fought back to win the next two games 11-8 11-6 against
USA’s Chris Gordon. In the fourth trailing at 2-8
Swelim transformed the game with punishing rallies, pushing
his opponent to all parts of the court eventually winning
11-8 to secure his place in the first round, starting on
Wednesday.
Late addition Clinton Leeuw, who had defeated 8th
seed Egypt’s up and coming star Karim Abdel Gawad in the
previous round, could not continue his form losing out to
Max Lee 11-8 11-9 11-4 who claimed one of the remaining
first round draw places in Manchester.
In the longest match of the night, a full 80 minutes, No.4
seed Alan Clyne finally overcame England’s Joe Lee
8-11 11-4 8-11 11-3 11-6. The final match of the evening saw
Robbie Temple, who seemed to have overcome the injury
he sustained in qualification of the Kuwait Open last week,
overcome Australia’s Steve Finitsis who at 1/0 and
11-11 sustained a blood injury, requiring a 27-minute break.
Finitsis went on to win that game 16-14 to equal the match
at 1-1 but Temple fought to take the third and fourth to
secure the final place in the main draw.
Tuesday is a rest day.
|
BGP Ticket competition
Congratulations to David Turner and
Christine Christoffersen,
who win tickets to the finals and semi-finals.
Thanks to everyone who entered - even if you don't go along
you can still watch the action, all 31 matches, on
Squash TV
...
|
|
 |
|
|
12-Sep-2010:
Hero Haycocks Leads Local Hopes
Into Grand Prix Qualifying Finals
Howard Harding reports
Local hero Jaymie Haycocks produced the biggest shock
in the first qualifying round of the ROWE
British Grand Prix when he beat the event's highest-ranked
player Stephen Coppinger in a dramatic 55-minute
encounter at Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis & Squash Club in
Wolverhampton, England.
English players dominated today's action which has
reduced the field to 16 players who will compete in
Wolverhampton for the eight qualifying places available in
the ROWE British Grand Prix, Europe's
biggest squash event this year, the $92,500 Super Series
championships.
Jaymie Haycocks, the world No 101 who has been a
member of the Wolverhampton club for more than ten years,
defeated Coppinger, ranked 57 places higher, 1-11, 11-8,
12-10, 13-11 in 55 minutes.
After the first game dominated by Coppinger, Haycocks slowed
the place and played tight accurate squash producing a
stream of mistakes from the South African's racket. The
fourth game could have gone either way and a controversial
point at 9-9 could have upset the local hero, but Haycocks
held his nerve to close out the match.
The Shrewsbury-born 26-year-old will now face fellow
Englishman Laurence Delasaux, a 25-year-old
Yorkshireman from Hull who beat Surrey teenager Charles
Sharpes 11-6, 11-9, 11-8.
Former England junior international Adrian Waller,
from Enfield, was too strong for local Over 35 player
Pete Goodings, in a game played in good spirit by both
players - whilst Kashif Shuja of New Zealand recorded
an 11-7, 11-9, 11-3 victory over Kent's Ben Ford, who
made the draw following a late withdrawal.
Guernsey's Chris Simpson enjoyed a convincing
straight games win over compatriot Adam Murrills, as
did Australia's Steve Finitsis who defeated
Nottingham's Ollie Holland 11-4, 11-7, 11-2.
Australian Matthew Karwalski recovered from two games
down to beat Finland's Henrik Mustonen 8-11, 7-11,
11-8, 11-8, 13-11 - with both players having served for the
match which lasted a full 75 minutes.
After losing the first game, Scot Alan Clyne got into
his rhythm and ran out a comfortable winner over
Derbyshire's Joel Hinds, whilst Italian Amr Swelim
defeated Devon's James Snell 8-11 11-4 12-10 11-6.
Brothers Andrew and Richard Birks, both of whom play
at Wolverhampton, both took games from their higher-ranked
opponents - but England's Joe Lee went on to beat
Andrew 11-9, 11-4, 11-13, 11-6 and USA's Christopher
Gordon defeated Richard 11-7, 11-4, 11-13, 11-7.
Max Lee of Hong Kong overcame England's Shaun Le
Roux to earn his place in the second round with a hard
fought 11-8 11-7 13-11 6-11 11-2 win - whilst late addition
(due to a no show) Clinton Leeuw of South Africa
caused a further significant upset when he defeated Egypt's
rising star Karim Abdel Gawad 11-9, 14-12, 7-11,
11-7.
In the final match of the night Robbie Temple
defeated fellow Englishman Anthony Graham 10-12, 11-9,
11-7, 11-7 to progress to the next round. |
|
|
|
|
 19-Aug-2010:
English Rivals Set For ROWE British Grand Prix Quarter-Final
Clash In Manchester
The world's top two squash players Nick Matthew and
Ramy Ashour are seeded to meet in the final of the
ROWE British Grand Prix, to be staged at the National Squash
Centre in Manchester from 15-20 September.
But, according to the draw, the standout match in the
biggest international championship to be staged in Europe
this year is likely to be the predicted quarter-final clash
between career-long English rivals Matthew and James
Willstrop.
The $92,500 ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2010 is the
sixth of ten PSA Super Series events in 2010, and the only
PSA Super Series event to be staged in the UK this year.
Matthew, who became England's first world number one for six
years in June, leads a star-studded field which boasts eight
players from the current world's top 10 and five former
world number ones.
Twice a British Open champion, Matthew is enjoying the best
form of his career - and on Sunday beat Egyptian rival
Ashour, ranked two in the world, in straight games in the
final of the Australian Open to clinch his fifth PSA
title in a row - becoming the first player to achieve this
feat for more than five years!
The 30-year-old top seed from Sheffield in Yorkshire is
scheduled to face second seed Ashour in the final on the
spectacular all-glass court in Sportcity on Monday 20th
September - but the knowledgeable Manchester crowd will no
doubt be attracted by the quarter-final prospect of Matthew
taking on fellow Yorkshireman Willstrop, the fifth seed.
The England team-mates enjoy one of the country's biggest
rivalries of all-time. The pair contested the 2009 British
Open final on the Sportcity court - which Matthew won in 122
dramatic minutes after saving a match ball. In February,
back on the same court in the climax of the British National
Championship, Matthew again prevailed to win his third
title.
Matthew opens his 2010 British Grand Prix campaign against a
qualifier and is likely to face India's rising star
Saurav Ghosal, the No14 seed, in the second round before
his mouth-watering last eight clash.
Willstrop, the 27-year-old world No6 from Leeds, also faces
a qualifier in the opening round - with the prospect of a
second round meeting with 11th seed Stewart Boswell,
the former world No4 from Australia who is based in
Manchester.
In the semi-finals, Matthew is expected to meet fourth seed
Gregory Gaultier, the former world No1 from
Aix-en-Provence who made his mark in squash history when he
became the first French winner of the prestigious British
Open title - on the same Sportcity glass court in September
2007.
An all-Egyptian semi-final is predicted in the other half of
the draw where Ashour is drawn to face reigning and
four-time World Open champion Amr Shabana. Third seed
Shabana, who held the world number one ranking for 33 months
until last year, is one of the sport's biggest attractions.
The 31-year-old left-hander from Cairo boasts 26 PSA titles
- but has yet to win a trophy in England. |
07-Apr-10:
British Grand Prix
joins Super Series |
Manchester
have announced that they will host the British Grand Prix
squash championships at the National Squash Centre in
SportCity from the 15th to 20th September.
The internationalSPORTgroup™ British Grand Prix – Manchester
2010, the first event of a pioneering three year agreement
between Manchester City Council and event promoters, will be the first European Super
Series event on the restructured PSA World Tour, boasting
the largest prize money offered by any World Tour ranking
event in Europe.
This latest agreement builds upon a successful partnership
between Manchester and internationalSPORTgroup™ which has
flourished since first staging the British Grand Prix at the
National Squash Centre in 2004, and ensures that a leading
international squash championship will remain in the city
alongside the British National Championships which
Manchester have hosted for the past fourteen years.
The British Grand Prix reinforces Manchester’s ambition to
be recognised as one of the world’s leading squash
destinations, alongside New York, Mumbai, Cairo, Canberra,
Hong Kong, Kuwait City, Doha, and Saudi Arabia.
Eamonn O’Rourke, Head of Leisure, Manchester City
Council, said: “We’re delighted to be hosting the British
Grand Prix for the next three years and we look forward to
welcoming the world’s finest squash players to Manchester
for such a prestigious tournament which will attract
thousands of sports fans to the city.
"Since the highly successful 2002 XVII Commonwealth Games,
Manchester has developed a reputation for hosting world
class events. The British Grand Prix, alongside the National
Championships which have found a home in Manchester for the
past fourteen years, will play a pivotal role in showcasing
the city’s unrivalled squash development programme and
further cement our position as a world class sporting
destination. In addition, this event will support our plans
to once again bring the World Squash Championships to the
City.”
Rebecca Livesey, Interim Chief Executive of
Manchester Sport and Leisure Trust who manage sports
facilities in the City, said: “The National Squash Centre is
regarded as one of the finest purpose built squash venues in
the world and we look forward to welcoming the world’s very
best players back Manchester for another fantastic squash
event.”
PSA Chief Executive Officer Alex Gough echoed the
comments of the hosting city:
"This latest announcement is further proof of Manchester’s
world class sports programme and it is exciting that squash
should be showcased in this way. We saw Manchester host the
Men's and Women's World Opens in 2008 and are delighted that
we are continuing this partnership with such an important
sporting city. We are also working to redevelop the British
Open in a new and unique way, including moving it to April,
and so have both a magnificent curtain raiser and an
exciting finale to the English season."
Nick Matthew, the reigning British National Champion
and a winner of the British Grand Prix title in 2007, said:
“This is a very exciting time for squash and the elevation
of the British Grand Prix to Europe’s leading PSA Super
Series World Tour event is further evidence of the success
of the men’s international circuit and great news for the
players who love playing in front of Manchester’s loyal and
knowledgeable crowds”.
Paul Walters, internationalSPORTgroup™ Chief
Executive Office , concluded: “We are very appreciative of
the continued support of Manchester City Council and are
confident that the British Grand Prix will prove to be a
hugely successful long term addition to the PSA World Tour.
“Furthermore, the proposed dates of the 15th to 20th
September will ensure that this year’s event will be the
last major event prior to the Commonwealth Games in India,
which in turn will further raise media interest and
awareness of the championships,” added Walters.
|
|
|
