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ROWE British Grand Prix PREVIEWS |
08-Sep-11:
Nick Matthew leads home charge
at ROWE British Grand Prix ...
Yorkshire's world number one Nick Matthew will be leading
the home charge at this month's ROWE British Grand Prix
Championship, the biggest squash event this year in the UK which
will take place at the National Squash Centre in Manchester from
19-25 September.
The ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2011, the fourth of the
nine PSA World Series championships in 2011, has attracted a
star-studded field featuring 16 of the world's top 20 players,
including six former world number ones and seven Englishmen
ranked in the world top 30.
 "It
always means a lot to win any event, especially one which is at
home at somewhere you are comfortable and have a lot of fond
memories," said Matthew, the reigning World Open champion and
double Commonwealth Games gold medallist on the eve of playing
on the spectacular ASB all-glass showcourt at the National
Squash Centre, where he won the British Grand Prix in 2006 as
well as a number of other prestigious titles including three
British National Championships and the second of his two British
Open crowns in 2009.
"I hope the crowds will spur us on in the week."
 The
31-year-old from Sheffield is expected to face Egyptian rival
Ramy Ashour in the final. It was the 23-year-old from Cairo
that Matthew succeeded as world No1 in January after two
successive victories in 2010.
But Ashour, the world No2 had the upper hand in last month's
Australian Open final - and, more painfully, later in the month
in the final of the World Team Championship in Germany where
Egypt went on to take the title.
"It always hurts to lose, especially for England at the world
teams," Matthew recalled. "I felt the pain of the boys and I
felt as world number one I could have led from the front and got
them off to the perfect start - so I was very disappointed
there.
 "But
in terms of the losses to Ramy, I have been away and have done
my homework with my coach and trainer and we have looked at what
I need to improve on - not only for Ramy but for my game in
general.
"It's exciting that there's still a lot to improve after all
these years and the successes along the way," admitted the first
Englishman to top the world rankings for six years.
But, after being overwhelmed by the vociferous German crowds
attracted by last month's World Team Championship in Paderborn,
Matthew made a plea to the spectators planning to attend the
ROWE British Grand Prix.
 "What
we notice on tour is how the Egyptians always get cheered to the
rafters in the Middle East, which makes them play better -
whereas in the UK the crowd reaction is more polite for both
players," explained the Yorkshireman.
"Now I'm not criticising the British crowds, as they are by far
the most knowledgeable and respectful in the world - but for the
sport to move forward in this country and gain more exposure we
really need to be creating an atmosphere like the one we saw in
Germany at the world teams.
"It's up to the promoters and players to encourage this as
well."
Matthew begins his 2011 ROWE British Grand Prix campaign against
German wild card Jens Schoor.
The top seed will want to make up for the disappointment of
being forced to withdraw from last year's championship after
being taken ill on the eve of the event.
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Full Draw
Qualifying at Wolverhampton
The qualification rounds will be held at Wolverhampton Lawn
Tennis & Squash Club on Fri 16th and Sat 17th September.
Matches start at 12:00 noon on the Friday and at 5:30 pm on the
Saturday. Entry is free for all spectators.
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17-Aug-11:
Matthew Bids For
Revenge In Manchester
England's Nick Matthew will be after revenge when he
competes in next month's ROWE British Grand Prix Squash
Championship, the fourth and latest PSA World Series
championship of the year in Manchester.
Matthew, the world number one from Sheffield, is expected to
face title-holder Ramy Ashour, the world No2 from Egypt,
in the event's final on the spectacular all-glass showcourt in
Manchester.
After twice leading his Egyptian rival in last week's final of
the
Viridian Australian Open - the third PSA World Series event
of the year - Matthew went down in five games in his first loss
to Ashour since January.
 "I
was disappointed with the fifth - it just ran away from me and
sometimes he can get on a run of points in the blink of an eye
and before I knew it he was five, six, seven, eight and I
couldn't stop the rot," said the 31-year-old World Open champion
and double Commonwealth Games gold medallist.
"But I am looking forward to getting stuck back in in
Manchester," added Matthew. "It's one of my favourite venues in
the world - the England team regularly train there and I have
enjoyed a number of important title successes on that court.
"And the Manchester crowds are amongst the best in the world -
and this will be a huge boost."
Matthew begins his 2011 ROWE British Grand Prix campaign against
German wild card Jens Schoor. The top seed, England's
first world number one for six years, will want to make up for
the disappointment of being forced to withdraw from last year's
championship after being taken ill on the eve of the event.
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Full Draw
Qualifying at Wolverhampton
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Full Draw
Matthew
Schoor
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06-Aug-11:
Matthew lines up against Wild Card
in ROWE British Grand Prix draw
England's world number one Nick Matthew will line up
against wild card player Jens Schoor in the first round
of the ROWE British Grand Prix Squash Championship in
Manchester, according to the draw revealed today by the PSA.
The ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2011, one of the year's
nine PSA World Series championships, will take place at the
National Squash Centre in Manchester from 19-25 September.
Top seed Matthew, who recently became England's first world
number one for six years, will want to make up for the
disappointment of being forced to withdraw from last year's
championship after being taken ill on the eve of the event.
Schoor, the German number two who is ranked 86 in the world,
will be making his second appearance in the championship.
But Matthew will have to overcome a number of significant
hurdles as he heads to his predicted place in the final on
Sunday 25 September. The 31-year-old from Sheffield is expected
to face his England team-mate Peter Barker, the No7 seed
from London, in the quarter-finals before a likely battle with
fellow Yorkshireman and England No2 James Willstrop, last
year's runner-up, in the semis.
Matthew and Willstrop, the fourth seed from Leeds, have
contested a number of dramatic encounters on the world stage,
including last year's Commonwealth Games and World Open finals -
but none perhaps more memorable than the final of the 2009
British Open on the spectacular ASB all-glass showcourt in
Manchester, where both players had match-balls before Matthew
ultimately prevailed 12-10 in the fifth after 122 minutes!
And Matthew's opponent in this year's final is expected to be
Egyptian rival Ramy Ashour, the world No2 from Cairo who
is the title-holder.
Ashour, one of six former world number ones in the British Grand
Prix field, opens his 2011 campaign against a qualifier - before
a predicted quarter-final clash with top-ranked Frenchman
Gregory Gaultier, the sixth seed who won the British Open
trophy on the same court in 2007.
An all-Egyptian encounter between Ashour and third seed Karim
Darwish is the anticipated semi-final in the lower half of
the draw.
But world No3 Darwish has one of the toughest first round
matches - against Manchester-based Australian Stewart Boswell,
the former world No4 who has 20 Tour titles to his credit.
Another surprising first round clash thrown up by the PSA's new
more open draw policy - where only a quarter of the players in a
draw are seeded - has fifth seed Amr Shabana, the
four-time World Open champion who topped the world rankings for
an impressive 33 months, taking on fellow countryman Hisham
Ashour, the world No13 and highest-ranked player to face a
seed in the opening round.
Matthew, Willstrop and Barker will be joined by a number rising
stars of English squash in the ROWE British Grand Prix draw,
including Essex's Daryl Selby, the reigning British
National champion who is set to make his world championship
debut for England in Germany this month; world No18 Adrian
Grant, winner of the Commonwealth Games Men's Doubles gold
medal with Matthew; Jonathan Kemp, the world No22 from
Halifax; and Tom Richards, the world No25 from Surrey.
The ROWE British Grand Prix, for the second year the biggest
event to be held in England, will be the fourth PSA World Series
event of the year, following this month's
Australian Open in Canberra.
Full Draw
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29-Jun-11:
Champion Ramy Ashour
Confirms ROWE British Grand Prix Entry
 World
number two Ramy Ashour, the top-ranked Egyptian and one
of the most exciting players in the world, will defend his title
in September's ROWE British Grand Prix Squash Championship in
Manchester.
The ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2011, one of the year's
nine PSA World Series championships and the biggest event to be
staged in the UK in 2011, will take place at the National Squash
Centre in Manchester from 19-25 September.
Two years after becoming one of the youngest ever World
Champions at the venue in October 2008, Ashour returned to the
National Squash Centre last September to win the 2010 ROWE
British Grand Prix in style - beating home hope James Willstrop,
the world No4 from Yorkshire, in a four-game final.
It was in August 2004 that Ashour first came to worldwide
attention: The 16-year-old stunned the squash world by becoming
the youngest ever World Junior Champion when seeded only to make
the quarter-finals. Two years later he successfully defended his
title in New Zealand to become the first man in history to win
the world's leading junior title twice.
And Ashour's World Open win in Manchester three years ago made
him only the second player in history - after the Pakistan
legend Jansher Khan - to win both the junior and senior world
crowns.
Cairo's "King of Squash", now aged just 23, has already notched
up 20 PSA World Tour titles - and in January 2010 topped the
world rankings for the first time.
"Ramy is one the game's most exciting players, who attracts
crowds wherever he plays," said Paul Walters, CEO of event
promoters internationalSPORTgroup.
"I am delighted that he has confirmed his entry for the 2011
championship, where he is set to renew his rivalry with Nick
Matthew, the Englishman who replaced him as world number one at
the beginning of this year."
18-May-11:
World No1 Nick Matthew
Confirms ROWE British Grand Prix Entry
 England’s
world number one Nick Matthew has confirmed his entry to
September’s ROWE British Grand Prix Squash Championship in
Manchester.
The ROWE British Grand Prix – Manchester 2011, one of the year’s
nine PSA World Series championships and the biggest event to be
staged in the UK in 2011, will take place at the National Squash
Centre in Manchester from 19-25 September.
Matthew, the 30-year-old from Sheffield who last June became the
first Englishman to top the rankings for six years, is delighted
to be returning to the National Squash Centre.
"It's my favourite venue and I am really looking forward to
playing there again,” said the illustrious Yorkshireman.
The venue, which was built to host the 2002 Commonwealth Games
Squash Championships, has been the scene of numerous Matthew
triumphs. In February 2010, he won his third British National
title on the spectacular all-glass show court – and a few months
earlier he followed his remarkable success in 2006 when he
became England’s first British Open champion for 67 years by
winning the world’s most prestigious title for a second time at
the NSC.
He previously won the British Grand Prix in Manchester in 2006,
the same year that he won the British Open and the British
Nationals.
But it was at the 2010 ROWE British Grand Prix that Matthew was
struck down by food-poisoning on the eve of the event’s first
round in Manchester.
“My experience last year will make my return to Manchester this
year even more fulfilling – particularly with the fantastic
crowds which events there always attract.
“And to play on that court as the world number one will be extra
special,” added Matthew. “I can’t wait!”
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