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Day ONE at the Wharf 

Qualifying complete, the action moved to the all glass court in the spectacular East Wintergarden setting in London's Canary Wharf tonight.

The tournament opened with an upset win for Finnish qualifier Henrik Mustonen, followed by wins from the second and third seeds, and finished off with a marathon five-setter between the world number 15 and 16.

18-Mar, Round One, Bottom:

[Q] Henrik Mustonen (Fin) bt  Adrian Grant (Eng)
              11/3, 2/11, 11/5, 11/4 (38m)
[3] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt [Q] Adrian Waller (Eng)
               11/7, 11/13, 11/5, 11/6 (57m)

[2] James Willstrop (Eng) bt Charles Sharpes (Eng)
               11/5, 9/11, 11/4, 11/2 (45m)
Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Simon Rosner (Ger)
               11/9, 4/11, 7/11, 11/8, 11/5 (85m) 
 

STATS: Head2Heads, Player Info, CW Performance History

[3] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt
[Q] Adrian Waller (Eng)
               11/7, 11/13, 11/5, 11/6 (57m)

Waller makes Mo work for it

Mohamed El Shorbagy meets Henrik Mustonen in the quarter-finals after seeing off a determined challenge from Londoner Adrian Waller.

The 6ft 3in Waller, ranked 36 in the world, gave a good account of himself and kept the world No.5 on court for almost an hour before the Egyptian powered home in the fourth.

El Shorbagy won the opening game 11-7 in 14 minutes but Waller kept chipping away in the second. He was behind for the first half of the game but after pulling back to 5-5 he never allowed El Shorbagy to move more than one point ahead.

The Egyptian was first to reach game ball at 10-9 but Waller drew level and then held game ball himself. El Shorbagy responded by hitting a flat-nick kill off the serve, and there was more drama as Waller demanded a video review after his opponent hit the ball back down the middle of the court, but the let decision was upheld.

Finally, Waller won the game 13-11 as El Shorbagy hit the tin and the crowd almost lifted the roof off the East Wintergarden.

Waller won the first two points of the third game but the Egyptian drew level. Waller moved 3-2 ahead but El Shorbagy raised his game to dominate the rest of the game, winning 11-5.

The No.3 seed built a 4-0 lead in the fourth and although Waller worked his way back to 4-4 with some brave, attacking squash and brutal retrieving, the tide soon turned. Waller won just two more points as El Shorbagy clinched his place in the quarter-finals.

Shorbagy said: “England and Egypt are the biggest nations in squash and any match between those two countries is a battle.

“Adrian played very well and I hope he gets the support he deserves because players like him are the future of English squash.

“It’s a great feeling to play in front of a full-house crowd on day one. It doesn’t happen in many tournaments but all the players love playing before such a wonderful crowd in such a great venue, and that’s why they love coming back year after year.

“I know everybody was cheering for Adrian tonight but I hope they will be supporting me in the next round.”

After being asked how he felt about being three points away from winning the World Championship in December, he said: “Thanks for reminding me. That hurt so much. If I’d known before the tournament that I would lose after being so close to winning I would have pulled out!”

[Q] Henrik Mustonen (Fin) bt 
Adrian Grant (Eng)
              11/3, 2/11, 11/5, 11/4 (38m)

Mustonen stuns Grant

Henrik Mustonen backed up two superb performances in qualifying to topple Londoner Adrian Grant in the first round on the glass court at the East Wintergarden.

Mustonen appears to be growing in confidence and said “this is one of the biggest results of my career” after beating the world No.17, who was enjoying the luxury of playing a major tournament just a few miles from his home in Dulwich.

The 22-year-old Finn attacked from the start and a nervous-looking Grant was overwhelmed 11-3 in the opening game. Grant is renowned as a slow starter and he turned the tables completely in the second game to win it 11-2.

At the start of the third game it appeared that Grant was ready to take control as he built a 3-0 lead but Mustonen hit back in solid style, dropping just two more points as he won the game 11-5.

A dispirited Grant struggled to get into the match as Mustonen raced to a 6-0 lead in the fourth. At 10-2 Grant captured two quick points but the end of the game soon arrived.

Mustonen’s solid, basic game, coupled with some astonishing retrieving, booked hi ma place in the quarter-finals.

Mustonen told the crowd: “I am happy that I didn’t embarrass myself like I did the last time I played on the glass court here. That was one of the best results of my career.

“It is always difficult for young players who win through to play on the glass court because there are lots of issues that can take you by surprise. Just simple things, like seeing the ball, for example.

“Also, there can be mental issues. You feel happy because you have won two important matches to get through to the main draw, but you have to raise your game again to face a player who is probably much higher in the rankings.”

Daryl Selby (Eng) bt
Simon Rosner (Ger)
               11/9, 4/11, 7/11, 11/8, 11/5 (85m)

Selby sinks Rosner

Daryl Selby had to dig deep to recover from a 2-1 deficit to beat Simon Rosner in one of the toughest first round battles you can imagine.

World No.15 Selby produced some phenomenal retrieving, and delivered plenty of outstanding winners, to wear down an opponent just one place below him in the world rankings.

Selby raced through the first game from 3-2 down and seemed certain to take it as he built a 9-3 lead. However, Rosner produced a similar response to draw level at 9-9 before Selby closed out the game.

Rosner had suffered from numerous unforced errors in the first game but tightened up to win the second 11-4 and the third 11-7.

The fourth game was a huge battle as Selby showed his determination to stay on court in his favourite tournament, cheered on by family, friends and fans.

He continually dug out Rosner’s best shots to frustrate the tall German and a huge roar of relief echoed round the court as he won the game 11-8.

Rosner made too many errors in the fifth as Selby sensed victory and he moved ahead from 3-3 to 8-3 to move within touching distance of a place in the quarter-finals.

Despite a late rally from Rosner, Selby closed out the match to set up another huge battle with No.2 seed James Willstrop a week after beating Nick Matthew in Kuwait.

Selby said: “It’s no secret that this is my favourite tournament, with so many supporters in the crowd, and it’s unusual to have such a closely-matched draw in the first round.

“Simon has been playing well recently and it was always going to be a battle.

“To win here is always a good feeling and I’ve got a day to think about facing James Willstrop in the next round.

“I have a big fat zero against my name in our head-to-head series and it would be nice to get one win on the list at some stage in my career.

“It was good to get the win over Nick in Kuwait. As professionals that’s what we train for.”

[2] James Willstrop (Eng) bt
Charles Sharpes (Eng)
               11/5, 9/11, 11/4, 11/2 (45m)

Wizard Willstrop shakes off Sharpes

James Willstrop, a three-time Canary Wharf champion, dropped a game to wild card Charles Sharpes before asserting his authority to book an expected place in the quarter-finals.

Willstrop, fighting the effects of jetlag after flying backwards and forwards across the planet to the USA and Kuwait before returning to England on Friday, looked in a hurry to get the match over.

The world No.4 from Leeds roared into a 7-2 lead in the opening game and quickly closed it out 11-5.

Sharpes seemed to put aside any first-game nerves as he hit back from 3-1 down to build a 7-4 lead in the second. The crowd really got behind him and despite Willstrop trying his hardest to repair the damage, pulling back to 9-10, it was the Surrey youngster who won the game 11-9.

The effort clearly took its toll as Willstrop powered his way through the thirds and fourth games to clinch victory in 45 minutes of highly entertaining squash.

Afterwards he said; “There are no easy matches at any level, and that is exactly how it should be.

“Young players like Charles are obviously getting support in the right areas and I think he acquitted himself very well this evening.

“Make no mistake, this is foreign territory for young players who are not used to playing on the glass court before a full-house audience like this. It’s a huge thing to deal with.”

Regarding the internet phenomenon that has followed his recent trick shot in the Davenport North American Open, he added: “The response has been truly amazing.

“It took me completely by surprise at the beginning and it more newspapers, TV stations and websites seem to be picking it up every day. I am pleased that it has helped to raise the profile of squash in a very important year for the sport as we seek to win a place in the Olympic Games.”

Willstrop certainly entertained the crowd with several fakes and holds against Sharpes, including one particular gem to win the third game, but he said: “The trouble is, I’m so conscious of doing it that I’m trying to do it too often. I’ve got to get out of the habit of not being sensible.”

With such a hectic travel schedule in recent weeks, Willstrop added: “It certainly plays havoc with your body as you try to deal with the jetlag, but I would rather deal with the problems of playing more matches and having fewer rest days because you are winning than the opposite.”

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