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NEWS |
18-Feb-10:
MATTHEW AND WILLSTROP SET TO CLASH
IN CANARY WHARF
 English
squash stars Nick Matthew and James Willstrop are
destined to continue their explosive rivalry in the semi-finals
of the ISS Canary Wharf Squash Classic next month.
World No.2 Matthew is top seed in this prestigious PSA World
Tour Five Star event to be staged at Canary Wharf’s spectacular
East Wintergarden venue from March 22-26.
Willstrop has won the event three times but Matthew, currently
enjoying the best form of his career, is determined to claim his
first title.
The two players have already met twice this year, with Matthew
gaining the upper hand each time. He clinched the Swedish Open
final when Willstrop was forced to retire with a shoulder injury
and the Sheffield-based Matthew retained his National
Championship title in Manchester on Sunday when he overcame
Willstrop in straight games.
It was Matthew’s third National title in a row - having missed
2007 and 2008 through injury - and he would love to add Canary
Wharf to his list of domestic triumphs, which includes two
highly-prized British Open successes, the last against Willstrop
on the same Manchester court last year.
Matthew said: “All the players look forward to playing at Canary
Wharf because it is such a great tournament, and it’s about time
I won it.
“It is a brilliant venue and the crowds are always very
knowledgeable and enthusiastic. That kind of atmosphere brings
the best out of the players and it’s time I put in a major
performance.”
Matthew meets a qualifier in the first round and will have to
overcome a scheduled quarter-final against France’s former world
champion Thierry Lincou before his seeded meeting with
Willstrop.
 The
Leeds-based Willstrop began the year in sensational style by
winning the Tournament of Champions in New York, beating the
illustrious Egyptian trio Karim Darwish, Amr Shabana and Ramy
Ashour in the process, a stunningly unique achievement in
modern-day squash.
With the senior Egyptians deciding to give the English winter a
miss, Frenchman Gregory Gaultier is No.2 seed at Canary
Wharf and another major competitor seeking his first ISS title.
Gaultier meets a qualifier in the first round and faces a fierce
clash with Australia’s reigning champion David Palmer in
the quarter-finals.
Willstrop, who lost to former world champion Palmer in last
year’s Canary Wharf final, faces his Pontefract team-mate
Saurav Ghosal from India in the first round.
Willstrop is seeded to meet the in-form Essex star Daryl
Selby in the quarter-finals. Selby has enjoyed a fantastic
run of form in recent weeks with victories over Gaultier and
Essex team-mate Peter Barker.
Barker, the current world No.7 and No.4 seed, faces wild card
Adrian Waller, a fellow Londoner, in the first round with a
scheduled quarter-final against England’s No.7 seed Alister
Walker or Pakistan’s Aamir Atlas Khan.
The sole Egyptian in the main draw is talented teenager Tarek
Momen, who meets Selby in the opening round. |
TICKETS
Full Draw |
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