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TODAY at the Kuwait PSA Cup
Framboise reports, Steve clicks away
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Mon 11th, Last Sixteen
Fourteen of the top seeds contested today's third round, as
the quarter-finalists were decided at the Qadsia Club ...
Round Three - Selby stuns Matthew ...
[7] Amr Shabana
(Egy) 3-1 [9] Omar Mosaad (Egy)
11/5, 7/11,
12/10, 11/4 (53m)
[8] Peter Barker (Eng) 3-1 [15] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned)
11/6, 11/4,
11/8 (50m)
[4] Gregory Gaultier (Fra)
3-0 [10] Borja Golan
(Esp)
11/6,
11/3, 11/8 (62m)
[1] Ramy Ashour (Egy) 3-1 [16] Simon
Rosner (Ger)
11/9, 9/11, 11/8, 11/3 (41m)
[3] James Willstrop (Eng)
3-0 [11] Tarek Momen (Egy)
11/7, 11/5, 11/4 (31m)
[13] Daryl Selby (Eng) 3-0
[2] Nick Matthew (Eng)
11/6, 11/6, 12/10 (55m)
[5] Karim Darwish (Egy) 3-1 Mathieu Castagnet (Fra)
12/10, 11/7, 5/11, 11/6 (64m)
[6] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy)
3-0 Ong Beng Hee (Mas)
11/7, 11/6, 13/11 (39m)
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More En Bref:
#3: Nice Hotel, Move Simon, Nick's the only one, and more
H2H (PSA only)
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[7] Amr Shabana
(Egy) 3-1 [9] Omar Mosaad (Egy)
11/5, 7/11,
12/10, 11/4 (53m)
REFS GET SHABANA TO SWEAR
Well, that’s it, I can now retire gracefully, as I’ve seen it
all. I’ve seen/heard Legend Shabana, one of the fairest, if not
the fairest player I’ve ever seen on a court, swear and say the
“F” word right in front of the Refs' noses.
“I had to blow off steam, I was like a kettle about to blow, I
was about to explode, I had to let it out”, he said to me
afterwards.
What happened?
 It
did start with the centre ref fluffing a bit at the start of the
match, nothing bad, just misunderstanding the players, then
giving the wrong decision, then changing again. Honestly nothing
bad, but enough to make the players doubt that the official in
charge knows what he is doing. That’s the most dangerous for the
peace of a game.
We were now in the third game, 6/2 up Shabana, when there was a
call, yet again, like yesterday in Ryan/Daryl’s match, a no let,
that was not in my view anyway, a good call. Shabana seem to
agree with me, he was in his mind simply trying to get to the
ball, Omar is a big guy, in the middle of the way, just a simple
let.
Shabana, already annoyed with a few calls that he didn’t think
were fair/accurate - he'd already complained about the lack of
replays and told the refs "WATCH, you might learn something"
while looking watching the big screen at the side of the court -
went off court, and stated loud enough for the refs to hear (he
was in front of them!) “no video review, this is a f***ing
joke”.
“Conduct stroke for audible obscenity,” went the Centre Ref.
“It’s the first thing you did right today,” Shabana retorted in
a split second.
 He
was now 6/4 up, and at dangerous times, because if Shabs took
the first one rather easily – thanks to too many errors from
Omar – he lost the second not playing his best squash, not
accepting long rallies, and making far too many tins of his own.
Omar, playing an excellent fluid squash crept back to 8/8. 9/9.
And the experience, or rather the lack of it for the contender,
came into play a big role.
His first tin of the game! 10/9 game ball Shabs, who gets it out
of court. 10/10. And again, Omar tins it! 11/10, game ball, no
error for Shabana this time, who now leads 2/1.
In Omar’s head, something must have snapped, because in that
fourth game, he sort of only went through the motions, got wrong
footed so many times, tinned as well. I don’t think he was tired
at all. I guess he thought that he couldn’t find the answer to
Shabana’s questions today.
Oh well, quite an explosive start of the day. Legend Shabana
swearing on court, now I’ve seen it all.
 "The
video system is paramount for the game.
"If we don’t have the video system, then we are in a lot of
troubles. I consider myself as a rather polite player on court,
but if we don’t get the review system in place, there will be
fireworks I tell you.
"Omar was very fair today, I very rarely enjoy being on court at
the moment, and today, I really did, it would have been even
better if the refs had left us play.
"Omar has been improving a lot his movement, he is very fit,
I’ve seen him training, he is doing so very scientifically and
for a big guy, he’s improved immensely, and that’s why he is
creeping top 10 now. I really enjoyed this match with him."
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[8] Peter Barker
(Eng) v [15] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned)
11/6, 11/4,
11/8 (50m)
Barker through in three
Steve reports
Three nil in less than an hour, sounds easy, but it was anything
but that for Peter Barker as he reached the quarter-finals at
the expense of Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema.
 The
rallies were tough from the outset of the match, and if you
looked at a few in isolation you'd have assumed you were looking
at a pretty even match.
Fifteen minutes after they'd started it was 10-3 to the
Englishman and LJ was probably feeling a little hard done by. He
pulled a couple of points back, but too late to save the game.
Barker resumed the second where he'd left off in the first,
marginally on top, keeping his opponent generally under control
and pinned largely to the back of the court, this time taking an
8-1 lead and finishing it off 11-4.
Anjema managed to stem the flow of points at the start of the
third - despite telling the refs he was 1-3 down then they'd
correctly called 2-all, and from 4-all he started to get some
reward for his work as he edged into a 7-4 lead.
A stroke, a careless tin and a lucky nick on the sidewall
brought Barker level, and sensing the finish line he visibly
upped the pace and the effort level. From 8-all he got the
better of three final tough final rallies to put himself into
the quarter-finals.
 "I
knew that it wasn't going to work trying to compete with LJ in a
power contest," said Barker, "I just wanted to be thorough and
make it as tough as I could for him, moving him to the four
corners.
"I did that pretty well for the first two games but he came out
and played well in the third, which could have gone either way,
so I'm happy I was able to push through and take that one.
"I'm pretty pleased with my performance overall, and pleased to
win in three obviously."
"Not sure what to say really, Peter played such a consistent
good game, he is constantly sharper than you, so you are not
going to win any point really… I didn’t think I was playing
badly in the first two games, but now thinking about it, I guess
my basic sharpness, the level of squash I can normally play at,
only really came through in the end, the third.
"I don’t know, it’s weird, I was more comfortable to rally more
with him in that third game instead of absolutely making things
happen, so I wouldn’t call that being more aggressive, but I
guess I must have been.
"It’s all about learning from it…"
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[4] Gregory Gaultier (Fra)
3-0 [10] Borja Golan
(Esp)
11/6,
11/3, 11/8 (62m)
 BORJA
VERY ACCURATE
One typical match where the score doesn’t reflect the intensity,
the length of each game might, 18, 19, 21 m.
Borja’s game was spotless today I thought, and it took Greg’s
top game to shake him off, the battle that went on for the
dominance of the left side was paramount.
Greg’s retrieving saved the day, as Borja attacks were truly
lethal.
A few too many lets in the third game in particular, but both
players working extremely hard, and in a good spirit.
"I was trying to
stay accurate, not doing too much at the front, at a mid pace.
"I would have liked a bit more rhythm probably, less stop start,
but happy to get through in 3 before my match against Peter
tomorrow."
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[1] Ramy Ashour
(Egy) 3-1 [16] Simon
Rosner (Ger)
11/9, 9/11, 11/8, 11/3 (41m)
UP A GEAR…
 Funny,
I was speaking with Nicolas Mueller after this match, and he was
telling me how is amazing that Ramy seems to get fitter and
fitter as the match advances.
“It’s like he starts the match in 1st gear, you are in 3rd, then
he goes in 2nd, you are on 5, then you go down to 2, 1, and he
goes to 6th, 7th!!!”
It’s so true. Let’s look at the time of the games. 11/, 9, 7, 5.
Amazing isn’t it? It’s exactly as Nicki described it. The more
he advances, the faster/fitter he seems to get.
Honestly, Simon played superb squash in the first three games,
really, really, really volleying Ramy to the ground, and at 6/6
in the 3rd, 1 game all, everything was still possible, and I
personally thought that this could be Ramy resting earlier than
he planned.
But the Artist found his magic, started to put the German in the
wrong path again and again, emptying his energy tank, little by
little. And the win on that 3rd was crucial, Simon having really
not much left both mentally and physically in the 4th.
Apart from the 1st game, where Ramy kindly made 5 tins with 7
points, he kept his error level to a minimum, which is always a
good sign for his squash. Simon will be disappointed, but he is
really getting closer and deeper into Ramy’s skin….
 "Yes,
the demons were talking to me today, I was thinking – I know, I
shouldn’t, I’ve got to get rid of that brain and have another
one, this one is no good.
"We’ve played three times now, and every time, we just battle
out, because we know that the one that is giving/pushing 100% is
going to be rewarded.
"He is a fair player, like I said yesterday for him and Nicki,
it’s always good to play him, he is a great character that
belongs in the top 10.
"Yes, I am of course tired, since the beginning of the year, I
went to London for the World SF, then off to the TOC, back for a
few days in Egypt, then off to Richmond, just before an
exhibition, then back to Cairo just to have one meal with my
family, then back here. So yes, maybe I’m a bit slow to get to
the front! But seriously, I’m happy to keep playing, to keep
winning.
 "You
know, wining, playing, is nothing but glamour. The only time
that’s glamour is match ball, when you shake your opponent’s
hand, but apart from that, it’s never glamour.
"It’s just pain, I’m not saying that pain is the only pleasure
you are getting, it’s not what I mean, but hard work on there is
the only pleasure you are going to get.
"And yes, I’m happy to keep on playing, hopefully, I can do that
for a little longer…"
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[3] James Willstrop
(Eng) 3-0 [11] Tarek Momen (Egy)
11/7, 11/5, 11/4 (31m)
JAMES, NO PRISONERS
 Boy,
not sure what the man is on, but I want some! This was a
brilliant exhibition from the former number 1. To be honest, he
never gave Tarek a chance to show/develop his talent/game. James
was on every shot, precise, fast, moving beautifully, and
varying his shots to perfect, delaying like very few know how.
Tarek made errors, he is prone to them, with the style of high
percentage he plays, but nothing shocking, as in 12 in the whole
match, too much but not outrageous for his style of play. No, it
was all about James being at the top of his game tonight.
 "We
played in NY a few weeks ago, I just managed to get through, it
was a tough battle, so beating somebody of his calibre 3/0, I
couldn’t be more pleased.
"Yes, the Green Island set up is more spectacular maybe, but for
the conditions, I’m not bother. This court is bouncy, it doesn’t
take the shots in well, but tonight I think it was colder than
when I first played on it.
"What am I going to do now until the quarters? Well, everything
is so mentally draining on there, you just try and rest as much
as you can, eat of course, but mostly do restful things, to win
this I'll have to play five times on the bounce so you want to
conserve as much energy as you can."
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[13] Daryl Selby
(Eng) 3-0 [2] Nick Matthew (Eng)
11/6, 11/6, 12/10 (55m)
NICK FLAT, DARYL IMPERIAL
I personally cannot remember having seen Nick make 16 unforced
errors in three games. I’m not saying it never happened. I
personally cannot remember. To the point I thought that he was
injured (his back I thought), especially when he called three
minutes injury after the second game break.
 But
no. Daryl was just being Daryl at his best, more laid back you
may fall, calm as a cucumber as he was on the way to the biggest
upset of the tournament. And the more Nick was getting
confrontational with the refs – trying to stir his spirit up –
the more Daryl was calm and composed. Lethal.
Daryl played superbly, it cannot be stressed enough. He sent the
two-time World Champion beautifully to visit the court, and
retrieved every single shot that was thrown at him. And really
we could see the frustration growing into Nick’s body language.
In the first game, Daryl took a superb start, 4/0 that Nick
basically never could close down, Daryl, 11/6 in 16m. The second
is closer, 4/4, but there again, Nick cannot stick to his
opponent who flies away with the score, 11/6.
 The
third is the closest, which will last 22minutes, all credit to
Nick who still tried very hard from 2/0 down, and was one or two
points ahead until he was caught up 6/6. 8/8. 9/9.
Match ball Daryl, four lets, the tension is high, and Daryl
makes one of the three errors he’ll make all match. Typical,
isn’t it.
A stroke at 10/10 for Daryl will set him a second match ball,
that quite fittingly, Nick will lose on a tin.
It’s the first time Nick hasn't made a PSA quarter final since
the 2011 Qatar Classic - 18 events ago (source SquashInfo). So
there you go, you have your first major upset of the tournament.
Why do I have the feeling it’s not the last one…
 "No,
there is nothing wrong with me, I was just flat tonight, I had
most squash in the past weeks than anybody else I guess, but I
can’t blame anybody but me, I’m the one that makes my own
schedule. So, I can’t make excuses!
"I was really flat, so I was trying to make myself angry, that
why I was talking with the ref probably too much, but I was just
trying to wake myself up.
"Oh well, just one more big push for Canary Wharf, I want to do
well there, and then, a good rest and preparation for the
British Open, that’s my most important goal for me this year.
"I think I’ve made more errors in this match than I have done in
the whole year probably! But it doesn’t take anything away from
Daryl, he played very well, he is not as fit as he would like at
the moment, so he slowed down the pace beautifully, and
frustrated me.
 "He
really played very cleverly. At the end he was getting tired, he
didn’t want the rallies to go on, and was happy to ask and get a
few lets, but fair enough! He deserves his victory, and it’s
good to see him back.
"A bit frustrating that we didn’t have the video review at the
end, there are a few decisions I would have questioned for sure.
As Shabana said this morning, it’s very frustrating."
 "Yes,
Fram, I have seen Nick make as many errors, against me in the
past! Some style of players just don’t suit each other, it can
go well with a player, and not well with the other one.
"I’m very happy with the game plan I had for this match, I had
tried it before but it didn’t work, I’m happy that it worked
tonight.
"You know, Nick is a double world champion, former number one,
he fully deserves it, and you really see it in the face of
adversity, when he calls his ball down at 9/6 in the third, that
sets up match ball. He shows his class once again.
"I had been close a few times, Karim twice, James in the US
Open, we were 1/1, 9/4 up, and I let it go. So I was aware of
that today, and I didn’t want it to happen.
"I’m ecstatic to win… Sorry, that’s my wife, I’m going to take
the call…"
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[5] Karim Darwish
(Egy) 3-1 Mathieu Castagnet (Fra)
12/10, 11/7, 5/11, 11/6 (64m)
NOTHING WRONG WITH KARIM’S SHOTS…
 At
32, Karim still has it. He played a beautiful short game, there
is nothing wrong with his chopped shots and lobs I tell you.
Still, Mathieu made his life particularly difficult tonight,
especially in the first and third game.
The first was probably crucial, Mathieu loses it 12/10 in the
game, saving two game balls in the process.
The second, the Frenchman is just too tired, but my Dears, does
he find his game in the third! Really taking the game to the
Egyptian, on a piece of string Karim went, and game to Mat,
11/5.
The fourth, well, I’m sorry, I won’t make any comments, as I
really don’t want to appear like I’m criticising the refs
constantly, especially when there is a Frenchman involved. Done
enough of that already.
So I think it’s best that I leave it to you guys to have a look
at the replay on SquashTV as soon as it’s available.
On a personal note, I appreciated the reaction of Mathieu, who
never got angry, or aggressive towards the officials, only
stating calmly at the end, “that there was a lot of work for
them to do”. With a smile.
But that doesn’t take anything away from Karim, who really
played exquisite attacking shots today. And like the Egyptian
stated in his aftermatch interview, experience made the
difference today.
 "Yes,
Egypt is dominating the game of squash, even in the junior
events, I believe that each country has its time to shine, this
time it’s Egypt, and I just hope that we can make it last.
"You can’t shake those French players off, we just got rid of
Thierry, and you have another one that comes up!!!!
"Seriously, Mathieu is improving at every tournament, I played
him in Richmond a few days ago, it was the same battle, the same
tough match, I feel that it’s the experience that makes the
difference in the end.
"But it’s incredible how improving fast he is. He is very solid,
one of the up and coming players we have to watch carefully!!!
"I lost a bit of concentration in the third, my shots were too
short, and like all the French players, he plays the backhand
drop shots very well, so I had to make sure all my shots were
going to the back of the court…
"Tomorrow James. What to say, he is one of the most talented
players there is, he take the ball very early, he is volleying
very well, I will have to have my basic game well in place
tomorrow before thinking of going for shots."
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[6] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy)
3-0 Ong Beng Hee (Mas)
11/7, 11/6, 13/11 (39m)
Shorbagy makes it four for Egypt
Completing the day with two more Egyptian winners, Mohamed El
Shorbagy had a slightly easier time of it than Darwish as he
faced Ong Beng Hee, but after taking a two-game lead still
needed to save a game ball - rather than the four match balls he
faced in the previous round - before closing out the match in
just 39 minutes.
 "Yes,
I learned from yesterday’s match, I learn from every match. What
did I learn from yesterday? Not to be stupid!
"It’s weird, I’ve noticed that when I play a hard match like I
did yesterday, my body reacts in a positive way. It’s like in KW
last time, I nearly lost to Borja in the first round, to finally
get to my first even World Series semis!
"Today, I was more relaxed on court, more focused on the squash,
on the job to do, and on nothing else. I really don’t enjoy
playing Beng Hee on a traditional court, I really don’t get
comfortable playing his game, but on a glass court, I guess the
conditions suit my game better, and I’m more in control of the
match.
"He had a good lead in the 3rd, I lost a bit of focus, but I
really gave it a big push, I really didn’t want to play another
game tonight. If I believe that playing a hard game for me today
was good for my body, I don’t think that it would have been that
good tonight…
"Tomorrow, I play Daryl, last time we played was here, I beat
him in the second round. I have noticed that he is one of the
only players that really unsettles James and Nick, they seem to
struggle against him, and never beat him easily. That proves how
good of a player he is.
"Anyway, for now, tonight, I’m a happy boy after this win…"
"Mohamed really upped the pace tonight, it’s another level to
the one I’m used to playing at. He is top 5, and it showed
tonight, he was accurate and sharp, he played better than in the
first round, cutting out the errors. Too good.
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