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Qadsia Club:

[5] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [12] Azlan Iskandar (Mas)
               11/4, 11/7, 11/5 (50m)
[6] Peter Barker (Eng) bt [14] Adrian Grant (Eng)
               11/6, 11/5, 11/1 (55m)
[7] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt [9] Daryl Selby (Eng)
               11/7, 11/7, 5/11, 11/8 (50m)

Green Island:

[1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [13] Cameron Pilley (Aus)
              11/7, 11/9, 11/8 (52m)
[10] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt [8] Thierry Lincou (Fra)
               11/9, 3/11, 10/12, 11/2, 11/9 (71m)
[3] James Willstrop (Eng) bt [16] Alister Walker (Bot)
               11/7, 11/5, 11/3 (34m)
[15] Stewart Boswell (Aus) bt Simon Rosner (Ger)
               7/11, 11/5, 12/10, 12/10 (67m)
[2] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt [11] Omar Mosaad (Egy)
               11/5, 11/5, 11/7 (34m)
  

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Gaultier's Title Tilt Advances amid controversy

En Bref #2

It’s very difficult to play a good mate. He helped me so much with my preparation this summer, made his best to make my life as comfortable as possible. And working in the hard conditions of Malaysia, warm and humid, well, when you play in normal conditions, it’s how we say in French, “fingers in the nose”! This summer preparation, the first one I’ve done outside my home country, helped me to get back on my feet, and offered me a great break.

It was a hard game, and there was a few discussions but we both played fair and honest, and when in doubt, gave each other balls back.

In the 2nd I thought he almost gave up when down 6/2, but he surprised me when he equalised at 6/6, coming back strongly. I had to refocus, but if you relax a bit against Azlan, he volleys and makes you run. And any loose ball, we are talking like 50cm from the side wall, he puts away.

Plus he is so fast, if you were to ask squash player to run from 0 to 50m, you would find out he would be the fastest and win. And he had some good results in HK, so I had to make sure I played my best squash today.

Today was actually the first day where I was not in pain from anywhere since HK.

Yesterday, I was still very flat, but today, I was moving fluidly, relax and rather fast. And that’s when I’m able to play my best squash.

[5] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt [12] Azlan Iskandar (Mas)
               11/4, 11/7, 11/5 (50m)

ACCURATE AND FAST

It was never going to be an easy match. Azlan and Greg are pretty close, and actually, Greg spent his summer training in Malaysia, working with Azlan for over a month. They get on very well, and Azlan really did help Greg a lot during those weeks.

Azlan was in confidence after his good tournament in HK, where he reached the semis. And today, he started extremely well against the Frenchman. The rallies were intense, accurate, long and disputed. But at 4/4, not sure if Azlan got a bit tired of the enormous work he was producing, or if he mentally switched off, as it can happen sometimes with him, Greg was able to string points in one single hand to close it down 11/4. Sounds harsh, but that opening game lasted 15m, which proves that the score doesn’t reflect the work produced.



Greg kept his momentum in the second, up to 6/2, when Azlan, not happy with some of the refs' decisions, seemed to transform that unhappiness into squash energy. He clawed back to 6/6, playing superb counterattacking, his trademark really. But Greg, a bit taken back to start with, started finding some good short game of his own, and takes the second 11/7.

Third was pretty close, although Greg always seemed to have his nose in front up to 6/4. Greg seemed to be more and more confident, up to 9/5, where trouble erupted for the Malaysian.

There were a few addresses from Azlan to the refs during this match, nothing bad though, although he was conduct warned for racquet abuse and later for language. At 9/5, there was yet again a very long rally, that Greg won, but where Azlan saw a ball being not up (don’t ask me, I was writing and not looking).

As he made his position clear to the ref, the ref announced that the ball was good. “There is no way that ball is good, you guys absolutely disgust me,” he then stated.

“Conduct stroke, and match, 11/5 to M. Gaultier”, was his answer.
 

[6] Peter Barker (Eng) bt [14] Adrian Grant (Eng)
               11/6, 11/5, 11/1 (55m)

STOP AND START

Did I enjoy watching that match. Honestly? Not that much. It was a lot of chatting between the players, Adrian having had a tough five setter yesterday, plus a 100m final like 3 days ago along with five connecting flights to arrive here. A bit tired and grumpy quite understandably.

Peter, fresher, sharp and at home on that traditional court, was doing his normal accurate and relentless thingy on there, but for some reason, so many stops and starts, a bit of testosterone between the players, not bad, but just not… well.. that enjoyable…

I had the impression that Adrian was not happy with me on there, but I wanted to win, and if I offended him, I honestly don’t know what I’ve done wrong! I don’t know, maybe the movement of two lefthanders style clashing…

Definitely not one for the purists…

Of course, that was a hard match. In the first two games, I think that my pace was too fast for him, and he didn’t have the time to adjust his shots.

In the 3rd and 4th, he played much better, and started to apply his game onto mine.

At 8/8 in the 4th, it could have gone either way. I found two stunning winners, took me to 10/8 match ball, and that last backhand drop shot, I guessed it, and was ready to play…

We seemed to have traffic problems on court today, but it got better in the 4th. I’m happy I got that win.

Yesterday, I think that tough match was actually a blessing in disguised. It woke my body up, and if I felt heavy yesterday, I felt fine today.

Happy to have that rest day tomorrow, I’ll get a chance to practice on the glass court.

On a personal note, I would like to say that we are only two Egyptians left in the draw, and that things since Hong Kong didn’t go as well as we thought they would.

And that we really miss Ramy, and that I hope he’ll be able to come back quickly, because the game and Egypt miss him.

[7] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt
[9] Daryl Selby (Eng)    11/7, 11/7, 5/11, 11/8 (50m)

MOHAMED PUMPED UP

No three ways about it, not much love lost on that court today.

Making a long story short. In Rotterdam, a pretty feisty match between Daryl and Mohamed’s brother, Marwan. Difficult match. Lots of discussions. A big celebration (too big?) for Marwan as he won, and Daryl left the court with no handshake being exchanged. Then, a few not too nice tweets from the Selby camp, and you have a pretty explosive situation when Mohamed and Daryl step on court today.

Mohamed was a man with a mission to start with, his brother’s honour was at stake. He attacked like a lunatic, killed the ball in the four corners, taking Daryl to the throat and never letting him go. The Englishman never had a chance to settle in the match, and seemed a bit lost, not able to impose his usual accurate mid pace game.

But things started to change in the 3rd. Mohamed, probably a bit tired from that burst of energy he showed to start with, had a bit less in the legs, and Daryl, well, was at last able to slow down the pace and control the rallies better. Up 9/2, Daryl gave a few points back to his opponent, but closed that game, 11/5.

The fourth, well, was a good game of squash. Both players now perfectly in the match, it was close from start to finish, 2/2, 4/4, 5/5, 6/6, 7/7, 8/8. And as he now is famous on the tour for, Mohamed just found some lovely winners to finish the game and match.

There were a few chats between the players, the tension was pretty obvious, looks, little sentences, but it was not as bad as I had feared. And I hope that, now that Daryl has offered his hand at the end, things may go back to a bit less emotions. Still, I doubt they’ll spend their Christmas vacation together though…
  

[1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [13] Cameron Pilley (Aus)
              11/7, 11/9, 11/8 (52m)

NICK FAST

Although he may not feel it, but I though that the World number 1 played really well today. Cameron didn’t do anything wrong, attacked beautifully and found some amazing short game, in particular in the backhand front corner.

But to be honest, Nick just kept on picking up everything under the sun, and was pretty happy to make the rallies last and last, frustrating the Australian and squeezing errors out of him….

It was a long three games on a glass court, and the score may not reflect how hard those boys work tonight. Nick will be happy to get away with a 3/0 victory against such an attacker on that fast court…

It never felt comfortable, even if the score is 3/0. He beat me a couple of times, and I had to keep on my toes tonight. He seems to have a plan A, hitting hard, and a plan B, hitting even harder, so I try and keep him on the plan A….

My last world title is the one that means the most to me, as it’s the proof to myself that I’m still up for it, and that I still have the hunger….

About that new formula? Well, the lower ranked player were pretty happy about the idea, while the ranked 1 to 4 not that much… I’ll see and comment after the draw’s been done I guess!!!

I’m very disappointed. I was up for that match. I was feeling good sensations wise, movement wise, and my game plan was working. But in the fifth, he kept me at the back too well…





What can I say. Growing up, I was looking up to Thierry, Palmer, Nicol, and it’s so hard when you have them as role models to one day starting playing against them, then competing with them, then sometimes have a fight with them, and finally beat them.

And to think that at that age, he is still in that shape, well, it’s pretty incredible.

Now, about the new format, I tend to never look at the draw at all, I don’t like wasting my energy worrying about who I might play. So, I’m all for it.

 

[10] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt [8] Thierry Lincou (Fra)
               11/9, 3/11, 10/12, 11/2, 11/9 (71m)

LJ ABSOLUTELY SUPERB

The level of the squash in this match was absolutely superb. Two warriors battling on that magnificent setting, perfect court conditions, not too warm not too cold.

Ok, there were some really poor refereeing decisions, but to be honest, it levelled up as it often does, both getting some not that accurate calls, bless them.

First game, the Dutch was all over the court, playing perfectly against a Frenchman really tense and approximate in his volleying. Down 9/2, Thierry thought it would be a good game to win, as so often in his career, and commenced his ascension, coming back to 8/9, then 9/10, only to lose after a gigantic rally ending with a funny bounce…

The second game, well, LJ switched off completely, and Thierry really dominated the rallies from beginning to end. The third, as close as it gets, with some funny calls along the way that did make my blood boil to vaporisation, but it’s the French that clinches it, 12/10.

The fourth was a funny game, as the glove Thierry put on his left hand to hide/protect a blood injury contracted at 9/9 in the 3rd – great timing – just broke, and he was not allowed to change it before the end of the game. The Frenchman, really bothered by it, just let the game go, giving himself and his opponent a bit of breathing space.

The decider was absolutely superb accurate squash, in particular from LJ I have to stress.

What that boy found at the front, and the accuracy on the side wall, was just of the highest calibre, the same quality he showed against Greg in Rotterdam only a few weeks ago.

Thierry fought “bec et ongles”, “beak and nails”, he really didn’t want to lose neither to LJ, nor the points or his top 10 position, from 8/5 down once again, came back on LJ’s heels, 8/9. But after some yet again beautifully disputed rallies, it’s the Dutch that shouted a loud YES that went straight through the heart of the French camp….
 

[3] James Willstrop (Eng) bt [16] Alister Walker (Bot)
               11/7, 11/5, 11/3 (34m)

I feel surprisingly alright, I had to keep reminding myself, that yes, there was a final, and the excitement, but that overall, the matches were not too exhausting physically, and that I’m actually not more exhausted that any of the top few. We are all as tired ones as the others, and there can be no excuse, as we all face the same problem.

I should be ahead of Ramy in the ranking you say? Well, I didn’t know, and to be honest, I don’t really think too much about the rankings, if I start thinking too much about it, well, it could start being on my mind. I know it’s a bit of a cliché, but I attack each day as it comes, and concentrates on winning each match. But thanks for telling me, it’s nice to have some positive feedback once in a while.

I’ve been holding pretty consistently over the past months, four finals last year, and a nice title last week, can’t complain…

I thought it was a good game for both of us. Maybe unlucky not to get the 3rd… But overall, it was a good game of squash.

He is such a solid player, his length and width are just incredible, and he is probably the best in the world at that game. So I just couldn’t lengthen the rallies only, as he would have crucified me, I tried and attacked as well, and it worked in patches.

But it was so close, 12/10, 12/10, could have been anybody really. Just that little bit, I don’t know, that little bit missing, maybe his experience made the difference tonight. He played so many of those matches…. And he is such a good guy, I truly wish him the best of luck for the rest of the tournament.

[15] Stewart Boswell (Aus) bt Simon Rosner (Ger)
               7/11, 11/5, 12/10, 12/10 (67m)

EXPERIENCE TALKED

There was so little between the players, so little. It was an excellent match, intense, accurate, played between two very fair players.

The Surgeon worked wonders tonight in containing the attacking talent of the German player who has some pretty good matches recently, and is knocking at the Big Boys door…

But on the big points, well, Bozza just closed it down better, found the accuracy that opened him the front corners. To be honest, Simon didn’t do much wrong, but Bozza’s accuracy and 15 years of experience did the talking at the end.

I never felt like I was going to win!

I think we both played really well, and we fought for every point. I had the lead in the first, but he came back strongly. And after that, it was point for point until the end of the 4th.

The change of the ball in the 4th was a bit of a bad news, and it went flying, which explains why we had a bit of a scrappy rallies at the end.

Oh well, happy to survive another day and get in the FA Cup draw…

 

[2] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt [11] Omar Mosaad (Egy)
               11/5, 11/5, 11/7 (34m)

GOOD EFFORT FROM MOSAAD

There was always be only one winner in my opinion, if only because Mosaad respects Karim far too much!

The rallies were fast, very few lets, nice intensity, and a challenger that really pushed his opponent to the four corners. But Karim, quietly superb, just chopped his shots all over the court, twisting and turning Mosaad, who, all credit to him, kept fighting to the last drop of sweat he had, saving three match balls to finally bow to the master in three…