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TODAY in Kuwait: Mon 28th, SEMIS
Fram & Steve in Kuwait |
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Kuwait PSA Cup
Semi-Finals:
[3] James Willstrop (Eng) bt
[5] Gregory Gaultier (Fra)
11/9, 11/6, 11/3 (58m)
[2] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt [7]
Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy)
11/4, 11/9, 5/11, 15/13 (74m)
Richard Eaton:
Willstrop earns chance of back to back titles
Willstrop & Darwish
set up another final...
 James
Willstrop didn't exactly waltz into a second
successive World Series final, not until the very end, but
he turned in a repeat performance of his semi-final with
Gregory Gaultier in Hong Kong last week, tonight as then
getting the better of two tough games before easing through
the third.
The first game was tough, and ultimately crucial, as they
went point for point for 19 minutes, the Englishman finally
taking the lead.
The second was almost as long at 18 minutes, with Willstrop
taking an early 6/1 lead, Gaultier working his way back to
6/4 and 8/6, but then it went Willstrop's way at the end.
The third was just 8 minutes long, Willstrop working hard to
take the lead, Gaultier letting the final few points go as
he sensed a lost cause.
Karim Darwish had
never dropped a game against his young - 10 years younger -
compatriot Mohamed El Shorbagy, and for a game and a
half in the second semi-final there looked little prospect
of him dropping a first one tonight, such was his dominance
of the early stages.
 A
4/1 lead in the first game stretched to 7/2, then 11/4, and
at 4/1 in the second the youngster was being outplayed.
But slowly he started to get into the match, pulling back to
take the lead at 5/4 and 8/7, but at 9-all two rash errors
cost him the chance of levelling, much to Darwish's relief.
The second seed led the third too, 5/4, but seven quick
points in a row saw Shorbagy finally take that game, at the
12th attempt.
The fourth was massive, 29 minutes with both giving their
all. 4/2 Shorbagy, 6/5 and 8/6 Darwish. Shorbagy got a game
ball at 10/9, Darwish match balls at 11/10 and 12/11.
Shorbagy earned one more chance at 13/12, but Darwish saved
that too, and at 14/13 a stroke was probably the only way
either of them was going to give way.
So it's Willstrop and Darwish, again, tomorrow. Should be
fun.
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[3] James
Willstrop (Eng) bt [5] Gregory
Gaultier (Fra)
11/9, 11/6, 11/3 (58m)
A MASTERCLASS IN ACCURACY
I can say safely that I saw James play a few matches over
the years. I’ve seen him win, and I’ve seen him lose. Saw
him play very well, and saw him playing, well, not so well.
I saw his body tired, and I saw him keeping pushing. And
getting injured. And coming back. And fight. And fight.
And I never saw him play as well as he did tonight.
I honestly don’t think anybody in the world would have been
able to beat him. Zone comes to mind and Greg didn’t do
anything wrong. The unforced errors the Frenchman made,
especially in the first game, were squeezed from a flawless
width and length that forced Greg to attack from dangerous
positions.
James made two errors the whole match. But beyond that, he
played a magisterial performance, one you produce when
everything you worked so hard on for years just come
together. Pure talent. Pure magic. Errrr…. No. Pure work.
Greg got frustrated, as all the great shots, the great
length, the great pickups he was doing were send back to him
“au centuple”! No answers were found to James’s game. And I
truly believe that Greg tried everything he could think of,
with no luck, in the first two games.
Under an hour, James booked himself for a second final in a
row, and guess against who? Yes, Karim, yet again. Who said
you couldn’t back up two tournaments?...
 I’m
a little bit of a late developer. I came through quickly but
I wasn’t a complete player. It’s been a constant process,
always looking for things to improve my game. Now I am on a
winning streak I am just trying to focus on holding it
together.
This is a fantastic true court, it’s looking so good on TV,
the colours… It’s the pinnacle for a squash player to play
on such an arena. Squash hasn’t always been such a glamorous
sport, and we can only thank people with a vision like HE
Sheikha Faddya.
Today, I think I managed to frustrate Greg and prevent him
from playing his game, I played some accurate squash, and it
was a very pleasing performance. Tonight, I was not sure how
the court was going to react. It was not as cold as
yesterday, not as frantic that it was last night. So I had
to adapt to the new conditions. And I think I played well on
that type of court, especially in the first game.
I think it’s all about having a bit of faith. Squash players
are late bloomers, and yes, I did come on the world stage at
a young age, but no way that was going to be my peak. And
like I said many times, I’m always looking to learn new
things, and to improve my game. It’s a constant process that
start since you are a kid.
A little personal message to the people that watch the
matches back home in Pontefract. I know they come to watch
it on SquashTV, and they hang around after, to have a drink.
Just wanted to thank them, because I didn’t have a chance to
do it after last week, all your messages have been duly
received and appreciated.
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[2] Karim
Darwish (Egy) bt [7] Mohamed El
Shorbagy (Egy)
11/4, 11/9,
5/11, 15/13 (74m)
KARIM STILL THE MASTER…
 It
was a big occasion for the young Mohamed, and it was a bit
overwhelming for him tonight. He just didn’t play in the
first game. No length, no attacking shots, not in the match
whatsoever, and Karim, well, he enjoyed every minute of it!
The former number 1 kept the momentum in the second, leading
7/4. But by then, Mohamed had got rid of the nerves and was
finding a game plan again. Reducing the unforced errors, he
scored 4 points in a row, to get ahead for the first time,
8/7. But the nerves, and the pressure from Karim helping,
from 9/9 he tins the ball twice, offering a 2/0 lead to his
opponent.
 But
in the 3rd, it’s all changed! Karim, maybe a bit tired,
maybe thinking he broke the young man, just cannot contain
Mohamed’s shots anymore. And from 5/5, it’s a Mohamed
festival, he’ll score 6 points in a row to reduce the game
deficit to only 2/1.
But the best was still to come! That fourth game, people. A
match in itself, 29 minute on a pretty cold court, meaning
that they both worked their socks off I tell you. Amazing
rallies, attacking at will but retrieving the irretrievable,
in all corners and angles you can think off. Point for point
since 5/5, nothing between them. A first game ball for
Mohamed at 10/9. The second one at 13/12. No luck there.
Karim, well, had three match balls, 11/10, 12/11, and
finally the good one, 14/13.
I can assure you that he must have been pretty pleased about
clinching that one. Because, adrenaline helping, I have the
feeling that Mohamed could have created a major upset in the
5th. But that’s only a gut feeling, as we will never know…
Framboise
He didn’t want
to give up!!!! Those youngsters, can’t get rid of them!!
Thanks to experience, I manage to play the big points a bit
better. Age can be an advantage really sometimes…
In the first game, I was in a zone, and I was doing what I
had intended of doing. But in the third, I lost my length,
he got in front of me, and played a really good attacking
squash.
In the 4th, it was just point for point until the end, and
about finding the balance between the defence and the
attack. I really tried and played as tight as I could, as he
is excellent at volleying and in the middle area.
And I cannot stress enough how good it is for the game in
general and for Egypt in particular to have a 20 year old
playing that well. He has a lot of respect for me, and I do
respect him as well, he is polite on and off court. I have
no worries for the future of Egypt squash….
I’m so happy to get into the final again. James is a in a
great form, but I’m happy with my performance on this
tournament too. It will be a good match.
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"I was so nervous at the
beginning of the match and I don't know understand
why...till mid the second I started to relax after and play
my game .. at 9/9 in the second I had that ball that clipped
the top of the tin if it came and won the game it would have
made a lot of difference. ..
Something I was so surprised with today that his backhand
was just so accurate and normally his forehand we all know
is the best in the world...today his backhand was much
better than his forehand ...
I had my chances in the 4th if I would have won that I could
see he was getting tired and I could see how much that game
he needed it...I m still not disappointed with the
tournament its my first super serious semi final and I was
almost out here in the first round to borja I was match ball
down against him...
Today me and Darwish killed each other on court but its
finished and once the match finished we hugged each other
and he congratulated me for my performance and I wished him
luck for the final and that's how the sport should be
played.
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Semi-Finals Preview:
The semi-finals of the Kuwait Cup may not feature either
of the two top-ranked players, both now absent through
injury, but the four who are left would grace the final
stages of any competition.
 First
up at 19.30 are two old European adversaries in James
Willstrop and Gregory Gaultier, both 28 years
old.
Willstrop is currently the for player, having won in
Hong Kong last week - beating Gaultier in the semis -
but it was only just over a month ago that the Frenchman
triumphed over Willstrop in the final of the Qatar
Classic. In between there was the little matter of the
World Open in Rotterdam in which Gaultier was runner-up
and Willstrop a semi-finalist, losing to ... Gaultier.
Tonight they will be playing for the fourth time in four
tournaments, but their history goes back way longer than
that, having met 22 times since they progressed through
the junior and senior ranks together.
Gaultier leads 14-8 overall, but take away his 5 junior
victories and the tally looks better from the English
point of view. Willstrop's win in Hong Kong broke a run
of four straight wins for Gaultier though, so who will
win this, their 5th meeting of the year, is a mystery to
us ...
 The
second semi-final will be won by an Egyptian. Second
seed Karim Darwish didn't have to play his 'dream
quarter-final' against Nick Matthew last night, so will
come into the match fresh.
Mind you at 30 he's giving away a full 10 years to
Mohamed El Shorbagy, so that extra rest may be
needed.
Both have been world junior champion - Shorbagy twice -
and were team-mates as Egypt retained their world team
title in Paderborn two months ago, but all that will be
put aside tonight as the young gun tries for his first
win over the established master.
In fact, Shorbagy's first aim will be to take his first
game against Darwish, who has won all 3 of their
encounters in straight games.
The youngster has got to 9 in 4 of those games though,
and as we all know (well, you do now), he doesn't tend
to lost 'tie-breaks', so let him get to 10 at your
peril, Karim ...
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