[18] Stewart
Boswell (Aus) bt [15] Adrian Grant
(Eng)
11/9, 8/11, 11/13, 11/3, 6/0 rtd (88m)
Sad end for Adrian
After three games that took 75 minutes to complete, Adrian
Grant, having just gone 2-1 up, requested an injury timeout
before the start of the fourth game.
Clearly hampered in the fourth, he persevered, but at 6/0 down
in the fifth the Englishman called it a day, handing the win to
Australia's Stewart Boswell.
"It's the same groin injury I got in the Commonwealths," he
explained afterwards. "I tweaked it in the third. I could
probably play on with that, but I was having trouble swinging my
left shoulder too, so it didn't make any sense continuing, I
might just have made things worse."
Malcolm reports ...
Several interesting matches to look forward to in the second
session of second round matches and Stewart Boswell and Adrian
Grant started the day off well, with what on paper at least
should be the closest of the day.
Grant started well, striking the ball positively, which is a
good sign for him and he soon led 6/1.
Boswell
recovered to 4/6 and calm, impassive and tough as he is, he
worked his way back to 9-all and took the game 11/9 on a
forehand crosscourt into the tin by Grant, who will not have
been happy to let the lead slip.
With a quality forehand volley Grant led 4/1 in the second, but
a heavy rally, which Grant dominated but Boswell won, took the
score to 5/4. Boswell levelled at 5-all, which became 7-all. A
stroke gave Grant a first game ball at 10/7 and when Boswell
lobbed out at 10/8 it was all square. A fair reflection of the
match so far, and fifty minutes gone by.
Grant had led in each of the first two, but, undeterred, Boswell
took the initiative in the third and led 6/3, playing as well as
he had at any time in the match, which was living up to
expectation in both closeness and quality.
It was Grant's turn to fight back and he did, to 8-all. An error
from Grant gave Boswell a 9/8 lead, a stroke put Grant level - a
crucial stage, this, in such a battle. A fine forehand volley
gave Grant game ball 10/9 when, can you believe it, a mobile
phone caused a disruption.
An exceptional backhand of perfect length by Boswell meant a
tiebreak. At 11-all Boswell Boswell dived, retrieved, got up,
recovered and earned a spectacular let. An error by Boswell
meant a third game ball for Grant, and after some tense
exchanges he led 2/1, though the feeling was that there was
plenty to come, even after an hour and twenty minutes.
Grant took what seemed a protracted three-minute injury break at
the end of the third. On resumption he seemed ill at ease with
his shoulder and was 6/1 down in a trice and struggling.
Offering minimal resistance Grant lost the game 11/3.
Boswell quickly went to 6/0 in the fourth with Grant looking
troubled, and then offered his hand in concession.
Aaron Frankcomb struggled to get here to Saudi, had just 20
minutes practice before beating Tarek Momen in the first round,
and had just 20 minutes practice on the glass court before
taking on another Egyptian, Wael El Hindi.
He
played well, again, but El Hindi, especially on a glass court,
is a different proposition entirely, and although it was never
easy, and the referees, as ever, had a lot of decisions to make
(51 to be precise), the New-York based Egyptian managed to win
the points that counted.
El Hindi pulled away from 6-all in the first, from 7-6 in the
second, and from 5-all in the third to claim a place in the last
sixteen.
"It's a lot better playing on the glass court," said the victor,
"it's good to be actually rewarded for hitting a good shot.
"It was three-nil but it was a tough match, he was there in
every game, and after his win over Tarek I knew I'd have to be
sharp from the outset. We get a rest day, but I'll still take
that over a four or five game match.
"Now there's a chance to get a rest and get ready for the
business end of the tournament ..."
Mohamed El Shorbagy added to growing Egyptian presence in the
last sixteen, but the double world junior champion, currently
world number nine, was mightily relieved not to have had to play
a deciding game against French qualifier Mathieu Castagnet.
There was no real sign of trouble in the first as Shorbagy
opened up a 9/2 lead, but Castagnet, as he does, dug in and
determinedly pulled a few points back. It was too late for that
game, but it set the scene for the rest of the match.
The Frenchman continued that momentum as he established a 7/2
lead in the second. This time though it was Shorbagy's turn to
fight back, coming all the way to a 9/7 lead before finally
clinching as Castagnet uncharacteristically tinned from deep at
10/11.
Danger
averted, you thought, but as someone remarked in Qatar,
Castagnet's level never seems to drop. It was Shorbagy doing
most of the pressing in the third, but he couldn't make the
breakthrough to see his opponent off. 5/2 Castagnet led, then
7/4 and 9/6. Shorbagy bumped him to the floor at 9/8 but
Castagnet got up to finish the game off 11/8 with a delicate
counter drop.
Again in the fourth Shorbagy pressed, but still Castagnet
resisted. 4-all, 6-5 Shorbagy, then finally a run of points took
him to 9/5 then 10/7 with a drop the for once left Mathieu
stranded.
A tin, a stroke to the Frenchman and there was only one point in
it. Shorbagy was desperate to finish it, went for a crosscourt
nick, got it, and Mathieu's dive was in vain.
A lovely match to watch and a relieved Egyptian goes through.
"I started very well in the first game, it was too fast for him,
but in the second I switched off and he went 7/2 up," said
Shorbagy.
"When I came back and won the second I felt I had the momentum
to win it in the third, but he came back again and took the
momentum from me.
"In the fourth I stepped up again, got to 10/7 but thank God I
hit the nick at 10/9 otherwise we could have been going to five.
"I feel I played better than in my last match and I hope I can
play better again next time ..."
[8] Peter
Barker (Eng) bt [32] Simon Rosner
(Ger)
12/10, 11/5, 11/5 (42m)
Barker pushes
through Malcolm reports
The third match of the afternoon session was between 8th seed
Peter Barker and German number one Simon Rosner for the right to
play Stewart Boswell in the third round.
Both
tall men were soon moving and playing fluently with nothing
between them to 5-all. Rosner, though, led 7/5 and 9/7, playing
freely. At 10/7 Rosner had his first game ball, but Barker
raised his game and after some fierce and entertaining rallies
it was a tiebreak.
Rosner hadn't been able to convert his three game balls, but
Barker took his first chance for a lead which had looked
unlikely.
Barker pressed on now, playing his drops more often and
beginning to dominate. He led 8/2 in the second and won the game
comfortably 11/5. To Rosner his lead in the first must have
seemed a distant memory.
Barker, quickly onto the ball and still playing his drops deftly
was unlikely to let the German back in now, and it was soon 6/1
in the third as Rosner looked dispiritedand resigned.
Barker took the game 11/5 and will feel happy with his
performance, looking forward to the last sixteen encounter with
Boswell, who will at least have a day to recover from his
bruising match earlier in the day.
Karim Darwish seeks a first world title as the man in form, with
wins in El Gouna and Qatar, his opponent, Tom Richards, having
survived a first round five game match with fellow Englishman
Adrian Waller.
Richards competed well and fought back from 6/2 down in the
first game to lead 7/6, by no means overawed. Darwish, though,
took charge again and served at 10/7, his famed forehand doing
much of the damage. He won on his second game ball, 11/8.
Busy
and neat, Richards continued to compete against the more
measured and languid style of the fourth seed, and reached 5/7
in the second before Darwish's pressure proved too much and he
served the game out 11/9, despite persistent resistance from
Richards.
The young Englishman did not give way in the third game either,
despite the fact that he lost it 11/5. He can feel pleased with
his performance, while Darwish proceeds to the last sixteen to
meet fellow countryman, New York based Wael El Hindi.
"I hadn't seen him play much so I had to play safe in the
beginning, I didn't do much wrong and I was surprised at how
well I played at the start," siad Darwish. "I got to every ball
and I was moving well.
"He's not a typical English player, he attacks a lot so you can
never afford to relax against him. In the third I got him but he
kept trying all the time.
"The day off coming up is good in some ways, it gives enough
time to regroup and focus on the next round for the serious
business coming up.
"I've been playing well, I like the court and the venue, but I'm
not looking past the next match, it will be a tough match
against Wael."
[9] Daryl
Selby (Eng) bt [25] Olli Tuominen (Fin)
11/4, 11/7, 11/6 (40m)
Selby sails through
As evening approaches, there is a chill in the air after the
soothingly warm temperature of earlier in the day. The glass
court plays markedly cooler as the evening moves in.
Such is the state of affairs as the second match between Daryl
Selby and Olli Tuominen is about to start.
Selby had the better of the early exchanges, leading 9/2 and
keeping Tuominen well pinned back in the court, winning the
first game 11/4 with surprising ease.
Selby continued to look comfortable in the second game, covering
anything Tuominen had to offer. The match was being player at
high tempo, though Tuominen always seemed to be working that
much harder.
Selby drew clear from the middle of the game fro a two-nil lead
and even he could not have expected such a straightforward
passage as he had had to this point.
Despite
Tuominen's best efforts, and he was playing by no means badly,
Selby continued to call the tune, moving especially well, as he
does, an once again pulled clear from the middle of the third
game to win it 11/6 and take his place in the last sixteen.
The Englishman was pleased with the win: "Olli's one of the
hardest guys to play, he puts in 100% every single time and you
have to be mentally prepared to play him.
"I was really happy with my squash today, with how I hit the
ball, and my length was key. After the first, I always managed
to keep a couple of points ahead - it felt like I was working
him hard and it's pleasing know I'd worn him down at the end of
those games.
"That's two good matches I've played now, and with a rest day,
and the facilities and relaxing atmosphere Ziad's given us the
best possible chance of playing well, and you can see that the
top players are responding, they're all playing well ...
James Willstrop and Borja Golan have had some real battles in
the past - "we've been playing since junior days and there have
been some tough matches, especially the last couple" admitted
Willstrop after easing through the latest chapter.
Those
two encounters - 71 and 91 minutes' worth - were before the
Spaniard's injury setback, and although he's been back on court
for a few months now, almost 18 months out takes a lot of
recovering from, as Willstrop himself suggested.
Golan didn't play that badly, he led the first game 6/4, but
after that nothing much went right for him. Willstrop played
well enough to keep him under constant pressure, and would have
won without the unforced error contributions from Golan, errors
which did the Spaniard's demeanour no good at all.
"I'm in decent shape while he's been off court for a long time,"
said Willstrop, "and that probably made the difference tonight.
"I'd be happy to play again tomorrow, but it's been a long hard
season so I'm happy to take the rest days when they come, all
the players owe a debt of gratitude to Ziad for how we're being
looked after here, we're all hoping we can put on a tournament
worthy of it all."
By the end of tonight's match, having taken just six of the last
35 points, Borja was both frustrated and resigned, but as James
himself said, "he'll be back."
World number one received a special Sunset Beach reception as he
came onto court for the last match of the day against Aamir
Atlas Khan.
Sadly that
was as god as it got for the 2008 world champion. From the first
rally it was obvious that the hamstring injury that almost
scuppered him in the first round had far from recovered as he
strolled around court, and struggled when asked to go into the
front corners, almost hopping in and out.
Aamir Atlas Khan did what he needed to do, kept the ball and his
opponent on the move, and by the time he had reached 6/0 we
wondered how long it would be before Ramy retired.
The answer came as the Pakistani took the game 11/2 and Ashour
shook his said to say "no more" and offered his hand for a sad
end to the second round.
"I'm
very sad. I don't know what to say. It means so much to me,"
Ashour said, close to tears. "I felt it first in training back
in Egypt a week ago. I was going to hospital every day, every
day, and I hoped it would be all right when I got here. There
was no way I was going to miss the World Open.
"I really wanted to play and stay world number one. But when I
was here I felt it go again.
"I somehow managed to get through my first match (against
Kristian Frost of Denmark) and I thought that with a rest day,
if I prepared carefully, I might get through another one. It was
no good - I just couldn't move."
