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ATCO GROUP:
   Nick Matthew bt James Willstrop
            7/11, 14/12, 11/8, 11/8 (79m)
   Gregory Gaultier bt Amr Shabana
            8/11, 11/4, 10/12, 11/7, 11/5 (63m)

With all four players now on one win, it will go to countback on tomorrow's winners (Matthew v Gaultier and Shabana v Willstrop) to see who makes the final ...

MANCHESTER GROUP:
   Karim Darwish bt Thierry Lincou
           11/3, 14/12, 11/8 (43m)
   Ramy Ashour bt David Palmer
           11/6, 9/11, 11/7, 11/3 (55m)  

Lincou is out of contention for the final, and a win for Ramy against the Frenchman will put him through ... otherwise there's still a chance for Palmer or Darwish ...

Head to Head records

Nick Matthew bt James Willstrop           ATCO
            7/11, 14/12, 11/8, 11/8 (79m)

Matthew wins brutal
English battle

James Willstrop was the one with a win under his belt from yesterday - though Nick Matthew had led Shabana 2/0 - and he began the better, establishing a control which kept him ahead throughout the first to take the lead.

The second game was heavy, both players exercising a lot of control with chances few and far between. Willstrop had opportunities to take a 2/0 lead bu, but crucially it was Matthew who clinched it.

Understandably he third was broken up, and sharper because of that. There was nothing between the players, but it was Matthew who again got the better at the end of the game to go 2/1 up.

Willstrop was not done with, led early in the fourth, as he had in every game, but Matthew once again held it together better.

Ironically, since it was Matthew who had been after the referees all night, decisions went against Willstrop - who had hardly said a word - in the later stages, not that there was much wrong in the decision-making throughout.

Matthew's win opens the group up as is often the case in this format. It would not be the first time that someone had lost his first match and went on to win the event.

The match was a high quality affair and a testimony to the preparation of both players.
  

"I had a few words with myself last night about not being despondent about losing from 2/0 up, but tonight I knew that it was important not to go 2/0 down, so I really fought hard for that second.

"It's always hard when we play, we play so often, but as much as you know James' game you can never know it enough, he's got so many little flicks, shots that can catch you out.

"I had to try to find the balance between being aggressive and controlled, you have to try to keep your head and play squash as well as making it tough physically.

"I'd expected to be stiff this morning, but was pleased to find I wasn't, it shows my fitness work, which I've been concentrating on, has been good.

"I'm just looking to get the best out of the matches this week, what happens in the group happens, but it's my performances that are important to me.

Karim Darwish bt Thierry Lincou       MCR
           11/3, 14/12, 11/8 (43m)

Karim can still make it

Thierry Lincou is known for his slow starts, and tonight was no exception. Too many errors from the Frenchman, too many winners from Karim Darwish.

The second was more competitive, and so was Thierry. Starting better, he led 7/4, but Karim pulled it back to 9-all. Now it was very competitive.

Long rallies aplenty, and it was beginning to get niggly too, both players arguing with the referees at every opportunity. Karim got to game ball first, but couldn't convert, but with both players now giving their all he did convert at the third attempt.

That proved crucial. A few quick points at the start of the third, Karim took the lead and held on to it for the win.

Thierry definitely can't make the final now. Karim still might, but it's not in his own hands yet ..
 

"The second game was really crucial to both of us, I had a couple of game balls before I won it, and that gave me a boost of confidence for the third game.

"Thierry got a bit tired towards the end of the third, I did too because the second was very hard for both of us, but I knew I had to push hard to win in three.

"It's another tough match against Palmer tomorrow, but I'm still fresh after these two matches so I'll have a stretch, watch a bit of Shabana's match and I should be ok for tomorrow."

Gregory Gaultier bt Amr Shabana
            8/11, 11/4, 10/12, 11/7, 11/5 (63m)

Greg levels it all up

Another five-setter for Amr Shabana, but no great escape tonight as Gregory Gaultier recorded his first win of the event to put all four players level in the ATCO group.

The previous match was full of long, gut-bursting rallies, but there were few of those here as two of the most skilful players in the game plied their trade.

They traded shots, and traded games, with the full house at Sportcity enjoying every minute of it.

It seemed as though Greg went with whoever made the better start with the exception of the third, which Shabana took at the death when Greg had looked the winner for nine tenths of the game.

But the Frenchman, though short of match practice, held it together well as he went on to take the next two games.

So it's won one, lost one for all four players in the ATCO group, and all to play for in tomorrow's final group matches of Gaultier v Matthew and Shabana v Willstrop …
 

"I was out injured for two or three months, so I'm happy to be back. I can't expect to reach my peak straight away, but I'm happy with how it's going and I'm glad to have won today.

"Amr was probably a bit tired from his five-setter last night which is probably why I won!"

Ramy Ashour bt David Palmer
           11/6, 9/11, 11/7, 11/3 (55m)

Too Good

He might not have been firing on all cylinders yesterday, but it was still good enough for a win. There were a few lapses tonight too, but Ramy Ashour started the match on fire, racing to a 5/0 lead with a display of winners that left the current senior world champion floundering.

David Palmer did his best to stem the flow of shots coming his way, he even took the second game to level the match, but the pressure that Ramy was putting him under was bound to tell, and it did.

Ramy's racket-head speed is second to none, allowing him to snap volleys and shots from deep in the opposite direction from that expected, and he has a knack of pushing the ball to an absolute dead length which even David Palmer can't dig out. By the end he just didn't know what to do any more.

So Ramy moves on, and a win against the winless Thierry Lincou will take him into the Super Series Finals final at the first attempt.

"Just too good. It would be easy to make excuses, but I was just too flat tonight and he was to good.

"I played well in patches, played pretty well tactically, but I wasn't physically together enough for it, I couldn't keep it going for point after point and I gave him too many runs of cheap points.

"I just hope Thierry can pull out a blinder tomorrow, but the way Ramy's playing I'm not banking on it, I'll just prepare for a hard game with Karim and try to finish as high as I can."

"He played well in the second, but apart from that I played a perfect game. I tried to make it a high-paced match. You can't play at that pace all the time on this court, but I couldn't afford to get into the hard-hitting rallies David likes.

"I'm getting more used to the court, I played some good shots last night but I was able to play more today, my rhythm was better and I could feel my shots coming in, I'm looking forward to the rest of the tournament ...

1pm Joel Hinds bt Lewis Walters
       11/6, 11/9, 11/8 (30m)
2pm Alister Walker bt Jon Harford
        11/5, 11/2, 11/6 (25m)

Joel and Ali in Pole

Joel Hinds and Alister Walker moved into pole position in the Sportcity and Manchester groups as they completed straight-game wins in the first matches of the day.

Joel took on new professional Lewis Walters, a late replacement for the event. Three competitive games, but in the end Joel just had the edge in each as he moved to within one win from the final and those wildcard places.

Walker, the event favourite, came through comfortably enough against Jon Harford, who, nursing a minor 'niggle', couldn't repeat the form he showed in yesterday's win, falling behind quickly in each game, and Ali was in no mood to let him back in ...

Alan Clyne bt Andy Whipp
        11/9, 11/0, 9/11, 9/11, 13/11 (58m)  

Longer than we thought ...

When you're two-nil up, having won the second 11/0 with your opponent looking out of sorts, you're entitled to start looking ahead to the next round.

Not that that's what Alan Clyne did, for sure, but nevertheless from that position he didn't expect to have to play another three hard games to secure the win.

The Scot got the better of a tight first, then raced away with the second as local favourite Andy Whipp tinned to often for his own good.

But he was back on song immediately from the start of the third, good tight squash again and it was as if that second had never happened.

The next two and a half games had Andy doing marginally more attacking and Alan doing a touch more running, but they were close, very close all the way.

Andy edged ahead at 9/6 in the fifth and earned two match balls. Alan refused to give in though, and forced errors from Andy after long, long rallies.

Finally, on his second match ball, Alan gratefully accepted a final tin from Andy to open  the sportcity group right up.

Joel can take top spot if he wins his third, but it could easily turn out to be a three-way tie ...

"I turned professional two weeks ago after finishing college. So far I've done a week's training, had flu, started playing last week then found out yesterday I was in this!

"Being professional means you have to take it more seriously on court, even in training where you know what you have to work on.

"I'm hoping for a local spot in the English Grand Prix or British Open qualifying, and I'm playing in a Super Satellite in Barcelona and then in Tenerife.

"I'm ranked 250 now, so I'd like to be inside the top 150 by the end of the season."



"I still find it very different on the glass court, but I'm pleased to have won my two games. There's no pressure against Whippy tomorrow, I'm the underdog so I'll just have a go …"

"I thought it was over, but it became very tough!

"I got a good half-hour hit on the court this morning and felt much more comfortable than yesterday.

"The first was close, but I thought that if I could get a good start in the second I could get on top. So I came out fast and that's how it went, be he came back strongly from the third.

"I got a little bit defensive towards the end, and got a couple of lucky shots, but for the first four games I was happy with how I was playing, and luckily I got through."

Nick Taylor bt Shaun Le Roux
         11/9, 11/4, 9/11, 10/12, 12/10 (61m)

Nick outlasts Le Roux

Yesterday it was one win one loss for the Mancunian pair of Nick Taylor and Andy Whipp, and so it was today, but the roles were reversed as the Sportcity head coach staved off a spirited fightback from Shaun Le Roux to keep himself in with a chance in the Mancheter group.

Looking sharp and in control from the start, Nick eased into a 2-0 lead, leaving an unhappy Shaun on court practicing after the second.

And it seemed to work. Shaun went 10/4 up in the third, but Nick worked his way back to 10/9 before a careless tin ended the tension as Shaun pulled one back.

He pulled another one back too, but in the fifth Nick took control again, reaching 10/6. He spurned four match-balls, then won the next two points to make it one-each in the oldies v youngsters matches, just as it finished yesterday.

After two 3/2 defeats Shaun cannot qualify, and has to beat Alister tomorrow to put Nick and Jon in with a chance ... Nick's probably giving him some tips right now ...
 

"You'd think I'd know better by now. I felt I controlled the match all the way through, even when I was down in the third, I just played one silly shot.

"Then it got into a bit of a pig fight, I got my tactics wrong, but at least I stayed positive which you have to do on this court.

"Shaun played very well in patches, especially in the last two games. The plan was to break him down, but I got the tactics wrong, playing too short.

"Still, I'm glad to get through that one and I'll freshen up and give it another go tomorrow."

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