[6] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [5] James Willstrop (Eng)
11/7, 11/4, 11/7 (54m)
Matthew makes it count Jim Wellington reports from New York
It was the second all-English US Open final in four outings, with
both players having scored upset wins along the way, and both having
spent a long time on court in previous rounds. Who would have the
advantage for the final ...
Willstrop started well, taking a 4-2 advantage, holding his shots,
keeping it very tight, and using a lot of low pace that kept Matthew
off balance and late to the ball. But as the game progressed Nick
started seeing the ball and began to force the issue himself by
volleying everything he could.
The added pressure brought Willstrop's shots out into the court more
and the battle was on, with neither able to stay on top of the other
for long. 8-7 Matthew. Then a good drop forced James to hit out of
court, followed by a forehand volley kill and an unreachable
forehand drop, giving Matthew the game 11-7.
The
second game saw Willstrop try to move forward and take control, but
Nick's length and width made this very difficult, as both were doing
their best to keep the ball out of the centre, and away from each
other's volley. Still James was able to create many winning
opportunities, but his accuracy wasn't there, bringing balls out off
the side and back walls that should have been winners. Add to this
five tins, one stroke, and an opponent on fire, and the game goes to
Matthew 11-4.
Nick came out even stronger in the third, twisting and turning
Willstrop with low pace, and chasing down everything James could
throw at him. James kept fighting, but was now being relegated to
more of a retrieving role, as Nick appeared to see the finish line
and didn't look back.
James definitely did not have his best game tonight, but all the
credit goes to Nick Matthew for beating Hisham Ashour, Mohammed
Abbas, Thierry Lincou, Ramy Ashour, and James Willstrop to become
the 2007 US Open Champion.
"I was here last for the Village Open and that was great, and this
is ten times better. New York is a fantastic squash community.
"James has been a massive rival over the last few years, and he
wasn't quite on top of his game tonight."
"Nick was absolutely outstanding tonight.
"I've played him on so many occasions, and I've never seen him play
so well. He was just far too good, and I couldn't do anything
against him. No excuses.
"He was a man on top of his form. I wanted to win this tournament,
but he deserves it because he has made himself into a world class
athlete.
"He put me under constant pressure and got onto every single shot.
He's a great student of the game, and his training has made him able
to play three tough matches in a row, and I need to work up to that
level. I am very pleased, but I just didn't have enough tonight.
"I just want to give a shout to the EIS and England Squash, and all
the others including the Lottery Funding because they've supported
us and coached us. It's a massive help, and tonight shows what
they've done for us.
"It's a big day for all the people who have helped. I'm proud for
both of us."
The
upsets continued into the semi-finals at the Roseland Ballroom, as
James Willstrop and Nick Matthew set up an all-English
final - the first since Peter Nicol and Lee Beachill contested the
US Open final
in 2004.
Willstrop, the British National Champion and winner of last month's
English Grand Prix, took an hour and a half to subdue Karim Darwish,
then it was the turn of Matthew to beat Egyptian opposition as he
recovered from a game down to beat world number two Ramy Ashour.
With both players seeking their first US Open crown, Willstrop is
celebrating his 11th appearance in a PSA final and Matthew his 21st.
However, a second Yorkshire US Open win is assured after county
colleague Lee Beachill won his first of two titles in 2004, beating
compatriot Peter Nicol in the final in Boston. The New York final
will be the English pair's 13th clash since June 2001, with
Willstrop currently leading the head-to-head tally 7/5 while Matthew
won
the most
recent clash in August's Super Series Finals ...
The match started with both players trying to establish length, and
waiting to go short until just the right moment. Darwish played just
a little better to take the first 11-6, helped by five Willstrop
tins.
The
second game saw more all-court squash, both players using the
front-court now to construct opportunities. Darwish was still
playing just that little bit better, able to respond to what
Willstrop tried, and playing good straight length to lead 9-6 and
10-8. But three Darwish tins and a Willstrop nick turned the tables
quickly and levelled the match.
James came out for the third retrieving with added intensity and
looking to close the door. When a no-let went against Karim, the
Egyptian was visibly angered and unnerved, stopped moving for balls,
and dropped the game 11-2 in just a few minutes. But the battle
wasn't over.
The fourth was a bit scrappy but close, with several mishits and
sixteen appeals, all by Darwish. At game ball down 10-11, Willstrop
made a "shocking error" and hit the tin. Game five to follow ...
James outplayed Karim in the fifth by "digging in" which means
scraping balls off walls and digging them out of corners, and coming
up with winners when he had the chance. It's not that Karim played
badly, or didn't try, but James was able to bring balls back from
nowhere, and only made two errors on the way...a tough act to
follow.
"I
pushed and pushed as hard as I could. There were really hard patches
in the first two games, and love-two down is so much worse than
one-all. That was the deciding phase, game two.
"I thought he was just sticking his leg out a few times on some of
those lets. We had a go at each other, but that's squash. Most of
the problems were caused when I volleyed into the front left. I
wanted to cut out his angles as much as I could because his forehand
is very good and he likes to drop off a crosscourt.
"I'm very confident in my body. I'll forget about dead legs and
count on adrenaline for tomorrow. I'm hoping for Nick Matthew for an
all English affair. That would be great for our country."
[6] Nick
Matthew (Eng) bt [2] Ramy Ashour (Egy)
9/11, 16/14, 11/6, 11/6 (69m)
Matthew has a plan ...
Ramy is a quick starter, has a great sense of depth and width, and
always seems to be able to come up the exact shot that will keep his
opponent out of his comfort zone. And so it went to 9-4 in the
first, aided on the way by three Matthew tins.
In the next rally Nick appealed for a let, some words were exchanged
between the players and the referees, which appeared to unsettle the
Egyptian.
Nick started to claw his way back against a now rattled Ramy. Two
tins from the Egyptian gave 6-9, but a backhand, crosscourt volley
nick gave game ball, 10-6. Two more Ramy tins and a great crosscourt
from Matthew, 9-10, but another crosscourt volley nick, this time
from the forehand, gave Ramy the opening game.
The
Englishman clearly change his strategy for the second. Instead of
conventionally hitting with a lot of pace, he started hitting high
crosscourts, especially lobs, as much as possible. Not only did this
keep Ramy behind him with nothing to do (and Ramy likes to do
things), but it made his straight shots more deceptive. Ramy trailed
the whole game until he tied it at ten all. Ramy saved seven game
balls, but never got one of his own and finally went down 16-14.
Matthew continued to keep the ball high in the air in game three,
adding more straight lobs to the plan, apparently willing to deal
with whatever Ramy could deliver from overhead. It worked well,
giving Ramy very little to work with in the back corners, and forced
six tins from the 20 year old, 11-6.
Ashour tried to respond with added pace in the fourth, but Nick
retrieved well, kept lobbing, and poached many of Ramy's crosscourts
into the nick, an even more convincing 11-6.
So that's how to beat Ramy - hit lots of great lobs, retrieve balls
out of the nick, and be prepared to hit winners yourself. Also, it
will help if you're really good ...
"Last
time I played Ramy he won, and the hard rallies were all
consecutive, so it was very tiring.
"Tonight the hard rallies were separated by easier ones, so I stayed
fresher.
"I learned a lot from watching Lee last night and tried to adopt
similar tactics, although I'm not saying what those tactics are.
"Peter and Lee was the last all-English, major final. James and I
know each other inside and out, and we'll enjoy it - The
All-Yorkshire Final of the US Open."
Night of shocks in New York
With three of the top four seeds failing to make the semi-finals, it
was a night of significant shocks at the Roseland Ballroom where
only rising star Ramy Ashour achieved his expected seeded position.
England's
James Willstrop arguably scored the biggest scalp,
recovering from a game down to beat defending champion Gregory
Gaultier. The 24-year-old Yorkshireman's opponent in the semi-finals
will be Egyptian Karim Darwish - who ousted compatriot Amr Shabana
when the top seed and world number one retired injured after 28
minutes.
The other semi-final in the first US Open to be staged in New York
since 1991 will also feature an Egyptian/English clash. In the
longest match of the session, a second Frenchman made an
unexpectedly early exit when Englishman Nick Matthew, the sixth
seed, upset fourth seed Thierry Lincou in 94 minutes.
Matthew, the 27-year-old from Sheffield who surrendered his 2006
British Open crown to Gaultier last month, will now face Ramy Ashour
for a place in the final. Ashour, the world number two who
celebrated his 20th birthday this week in New York, was taken to
five games by a determined Lee Beachill.
The departure of Gaultier and two-time champion Beachill leaves the
long-standing US Open ready to hail a new champion from the final at
the Roseland Ballroom ...
Quotes, Photos, Match Summaries from Jim Wellington
in New York,
additional photos from Jos Aarts and SquashPics.com ...
Ramy started well and Lee didn't, which made the first two games
quick, full of Ramy winners and Lee not keeping the ball out of the
centre.
Game
three saw a totally different Beachill return to the court, hitting
tight to the back as well as front court winners.
He was moving well now, and able to compete in those front court
gambits with Ramy that leave most waiting to receive the next serve.
Ramy seemed rattled to be on equal footing so suddenly and started
making a few errors, looser shots, marginal let requests, dives, and
was left standing on several occasions.
So it was that Lee took game three and was able to go toe-to-toe to
nine all in the fourth. A nick from Lee gave game ball, and then a
Ramy tin - game five to follow.
Five was well played by both, and fairly clean for two guys fighting
this hard. In contrast to the normal game five conservatism and let
fishing, this featured plenty of nicks and winners from both sides
and one diving back wall boast.
Ramy came up with a few more great shots in the end and took the
match, but it could have been different if Lee has started better
...
"I
was thinking too, too, too, too much. At first he was slow, but then
he got into his game. It was to win because I felt a lot of
pressure.
"He really kept me going. If I hadn't upped the pace, he would have
won. Just play the game man ..."
"It
took a while for me to move properly, and by that time against a guy
like Ramy, you're well on your way to being two-love down.
"To a certain extent you have to take him on at what he does, hit
some winners, and be prepared to chase some balls."
Top seed and 2005 champion Amr Shabana definitely started on the
offensive, keeping the rallies short, hitting as many low kills and
nicks as he could.
These two know each other's games well, and Karim Darwish was
matching him shot for shot by hitting good straight length with
pace.
As the scoreline shows, Darwish won the first two games by narrow
margins, and after making two quick errors to start the third,
Shabana shook his opponent's hand and it was over.
"Yesterday
I played really well, and I focused well tonight, which you have to
do to beat the World #1.
He's the most attacking player on tour, so I had to play tight.
"James beat me last week, so I'll have to be more attacking and keep
the pace up tomorrow."
"I
slipped last week playing Nick Matthew at the British Open, and my
Achilles tendon has been inflamed ever since.
"It hurts every time I push with my left foot. I don't want to put
myself out for the whole season. One more tightening and you can
tear it."
Game one started with some quick errors by Gaultier and a 0-5 start,
but then he got his movement going, as he does these days,
especially to Willstrop's many crosscourts, and came back to take it
11-8.
Willstrop changed his strategy, hitting straight almost exclusively,
many of these for outright winners, and others to create serious
opportunities. It worked, and James took two and three impressively,
but four got close with Greg going up 9-6.
James then hit a mishit winner, 7-9, Gaultier tin, 8-9, James
devastating straight length, 9-9, Greg tin, 10-9, stroke to James,
match to James.
"For two
games it was testing squash. We are two players on form, so we had
to work hard. Then it got scrappy and phasey. I just dug in in the
fourth.
"He had a massive win last week, so I tried to bring him off his
cloud by just digging and digging. I tried to keep it away from him,
and off his volley. I'm not into antics, I just want to play
squash."
Matthew comeback foils Lincou
Matthew simply outplayed Lincou in the first with superb accuracy
and speed that would be tough for anyone to match.
Lincou was ready in the second with some offence of his own. With
Lincou up 8-3 he hit Nick in the face with his racquet, and Nick
dumped the rest of the game with three quick errors.
Game three was simply gritty squash between two fit, strong, elite
athletes. Matthew looked like coming back from 7-10 down, but Lincou
ripped a forehand, straight, volley nick and screamed in joy as it
rolled out.
He
used this energy to come out on top in the fourth, dropping with
accuracy from front and back.
Matthew dug in and really fought, making desperate gets in all
corners that made for crowd-pleasing squash.
Nick climbed back to take the fourth, and the fifth was close and
brutal with neither player able to get more than a two point lead
until 9-7.
There was much bumping and grinding and screaming with the crowd
loving it. Each was willing to give everything, and that's a lot ...
"He's so
calm that I tried to get some emotion out of him. I'm happy with the
win, to finally get a win that will raise my ranking. Winning breeds
winning and gives me confidence. I can't remember the last time I
thought I didn't have at least a chance, but you have to covert, and
I've done it.
"I've had many winning opportunities, but not been able to convert,
and now I've done it. I hope I'll continue.
"I'd like to say a big hello to EIS because they've been behind me
all along, and that has made me more confident under pressure. If
you can beat Thierry Lincou, you can beat anybody.
"I changed one of two things today that I won't divulge, but I
didn't want to play the same way I played him in the past because
he's beaten me more often than not."
On to the Ballroom ... After
a final session at the Printing House Squash & Fitness Club the US
Open moved to the Roseland Ballroom for the last four second round
matches.
The afternoon session saw France's British Open finalists Gregory
Gaultier and Thierry Lincou safely through, joined by Englishmen
James Willstrop and Nick Matthew, who face the French pair in
the last eight.
On to the glass court - 45 minutes late as final preparations were
completed - and Egypt's top seeds Amr Shabana and Ramy Ashour
went through to the quarters without too much trouble, where Shabana
will face compatriot Karim Darwish who caused a minor seeding
upset in ousting Wael El Hindi, and Ashour faces Lee Beachill,
the other quarter-finalist outside the top eight, who ended the run
from qualifying of Omar Mosaad.
Quotes, Photos, Match Summaries from Jim Wellington
in New York,
additional photos from Jos Aarts and SquashPics.com ...
Beach stops Omar's run Beachill
was able to use his strength of solid length and width to force
errors, and also hit some creative winners from loose mid and front
court balls.
Mosaad was up and down mentally, with runs of great shots, followed
by silly errors. At the start, one wondered if Mosaad might make a
Ramy-like run deep into the draw, but it was not to be.
"He
had a great result last night and was very impressive in the way he
did it, because John's quite a player.
"After the first three or four rallies, I started seeing the ball
quite well and moving it around and forcing some errors.
"That way, if he was going to hit good shots, he would have to do it
from difficult positions. I know what it's like as a youngster to
have a big win and try to progress in a big tournament.
"The referee's decisions were fairly good tonight, but I still like
one of the refs to be a player. The player-ref gives the others
confidence when they see that their decisions are matching up.
"Technology has gotten so good now that we should start using video
replay as a way of getting the crowd involved more, and that's
important.
"I'm currently trying to get on the PSA Board, as a way of trying to
help squash use what's out there to bring the game to the place
where we all think it should be. Television should play a bigger
role."
[2] Ramy Ashour(Egy) bt [16] Olli Tuominen (Fin) 11/6, 11/8, 11/8 (40m)
Plan Z for Ramy
To have total control over someone as fit and complete as Olli
Tuominen is amazing, but that's how it went. Ramy made it look easy
and fun.
"Olli's
game is so high pace, like a marine fighter, so it's all about
breaking the pace.
"I just play naturally. He gets to every ball and never gives up,
and will kill himself until the last breath. I learned from him
because the first time he beat me in four.
"I don't usually have a plan, but adjust my level to the other's
game and level. Outside, I look calm, but inside I'm burning."
"It's
always hard to play with Wael because he's got good squash and he's
well built.
"I try to move around him because he tries to slow the rallies when
he's tired.
"I had to play deep against him because he cuts off anything he can,
especially on the backhand.
"My shots were perfect I think because I didn't give him
opportunity, and I finished when I could.
"Last two times he beat me, so I'm happy."
[10] Karim Darwish (Egy) bt
[8] Wael El Hindi (Egy)
11/7, 11/8, 11/8 (57m)
Darwish Egyptian clash
Wael El Hindi definitely showed that he can play cleanly with some
opponents, in contrast to the debacle with Golan two days ago. But
cleanliness didn't save him, as Karim Darwish kept it deep and
tight, and found the nick more often than not.
[1] Amr Shabana(Egy) bt [13] Peter Barker (Eng)
11/9, 11/5, 10/12, 11/7 (60m)
Shabana safely through
Both players hit the ball hard and attacked as soon as possible, but
neither was consistent, both bringing the ball to the centre,
especially with wild crosscourts. Both had lapses in concentration,
but you always felt Shabana would come out on top, and he did.
"I
didn't play my best. It was very scrappy squash. I think he was
injured. He won last time because he played well. I tried to get
used to the court and play simple, I only played well in intervals.
"It's very tough with lefties because you're not used to it, and
your strong points are the same. "I play Darwish next and he's a
good player, and he beat me last time, so I'll look for my revenge."
[6] Nick Matthew(Eng) bt [12] Mohammed Abbas (Egy)
11/3, 7/11, 11/6, 11/7 (55m)
Matthew masters Abbas
Abbas hit six tins in quickly losing the first game, looking as
though he didn't want be on court long, either way. It was Matthew
who hit the tins in the second, as Abbas came out spot on, with an
answer for everything and always on top, but it was not to last.
Consistent pressure from Matthew and another seven tins from Abbas
made the third even shorter than the 11-6 score might suggest. The
fourth was the most competitive of the match, but Matthew had most
of the answers.
"Abbas
is more patient than Hisham, he breaks your rhythm, and I like to
play a rhythm game. My concentration was up and down and that's
usually one of my strengths. I wanted to keep it simple really -
deep and wide. His tins were from behind me because he went for it
when he shouldn't have. Neither of us were at our best.
"It was good to have Paul Johnson in my corner because we were both
coached by Dave Pearson growing up.
"I'm playing well, and I'm glad I'll be fresh for Lincou tomorrow.
I'll be in trouble if I let my concentration lapse with him because
if he gets up, he's relentless."
[5] James Willstrop (Eng) bt
[15] Azlan Iskandar (Mas)
11/9, 11/9, 11/3 (48m)
James happy in three
Iskandar started slowly with errors, and quickly went down 7-1 in
the first, but nearly drew even as he started to exert control.
Willstrop was just able to close out game one with a few
spectacular, timely, volley kills.
Iskandar kept pressing using low pace, forcing the "big bloke" to
bend, twist, and scrape balls off the floor. Willstrop kept fighting
though, and came up with a few big shots when he needed them most,
narrowly winning the second as well.
James maintained the fight early in the third, breaking Azlan's
concentration, and walked off much fresher than he might have
expected.
"There
aren't any easy draws these days, and Azlan is pushing top eight.
"It was top quality squash for two games at least. I tried to push
on in the third and not give him a sniff. To get anyone off these
courts in three is a relief. He's very focused and keen to beat
people.
"He's added some nice kills to his game. All the boys know I'm a big
bloke, and they try to exploit that."
[3] Gregory Gaultier(Fra) bt
[15] Adrian Grant (Eng)
11/7, 11/5, 11/9 (56m)
Greg at the finish
It started sluggishly, with each slowly trying to find their length
and width. There were generally long rallies between players with
similar styles, at least when they play each other, but Greg's speed
and reflexes always left you with the feeling that he would come
through in the end.
Up 9-3 in the third, Greg seemed to be thinking about the locker
room, and made several errors in a row. Things got tense as Grant
approached level, but the Frenchman reasserted to close out the
match.
"I
lost my concentration at 9-3 in the third. He played strong and
tried to take that game.
"I played well, and I'm raising my game match after match. Sometimes
he's better than me, but today I was better."
Thierry in familiar four (the last
four matches between these two have all finished 3-1)
Game one saw Lincou start strongly, controlling the centre,
volleying, and keeping Boswell off balance. Boswell took the second
by playing tighter, preventing Lincou from volleying, and drawing
him out of the centre.
The third and fourth were decided on sheer grit, Lincou showing a
little more than Boswell, if that's possible.
"In
the third, I was staying too far behind him, but at 9-4 I realized
that I had to fight for every point. He made a few mistakes, that
helped me. In the fourth we were both tired because this court is
difficult.
"My front game wasn't as good as yesterday, but he didn't give me
much. He's one of the most fair guys on tour, and very pleasant to
play."
US Open 2007
"I
pushed and pushed as hard as I could. There were really hard patches
in the first two games, and love-two down is so much worse than
one-all. That was the deciding phase, game two. 
"
"I
was thinking too, too, too, too much. At first he was slow, but then
he got into his game. It was to win because I felt a lot of
pressure. 
"It
took a while for me to move properly, and by that time against a guy
like Ramy, you're well on your way to being two-love down. 
"Yesterday
I played really well, and I focused well tonight, which you have to
do to beat the World #1. 
"I
slipped last week playing Nick Matthew at the British Open, and my
Achilles tendon has been inflamed ever since. 
"He's so
calm that I tried to get some emotion out of him. I'm happy with the
win, to finally get a win that will raise my ranking. Winning breeds
winning and gives me confidence. I can't remember the last time I
thought I didn't have at least a chance, but you have to covert, and
I've done it. 
"He
had a great result last night and was very impressive in the way he
did it, because John's quite a player. 
"It's
always hard to play with Wael because he's got good squash and he's
well built. 
"I
didn't play my best. It was very scrappy squash. I think he was
injured. He won last time because he played well. I tried to get
used to the court and play simple, I only played well in intervals.
"Abbas
is more patient than Hisham, he breaks your rhythm, and I like to
play a rhythm game. My concentration was up and down and that's
usually one of my strengths. I wanted to keep it simple really -
deep and wide. His tins were from behind me because he went for it
when he shouldn't have. Neither of us were at our best. 
"There
aren't any easy draws these days, and Azlan is pushing top eight.
"I
lost my concentration at 9-3 in the third. He played strong and
tried to take that game. 
"In
the third, I was staying too far behind him, but at 9-4 I realized
that I had to fight for every point. He made a few mistakes, that
helped me. In the fourth we were both tired because this court is
difficult. 
