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Wednesday 3rd, Day SIX
Howard Harding reports from Nottingham |
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 White's
Home Victory Hopes Dashed By Ricketts
Hopes of a local victory were dashed tonight at the
Albert Hall in Nottingham when sixth seed John White
was beaten in a five-game thriller by Australia's No11 seed
Anthony Ricketts for the second year in a row.
Since reaching number one in the world rankings in March this
year, Nottingham-based White has had a mixed run on the
international circuit - but rediscovered his form last month
to reach the final of the Super 8 Grand Prix in Manchester.
Twice behind in his marathon second round match against
Ricketts, the Australian-born Scottish No1 fought back to
forge a 5-1 lead in the fifth game decider. But Ricketts
regained the initiative and, after two match balls, sealed the
third to win 11-7 6-11 11-7 6-11 11-9.
"I just made too many errors," said a disconsolate White
afterwards. "I was 4-0 up in the third, and 5-1 up in the
fifth - both of which are huge leads under this new scoring
system - and I let him back. I just lacked patience at those
points and virtually beat myself."
It was Ricketts' fourth successive win over his former
Australian rival, though the 25-year-old from Sydney admitted
that he feels he is still a couple of months away from a
complete recovery from his recent knee injury. "I'm still in
that comeback phase," said Ricketts, who underwent two
operations on his knee at the Australian Institute of Sport HQ
in Canberra early in the year.
"Since making my comeback at the English Open in August, I
haven't really had a good result - so this one tonight means a
lot to me."
Ricketts now meets Frenchman Thierry Lincou after the
second seed beat England's 10th seed Adrian Grant, the
Yorkshire-based Londoner 11-6 11-6 11-9 in the final match of
the night.
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[11] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt
[6] John White (SCO)
11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-9 (70m) |
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Shabana's Turning Point
Earlier in the day, Egypt's world champion Amr Shabana
fought back from a game down to beat unseeded Canadian
Graham Ryding - and later declared that this match marked
the turning point on his mixed fortunes since winning the
world title last December in Pakistan.
"I have had a tough time since becoming world champion,"
conceded the 25-year-old fifth seed from Cairo after his 9-11
11-6 11-9 11-5 triumph in 52 minutes. "Before it, people
around me kept telling me it's time I won something, then
afterwards there was this expectation that I would go on
winning everything - and it really messed up my game.
"Instead of concentrating on my game on court, I spent my time
thinking about things outside the court, like what others were
thinking of me - I was completely stressed out for about six
months.
"Then, about two months ago, I went completely the other way,
and became far too relaxed on court.
"But tonight, it all seemed to fit into place - and for the
first time since the win in Lahore I really felt that I was
playing to my full potential. It would be great for my CV to
win the British Open - and now I know I can do it," said
Shabana.
The Egyptian, who has never before progressed beyond the first
round, now meets England's fourth seed Nick Matthew for
a place in the semi-finals. The 24-year-old world No6 from
Sheffield has enjoyed a highly successful year on the PSA
Tour, most recently reaching the final of the Hong Kong Open
in September.
[5] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt
[14] Graham Ryding (CAN)
9-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-5
(52m)
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Matthew makes the Quarters
Matthew ended Mohd Azlan Iskandar's maiden run in the event,
beating the unseeded Malaysian 11-2 11-9 11-10 in 42 minutes.
"I felt very confident today - and it's great to playing on
the glass court at last after the slower courts at the
Nottingham Squash Club," said Matthew after his straight games
triumph. "I'm happy to get this over in three as Azlan is a
dangerous player and I need to keep fresh for the matches
ahead."
[4] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt
Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS)
11-2, 11-9, 11-10 (2-0) (42m)
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Jackman has two dates
 Cassie
Jackman became the first English player to claim a
semi-final berth in the event when she beat compatriot
Linda Elriani in straight games in the second of two
women's quarter-finals played today.
The long-time England No1 and former world No1 from Norwich
came back from 4-8 down in the opening game to win 10-8 9-3
9-2 in 37 minutes to reach the semi-finals for the sixth time
since making her debut in the event in 1987.
With a rest day before playing her semi on Friday, Jackman
will be a guest of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth on Thursday
when she receives an MBE for services to squash at Buckingham
Palace.
On her return, second seed Jackman will face Natalie
Grainger, the fourth seed who despatched Egypt's world
junior champion Omneya Abdel Kawy, the No9 seed, 9-0
9-6 9-2 in 28 minutes |
Grainger,
the US No1 fighting back to top form after an eight-month
lay-off, was in sparkling form.
"It's just so good to be back, getting some good victories
under my belt. I can't wait to play Cassie on Thursday," added
the 27-year-old from Washington DC, now playing her third
WISPA World Tour event since last month, and undefeated in
eleven matches.
[4]
Natalie Grainger (USA) bt
[9] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
9-0, 9-6, 9-2 (28m)
[2] Cassie Jackman (ENG) bt
[5] Linda Elriani (ENG)
10-8, 9-3, 9-2 (37m)
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BritishOpenSquash.com
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Official
site of the British Open Squash Championships ... by
Squash Player |
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