World
No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy became the first ever Egyptian winner of the prestigious
Canary Wharf Classic after he defeated compatriot Tarek Momen in a thrilling
five-game contest inside London’s stunning East Wintergarden to bring an end to
the 15th edition of the PSA M100 tournament.
World Champion ElShorbagy, who returned to the summit of the World Rankings
earlier this month, has been in stunning form this season and was appearing in
his eighth PSA World Tour final of the season, while his meeting with Momen was
a repeat of November’s Qatar Classic, which also went ElShorbagy’s way.
A captivating contest saw some incredible rallies enrapture a sell-out crowd,
with ElShorbagy pulling ahead to a 2-1 lead, only to see a gutsy fight back from
Momen send the match into a decider.
But
a determined ElShorbagy ran away with things in the fifth game as he rattled off
a succession of points to complete an 11-8, 7-11, 12-10, 9-11, 11-3 victory to
draw a captivating 86-minute battle to a close.
27-year-old ElShorbagy, who has lost just one of his last 31 matches, has now
won an incredible seven PSA World Tour titles from nine tournaments this season,
while his triumph in East Wintergarden was the 32nd PSA title of his career - a
total which puts him joint 11th on the list of all-time male PSA World Tour
title winners.
"This
is the best ever match we’ve played against each other and what a venue to play
that kind of battle in," said ElShorbagy.
"The crowd have been supporting us all week, they come to support this event
every year, so it’s amazing to play such a high quality match like this with
Tarek and the crowd made it more exciting for both of us.
"I’m
really happy to win this for the first time, I’ve never won this title before
and it’s a title that has had a lot of great names win it in the past. I’m
really glad to put my name on that trophy."
Momen said: "The only thing that’s bothering me is that I’ve been in this
position many times. I wish I could go on this court once holding the trophy,
but for me to get to this stage I have to play against so many great players, so
it’s hard to get the successive wins.
"But I’m getting there, I’m learning every tournament and Mohamed has been
amazing this season. He’s an unbelievable fighter and all credit to him, he
played really well."
Egyptian
duo Mohamed ElShorbagy and Tarek Momen will compete in their maiden Canary Wharf
Classic finals after they beat compatriots Marwan ElShorbagy and Ali Farag,
respectively, on semi-finals day of the PSA M100 tournament taking place at East
Wintergarden.
World No.1 Mohamed had won 10 of his previous 12 meetings with younger brother
Marwan and had prevailed in their last three fixtures, including last week’s
Windy City Open final and the title decider of December’s PSA Men’s World
Championships.
The
latest chapter of their gripping rivalry looked to be going the way of Marwan as
he played some sublime squash to twice take a one game lead, but Mohamed came
back in the fourth to level, before coming back from 8-6 down in the fifth to
claim an 8-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-3, 11-8 victory.
“We just played last week and he definitely played better this week,” said
Mohamed, who has now reached nine finals in his last 10 tournaments.
“Playing someone with the quality of my brother twice in the same week is
definitely not easy. After I beat him last week he would have learned so much
and he wanted to do things better this time.
“I could see from the first point in the first game that he wanted to win badly
today, but I had to try and fight. There were times when he was unstoppable and
I couldn’t really cope with his pace, but I had to keep digging in and hope he
made a few errors and I think my experience got me through in the end."
Momen
will take on Mohamed for the second time in as many tournaments after the World
No.6 also prevailed in a five-game battle against Farag.
The 30-year-old came flying out of the traps as he hit winners for fun and made
it difficult for Farag to put any points on the board.
Farag was much improved in the second and third games as he overturned the
deficit but, with the scores locked at 6-6 in the fourth, Momen rediscovered his
best squash and punished a rapidly tiring Farag to complete an 11-5, 6-11, 8-11,
11-8, 11-6 victory and he will aim to avenge defeats to Mohamed in the Qatar
Classic final and Windy City Open semi-final in tomorrow’s title decider.
“I just tried to give it my best because I know Ali is an unbelievable
opponent,” said Momen.
“What he achieved in less than three years on Tour is remarkable. I’ve been
playing for 12 years and look where he is at with only three years of
experience, so I salute him for that.
“He’s
such a tough opponent to break, he’s very tough physically and mentally, with
some good racket skills as well. He has the full package and to beat him is just
unbelievable."
The final of the 2018 Canary Wharf Classic - which this year celebrates its 15th
edition - takes place at 19:30 GMT and will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of
World), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and mainstream broadcast channels around
the world including BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia, Astro and more.
An exhibition match to mark the event’s 15th edition, featuring the tournament’s
co-founder and former World Champion Peter Nicol against two-time runner-up
Peter Barker, will be held at 18:00 and will be shown live on SQUASHTV.
The
prestigious Canary Wharf Classic will have its first ever
Egyptian winner after a quartet of Egyptian players - led by
World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy - advanced to the semi-finals
of the PSA M100 tournament held in East Wintergarden.
Today featured the end of the best-of-three games scoring
format being trialled at this tournament and ElShorbagy
earned his place in the semi-finals - which will revert back
to the traditional best of five scoring - courtesy of a 2-0
win over Germany’s Simon Rösner.
The reigning World Champion came through to win by an 11-9,
11-4 margin to ensure that he has now won 19 games on the
bounce and he will take on younger brother Marwan for a
place in the final.
“I’m really happy to be in the semis, I’ve never reached the
final here before so I would love to play a final here,"
said Mohamed.
"I don’t think an Egyptian has won this tournament before,
so I would love to be the first one to do it.
“It’s always exciting for me to be back playing here, I love
it here and I look forward to playing another match here.”
Mohamed
and Marwan will meet for a fourth time this season - with
Mohamed claiming major wins in the World Championship and
Windy City Open finals - after Marwan defeated England’s
Daryl Selby in the first match of the day.
"It was a tough match today against Daryl, he played really
well,” Marwan said.
“He had a very clever tactic today against me and all credit
to him. He’s been playing really well, he’s been pushing
hard and this match could have gone either way."
The ElShorbagy brothers will be joined in the semi-finals by
World No.3 Ali Farag and World No.6 Tarek Momen, who claimed
respective wins over Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly and England’s
James Willstrop.
Farag will appear in a sixth successive PSA World Tour
semi-final after he claimed an 11-9, 10-12, 11-4 victory
over World No.19 Cuskelly, who suffered a hamstring injury
during the second game and was unable to move to the best of
his ability in the third.
“I
am happy but I can’t say I’m very happy because I’m sad for
Ryan,” said Farag.
“It’s never the way you want to win. The first game was very
high quality squash, it was a flip of a coin and I won it.
It was a shame to see him limping because of his hamstring
and you can see how great of a player he is because he
almost beat me on one leg."
Momen, meanwhile, had to be at his best to overcome a
tenacious display from four-time Canary Wharf Classic
champion Willstrop, winning a high-quality affair by an
11-5, 9-11, 11-7 margin.
“I
have a lot of respect for James, I’ve played him many times
and he used to beat me easily,” said Momen.
“I’m just happy that I’m at a level now where I’m competing
with him and it’s unbelievable. He’s a great fighter and has
such good racket skills and he kept pushing until the end."
The semi-finals of the Canary Wharf Classic begin at 18:30
GMT tomorrow and will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of
World), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and a number of
mainstream broadcast channels around the world including BT
Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia, Astro and more.
A challenge match to celebrate the 2018 International
Women’s Day will also be staged at East Wintergarden before
the final, with England’s Sarah-Jane Perry and Alison Waters
going head-to-head in the Rackets Cubed Cup at 17:15, with
the action to be shown on SQUASHTV.
Four-time
Canary Wharf Classic champion James Willstrop got off to a
winning start at the 2018 edition of the PSA M100 tournament
as all seeded players claimed victories for the second
successive day inside London’s East Wintergarden as the
trial of the best-of-three games scoring format continued.
34-year-old Willstrop is a real crowd favourite at East
Wintergarden and has been a perennial title contender at the
prestigious tournament since his first appearance here in
2006, winning four of the seven finals he has participated
in.
Lobban, meanwhile, had beaten top qualifying seed Declan
James to qualify for the main draw of this tournament for
the first time and brought the best out of Willstrop as he
covered the court well and hit some fine shots of his own to
push the Yorkshireman hard at the beginning of both games,
but Willstrop showed his class to come through by an 11-6,
11-7 margin.
“I’m very pleased to win that,” Willstrop said afterwards.
“He’s so strong and so fast and I know that the rankings
show a certain story but the players don’t even look at that
story really. I had to prepare so well and I’m really
pleased to win.
“This best of three is a fantastic sharpener for everyone
and you have to bring more out of yourself. It’s completely
different, it changes the whole thing and it’s fascinating
stuff for us. The idea is that it’s fascinating for the
crowd, so hopefully it’s working. "
Willstrop
will take on the in-form World No.6 Tarek Momen in the last
eight after the Egyptian came out on top against French
qualifier Gregoire Marche, winning it 11-7, 11-6 on his
first Canary Wharf Classic appearance since 2012, when he
lost out to Willstrop in the quarter-finals.
“I’m feeling good, it’s my first time here since 2012 and
it’s been six years,” said Momen.
“I’ve always loved this venue and every year I skip it I
feel it is a shame because the draw is just too strong and
sometimes you’re seeking points. I’m happy that I’m in a
position now where I can afford to play."
Elsewhere,
World No.3 Ali Farag capped his Canary Wharf Classic debut
with a 2-0 win over tournament wildcard Nathan Lake.
Cheltenham-based Lake came flying out of the traps as he
matched Farag stride for stride and played at a level that
belied his ranking of World No.50, but Farag finally adapted
to the left-hander’s style of play and he claimed a
closely-fought victory by an 11-8, 11-9 scoreline.
“It’s too early to form an opinion [on best of three] at the
moment but I think the most important thing is that we need
to try it out," Farag said.
"For anything in life, if it’s sport or a business, you have
to change and always evolve and I think that, even if it’s
not the right change for the sport, we need to keep trying
new things. Thanks to Canary Wharf because it always takes
the initiative, such as the three referees system to start
with, then back to the one referee system with the video
decisions and now with the best of three.”
Farag
will do battle with Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly as he claimed
his first ever win over Spain’s Borja Golan to ensure a
clean sweep for the seeded players.
"It was a tough match,” said Cuskelly.
“It was my first time playing best of three and I was very
edgy because every point is pretty important and he [Golan]
has had some good results in the last few weeks."
The quarter-finals of the Canary Wharf Classic take place
tomorrow (March 7) when the best-of-three games scoring
format will be used for the final time in this tournament,
with the traditional best-of-five games format coming into
play for the semi-finals and final.
Play starts at 18:00 local time (GMT) and will be shown live
on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe
only).
Bristol-based Egyptian brothers Mohamed and Marwan
ElShorbagy claimed wins on the opening day of the 15th
edition of the Canary Wharf Classic, PSA M100 tournament as
a best-of-three games scoring format was used for the first
time in a ranking PSA World Tour event.
World
No.1 Mohamed marked his first Canary Wharf Classic
appearance since 2013 with a 2-0 victory over fellow
Egyptian Mazen Hesham inside London’s iconic East
Wintergarden.
Hesham showed glimpses of the shot-making talents that have
made him one of the most mercurial talents on the PSA World
Tour but he was held at arm’s length for the majority of the
match by ElShorbagy, who wrapped up an 11-6, 11-6 victory to
make it 27 wins out his last 28 matches.
“He’s [Hesham] an amazing player,” said Mohamed.
“He got to World No.13 and he had a really bad injury. He’s
making his way back and he’s been playing well. Every
tournament he’s been getting better and once I saw that I
had him in the first round I had to have a special
preparation for him because he is very tricky.
“I knew he would be good in a best of three as well because
of the shots he plays, so I had to be on my toes and be
sharp from the very first point. I’m just really glad my
plan worked out in the end."
Mohamed
will line up against Tournament of Champions winner Simon
Rösner in the next round after Rösner defeated best friend
Nicolas Mueller 2-0.
Meanwhile, World No.4 Marwan claimed his first ever victory
at the Canary Wharf Classic after he defeated Colombia’s
Miguel Angel Rodriguez. Marwan hadn’t tasted victory at this
tournament in four previous appearances but a comfortable
victory in the opening game laid the foundations for an
11-5, 14-12 victory for the man from Egypt.
“I
think concentration is the key in best of three and you try
not to lose your concentration," said Marwan.
"Of course, in the second Miguel played really well and came
back from 6-2 down and I’m happy to win.
“I’ve played this tournament four times, this is my fifth
time and it’s my first win in Canary Wharf. I’m so happy to
finally get my first win here and hopefully I can keep
going.”
Marwan will line up against England’s Daryl Selby for a
place in the semi-finals, with Englishman Selby coming back
from a game down to defeat Australia’s Cameron Pilley.
“Best
of three is so different and anyone who said it’s not as
physically hard [as best of five] is wrong because there
were some really brutal rallies in that and I’m glad I
didn’t have to play any longer than three games,” said
Selby, who this month celebrated his 100th month inside the
world’s top 20.
“Me and Pilley are good friends and we’ve been doing a
podcast [Comments from the Couch] together, which has been
good fun. We’ve known each other for 20 years and it’s
always a pleasure to play against him, he’s a great
competitor and can hit some unbelievable shots."
The first round of the Canary Wharf Classic continues
tomorrow (March 6), with Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly and
Spain’s Borja Golan getting proceedings under way at 18:00
local time (GMT).
Scotland’s
World No.31 Greg Lobban upset England’s top qualifying seed Declan
James in the final qualifying round of the 2018 Canary Wharf Classic
to reach the main draw of the PSA M100 tournament for the first
time.
This year’s Canary Wharf Classic is the first ranking PSA World Tour
event to use a best-of-three games scoring format during the
qualification stages, first round and quarter-finals, while the
traditional best-of-five scoring will be used for the semi-final and
finals.
Lobban, the Edinburgh-based 25-year-old, followed up a 2-1 victory
over Egypt’s Youssef Soliman in the first round with a 2-0 victory
over World No.26 James, taking it 11-9, 11-3 to set up a clash with
four-time winner James Willstrop in round one of the main draw.
James was one of four Englishmen to fall in the final round of
qualifying as Chris Simpson, Tom Richards and Ben Coleman all
suffered defeats.
Simpson, who played above his seeding to dispatch compatriot Adrian
Waller in the previous round, saw his tournament come to an end at
the hands of France’s Gregoire Marche, with the Frenchman prevailing
13-11, 11-9.
Marche’s reward is a meeting with World No.6 Tarek Momen, while his
fellow European, World No.18 Nicolas Mueller, defeated Richards
14-12, 11-6 and he will line up against close friend and Tournament
of Champions winner Simon Rösner in round one of the main draw.
Egypt’s Mazen Hesham was also victorious on the final day of
qualifying as he defeated Coleman 2-0. The World No.32 will contest
his first round fixture with World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy,
The opening day of first round action at the 15th edition of the
Canary Wharf Classic takes place tomorrow. Matches start from 18:00
local time (GMT) and will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of World)
and Eurosport Player (Europe only).
Six-time
Canary Wharf Classic champion Nick Matthew has been forced to pull
out of the 2018 edition of the PSA M100 tournament due to a
hamstring injury.
The 37-year-old, who will retire at the end of this season, is a
crowd favourite at London’s East Wintergarden and was in line to
make his final appearance at the prestigious tournament but will now
miss out on defending his title.
“It’s with a heavy heart I’ve decided today to withdraw from the
Canary Wharf Classic," said Matthew.
"It is one of my favourite tournaments on the Tour, the atmosphere
is second to none and I've always had a fantastic welcome in London,
which has led to some memories to cherish on court.
"However, I felt an old hamstring injury resurface during the
National Championships final and, with Chicago [the Windy City Open]
last week, I haven’t had the necessary time to fully shake it off.
"With the Commonwealth Games in April fast approaching, I have been
advised by my team to lean on the side of caution and make sure I’m
fully recovered and prepared for the Gold Coast.
"I wish [Tournament Promoter] Tim Garner and all of the players the
best of luck with the event. I know the tournament will continue to
go from strength to strength and I am gutted I can’t be there this
time.”
Matthew’s withdrawal means that Egypt’s Tarek Momen replaces him as
the number four seed and will take on a qualifier, while Matthew’s
compatriot - World No.17 Daryl Selby - moves up to the number eight
seeded position and he will play Australia’s Cameron Pilley.
Meanwhile, Colombia’s former World No.4 Miguel Angel Rodriguez moves
into the main draw from qualifying and he will go head-to-head with
World Championship runner-up Marwan ElShorbagy in round one.
The 2018 Canary Wharf Classic will be held between March 5-9 and
World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy will head up the draw. Live coverage
from the tournament will be shown on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and
Eurosport Player (Europe only), while the semi-finals and final will
also be shown live on mainstream broadcasters such as BT Sport, beIN
Sports, Fox Sports Australia, Astro and more.
This year’s instalment will become the first ranking PSA World Tour
event to be played using a best-of-three games scoring format up
until the semi-finals and final, where it will revert to the
traditional best-of-five scoring.
Tickets for the 2018 Canary Wharf Classic are sold out, but the
tournament have a waiting list, which can be joined by emailing cw@eventis-sports.com
The
upcoming Canary Wharf Classic will mark the 2018 International
Women’s Day on March 8th by hosting a challenge match featuring
English duo Sarah-Jane Perry and Alison Waters before the
tournament’s semi-final matches at London’s East Wintergarden.
International Women’s Day celebrates the social, economic, cultural
and political achievements of women across the globe and this year’s
theme is #PressforProgress, which is a call-to-action to press
forward and progress gender parity.
Perry, the World No.8 from Birmingham who reached the Windy City
Open semi-finals earlier this week, and London-born Waters, ranked
No.10 in the world, will go head-to-head in the Rackets Cubed Cup at
17:15 local time (GMT), with the semi-finals of the Canary Wharf
Classic - a PSA M100 tournament - set to follow at 18:30.
The challenge match will be shown live on SQUASHTV.
"Canary
Wharf is always a favourite event amongst the men, so I'm really
looking forward to playing in such a fantastic venue," said Perry.
"Squash is a sport that is pushing equality, particularly in the
professional game, which makes it even more fitting that we will be
showcasing women's squash on International Women’s Day."
Waters said: "I’m really looking forward to playing the challenge
match with SJ at Canary Wharf this year to coincide with
International Women’s Day. It’s an amazing location and it’s always
a fantastic event, so I’m excited to be a part of it this year.
"Thank you to Rackets Cubed, who are supporting our challenge match.
It should be a great evening of squash."
As well as sponsoring the challenge match, Rackets Cubed have been
named as the tournament’s Official Charity for the second year
running and will run a clinic throughout the day on Wednesday March
7 for children from the Sacred Heart school in Roehampton.
Rackets Cubed are a UK-registered charity and provide inner-city
children with significant extra-curricular support through an
integrated sports, educational and nutrition programme and are
partnered with both the PSA Foundation - the charitable arm of the
Professional Squash Association - and England Squash in enhancing
grassroots participation in squash throughout the United Kingdom.
"Alison
has been a great patron and role model for the children and we are
delighted to see that SJ has joined her in supporting this fantastic
cause," said Rackets Cubed Founder & Chairman Michael Hill.
"The women’s tour has never been stronger, seeing elite women’s
squash not only inspires the next generation of female players, but
also brings all of the health benefits associated with the game."
Tournament Director Tim Garner, of Eventis Sports Marketing, said:
"Rackets Cubed are a fantastic charity which do a lot of good for
children in deprived areas and we are pleased to feature them as the
tournament’s Official Partner once more.
"Their clinic at last year’s Canary Wharf Classic was a complete
success and provided children from the Sacred Heart School in
Roehampton with an unforgettable experience."
The 2018 Canary Wharf Classic takes place between March 5-9 and
features stars such as World Champion Mohamed ElShorbagy, World No.3
Ali Farag, three-time World Champion Nick Matthew and four-time
winner James Willstrop.
This year’s instalment will become the first ranking PSA World Tour
event to be played using a best-of-three games scoring format up
until the semi-finals and final, where it will revert to the
traditional best-of-five scoring.
Live coverage from the tournament will be shown on SQUASHTV (Rest of
World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only), while the semi-finals and
final will also be shown live on mainstream broadcasters such as BT
Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia, Astro and more.
Tickets for the 2018 Canary Wharf Classic are sold out, but squash
fans can join the waiting list here: cw@eventis-sports.com
The 2018 Canary Wharf Classic has announced partnerships
with two Kent-based companies - Veblen Wine and Ashmax
Associates - which will see both organisations become
associate sponsors of the prestigious PSA M100 tournament
held in London’s iconic East Wintergarden between March 5-9.
Veblen Wines are a fine wine investment advisory company and
are specialists in assisting private clients in managing,
servicing and trading their interest in fine wine.
Veblen is one of only 450 companies licensed to trade on the
London International Vintners Exchange (Liv-Ex) and has
developed into one of the most successful wine investment
companies in the world.
"Squash has helped my health and fitness and I have met some
great people through playing the game," said Veblen Wine
Founder & Director Lazare Morel.
“Our policy at Veblen is always to put the customer first
and our business model looks after the customer from start
to finish.
“More and more people are looking at wine as an investment,
and with an average annual return of 12% over the past 25
years, it is a very attractive alternative to the more
traditional forms of investment.”
Financial planning and wealth management company Ashmax
Associates are a family-based business which offers
independent and trusted financial advice for clients across
the United Kingdom.
Working primarily in the fields of business, sport, music
and entertainment, Ashmax Associates operates in key areas,
including mortgages, future wealth and income planning, as
well as wills, tax and trust advice.
Ashmax Associates Financial Adviser Ryan Briggs - formerly a
professional footballer for West Ham United - plays in the
same Kent League squash team as Morel and said: "We
currently work with people in sport at various levels
including football and rugby and I would love to extend this
to squash.
"Since retiring from playing professional football, I have
started playing competitive squash and am passionate about
the game.
"Both Lazare and I are excited about being involved with the
Canary Wharf Classic, one of the greatest tournaments in the
game, and watching many of the world’s leading players in
action at the East Wintergarden.”
Tournament Director Tim Garner, of Eventis Sports Marketing,
said: "We are pleased to welcome Veblen Wine and Ashmax
Associates to our expanding portfolio of sponsors.
"Both Lazare and Ryan are very passionate about the sport
and we look forward to working with them over the next
month."
Both companies will have a presence at East Wintergarden
throughout the tournament, offering spectators the chance to
win a high-quality bottle of wine every day through a draw.
The 2018 Canary Wharf Classic is headed up by World Champion
Mohamed ElShorbagy, while the likes of World No.3 Ali Farag,
three-time World Champion Nick Matthew and four-time winner
James Willstrop will also be in action.
This year’s instalment becomes the first ranking PSA World
Tour event to be played using a best-of-three games scoring
format up until the semi-finals and final, where it will
revert to the traditional best-of-five scoring.
Live coverage from the tournament will be shown on SQUASHTV
(Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only), while
the semi-finals and final will be shown live on BT Sport,
beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia and Astro and more.
Host
Sponsor: Canary Wharf Group plc
The Canary Wharf
Squash Classic at the East Wintergarden is jointly promoted by Eventis
Sports Marketing and SquashUK
Tournament Dates:
March 5-9
Venue: East Wintergarden, Bank Street, Canary Wharf, E14 Corporate Hospitality: Superb packages are available, enabling
spectators to wine, dine and watch all the gripping squash action
from the Gallery restaurant within the East Wintergarden.
Full details from Tim Garner at Eventis Sports Marketing
Telephone: 07973 817468. Email:
tgarner@eventis-sports.com
Media information from Alan Thatcher
Text or telephone: 07971 639829. Email:
alan@squashuk.com
Tickets for the
Canary Wharf Classic have sold out but a waitlist is open in case
any tickets are returned. Email
cw@eventis-sports.com
The fabulous East
Wintergarden also offers superb opportunities for corporate hospitality,
with the gallery restaurant offering “the best view of squash anywhere
in the world” according to former world champion Peter Nicol.