Beng
Hee Battles To Major Career Title In Detroit
Ong
Beng Hee's
fairy tale run in the Motor City Open in the USA went the full
distance when the unseeded Malaysian despatched second seed Hisham
Mohamed Ashour in straight games in the final of the PSA World
Tour International 50 squash event in its 12th year at the
Birmingham Athletic Club in Bloomfield Hills, near Detroit,
to win the second biggest title of his career.
It was
after a difficult 2011 which brought him to the brink of retirement that
the rejuvenated 31-year-old completed back-to-back upsets of the No4 and
No1 seeds before ousting Ashour to secure his biggest PSA Tour title
since winning the Malaysian Open in 2008.
In
front of a sold-out Birmingham Athletic Club crowd, world No34 Beng Hee
completed a wild four days by beating the world No14 from Egypt 11-8,
11-9, 11-7. The win netted the veteran a Rolex Explorer II watch,
courtesy of sponsor Greenstone Jewellers, a winner's cheque of $8,000,
and a standing ovation from the packed house.
"After
I won the last point, I was very emotional," said the 31-year-old who in
December contemplated retirement following first round exits in 10 of
his 14 tournament appearances in 2011. "It's been a very long road up to
here."
The
road to the championship was an exhausting one for the former world No7.
Beng Hee survived five-game marathons against Frenchman Gregoire
Marche and Australian Cameron Pilley in the first two rounds
before sweeping defending champion and world No6 Mohamed El Shorbagy
in the semi-finals. Executing a flawless game plan against the talented
Ashour, Beng Hee capped his week with another straight game win.
"For
me, this tournament has been everything and luck," Beng Hee said.
"Managing to beat Pilley in five while having cramps - and Cameron
cramping as well - that's never happened before. And to be able to beat
Shorbagy yesterday and then back it up to beat Hisham today . . . . luck
played a big part."
The
Egyptian Ashour, famed for his deft racket and crafty shots, struggled
with the bouncy club court - often forcing shots out of frustration. In
the first game alone, the 29-year-old made nine unforced errors.
"The
ball was bouncing like a like a tennis ball," the colourful Ashour said
afterwards. "I couldn't put it anywhere. Every time I was putting it
somewhere it was popping up again, so I couldn't make him do the work.
It was all in his favour. He controlled the whole situation. I'm a bit
disappointed. I feel pain. But I'll live."
For
Beng Hee, who last won a title in the USA in 1998 when he claimed the
world junior crown, and as a 19-year old advanced to the Motor City Open
semi-finals in 2000, it's now about returning to form and ending his
career on a high note.
"It
took me a long time and I wanted to justify my retirement. I'm going to
retire as high as I can," he said. "I've given myself another year,
hopefully two. And to be able to win this tournament: what a feeling!"
Beng
Hee Bursts Into Motor City Open Final
Unseeded Malaysian Ong Beng Hee continued his blistering run in
the Motor City Open when he ousted title-holder Mohamed El
Shorbagy in straight games to reach the final of the PSA World
Tour International 50 squash event in its 12th year at the
Birmingham Athletic Club in Bloomfield Hills, near Detroit.
"The
thirty one-year old world No34 may be in the twilight of his career but
the veteran still has some gas in the tank," said tournament spokesman
AJ Hakim after Beng Hee brushed aside the 21-year-old top-seeded
Egyptian 11-9, 11-7, 13-11 to reach his first squash final in the USA
since winning the World Junior Championship in Princeton in 1998.
Beng
Hee made his Motor City Open debut in 2000 when he was a 19-year-old
up-and-comer on the PSA World Tour. That year, he advanced to the
semi-finals, losing to then world No9 Alex Gough in four games.
Since then he has risen as high as seven in the world rankings and been
a steady presence in the Top 20 before injuries slowed him up in the
last year.
His
2012 semi-final victory was over a fresher, younger, El Shorbagy. Beng
Hee was playing just 24 hours after a five-game, 122-minute marathon
quarter against fourth seed Cameron Pilley - and two nights after
another five-game endurance-test against Frenchman Gregoire Marche.
"I'm
extremely happy I made the final this time," said Beng Hee, now in the
22nd Tour final of his career. "I've been struggling the last season, so
to start this year being in the final - I'm extremely happy."
After
executing his game plan, pushing the shot-making Egyptian deep in the
court, and playing a near-perfect first two games, Beng Hee started to
feel fatigue late in the third.
"I
don't think Shorbagy played his best, maybe a bit nervous because he's
the defending champion and I had no pressure," Beng Hee said of his
opponent, the world No6. "When I went 10-7 up, I got a bit tired because
I think I played really well until then. And Shorbagy started to pick up
his momentum. He's a young guy, so he's obviously extremely fit and very
strong. And he started to play a lot better.
"I
think towards the end I got a bit lucky," continued the Malaysian.
"Eleven-all is anyone's game. Had he won it, it would have definitely
gone to five because I was getting a bit tired."
Hisham Mohamed Ashour,
his opponent in the final, was also feeling tired with legs heavy from
competing in his third straight tournament. However, the second-seeded
Egyptian defeated South African Stephen Coppinger 8-11, 11-6,
11-9, 11-9.
"I
know he's been playing really well lately," Ashour said of unseeded
Coppinger, ranked 34 in the world. "The thing is, my legs are so heavy
today, and he takes the ball so early too. He's a half-volleyer. He
takes the ball early so I knew my legs are not super fast, so I had to
hold the ball a lot and try to always keep him behind me."
The
29-year-old advances to his second final in 2012, having reached the
climax at the Comfort Inn Open in Vancouver. He hopes his fast
start in 2012 — and possible MCO championship — will help him achieve a
childhood dream.
"I'm
pretty happy I'm in the final," said the current world No14. "If I win
this tournament I think I move from 14 to into the top ten, which has
been my dream since I was 10 years old. I'm almost 30 now."
Ashour
and Beng Hee met previously in November at the Cathay Pacific Sun
Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open, with Ashour winning in four. "May
the best player win," said Beng Hee. "I think it's going to be a tough
match."
Beng
Hee & Coppinger Progress In Detroit
Malaysia's Ong Beng Hee and South African Stephen Coppinger
pulled off impressive upsets over seeded opponents in the Motor City
Open to claim unexpected places in the semi-finals of the PSA
World Tour International 50 squash event in its 12th year at the
Birmingham Athletic Club in Bloomfield Hills, near Detroit,
in the USA.
Beng
Hee, a former world No7 who made his Motor City Open debut 12 years ago,
achieved his first win over Cameron Pilley for almost four years
when he beat the fourth seed from Australia 8-11, 13-11, 11-8, 8-11,
11-5.
The
world No34 from Kuala Lumpur, now aged 31, will now face defending
champion Mohamed El Shorbagy.
The
top seed from Egypt cruised to his second straight games win in the
event when he defeated Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez 11-5,
11-9, 11-8.
Coppinger stunned third seed Alister Walker, the New York-based
world No15 from Botswana.
Ranked
15 places below Walker, the 27-year-old from Cape Town recovered from a
game down to see off his seeded opponent 9-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-7.
Coppinger will now line up against Hisham Mohamed Ashour, the No2
seed from Egypt who ended Max Lee's great run when he beat the
Hong Kong qualifier 11-9, 11-8, 11-5.
Lee
Lays On Lone Upset In Motor City Open
Qualifier Max Lee shook up the 2012 Motor City Open with
the only upset in the first round of the PSA World Tour International
50 squash event in its 12th year at the Birmingham Athletic Club
in Bloomfield Hills, near Detroit, in the USA.
The
24-year-old from Hong Kong beat world No32 Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan -
ranked seven places higher - 11-7, 12-10, 11-5 in his first career
victory over the Malaysian.
"Same
court, same time," Lee said jokingly about his lucky Court No2 where he
has won all his matches this week.
"This
is just a really great start for me. The first time getting to the
Tournament of Champions last week and now this tournament, getting into
the second round."
Lee,
who trains with Adnan in London, said his friend wasn't playing at his
usual level. "He made too many unforced errors. I just keep it simple,
and when the space came, I take it in."
Defending champion and top seed Mohamed El Shorbagy cruised
through as expected - to be joined in the quarter-finals by Hisham
Mohamed Ashour, Cameron Pilley, Miguel Angel Rodriguez,
Stephen Coppinger, Alister Walker and Ong Beng Hee.
Walker, the third seed from Botswana, and Beng Hee, the Malaysian who
made his first Motor City appearance in 2000, both survived gruelling
five-game matches.
Former
world No7 Beng Hee jumped out to a 7-2 lead in the final game against
Gregoire Marche before narrowly escaping defeat by beating the
French qualifier 10-12, 11-3, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8.
Walker, the world No15 making his Detroit debut, was given a tough ride
by unseeded Aamir Atlas Khan. The New York-based
dreadlock-sporting star eked out an 8-11, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8 win
over the Pakistani.
"The
depth in squash at the moment is really, really something special,"
Walker said afterwards. "I don't think there's ever been as much quality
and depth as there is now. Aamir is ranked between 20 and 30, but he's
beaten everyone. I didn't play that well in New York last week, so this
is a bit of a relief."
"I
just had to be consistent in trying to keep the ball straight because
he's very good with the angles," continued the 29-year-old. "When you
sort of think he's getting a bit dejected, suddenly he goes for a few
shots and rolls a few, gets some winners and suddenly he's back in it.
It's just about mentally being steady, but I managed in the end."
World
No6 El Shorbagy appeared in top form against feisty qualifier Mathieu
Castagnet of France. The Egyptian brushed aside the world No46 in a
tight, often testy match. A determined ball hound, Castagnet lunged and
dived at every possible return, even after suffering a hamstring injury
midway through game two.
"I'm
really happy I won today," said Shorbagy after his 11-4, 11-9, 11-9
victory. "I wanted to win 3/0 and I did. Normally, it's 3/1, 3/2. I
mean, you saw the way he was in the second and third games - he was
almost killing himself."
Despite the injury, Castagnet acknowledged, Shorbagy's skills were too
much. "I'm disappointed in my hamstring," he said. "It was difficult for
me to push off on my forehand. But if I was in good shape, it still
would've been difficult for me. He was better than me today."
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