29/09/2007
US OPEN
Nick Matthew wins his first US Open
US Open 2007 |
Round
One
Top
29/ Bot 30 Sep |
Round Two
01-Oct |
Quarters
02-Oct |
Semis
03-Oct |
Final
04-Oct |
[1] Amr Shabana (Egy)
11-4, 11-9, 10-11 (1-3), 11-7 (52m
[Q] Stefan Casteleyn (Bel) |
Amr Shabana
11-9, 11-5, 10-11 (0-2), 11-7 (60m)
Peter Barker |
Amr Shabana
11-9, 11-8, 2-0 ret. (28m)
Karim Darwish |
Karim Darwish
3-2
James Willstrop |
James Willstrop
11-7, 11-4, 11-7
Nick Matthew |
[13] Peter Barker (Eng)
11-4, 11-6, 11-7 (39m)
[Q] Renan Lavigne (Fra) |
[8] Wael El Hindi (Egy)
10-11 (0-2), 11-7, 11-7, 3-2 ret. (86m)
Borja Golan (Esp) |
Wael El Hindi
11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (57m)
Karim Darwish |
[10] Karim Darwish
(Egy)
11-5, 11-8, 11-2 (45m)
Alex Gough (Wal) |
[3] Gregory Gaultier
(Fra)
11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8 (71m)
Cameron Pilley (Aus) |
Gregory Gaultier
11-7, 11-5, 11-9 (56m)
Adrian Grant |
Gregory Gaultier
8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9
James Willstrop |
[15] Adrian Grant (Eng)
11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 11-10 (6-4) (88m)
Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) |
[5] James Willstrop (Eng)
11-2, 11-5, 11-6 (37m)
Gilly Lane (Usa) |
James Willstrop
11-9, 11-9, 11-3 (48m)
Mohd Azlan Iskandar |
[15] Mohd Azlan Iskandar
(Mas)
11-4, 4-11, 11-8, 11-2 (75m)
Shahier Razik (Can) |
[Q] Joey Barrington (Eng)
11-10 (5-3), 11-4, 11-5 (51m)
[12]
Mohammed Abbas (Egy) |
Mohammed Abbas
11-3, 7-11, 11-6, 11-7 (55m)
Nick Matthew |
Nick Matthew
11-5, 3-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7 (94m)
Thierry Lincou |
Nick Matthew
3-1
Ramy Ashour |
Hisham Ashour (Egy)
11-8, 11-9, 11-1 (37m)
[6]
Nick Matthew (Eng) |
[Q] Daryl Selby (Eng)
11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-1 (75m)
[9]
Stewart Boswell (Aus) |
Stewart Boswell
11-6, 6-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-9 (75m)
Thierry Lincou |
[Q] Alister Walker (Eng)
11-5, 11-9, 11-9 (55m)
[4]
Thierry Lincou (Fra) |
Ong Beng Hee (Mas)
11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (54m)
[11]
Lee Beachill (Eng) |
Lee Beachill
11-8, 11-6, 11-8 (42m)
Omar Mosaad |
Lee Beachill
11-6, 11-6, 6-11, 9-11, 11-7 (65m)
Ramy Ashour |
[Q] Omar Mosaad (Egy)
6-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-3, 11-10 (2-0) (58m)
[7]
John White (Sco) |
[Q] Jonathan Kemp (Eng)
6-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-3, 11-10 (2-0) (58m)
[16]
Olli Tuominen (Fin) |
Olli Tuominen
11-6, 11-8, 11-8 (40m)
Ramy Ashour |
[Q] Scott Arnold (Aus)
11-8, 11-5, 11-7 (34m)
[2] Ramy Ashour
(Egy) |
Qualifying Finals:
Alister Walker (Eng) bt Omar Elborolossy (Egy) 9/11, 10/12, 11/8,
11/7, 11/1 (83m)
Stefan Casteleyn (Bel) bt Julian Illingworth (Usa) 11/8, 11/5,
2/11, 11/6 (58m)
Omar Mosaad (Egy) bt Saurav Ghosal (Ind) 11/5, 11/5,
11/14 (21m)
Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt Dylan Bennett (Ned) 11/9, 11/8, 11/7 (31m)
Joey Barrington (Eng) bt Mark Krajcsak (Hun) 11/2, 11/5, 11/5 (53m)
Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Miquel Rodriquez (Col) 11/9, 8/11, 9/11, 11/8, 11/9 (120m)
Scott Arnold (Aus) bt Ritwik Bhattacharya (Ind) 6/11, 11/8, 11/5, 9/11, 11/6 (66m)
Renan Lavigne (Fra) bt Stacey Ross (Eng) 11/8, 11/6, 11/1 (37m)
Qualifying Round One
Alister Walker (Eng) bt Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) 11/7, 11/8, 2/11, 11/3 (58m)
Omar Elborolossy (Egy) bt Simon Rosner (Ger) 9/11, 11/6, 5/11, 11/5, 11/9 (74m)
Stefan Casteleyn (Bel) bt Liam Kenny (Irl) 11/8, 9/11, 11/6, 12/10 (71m)
Julian Illingworth (Usa) bt Reggie Schonborn (Rsa) 11/9, 11/5, 11/2 (43m)
Omar Mosaad (Egy) bt Yasser El Halaby (Egy) 12/10, 11/5, 12/10 (45m)
Saurav Ghosal (Ind) bt Chris Gordon (Usa) 13/11, 11/4, 11/4 (45m)
Dylan Bennett (Ned) bt Rob Chen (Usa) 11/3, 11/4, 11/2 (23m)
Jonathan Kemp (Eng) bt Clive Leach (Eng) 11/8, 11/5, 8/11, 11/9 (47m)
Mark Krajcsak (Hun) bt Chris Simpson (Eng) 2/11, 11/2, 11/8, 11/5 (48m)
Joey Barrington (Eng) bt Ahmed Hamza (Egy) 11/2, 11/2, 11/3 (27m)
Miquel Rodriquez (Col) bt David Phillips (Can) 11/8, 11/7, 11/6 (36m)
Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Bernardo Saamper (Col) 11/3, 11/6, 11/9 (37m) Scott Arnold (Aus)
bt Bradley Ball (Eng) 10/12, 11/7, 14/12, 11/5 (56m) Ritwik Bhattacharya (Ind) bt
Shawn Delierre (Can) 11/9, 11/6,
11/13, 9/11, 11/4 (54m) Stacey Ross (Eng) bt Siddarth Suchde (Ind) 1/11, 6/11, 11/6, 11/7, 11/8 (55m)
Renan Lavigne (Fra) bt Jacques Swanepoel (Rsa) 11/6, 11/4, 11/7
(28m
|
Nick Matthew wins his first US Open,
beating James Willstrop 11-7, 11-4, 11-7
|
|
Semi-Finals.
James Willstrop (navy top left)beats
Karim Darwish 3-2
Nick Matthew (blue top right) beats
Ramy Ashour 3-1
|
|
Lee Beachill, former US Open champion, beats Omar Mosaad, winner
against local favourite John White in the first round. |
Quarter-Finals. James Willstrop beats reigning
champion Gregory Gaultier |
... and Nick Matthew beats Thierry Lincou |
Nick Matthew Is New
US
Open Champion
Nick Matthew
produced a devastating display of squash to overcome fellow
Englishman James Willstrop in the final of the US Open
to claim his first PSA Super Series title - and the biggest
prize of his career - at the Roseland Ballroom in
New York City.
The triumph - marking his sixth PSA Tour title - follows last
month's disappointment of surrendering the British Open crown
he won for the first time in 2006.
The 27-year-old from Sheffield in Yorkshire made his 'Big Apple'
breakthrough when he defeated the sport's newest star Ramy Ashour
- the 20-year-old world number two from
Egypt who has won five PSA Tour titles this year - in the
semi-finals.
The sixth seed's stunning semi-final victory took 69 minutes, whilst
Willstrop battled for 98 to overcome Egypt's Karim Darwish in
the other semi - 24 hours after upsetting Gregory Gaultier,
the defending champion and newly-crowned British Open champion, in a
76-minute marathon!
But Matthew was too strong for fellow Yorkshireman Willstrop in the
final of the $120,000 event, winning 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 in 54 minutes.
"Nick was
absolutely outstanding tonight," Willstrop said. "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," added the 24-year-old from
Leeds, who is himself enjoying a resurgence of form - last month
winning his seventh PSA Tour title at the Prince English Grand
Prix.
"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,"
concluded Willstrop.
Willstrop & Matthew To Contest Shock
All-English
US Open Final
The US
Open Squash Championship will climax in a surprise all-English final - for
the second time in three years - after fifth seed James Willstrop and
sixth seed Nick Matthew prevailed in marathon semi-finals of the PSA
Super Series Platinum event at the Roseland Ballroom in New
York City.
Matthew, the world number ten from
Sheffield,
scored one of the best wins of his career by beating the in-form Egyptian
Ramy Ashour - the second seed and winner of five PSA Tour titles this
year - in four games.
In his
first ever victory over the 20-year-old world number two, Matthew recovered from
a game down, then survived a lengthy tie-break game before going on to secure
the event's most dramatic upset 9-11, 11-10 (6-4), 11-6, 11-6 in 69 minutes.
In the
other semi-final, Matthew's
England
and Yorkshire team-mate James Willstrop was also facing an Egyptian. In last
month's British Open on home soil, Willstrop beat Karim Darwish in
four games in just over an hour - and the tenth seed from Cairo was clearly
after revenge, especially following his surprise victory over favourite Amr
Shabana in the previous round.
Darwish
took the opening game and had two game-balls in the second to go 2/0 ahead. But
Willstrop, the 24-year-old Yorkshireman who has tasted PSA Tour title victory
twice this year, fought back to claim the second game in a tie-break before
ultimately securing a 6-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-2, 9-11, 11-6 triumph after 98
minutes.
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 PSA Tour clash since June 2001,
with Willstrop currently leading the head-to-head tally 7/5.
Champion
Gaultier Goes In A Night Of
New York
Shocks
With three
of the top four seeds failing to make the semi-finals of the US Open, it
was a night of significant shocks in the PSA Super Series Platinum
squash event at the Roseland Ballroom in
New York
City
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 in-form
24-year-old world No4 from France last month became the Frenchman to win the
British Open title in the 77-year history of the event.
But the
ever-improving Willstrop, seeded five, repeated his first ever defeat of
Gaultier in the Super Series Finals in August by toppling the third seed
8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 in 76 minutes.
The
24-year-old Yorkshireman's opponent in the semi-finals will be Egyptian Karim
Darwish - who despatched compatriot Amr Shabana in little more than
two games when the top seed and world number one retired injured after 28
minutes with the score standing at 11-9, 11-8, 2-0 in tenth seed Darwish's
favour.
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,
the former world number one from Marseille, 11-5, 3-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7 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. But, after
levelling the match from 0/2 down, the Englishman was unable to maintain the
momentum as Ashour posted an 11-6, 11-6, 6-11, 9-11, 11-7 victory after 65
minutes.
The
departure of Gaultier and two-time champion Beachill leaves the long-standing US
Open to hail a new champion from the final at the Roseland Ballroom.
Darwish
Disturbs Egyptian Order In
New York
Egypt's
Karim Darwish upset higher-ranked compatriot Wael El Hindi in the
second round of the US Open to claim an unexpected place in the
quarter-finals of the
PSA Super
Series
Platinum squash event at the Roseland Ballroom in New York
City.
Tenth seed
Darwish dashed the eighth seed's hopes with an 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 victory in 57
minutes. The 26-year-old from Cairo now faces another fellow countryman -
Amr Shabana, the top seed and world number one who took four games to
overcome Englishman Peter Barker, the 13th seed, 11-9, 11-5,
10-11 (0-2), 11-7 in exactly one hour.
The pair
will be joined in the last eight by a third Egyptian, after second seed Ramy
Ashour, now 20, defeated
Finland's
Olli Tuominen, the 16th seed, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8.
The
quarter-finals of the first US Open to be staged in
New York since 1991 will also feature a trio of
Englishman. Yorkshireman Lee Beachill secured an unexpected place in the
last eight when he beat Egyptian qualifier Omar Mosaad - the 19-year-old
who upset former world number one John
White in the previous round - 11-8,
11-6, 11-8. 11th seed Beachill will take on Ashour for a place in
the semi-finals.
Beachill
and
England team-mates Nick Matthew and
James Willstrop
have ensured that there will English representation in three of the four
quarter-finals. Willstrop takes on defending champion Gregory Gaultier,
who last month became the first ever Frenchman to win the British Open
title, while Matthew faces Gaultier's compatriot
Thierry Lincou.
White Wiped
Out In
US Open Opener
Egyptian
qualifier Omar Mosaad claimed the only upset in the first round of the
US Open when he defeated seventh seed John White in the PSA Super
Series Platinum squash event which is being staged in
New York
City
for the
first time since 1991.
White, the
US-based Scot who is making his first appearance on the PSA Tour since
May after recovering from a ham string injury, took the opening game. But the
19-year-old from
Cairo, in
his first appearance in the event, fought back to beat the hard-hitting
34-year-old 6-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-3, 11-10 (2-0) in 58 minutes.
Mosaad
will now face another Briton Lee Beachill, the 11th seed from
England who beat Malaysia's Ong Beng Hee 11-7, 11-6, 11-7.
Egypt's
second seed Ramy Ashour celebrated his 20th birthday in
appropriate style by taking his expected place in the last sixteen after
defeating Australian qualifier Scott Arnold 11-8, 11-5, 11-7.
The
sport's newest star, who missed last month's British Open in order to
focus on the New York event, will now take on 16th seed Olli
Tuominen after the Finn despatched English qualifier Jonathan Kemp
11-6, 11-4, 11-8.
There were
mixed fortunes for the Ashour family when Ramy's older brother Hisham Mohd
Ashour went down 11-8, 11-9, 11-1 to sixth seed Nick Matthew. The
Englishman will now meet a further Egyptian in the second round following the
11-10 (5-3), 11-4, 11-5 victory by 12th seed Mohammed Abbas
over English qualifier Joey Barrington.
Gaultier Tested In
US
Open Defence
Title-holder Gregory Gaultier survived the first round of the US Open,
but the third seed was severely tested for 71 minutes before overcoming unseeded
Australian Cameron Pilley in the PSA Super Series Platinum
squash event which is being staged in
New York
City
for the
first time since 1991.
Gaultier,
who this month became the first Frenchman to win the British Open title
in the 77-year history of the event, finally despatched the 23-year-old from New
South Wales 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8 - and will now face England's Adrian Grant
for a place in the quarter-finals.
Grant, the 14th seed from London, also endured a marathon first round
battle before emerging the 11-9, 9-11, 11-6, 11-10 (6-4) victor over Dutchman
Laurens Jan Anjema after 88 minutes.
By contrast, two further Englishmen booked places in the last sixteen after
straightforward straight games first round wins. James Willstrop, the
No5 seed who lifted the Prince English Grand Prix title earlier in the
month, ended domestic interest in the event when he defeated US wild card
opponent Gilly Lane 11-2, 11-5, 11-6 in 37 minutes.
The Yorkshireman will now meet
Malaysia's
15th seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar, who needed 75 minutes to beat
Canadian Shahier Razik 11-4, 4-11, 11-8, 11-2.
Willstrop's England team-mate Peter Barker took out French qualifier
Renan Lavigne 11-4, 11-6, 11-7 and is rewarded by a second round meeting
with favourite Amr Shabana, the world number one from Egypt who ended the
brave run of Belgium's Stefan Casteleyn, beating the 33-year-old New
York-based qualifier 11-4, 11-9, 10-11 (1-3), 11-7.
An all-Egyptian second round clash will take place between Wael El Hindi
and Karim Darwish after eighth seed El Hindi prevailed against Borja
Golan when the Spaniard retired injured after 86 minutes with the score
standing at 10-11 (0-2), 11-7, 11-7, 3-2 - and tenth seed Darwish defeated
veteran Welshman Alex Gough 11-5, 11-8, 11-2.
Illingworth Ousted as Casteleyn Claims
US
Open Qualifier
US hope
Julian Illingworth's bid to reach the main draw of a PSA Super Series
squash event for the second time this year on home soil failed when he went down
in four games to
Belgium's Stefan Casteleyn in the qualifying
finals of the US Open in New York
City.
The
experienced Belgian, now coaching in
New York,
used a dazzling array of shots to thwart US champion Illingworth in the
58-minute clash. Casteleyn, cleverly mixing boasts and drop shots, never let
Illingworth establish any rhythm en route to his surprise 11-8, 11-5, 2-11, 11-6
victory.
The
33-year-old from
Brussels,
who retired from the Tour early last year, now advances to the main draw of the
$120,000 Super Series Platinum tournament to face Amr Shabana, the world
number one from Egypt who is the event favourite.
England's
Alister Walker came from two games behind to defeat Egyptian Omar
Elborolossy 9-11, 10-11 (0-2), 11-8, 11-7, 11-1 in 83 minutes, while his
compatriot Joey Barrington defeated Hungarian Mark Krajcsak 11-2,
11-2, 11-5 in 53 minutes.
Barrington
is drawn to face 12th seed Mohammed Abbas for the second time
this month. The 27-year-old son of squash legend Jonah Barrington
extended the Egyptian to five games in the opening round of the British Open
before going down in a 70-minute encounter.
Further
English qualifying successes came from Daryl Selby and Jonathan Kemp.
Selby outlasted Colombian star
Miguel Angel Rodriguez
11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 in a 120-minute marathon, while
Kemp
despatched Dutchman Dylan Bennett 11-9, 11-8, 11-7 in just 31 minutes.
Australia's Scott Arnold will make his debut in a Super Series
event after an impressive 6-11, 11-8, 11-5, 9-11, 11-6 victory over Indian
Ritwik Bhattacharya in 66 minutes. The 21-year-old from Brisbane will now
face the sport's rising star Ramy Ashour, the 19-year-old second seed
from Egypt who already has five PSA Tour title successes to his name this
year.
But
interest in the first US Open to be held in
New York
since 1991 is likely to be led by third seed Gregory Gaultier. The
24-year-old from Aix-en-Provence is the defending champion - but, earlier this
month, also became the first Frenchman in the event's 77-year history to win the
British Open crown. |