31/10/2008
QATAR CLASSIC 2008
Darwish Delivers In Qatar Classic Final
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Final:
Darwish Delivers In
Qatar Classic Final
Egyptian Karim Darwish finally fulfilled the promise he has shown all
year when he defeated world number one compatriot Amr Shabana in
straight games in the final of the Qatar Classic to secure the
biggest PSA Tour title of his career at the Khalifa International
Squash Complex in the
Qatar capital
Doha.
The women's final saw Nicol David of
Malaysia
claim her third successive title
after beating Dutch rival Natalie Grinham, also in straight games.
It was a case of 'third time lucky' twice for sixth seed Darwish when he
celebrated his stunning 11-4, 11-5, 11-3 victory over Shabana, the favourite
and defending champion, in just 27 minutes in the final of the $145,000
Super Series Platinum PSA Tour event.
Firstly, it was the 27-year-old's first win over his Egyptian team-mate in
three meetings in the past year. Furthermore, it was Darwish's third Tour
final in a row, after finishing as runner-up both in the Petrosport
International Championship in August in
Cairo, and last month's World Open in Manchester.
"I had done my homework. I know him well, come what may, he will give his
best," Darwish told the Gulf Times. "It was just that I was
greedier for this title," added the new star of Egyptian squash who can now
surely look forward to celebrating his highest world ranking in next week's
new Dunlop PSA World Rankings.
After winning his first PSA Super Series crown, Darwish brings his Tour
tally to 14 titles.
Nicol David showed no signs of holding back on her domination of the women's
game as she stormed to an 11-7, 11-3, 11-9 triumph in just 29 minutes over
the younger Grinham sister, ranked three in the world, in the final of the
$74,000 Gold WISPA World Tour event
The victory took the 25-year-old World Open champion from
Penang's career statistics to a new high: 33 Tour titles in total; her 11th
in a row; and the 48th WISPA match without defeat in just over a year!
Grinham summed up the match: "She (David) was in an awesome form and never
allowed me to settle down. She was more determined to retain her crown here.
I was struggling to keep pace with her game all through."
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Qatar
Classic 2008
Khalifa International Tennis & Squash
Complex, Doha
Men's Draw
$145,000
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Round One
Oct 27 |
Round Two
Oct 28 |
Quarters
Oct 29 |
Semis
Oct 30 |
Final
Oct 31 |
[1] Amr Shabana (Egy)
11/2, 11/9, 11/4 (23m)
[Q] Mansoor Zaman (Pak) |
Amr
Shabana
11/9, 11/5, 9/11, 11/9 (56m)
Borja Golan |
Amr
Shabana
11-8, 11-6, 11-6
(35 min)
Peter Barker |
Amr
Shabana
8/11, 11/7,
11/6, 11/5 (52m)
Thierry Lincou |
Amr
Shabana
11/4, 11/5, 11/3 (27m)
Karim Darwish |
[11] Lee Beachill
(Eng)
11/7, 11/8, 11/5 (34m)
Borja Golan (Esp) |
[8] Wael El Hindi
(Egy)
7/11, 8/11, 11/4, 11/9, 11/2 (97m)
[Q] Alister Walker (Eng) |
Alister
Walker
11/4, 11/8, 7/11, 11/8 (60m)
Peter Barker |
[10] Peter Barker
(Eng)
14/12, 11/4, 11/8 (48m)
[Q] Chris Ryder (Eng) |
[3] Ramy Ashour (Egy)
11/6, 11/5, 12/10 (32m)
Omar Mosaad (Egy) |
Ramy
Ashour
11/6, 11/7, 7/11, 11/5 (33m)
Tarek Momen |
Ramy Ashour
6-11, 12-10, 11-6, 10-12, 11-3 (59 min)
Thierry Lincou |
[16] Cameron Pilley
(Aus)
5/11, 11/4, 11/6, 11/7
[Q] Tarek Momen (Egy) |
[5] Thierry Lincou
(Fra)
11/2, 11/7, 11/6 (35m)
Davide Bianchetti (Ita) |
Thierry Lincou
11/6, 9/11, 11/3, 8/11, 11/2 (69m)
Adrian Grant |
[12] Adrian Grant
(Eng)
11/9, 11/6, 11/4 (43m)
Miguel Angel Rodriguez (Col) |
[Q] Mohamed El
Shorbagy (Egy)
11/6, 11/7, 11/9 (39m)
[9] Ong Beng Hee (Mas) |
Mohamed El Shorbagy
11/7, 11/8, 11/9 (48m)
Nick Matthew |
Nick Matthew
11-3, 11-9, 10-12, 13-15, 11-6 (111 mins)
David Palmer |
Nick Matthew
9/11, 11/3, 11/7, 11/6 (56m)
Karim Darwish |
Jonathan Kemp (Eng)
13/11, 11/1, 11/3 (38m)
[7] Nick Matthew (Eng) |
[Q] Chris Simpson
(Eng)
11/6, 11/5, 8/11, 11/5 (48m)
[15] Stewart Boswell (Aus) |
Stewart Boswell
7/11, 11/6, 11/4, 11/9 (50m)
David Palmer |
Hisham Ashour (Egy)
11/2, 11/5, 11/9 (31m)
[4] David Palmer (Aus) |
Mohammed Abbas (Egy)
14/12, 12/10, 11/7 (49m)
[14] Olli Tuominen (Fin) |
Olli Tuominen
11/8, 11/8, 11/5 (31m)
Karim Darwish |
Karim Darwish
5-11, 11-5, 8-11,
12-10, 11-5
Gregory Gaultier |
[Q] Daryl Selby (Eng)
11/7, 11/2, 11/3 (35m)
[6] Karim Darwish (Egy) |
[Q] Kashif Shuja (Nzl)
11/5, 11/5, 11/8
[13] Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) |
Laurens Jan Anjema
11/7, 3/11, 11/4, 11/4 (48m)
Gregory Gaultier |
Renan Lavigne (Fra)
11/5, 11/2, 11/7 (34m)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (Fra) |
Qualifying
Alister Walker (Eng) bt Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (Mas)
11/7, 11/9, 11/5 (44m)
Kashif Shuja (Nzl) bt Campbell Grayson (Nzl)
11/6, 9/11, 11/7, 6/11, 11/5 (59m)
Mansoor Zaman (Pak) bt Martin Knight (Nzl)
11/2, 11/6, 11/5 (28m)
Chris Ryder (Eng) bt Shahid Zaman (Pak)
11/4, 11/5, 11/6 (34m)
Mohamed El Shorbagy bt (Egy)Amr Swelim (Egy)
11/8, 12/10, 11/9 (32m)
Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Adil Maqbool (Pak)
11/8, 9/11, 11/2, 11/4 (37m)
Chris Simpson (Eng) bt Ali Anwar Reda (Egy)
11/8, 14/12, 13/11 (56m)
Tarek Momen (Egy) bt Wade Johnstone (Aus)
11/7, 11/5, 11/2 (31m)
25 Oct, Round One:
Martin Knight (Nzl) bt Ali Miski (Leb)
11/6, 11/2, 11/3 (27m)
Chris Simpson (Eng) bt Mamoon Ur Rashid (Pak)
11/8, 11/1, 11/4 (26m)
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Qatar
Classic 2008
Khalifa International Tennis & Squash
Complex, Doha
Women's Draw
$74,000
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Round One
Oct 27 |
Round Two
Oct 28 |
Quarters
Oct 29 |
Semis
Oct 30 |
Final
Oct 31 |
[1] Nicol David (Mas)
11/8, 11/7, 11/9 (32m)
Dominique Lloyd-Walter (Eng) |
Nicol
David
11/5, 11/5, 11/2 (26m)
Engy Kheirallah |
Nicol
David
11-4, 14-12, 11-9 (34 min)
Alison
Waters |
Nicol David
11/6,
6/11, 11/9, 11/2 (37m)
Natalie Grainger |
Nicol David
11/7, 11/3, 11/9 (29m)
Natalie Grinham |
[15] Engy Kheirallah
(Egy)
11/9, 11/3, 11/7 (27m)
Sharon Wee (Mas) |
[7] Alison Waters
(Eng)
13/11, 11/4, 11/4 (48m)
Raneem El Weleily (Egy) |
Alison
Waters
11/4, 11/7, 11/6 (29m)
Kasey Brown |
[10] Kasey Brown (Aus)
11/3, 15/13, 11/13, 12/10
[Q] Emma Beddoes (Eng) |
[4] Natalie Grainger
(Usa)
11/7, 11/7, 11/2 (20m)
Sarah Kippax (Eng) |
Natalie Grainger
13/11, 13/11, 12/10 (26m)
Annelize Naude |
Natalie Grainger
4-11, 11-8, 11-6,
11-7 (36 mins)
Omneya Abdel Kawy |
[16] Annelize Naude
(Ned)
6/11, 11/5, 9/11, 11/5, 11/9 (52m)
[Q] Orla Noom (Ned) |
[5] Jenny Duncalf
(Eng)
11/8, 11/4, 11/1 (22m)
Louise Crome (Nzl) |
Jenny Duncalf
12/10, 11/8, 8/11, 12/10 (50m)
Omneya Abdel Kawy |
[9] Omneya Abdel
Kawy (Egy)
11/3, 11/13, 11/9, 11/13 ,11/4 (44m)
Donna Urquhart (Aus) |
[Q] Aisling Blake
(Irl)
11/7, 8/11, 11/8, 5/11, 12/10 (68m)
[14] Jaclyn Hawkes (Nzl) |
Aisling Blake
11/5, 11/3, 11/4 (24m)
Laura Lengthorn-Massaro |
Laura Lengthorn-Massaro
12-10, 1-11, 11-7,
14-12 (32 min)
Natalie Grinham |
Natalie Grinham
11/8, 13/15, 8/11, 11/6, 12/10 (61m)
Rachael Grinham |
Suzie Pierrepont (Eng)
11/8, 11/9, 11/8 (31m)
[8] Laura L-Massaro (Eng) |
[Q] Alana Miller (Can)
11/7, 11/8, 11/4 (26m)
[13] Isabelle Stoehr (Fra) |
Isabelle Stoehr
11/7, 11/8, 11/0 (31m)
Natalie Grinham |
Manuela Manetta (Ita)
11/4, 11/8, 11/5 (33m)
[3] Natalie Grinham (Ned) |
Lauren Briggs (Eng)
11/8, 11/4, 11/6 (35m)
[12] Madeline Perry (Irl) |
Madeline Perry
6/11, 11/4, 11/5, 11/7 (44m)
Shelley Kitchen |
Madeline Perry
11-7, 11-5, 11-6
(28 min)
Rachael Grinham |
Line Hansen (Den)
2/11, 12/10, 11/2, 11/7 (39m)
[6] Shelley Kitchen (Nzl) |
[Q] Laura Mylotte
(Irl)
11/4, 11/7, 11/9 (27m)
[11] Rebecca Chiu (Hkg) |
Rebecca Chiu
11/4, 11/6, 11/8 (31m)
Rachael Grinham |
[Q] Lauren Siddall
(Eng)
11/7, 11/6, 11/4 (26m)
[2] Rachael Grinham (Aus) |
Qualifying:
Aisling Blake (Irl) bt Nouran El Torky (Egy)
11/7, 11/6, 11/6 (27m)
Lauren Siddall (Eng) bt Joey Chan (Hkg)
11/7, 9/11, 11/8, 11/6 (41m)
Emma Beddoes (Eng) bt Heba El Torky (Egy)
11/9, 11/9, 5/11, 8/11, 11/0 (64m)
Alana Miller (Can) bt Kanzy Del Defway (Egy)
4/11, 11/7, 11/8, 11/8 (42m)
Laura Mylotte (Irl) bt Nour El Tayeb (Egy)
5/11, 11/8, 5/11, 11/9, 11/9 (42m)
Orla Noom (Ned) bt Adel Weir (Rsa)
11/2, 11/5, 11/7 (27m)
25-Oct, Round One:
Kanzy El-Defrawy (Egy) bt Jenna Gates (Eng)
11/2, 7/1 rtd (11m)
Nour El Tayeb (Egy) bt Eliza Kargioti (Gre)
11/1, 11/0, 11/3 (11m)
Adel Weir (Rsa) bt Irina Assal (Rus)
11/5, 11/8, 11/4 (22m)
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Order of Play |
Date |
Court No. |
Saturday 25th October |
5 WISPA matches on court 4 starting @ 4 pm
8 PSA matches on court 3 starting @ 1 pm
8 PSA matches on court
4 starting @ 1 pm |
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Sunday 26th
October |
6 WISPA matches on court 4 starting @ 4:30 pm
4 PSA matches on court 3 starting @ 3 pm
4 PSA matches on court
1 starting @ 3 pm |
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Monday 27th
October |
2 WISPA + PSA matches on court 1 starting @ 12 pm
8 PSA matches on Centre Court starting @ 12 pm
10 WISPA matches on Court 3 starting @ 12 pm
4 WISPA matches on
Court 4 starting @ 12 pm |
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Tuesday 28th
October |
8 WISPA matches on court 3 starting @ 12 pm
8 PSA matches on Centre
Court starting @ 12 pm |
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Date |
Quarterfinals |
Wednesday 29th
October |
4 WISPA matches on Centre Court starting @ 2 pm
followed by
4 PSA matches Centre
Court starting @ 4:30 pm |
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Date |
Semifinals |
Thursday 30th
October |
2 Semi Finals WISPA matches on Centre Court starting @
5:30 pm
followed by
2 Semi Finals PSA
matches on Centre Court starting @ 7 pm |
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Date |
Finals |
Friday 31st
October |
Final WISPA match on Centre Court @ 5:30 pm
followed by
Final PSA match on
Centre Court @ 6:15 pm |
Semi
Finals:
Favourites Reach Finals In
Qatar
Favourites Amr Shabana and Nicol David are one match away
from retaining their titles in the Qatar Classic after surviving
four-game semi-finals at the Khalifa International Squash Complex
in the
Qatar capital
Doha.
Shabana, the world number one from
Egypt, ended Thierry Lincou's brave run in the $145,000 Super
Series Platinum PSA Tour event, beating the fifth seed from
France 8-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-5 in 52 minutes. Lincou reached the semis
after overcoming - for the first time in his career - the new World
Open champion Ramy Ashour.
Now in his sixth Tour final of the year - but looking for his first win
since April - Shabana faces fellow Egyptian Karim Darwish, the
sixth seed celebrating his third successive final appearance.
The 27-year-old from Cairo, who made his breakthrough after beating second
seed Gregory Gaultier in the quarters, recovered from a game down
to beat Englishman Nick Matthew, the No7 seed, 9-11, 11-3, 11-7,
11-6 in 56 minutes.
Nicol David celebrated the beginning of her second year without defeat in
the women's $74,000 Gold WISPA World Tour event by despatching
fourth seed Natalie Grainger, from the
USA, 11-6, 6-11, 11-9, 11-2.
Now in her 11th successive final, and the 47th of her career, the world
number one from
Malaysia will face long-time Tour rival Natalie Grinham.
The third seed, representing the Netherlands, fought back from 2/1 down to
beat her second-seeded sister Rachael Grinham 11-8, 13-15, 8-11,
11-6, 12-10 in 61 minutes.
Quarter-finals:
World Champion’s Shock Exit
World Champion, Ramy Ashour has
crashed out of the Qatar Classic in the quarter-finals, 10 days after
becoming world champion in Manchester, and fled the Khalifa Stadium in a
state of depression.
Ramy lead the Frenchman Thierry Lincou by a game and 9-6 with his usual fare
of brilliant shot-making and lightening retrieving that can so easily turn
defence into attack. Lincou was struggling to get the ball past the Egyptian
who read him well and volleyed whole successions of shots. Then at 9-6 Ray’s
feet shot out from under him. He lay there holding his knee for some time
and prayed in Arabic as all awaited a verdict. Ramy hobbled about the court,
finally played on but was obviously distracted by his leg problems. Lincou
was at gameball 10-9 in one hand, Ramy equally with a stunning forehand kill
and then was stroked by the referees when many in the crowd thought he had
cleared his shot, tinned a drop and suddenly Lincou was level in games.
Ramy reappeared in an ankle brace, and ran through his shots in the third
lacking any confidence in putting weight on his leg. He lobbed, tried of
revert to a more basic game, something alien to him, but now Lincou was
sharp and punished his lack of movement to win he third 11-6 and go 2/1 up.
Ramy, appeared this time sporting a knee support, at the start of the
fourth, but struggled to get down to backhand boasts fading away from him on
the right but his lobs and length now started to work and create the space
for his winning shots. At 7-4 he had a serious difference with the referee
and blew his lead but dominated the T again to surge ahead 9-7 only to lose
it when he was stroked for a low lob for Lincou to seized matchball 10-9.
Then Ramy responded with his best shots of the match – a forehand kill from
deep hit so low and with such force that, although Lincou got a racket to
it, it was impossible to control. The game was won when Ramy reached high
overhead on the backhand wrapped his racket up behind and over the ball and
patted it firmly down for a winning crosscourt volley nick. Ramy took the
game 12-10 and against the odds levelled the match at 2 games all.
The momentum was with him. He started the fifth going 3-0 up but slowly his
confidence ebbed away. He lost control of the rallies, lost confidence in
his movement and Lincou cool and clinical cut him up with a whole succession
of winners to take the match 11-3. Ramy bundled up his rackets and departed
leaving Lincou to explain his win.
Tracked down shortly afterwards he was despondent: “Something is wrong. I’m
trying to play this game but it’s as if I am cursed. It’s an old injury from
when I was 14 years old. My leg twisted and I felt it go,” he said.
Lincou is through to the semi-finals to face his old adversary, the world
no.1 Amr Shabana in a battle of former world champions. Shabana put out
England’s Peter Barker 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 in a clinical display and now looks
favourite for this title.
Seventh Time Lucky
England’s Nick Matthew goes through to the semi-finals after a tumultuous
match with David Palmer but what sort of condition he will be in is a
different question. Matthew had his chances to arrive in reasonable shape
after surging to a two game lead 11-3, 11-9 lead and holding matchball 10-7
in the third but that opportunity was to seem ancient history as Palmer
heroically saved matchball after matchball and turned the pressure back on
Matthew while running an open feud with the referee over attempts to get the
floor whipped.
In one hand Palmer came back, saving matchballs at 7,8, and 9 controlling
the rallies and then finishing them with clinical winners to win game ball
himself as Matthew faltered with a final boast in the tin.
Remarkably, the fourth was a replay; Matthew getting away to 5-1 and in
desperately tough rallies again winning matchball 10-8. Again Palmer drove
deep, persisted, forced the openings, scored with a forehand volley drop
forced an error on a clinging drop and was level again. Matthew had another
chance at 12-11 but Palmer staged unbelievable recoveries to recover the
initiative and at 13-all dibbled a deceptive little crosscourt drop across
the front wall before Matthew now desperate to finish tinned a forehand
volley drop. Two games all, six matchballs saved.
Palmer was ahead at 4-3 in the fifth but miss hit, went the wrong way a
couple of times, dived into the back to retrieve, was given consecutive ‘no
lets’, as Matthew set up what should have been an unassailable lead 9-4 and
in all the delays and after 111 minutes he bounced up and down on the T as
Palmer dragged himself to receive. The ball past him but still Palmer did
not give up – he dived full length into the back but could not retrieve and
Matthew more in relief than triumph left to the court to generous applause.
“I was praying for a mistake,” he said. “This is why David has won so may
World and British Open titles. He was so tough on matchballs.”
“I’m not really happy. I should have been off ages ago,” he said with an eye
on the semi-finals.
ROUND 2:
Shabana on course for Ramy Clash
World no.1, and top seed Amr Shabana, got through his second
round match in the Qatar Classic but was not particularly convincing. He put
out the fast improving Spaniard Borja Golan 3/1 and is down to meet
England’s Peter Barker, in the quarter-finals. Perhaps in Shabana’s mind was
a potential semi-final clash with the new World Champion Ramy Ashour in the
semi-finals. To get there however Shabana will have to get past Barker – and
he lost to him here last year.
“He played will today,” said Shabana after beating Borja Golan.
Shabana was 2/0 up went 2-0 up in the third but in his own words ‘relaxed’.
Golan took four points in a row and it was a gap Shabana was never able to
close. Down 7-4 in the fourth he was in all sorts of trouble but managed to
get through 11-9 in 56 minutes.
Golan is not now a player to be taken for granted. In Paris at the
Internationaux De France he beat both Thierry Lincou and James Willstrop to
reach the final.
“He has been studying the top players,” said Shabana. “He now knows how to
play them and mixes it up. Before he was waiting for us to attack and he
just retrieved.”
Barker dropped the third against Alister Walker but was able to keep ahead
in the fourth to win 11-4, 11-8, 7-11, 11-8.
Ramy, was in random mood against the young Tarek Momen, dropping the fourth
and will have to step it up to beat Shabana.
ROUND 1:
Matthew Masters
El Shorbagy In Qatar Classic
After upsetting Malaysia's ninth seed Ong Beng Hee in the first round of the
Qatar Squash Classic, Egyptian schoolboy Mohamed El Shorbagy met his match
in Nick Matthew when he went down to the seventh-seeded Englishman in the
last sixteen round of the men's $145,000 Super Series Platinum PSA Tour
event at the Khalifa International Squash Complex in the Qatar capital Doha.
There were two second round surprises in the women's $74,000 Gold WISPA
World Tour event when Egypt's ninth seed Omneya Abdel Kawy beat Jenny
Duncalf, the No5 seed from England, and Ireland's 12th seed Madeline Perry
put out sixth-seeded New Zealander Shelley Kitchen.
QUALIFYING 1:
El Shorbagy Cruises Into
Qatar Classic Draw
Egyptian schoolboy Mohamed El Shorbagy continued the form which took
him into the quarter-finals of the Hi-Tec World Open in
England earlier this month when he earned a
place in the main draw of the Qatar Squash Classic in the Qatar
capital Doha.
The world's top players are competing in one the biggest events of the
squash year - combining the men's $145,000 Super Series Platinum
PSA Tour event and the women's $74,000 Gold WISPA World Tour
event at the Khalifa International Squash Complex.
Shorbagy, 17, defeated compatriot Amr Swelim 11-8, 12-10, 11-9 in the
men's qualifying finals and will now face Ong Beng Hee, the ninth
seed from
Malaysia, in the first round.
England's world number three
James Willstrop
has been forced to withdraw from the event after a recurrence of the ankle
injury which he sustained in September. "It was giving me trouble in a
Premier League match last week and I have been advised to rest it. I am
really disappointed to be missing the Qatar Classic," said Willstrop, the
2005 champion.
Egypt's Amr Shabana is seeded to retain the men's title he won twelve
months ago. The world number one faces Pakistan qualifier Mansoor Zaman
in the first round.
Malaysian Nicol David is expected to lift the women's trophy for the
third successive year. Unbeaten since October last year, world number one
David reclaimed the World Open crown this month - and begins her
Qatar campaign against England's Dominique Lloyd-Walter. |
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