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Nick Matthew Retains Swedish Open Title
England's top seed Nick
Matthew retained his Case Swedish Open title in Linköping -
but it was not the final the packed crowd at Linköping Sporthall
wanted when opponent James Willstrop, the 2008 champion, suffered a
shoulder injury during the first game of the climax of $60,000 PSA World Tour
squash event.
The match opened at high
tempo and the two Englishmen delivered high class squash - but towards the end
of the first game Willstrop sustained an injury to his right shoulder which made
it difficult for the world No6 to play at his best.
Matthew, the world number
two from Sheffield, took the first two games - but, midway through the third,
Willstrop offered his hand to his Yorkshire rival, unable to continue further.
"I really suffer with
James, it's never fun to win a tournament or even a game like this," said
29-year-old Matthew afterwards. "But I have played very well in the recent
months and was worth the victory here in Linkoping."
The success continues a
sensational run for the England number one who will now bid to retain his
British National Championship title in Manchester. Matthew's appearance in
the Linkoping climax marked his fourth Tour final in the last five events, and
the triumph gives him his 11th Tour title since 1999.
After the final, Tournament
Director Fredrik Johnson announced that Case have signed a deal for
continued sponsorship in the Swedish Open 2011 - and that the PSA World Tour
championship will be back next year in Linkoping.
"It was an excellent
tournament all-round, but unfortunately James Willstrop couldn't carry on in the
final," said Johnson, a former Swedish international. "But overall it has been
great squash from some of the best players in the world.
"And it's great that Case
will be the title sponsor next year as well, and now the work for the Case
Swedish Open 2011 begins."
Matthew & Willstrop To Contest
All-English Swedish Open Final
 An
all-English final - the second in three years - will be the climax of the
Case Swedish Open after Yorkshiremen Nick Matthew and James
Willstrop prevailed in the semi-finals of the $60,000 PSA World Tour
squash event in its seventh year at Linköping Sporthall in Linköping.
Top seed Matthew, the
defending champion and world number two from Sheffield, faced surprise opponent
Cameron Pilley, the unseeded Australian who reached the last four after
overcoming third seed Gregory Gaultier in his first ever win over the
world No5 from France.
After being overwhelmed by
Matthew in the first game, world No17 Pilley dug deep in the second to extend
his higher-ranked opponent into a tie-break.
But Matthew repelled the
Aussie's fightback to win the game and cruise through the third to claim an
11-3, 14-12, 11-2 victory after 47 minutes. The win marks the 29-year-old from
Sheffield's third appearance in the Swedish Open final since 2004 - and the 31st
PSA World Tour final of his career.
"It was definitely the best
match here in Linkoping, and I feel stronger every day," said Matthew later.
"Cameron opened heavy and had a hard time, but in the second he played up and it
was difficult to match him.
"But having won the second
game in the tie-break, I gained momentum. The second game was crucial for the
outcome of the game.
"Now I just need to rest
and recharge the batteries before the final," added the title-holder.
Willstrop, the fourth seed
and winner of the title in 2008 (when he beat fellow countryman Peter Barker
in the final), was up against second seed Amr Shabana, the former world
number one from Egypt.
Shabana boasted a 14-6
career head-to-head advantage over the Englishman before the match - but the
pair's last meeting last month saw Willstrop, ranked six in the world, prevail
en-route to winning the prestigious Tournament of Champions title in New
York.
The 30-year-old world
number three from Cairo took the opening game, but the wily Willstrop battled
back to gain the upper hand, ultimately beating his higher-ranked opponent 9-11,
11-7, 11-4, 11-7 in 39 minutes.
"It felt good the entire
match, even though I lost the first game - but there was certainly no pushover,"
explained the jubilant Englishman afterwards. "I had to fight for every point
and it was really a great game to play. Amr is one of the best in the sport, a
good ambassador who is fantastic to meet because he has a good attitude to the
game and shows good sportsmanship."
Willstrop's win signals his
21st PSA Tour final - and his meeting with Matthew will be his 20th on the Tour
(of which two were in the Swedish Open, in 2004 and 2009), with Matthew boasting
an 11-8 lead.
When asked how he felt
about being in the final and meeting his Yorkshire rival, Willstrop responded:
"It just gets better every
day on the glass court in Linkoping. Last week I was in New York and played at
Grand Central Station - the difference between the courts is big, I think. The
court feels much faster and the ball is easier to control here.
"But it'll be fun to meet
Nick, who I have played against about a thousand times before," joked the
26-year-old from Leeds.
Gaultier Goes As Pilley Pushes On In
Swedish Open
 Unseeded Australian
Cameron Pilley
continued his unexpected march through the field of the
Case Swedish Open when he upset third-seeded
Frenchman Gregory Gaultier to reach the semi-finals of the $60,000 PSA
World Tour squash event in its seventh year at Linköping Sporthall in
Linköping.
Pilley, the world No17 from
New South Wales who beat Egypt's
 No7 seed Mohamed El Shorbagy in the
first round, recovered from a game down to defeat Gaultier 4-11, 11-6, 11-4,
12-14, 11-9. It was the 27-year-old Australian's first win against the
Frenchman, who topped the world rankings last year, in six Tour meetings since
2007.
"It was big nerves in the
match, starting on my part, but I noticed that Gaultier was increasingly under
pressure from my game," explained Pilley afterwards. "Although I lost the
fourth game, which I should have brought home, I continued playing my game and
it paid off."
 The tall Aussie will now
face defending champion Nick Matthew for a place in the final. The
top-seeded Englishman defeated another Australian, eighth seed Stewart
Boswell, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8.
"It was a difficult match,
Stewart put up a really good fight," said the world number two from Sheffield.
"But it felt much better than in the previous match, because it is always
difficult to adapt to a new court. But after this morning's workout it felt so
good.
"I'm in really good shape
right now after playing steady squash for some months. It is always fun to play
in front of the audience in Linköping," added the 29-year-old title-holder, in
his fourth appearance in the event.
The crowd will be treated
to a mouth-watering clash in the other semi-final where
 second seed Amr
Shabana takes on fourth seed James Willstrop in a repeat of last
month's Tournament of Champions quarter-final in New York which
Englishman Willstrop won en-route to claiming the prestigious 2010 PSA Super
Series title for the first time.
Shabana, the former world
number one from Egypt, beat England's fifth seed Adrian Grant 11-4, 9-11,
11-6, 11-5, while Willstrop also took four games to overcome compatriot
Alister Walker, the sixth seed, 11-8, 11-3, 7-11, 11-6.
"I was far from happy with
losing the third game, but eventually I managed to win," said 26-year-old
Willstrop. "Alister is always a difficult opponent because he plays a fast
game, and the glass court also encourages a fast game which benefits him."
The Linkoping crowd will
witness the 21st PSA Tour meeting between Willstrop and Shabana since their
first at the 2004 Swedish Open. While Willstrop was the most recent winner, it
is the Egyptian who is ahead overall by a 14/6 margin.
Pilley Punishes El Shorbagy In Swedish
Open Opener
Australia's Cameron
Pilley pulled off the only upset on the opening day of the
Case Swedish Open when he beat Egypt's No7 seed
Mohamed El Shorbagy in the first round of the $60,000 PSA World Tour
squash event in its seventh year at Linköping Sporthall in Linköping,
Sweden
It was only three months
ago in the second round of the World Open in Kuwait that the 27-year-old
from New South Wales battled to a five-game win over the sport's rising teenage
star.
And again, Pilley was taken
the full distance before emerging an 11-8, 9-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-7 winner over
19-year-old El Shorbagy, ranked three places higher.
The world No17, making his
debut in the sport's biggest event in Scandinavia, will now line up against
Gregory Gaultier, the former world number one from France. Third seed
Gaultier, returning to Linköping for the first time since 2004, defeated English
qualifier Robbie Temple 11-3, 11-5, 11-5.
Three former champions
eased into the quarter-finals - though title-holder Nick Matthew, the top
seed from England, needed four games to overcome UK-based Indian number one
Saurav Ghosal 11-7, 11-4, 5-11, 11-5.
James Willstrop,
the 2008 champion from England, dismissed compatriot Joey Barrington
11-4, 11-9, 14-12, while Australia's 2003 champion Stewart Boswell dashed
local hopes of success by beating wild card player Christian Drakenberg,
a former world No70 now ranked 368.
"Before the match, I knew
it would be difficult to win because Christian is better than his ranking," said
Boswell, the world No16 from Canberra after his 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 win. "He could
easily be on the top 100 or even top 50 in world rankings if he played more PSA
tournaments. Christian played very well and there was no easy victory."
Despite his defeat,
Drakenberg clearly enjoyed the clash: "It was a good match that was very fun to
play, but Stewart Boswell is clearly a few steps ahead of me in his game. The
biggest differences were greater speed and precision of the strokes," said the
34-year-old.
Gaultier Goes As Pilley Pushes On In
Swedish Open
Unseeded Australian
Cameron Pilley continued his unexpected march through the field of the
Case Swedish Open when he upset third-seeded
Frenchman Gregory Gaultier to reach the semi-finals of the $60,000 PSA
World Tour squash event in its seventh year at Linköping Sporthall in
Linköping.
Pilley, the world No17 from
New South Wales who beat Egypt's No7 seed Mohamed El Shorbagy in the
first round, recovered from a game down to defeat Gaultier 4-11, 11-6, 11-4,
12-14, 11-9. It was the 27-year-old Australian's first win against the
Frenchman, who topped the world rankings last year, in six Tour meetings since
2007.
"It was big nerves in the
match, starting on my part, but I noticed that Gaultier was increasingly under
pressure from my game," explained Pilley afterwards. "Although I lost the
fourth game, which I should have brought home, I continued playing my game and
it paid off."
The tall Aussie will now
face defending champion Nick Matthew for a place in the final. The
top-seeded Englishman defeated another Australian, eighth seed Stewart
Boswell, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8.
"It was a difficult match,
Stewart put up a really good fight," said the world number two from Sheffield.
"But it felt much better than in the previous match, because it is always
difficult to adapt to a new court. But after this morning's workout it felt so
good.
"I'm in really good shape
right now after playing steady squash for some months. It is always fun to play
in front of the audience in Linköping," added the 29-year-old title-holder, in
his fourth appearance in the event.
The crowd will be treated
to a mouth-watering clash in the other semi-final where second seed Amr
Shabana takes on fourth seed James Willstrop in a repeat of last
month's Tournament of Champions quarter-final in New York which
Englishman Willstrop won en-route to claiming the prestigious 2010 PSA Super
Series title for the first time.
Shabana, the former world
number one from Egypt, beat England's fifth seed Adrian Grant 11-4, 9-11,
11-6, 11-5, while Willstrop also took four games to overcome compatriot
Alister Walker, the sixth seed, 11-8, 11-3, 7-11, 11-6.
"I was far from happy with
losing the third game, but eventually I managed to win," said 26-year-old
Willstrop. "Alister is always a difficult opponent because he plays a fast
game, and the glass court also encourages a fast game which benefits him."
The Linkoping crowd will
witness the 21st PSA Tour meeting between Willstrop and Shabana since their
first at the 2004 Swedish Open. While Willstrop was the most recent winner, it
is the Egyptian who is ahead overall by a 14/6 margin.
2010 Swedish Open Boasts Star-Studded
Field
The title-holder and two
former champions lead a star-studded line-up - including half of the world's top
ten - who will be competing in this week's Case Swedish Open Squash
Championship in Linköping.
The $60,000 5-star PSA
World Tour event will be staged for the seventh year on an all-glass court
at Linköping Sporthall, from 4-7 February.
England's world No2 Nick
Matthew is seeded to retain the title he won for the first time last year.
But the 29-year-old from Sheffield will have stiff opposition not only from
former champions James Willstrop (2008) and Stewart Boswell
(2003), but also from former world number ones Amr Shabana, the second
seed from Egypt, and Gregory Gaultier, the third seed from France.
Willstrop will arrive in
Sweden fresh from winning the first 2010 PSA Super Series championship.
The 26-year-old Englishman clinched the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions
title in New York after becoming the first player ever to beat Egypt's three
world number ones Amr Shabana, Karim Darwish and Ramy Ashour
in the same tournament.
"This year's championship
is the biggest PSA Tour event in Europe outside England," said Swedish Open
tournament director Fredrik Johnson, the former Swedish international.
"In addition to the men's
championship, we will be holding a $6,000 WISPA World Tour event as well as an
'all comers tournament' at the Squash Center with around 250 entries."
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