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England's
Nick Matthew clinched his fifth successive PSA World Tour squash
title and showed just why he is ranked number one in the world when he downed
Egypt's Ramy Ashour in straight games in the final of the $142,500 CSR
Viridian Australian Open, the fourth PSA Super Series
championship of the year, in Canberra.
The
Yorkshireman stuck with Ashour through the Egyptian's periods of brilliance,
then slowly squeezed the challenge out of the world number two as he eased to a
16-14, 11-7, 12-10 victory to become the first Englishman to win the Australian
title since Gawain Briars in 1978.
"You have to
go through the patches when he's just too good for you," Matthew conceded. "He's
brilliant - you just have to get through those moments."
Matthew and
Ashour went point for point in the first game until 9-9 when Ashour brought up
the first of five game balls.
But every time
he took the advantage, usually through an outrageous nick or unbelievable drop,
Matthew somehow managed to fight his way back until 14-14 when an Ashour error
gave Matthew game ball.
The
30-year-old from Sheffield needed no second invitation and took an epic first
game 16-14, then came out firing at the start of the second to seize control of
the final.
Matthew
wrapped up the second game and fought back from 10-7 down in the third. Although
the third was close Matthew always looked the most likely, particularly when
Ashour began struggling with a foot injury late in the game.
"I think at
the time we could both feel that while (saving five game balls) may not have
been a match winning scenario, obviously the first game is so important and then
when I got a good start at the second, in hindsight that was a massively crucial
part of the game," Matthew said.
"The
temptation when he's hit a few good winners is to panic, but you have to really
stay patient, because he hits shots no one else can play and he plays at pace.
"You sometimes
have to hold your hands up and say 'alright, what can I do better, what can I do
to impose my game on him'. I think I managed to do that, but in three games I
never got an easy point."
Matthew said
he still had plenty of improvement left: "I'm only just 30 and I still feel that
although I've not got the attacking game of Ramy, I'm always working and
becoming better and better.
"If you stand
still other people catch up and overtake you, so you've always got to keep
working to improve."
The win marks
Matthew's 23rd undefeated Tour match in a row, and his fifth successive title,
including the Swedish Open and North American Open in February,
the Canary Wharf Classic in March and the Sky Open in Egypt in
May.
Top Seeds To
Contest Australian Open Final
The world's
two leading squash players, Nick Matthew and Ramy Ashour, will
fight out the CSR Viridian Australian Open final on Sunday after
contrasting wins in the semi-finals of the $142,500 PSA World Tour event
- the fourth PSA Super Series championship of the year - in Canberra.
World number
one Nick Matthew, the top seed, enjoyed a solid 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 win over
fellow Englishman James Willstrop before the second ranked Egyptian
Ramy Ashour beat Frenchman Gregory Gaultier 5-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7,
11-7 in a mercurial semi-final.
Ashour and
Gaultier entertained the big crowd at Canberra's Royal Theatre with a
spectacular display of squash, mixed in with some highly entertaining interplay
with each other, the crowd and the central referee.
"It's more a
mental game than a physical one at this level," said Ashour, now in the 26th
PSA Tour final of his career. "It's really tough to play Greg - he's such a
great player and I knew I had to keep focusing if I wanted to be able to beat
him."
Ashour and
Matthew have met 10 times in their career with the Egyptian winning six times
and Matthew four. However, the Sheffield-based Englishman won their last
encounter at the final of the Tournament of Champions in New York in
February.
Matthew looked
incredibly solid in his win over Willstrop, showing why he is ranked as the
world's top player.
He took all
the sting out of Willstrop's game, not easy against someone who beat former
world number ones David Palmer and Amr Shabana on the way to the
semi-finals.
"I'm always
happy to win 3/0 and in the semi-final it's all the better really," said
Matthew, who recently celebrated his 30th birthday.
"I played well
today and got a good start in each game which is crucial and I think at the end
I got the big points as well.
"James is one
of the gutsiest players on tour and he's very skilful as well, so combine that
with his reach you always need to hit those extra three or four shots every
rally," added the Yorkshireman whose 35th career PSA Tour final tomorrow
will also be his eighth in the last nine events he has played!
It was a
disappointing outcome for Willstrop on the eve of his 27th birthday.
Brilliant
Willstrop Stuns Shabana In Canberra
Englishman
James Willstrop put in a brilliant performance of controlled squash to
demolish Egypt's reigning world champion Amr Shabana in the
quarter-finals of the CSR Viridian Australian Open in Canberra.
A day after
beating former world number one David Palmer in the $142,500 PSA World
Tour event - the fourth PSA Super Series championship of the year -
sixth seed Willstrop hardly made an error as he raced to an 11-4, 11-5, 11-7 win
over Shabana, a four times world champion and also a former world number one.
The upset
leads Willstrop to a semi-final against fellow countryman and current world
number one Nick Matthew - and the certainty of an English finalist on
Sunday.
"I just tried
to think it's a different day," Willstrop said after his third win over Shabana,
the No3 seed from Cairo, this year. "I tried to get ready the same as yesterday
- just because I won yesterday, that's gone and I don't think about that any
more.
"But I have to
be absolutely on my game tomorrow and, if I am, I can win the tournament," added
the former world No2 from Leeds in Yorkshire.
Matthew, also
a Yorkshireman, earlier survived a brutal examination from countryman Peter
Barker to move into the semi-finals.
The
left-hander from London opened brilliantly and raced away with the first game
11-4, but at 5-5 in the second he went off the boil and allowed Matthew to win
the next six points to even the match.
Matthew then
narrowly won the next two to take the match 4-11, 11-5, 11-9, 12-10 in a
quarter-final of exceptional quality.
The England
teammates delighted the big crowd at Canberra's Royal Theatre with their superb
all-court games, Matthew just getting home on the back of some unforced errors
at crucial times from Barker, who had not taken a game off his opponent for the
past 18 months.
"I knew he
wanted this match and would come out to play," Matthew said. "The last few times
he has played me he has come off the back of some tough matches or he has been
carrying a niggle so he could not do himself justice."
France's
Gregory Gaultier says he is back to his best and enjoying his squash once
more after downing fourth seed Karim Darwish 11-3, 11-4, 8-11, 11-7 in a
minor upset in evening session on the all-glass court at the Royal Theatre.
Fifth seed
Gaultier reached the world number one ranking for a month in November last year,
but then immediately hit a form slump and quickly dropped out of the top five.
However the
27-year-old from Aix-en-Provence said that, after training hard over the season
break and talking about his problems with his coach and family, he was now
approaching the sport with a new attitude.
"I went
through a tough period and suffered from depression," he said. "I didn't enjoy
playing at all but now I have come back want to do the best I can.
"I believe a
career is short and I am already 27. I haven't reached my goals so I decided
over the last few months that I would give it everything."
Gaultier will
play the mercurial Ramy Ashour, who disposed of Thierry Lincou
11-7, 11-6, 11-2 in another Franco-Egyptian clash between two former world
number ones.
The
second-seeded Ashour was simply devastating, giving Lincou no chance in one of
the most impressive displays of the tournament.
The winner
takes on either Nick Matthew or James Willstrop in Sunday's final.
Peter Barker's
defeat earlier in the day ensures that the top eight players in the PSA Super
Series rankings on the eve of the Australian Open will retain their
places - though the final order may change depending on the outcome of the
semi-finals and final.
The eight
players are Nick Matthew, Ramy Ashour, James Willstrop,
Karim Darwish, Gregory Gaultier, Amr Shabana, Thierry
Lincou and Wael El Hindi.
Willstrop
Shatters Palmer's Australian Open Dreams
David Palmer's
dreams of a second Australian Open title are over for 2010 after he was
beaten in four games by sixth-seeded Englishman James Willstrop in
the second round of the $142,500 PSA World Tour squash
event in Canberra - the fourth PSA Super Series championship of
the year.
A trio of
Englishmen and Egyptians, together with a pair of Frenchmen, have made it
through to the last eight of the CSR Viridian-sponsored championship -
but the defeat of New South Welshman Cameron Pilley in the final match of
the day means that local interest in the biggest squash event in Australia since
1991 has now evaporated.
David Palmer,
the 34-year-old from New South Wales who has hinted he may retire at the end of
the year, was unable to complete a fairytale return to Australia as Willstrop
powered to an 11-1, 9-11, 11-2, 11-3 win and a quarter-final clash with
third-seeded Egyptian Amr Shabana.
Palmer looked
out of sorts for much of the match and Willstrop took full advantage.
"I played well
but I had to play well," said the 26-year-old from Leeds in Yorkshire. "I don't
think there are any reasons for what happened, apart from I played better. I
mean he's played better than me enough times, so I'm happy to get one over him."
The match was
the 16th Tour meeting between the two players, but the first since March 2009.
Palmer, the tenth seed, had won 11 leading in, with Willstrop not having beaten
the Australian since September 2007.
In that time
Palmer had beaten Willstrop in the finals of two of Britain's biggest
tournaments, the 2008 British Open and the 2009 Canary Wharf Classic.
"We used to
seem to meet all the time and in England he's beaten me in some big
tournaments," said Willstrop after avenging four successive losses to the
Australian in England.
"He's had it
over me a few times so to come to Australia and get a win over him is very, very
special."
Shabana
reached the quarter-finals when he beat Malaysian Ong Beng Hee 12-10,
11-6, 11-8.
In the first
match of the day top-seeded Englishman Nick Matthew continued his
impressive form when he downed colourful Egyptian Wael El Hindi in
straight games.
Matthew looked
every inch the world number one as he withstood everything El Hindi could throw
at him to win 11-6, 11-7, 11-3.
"I set my
stall out from the word go to give him nothing, but not to be too negative,"
Matthew said. "It's not an easy balance but I think I found it quite well.
"Wael started
playing when he was snookered, when he was seven, eight points down. If he'd
played like that from the start it would have been brutal"
Yorkshireman
Matthew now plays England team-mate Peter Barker, who had an easy passage
into the final eight when fellow countryman Adrian Grant was forced to
retire ill while trailing 11-1, 1-0.
Egypt's
Ramy Ashour threw down the gauntlet to English rival Nick Matthew and
ended local hopes of a male winner when he beat Cameron Pilley 11-7,
11-3, 14-12.
After a tight
first game Ashour steamed through the second with some brilliant shot making
before Pilley came back in the third, only just losing the game in a tiebreaker.
Ashour's form
looks just as good as that of Matthew, the Englishman who succeeded him as world
number one in June.
However
lurking in the wings are a host of ex-world number ones including French duo
Gregory Gaultier and Thierry Lincou - and Egyptian pair Karim
Darwish and Amr Shabana.
Gaultier
looked like he was back to his best as he downed Englishman Tom Richards
11-7, 11-7, 11-6 in the first match of the evening session.
Richards had
surprised countryman Daryl Selby in the first round but had no answer to
Gaultier as the Frenchman cruised to a comfortable win and a quarter-final
against Darwish, who impressively beat fellow Egyptian Mohamed El Shorbagy
11-5, 11-9, 11-6.
Gaultier had
never played Richards before but said he knew he was one of the fastest
improving players on the tour. "He has started to get into the main draw of the
big tournaments and I've seen him at those, and also I watched him yesterday,"
said the 27-year-old from Aix-en-Provence.
"So I knew
what to expect and I knew that I would have to play a big match to beat him.
I've been back in France putting in six to seven weeks good training and I am
happy to be here playing in a tournament again.
"I've got my
motivation back for the big tournaments."
Lincou made it
two French into the last eight when he came from a game down to beat a fired up
Laurens Jan Anjema 5-11, 11-9, 11-4, 13-11.
"He was very
solid from the start," Lincou said of his Dutch opponent. "I knew I had to break
his momentum and his pace, so I had to stay with him in the rallies.
"I had very
good patches, especially in the third, other than that it was very tense."
Richards
Knocks Out Ninth Seed Selby In Canberra Upset
England's
Tom Richards caused the biggest upset so far in the CSR Viridian
Australian Open when he outlasted fellow countryman Daryl Selby in
five games in today's (Wednesday) second day of first round action in the
$142,500 PSA World Tour squash event in Canberra - the fourth
PSA Super Series championship of the year.
Richards was
handed the marathon match in dramatic fashion when Selby, the ninth seed,
conceded the point on match ball when his drop shot hit the tin and the referees
called the ball good.
Selby
immediately indicated the ball had fallen short to give his opponent the 8-11,
11-5, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8 victory.
"That really
shows his class," said Richards after his shock 93-minute win. "He's one of the
fairest, if not the fairest, player on tour - it's a pleasure to play against
someone like him."
The
24-year-old Richards later said the win over his English Premier League
St George's Club team-mate was the best of his career.
"I feel like
I've been pushing the top 10 guys last season. I did a hard summer's training
and now I feel like I can really compete with them."
Brisbane's
Zac Alexander looked like causing another shock when he took the opening
game against 14th seed Mohamed El Shorbagy.
But El
Shorbagy, playing in his first PSA Super Series event of the year, fought back
to equal the contest and then just managed to win the crucial points to take the
match 6-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8.
"I'd never
seen him play before and he really surprised me," El Shorbagy said. "I didn't
know what he was going to do but he played at a really fast pace so I had to
find a Plan B and I tried to slow it down.
"The first
match is always the hardest to find you rhythm and I am very pleased to have won
it."
There were no
such worries for France's former world number one Gregory Gaultier, who
demolished Muhd Asyraf Azan of Malaysia 11-7, 11-2, 11-2, or
fourth-seeded Egyptian Karim Darwish, an 11-9, 11-4, 11-7 winner over New
Zealand's Campbell Grayson.
Frenchman
Thierry Lincou ended the hopes of local hero Stewart Boswell when he
beat the Canberra-born defending champion in four games.
Boswell played
superbly to win the first game but the world number seven lifted several gears
thereafter and eased away with the match 7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-5.
Both players
provided a host of entertainment in a high quality match but Lincou just shaded
Boswell with his movement around the court and his deft touch at the front.
"Thierry was
just too good," Boswell conceded. "After the first game he started putting the
ball in the corners … I played well in the first game but then he found
something else."
The
31-year-old Boswell said he was disappointed he hadn't been able to give the big
home crowd the win they were cheering for.
"I never
thought that a tournament like this would happen in my home town during my
squash life," he said.
"I've never
played a first round match like this with so many people supporting me. I just
wish I was coming back for the second round."
Lincou will
take on Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema, who beat US qualifier Julian
Illingworth 11-7, 11-8, 11-7.
Cameron Pilley
joined fellow Australian David Palmer in the second round when he beat
another Australian, former training partner Scott Arnold, in straight
games 11-8, 11-8, 11-5.
"We're both
tall men but we move around the court well and it's always very fair," said the
16th seeded Pilley. "It was a good solid hit out to start the tournament, but
against Ramy Ashour I'll have to lift it several levels for the next
round."
The
second-seeded Ashour reached the second round with a brilliant display of
attacking squash against fellow Egyptian Omar Abdel Aziz.
Ashour was in
total control throughout as he cantered to an 11-4, 11-5, 11-8 win, even giving
his opponent one of his own rackets after Aziz had broken strings in the three
rackets he had with him.
"I'm feeling
better as the week goes on and I get over my jetlag," said the 22-year-old from
Cairo. "Maybe if I make the final my body clock will be back to normal by then."
Palmer
Overcomes Slow Start To Beat Birthday Boy Ghosal
Australian
David Palmer, the tenth seed, overcame a slow start to beat India's
Saurav Ghosal in four games in the first round of the $142,500 Viridian
Australian Open, the fourth PSA Super Series squash event of the
year, in Canberra.
Ghosal, the
unseeded world No26 celebrating his 24th birthday, came out of the blocks firing
to open a 9-2 lead in the first game and although Palmer recovered he couldn't
save the first game, the Indian number one taking it 12-10.
But Palmer,
the 34-year-old world No10 leading home hopes in the biggest squash tournament
in the country for almost 20 years, soon hit his stride as he came back to win
the next three games and the match 10-12, 11-6, 11-5, 11-9.
The win takes
former world number one Palmer into a second round clash with arch-rival
James Willstrop of England.
"I felt okay
physically throughout the match but I struggled to get any rhythm," Palmer said.
"A slow start wasn't ideal and he got away and got on a bit of a roll and he was
tough to pull back.
"Eventually my
game started to take a little bit of effect on him midway through the second,
but it still wasn't easy.
"I thought at
stages he was tired and would drop off a bit but he kept pushing and surprised
me a little bit."
World number
six Willstrop had earlier defeated Australian qualifier Matthew Karwalski
11-9, 11-6, 11-3 and said he was looking forward to playing Palmer once again.
"Any round of
16 match will be tough, but David and I have had some great matches in big
tournaments over the years," said the 26-year-old Yorkshireman.
Former world
number one Amr Shabana of Egypt saw off promising Australian Ryan
Cuskelly in four games in the first match of the evening session.
The third seed
from Cairo took a two-game lead, then withstood a comeback from Cuskelly before
winning 11-8, 11-7, 12-14, 11-8.
"It was a good
game - he's a young player coming up and he gave me a run for my money for
sure," a relieved Shabana said.
Cuskelly said
he was getting closer to the top 10 players and a breakthrough win was not far
away.
"He's just so
experienced - one of the first two games I thought I could have got," Cuskelly
said.
"In the first
I just made a couple of errors. If I had got that game it could have been a
little bit different but I thought I played pretty good.
"It's just so
hard because he hits the ball so accurately and makes you do a lot of work."
The New
York-based 23-year-old said he fought as hard as he could to win the third game
but then suffered some cramps in the fourth and couldn't match Shabana.
"But overall
I'm pretty happy."
Shabana plays
Malaysian Ong Beng Hee, who caused the first surprise of the tournament
when he upset 15th seed Alister Walker of England in a five-game marathon
11-7, 14-12, 6-11, 6-11, 13-11.
Ong took the
opening two games against a sluggish Walker, who then found his touch and struck
back to level the match.
The decider
was a see-sawing battle in which first one player, then the other had the
advantage.
Walker had
match ball at 10-9 but Ong saved before taking the game 13-11 to wrap up the win
after 94 minutes.
"It was his
first match of the season, whereas I had the Malaysian Open two weeks ago
so I think he had a very bad start," the Malaysian said. "I played very well but
it was a slow start for him.
"As soon as he
got going he put me under a lot of pressure in the third and fourth and in the
fifth at the end, I was very lucky he made two mistakes at 11-all.
"There was
nothing in it, I just think today was my day."
Zac Alexander
Storms Into Australian Open Main Draw
Brisbane's
Zac Alexander stormed into the main draw of the Australian Open with
a straight games win over Malaysia's Kamran Khan in the qualifying finals of the $142,500 PSA World Tour squash event in
Canberra - the fourth PSA Super Series championship of the year.
Alexander was
the most impressive of all the final qualifiers as he cruised past Khan, son of
Pakistan legend Jansher Khan, 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 - and into a first round
clash with Mohamed El Shorbagy, the 14th seed from Egypt.
The
21-year-old was one of a trio of Australians who qualified for the main draw -
including Sydney's Scott Arnold who stunned classy Egyptian Mohammed
Abbas 15-13, 11-9, 11-7, and Matthew Karwalski, a 9-11, 11-9, 12-10,
8-11, 11-6 winner over fellow Australian Aaron Frankcomb.
"That's seven
Australians in the main draw," a delighted Australian head coach Byron Davis
said. "And we could have as many as 10 in the women's draw after their
qualifying so it's a great day for Australian squash."
Alexander has
risen to number 70 in the world and is certain to go higher now he has reached
the main draw of a PSA Platinum tournament for the first time.
"I'm really
happy - Kamran obviously played really well yesterday to take Nicolas Mueller
out, and that helped me in a way because I was a lot more confident against
Kamran than I would have been against Mueller," he said.
"I've played
him four or five times and I've had the edge on him so I knew how to play
against him.
"This is just
massive."
Alexander has
won two smaller tournaments on the Australian Squash Tour, in Darwin, Melbourne
and Sydney, and said he knew he was in form heading into Canberra.
"I've been
getting the confidence up in the smaller tournaments and now I get to test
myself against the big boys so we'll see how I go - the first round should be
interesting."
Arnold said he
had never played better than during his win over former top 15 player Abbas, and
credited his good form to a move back to his former coach Sue King in
Sydney.
"When I came
back from New York I was playing terribly but she was so patient and now I'm
feeling a lot better about my squash."
Arnold will
have to keep his form going as he goes up against fellow New South Welshman
Cameron Pilley, while Karwalski plays Englishman James Willstrop.
Two of the
three New Zealanders progressed after gruelling five game battles.
Kashif Shuja
downed Italian Amr Swelim 2-11, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 while Campbell
Grayson beat Scotsman Alan Clyne 14-12, 8-11, 16-14, 9-11, 11-5.
However the
third Kiwi in action, Martin Knight, fell after yet another five game
tussle with Muhd Asyraf Azan, the Malaysian winning 17-15, 12-10, 7-11,
7-11, 11-8.
Shuja,
runner-up in 2008, was pushed to five games for the second day in a row.
"I tried my
best not to go to five but Amr's a very good player and he's had the edge over
me in the last couple of matches," Shuja said.
"I knew it was
going to be a hard one. My body was a bit tired from yesterday and it took a
while for me to warm up.
"I knew I was
strong enough to push through. I was really feeling the pressure, but so was
he."
Grayson was
also left exhausted after his second long match in a row against one of the
fittest players on the tour.
"I really
wanted to win and that's what got me through," he said.
"He gets a lot
back and he gets to the front really fast - I knew I had to be smart, and I knew
it was going to be painful for both of us."
Azan, another
who was taken the distance two days in a row, said he had to overcome a severe
bout of nerves after letting a two game lead slip.
"In the first
two games he didn't really know my game, but after the first two he began to
work it out," Azan said.
"Then he got
to two-all and I knew I had to play well - I had to focus on every single point.
"I was scared,
I mean I was terrified the first three or four points of the fifth game but
after a while I said to myself to try my best and not to be overcome."
However the
longest match honours went to US number one Julian Illingworth, who
overcame a tenacious Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan 11-6, 9-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-5
in one hour, 41 minutes.
Illingworth
thought he had blown it after letting three match balls slip in the fourth game.
"Once I lost
that game I had to refocus and come out for the fifth game," he said. "The ball
had gone really dead so I requested a new ball which I think helped me just to
get it bouncing around and get some length and rhythm back in the game.
"The
pressure's off once you make the main draw," he added. "Qualifying is so tough.
If you lose you don't get any money, you don't get many points, so once you get
in the first round the pressure's off.
"You get a
chance to have a shot at one of the big boys and you get excited to see the
glass court."
Fellow
American Gilly Lane failed in his bid to join Illingworth in the main
draw when he was surprised by Hong Kong's Max Lee 11-7, 12-10, 11-6.
The
22-year-old Lee said he tried not to think about making the first round.
"Before the
match I didn't think about what would happen if I won," Lee said. "He's a good
player who plays his shots - I knew I had to stay focused and keep moving well.
"This is the
second time I've made it into a big tournament and it's a good opportunity for
me."
Frankcomb Leads Four Aussies Into
Canberra Qualifying Finals
Hobart's Aaron Frankcomb set up an
all-Australian clash with New South Welshman Matthew Karwalski after the first day of qualifying for the Australian Open Squash Championship,
the $142,500 PSA Super Series event in Canberra.
World number 44 Frankcomb looked in
great touch as he downed young Queenslander Peter Taylor 11-6, 11-3, 11- 7.
He now faces Karwalski, who sprung a
surprise when he beat higher ranked compatriot Steve Finitsis 11-6, 11-4, 11-9,
justifying his decision to move to Manchester after the Australian Open in a bid
to improve his ranking.
"It's hard being based in Australia
like I have been," Karwalski said. "I'm 24 now and have decided to make a real
go at squash. Until now I've been part time on the tour - training five days a
week but not really playing the tournaments."
Frankcomb and Karwalski were joined
in the qualifying finals by Queensland's Zac Alexander, an 11-7, 11-5, 11-7
winner over veteran Jeff Bond, and Scott Arnold, who beat Melbourne's Rex
Hedrick 11-8, 11-8, 11-6.
Alexander takes on Malaysian Kamran
Khan, an upset 11-7, 11-9, 5-11, 4-11, 11-5 winner over Switzerland's Nicolas
Mueller, while Arnold plays classy Egyptian Mohammed Abbas.
It was a good day for the Kiwi
contingent as all three New Zealanders in action progressed to the second round.
Martin Knight cruised through his
opening match against young Queenslander Jamie McErvale 11-6, 11-8, 11-1, but
fellow countrymen Kashif Shuja and Campbell Grayson did it the hard way as they
battled their way through five game marathons.
Shuja came from two games to one
down and trailing 2-8 in the fourth to overhaul Denmark's Kristian Frost Olesen
8-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-3, while Grayson also came from 2/1 down to beat
Christopher Gordon, of the USA, 7-11, 11-1, 9-11, 11-5, 11-8.
Shuja admitted later he had to stop
making it so hard for himself: "Usually I play a lot better when I'm down but
not that far down," he said.
"I knew that if I stayed patient and
constructed the rallies well I would have a chance so I just gave it my best. I
think I've had the most five-setters out of anyone on the PSA!
"It's a focus thing really and
something I've been working on, that I should try and play the same from start
to end, but it hasn't quite happened yet."
Shuja plays Italian Amr Swelim for a
place in the main draw and Grayson must try and recover in time to take on
rising Scottish star Alan Clyne, who demolished Melbourne's Neeraj Aggarwal
11-3, 11-1, 11-0.
"It was quite comfortable so I saved
my legs," the Scotsman said. "I only arrived a couple of days ago and it was a
long trip -- I'm trying to get over the jetlag."
Despite Gordon's loss it was a still
a good day for the Americans with both Julian Illingworth and Gilly Lane
impressing in straight games wins.
Illingworth downed recently-crowned
NSW Open champion Jens Schoor 11-7, 11-5, 12-10 and Lane was too good for
Queensland's Nathan Stevenson 11-3, 11-5, 11-5.
"Today was a good day - I played
pretty well so I can't complain," Lane said.
The American number two has been
training in Yamba with Cameron Pilley and said the hard work had paid off.
"I had two weeks off in Yamba
training so I've been kicking to get going and get back into it," he said.
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