Ashour Beats
Willstrop To Deny English British Grand Prix Win
"He's got my
number at the minute," admitted a dejected James Willstrop after the
English hope went down in four games to Egypt's world number one Ramy Ashour
in the final of the ROWE British Grand Prix, the biggest
squash event in Europe this year at the National Squash Centre in
Manchester.
The climax of
the $92,500 PSA Super Series event was the eleventh meeting of the pair's
careers, and their fourth this year - Yorkshireman Willstrop winning the first
in the Tournament of Champions final in New York to take the first PSA
Super Series title of the year, and Ashour twice gaining his revenge in his home
town Cairo and last month in Hong Kong.
Willstrop, the
world No6 who claimed his unexpected place in the final after outlasting
France's world No5 Gregory Gaultier in a 100-minute semi-final marathon,
led 7-3 in the opening game.
But Ashour,
the 22-year-old from Cairo who reclaimed the world number one ranking this month
from Willstrop's England team-mate Nick Matthew, immediately turned
things round by taking the next eight points in a row to win the game.
In a
remarkable reversal of fortunes, it was crowd favourite Willstrop who then came
out firing - racing to game ball at 10-0 before Ashour picked up a couple of
points to prevent a whitewash.
At one game
apiece, a more assured Ashour returned for the third and Willstrop seemed unable
to match the speed and accuracy of Egypt's latest squash star. After 40 minutes,
it was second seed Ashour who raised his hands in triumph to celebrate his 11-7,
3-11, 11-3, 11-5 victory.
"It's such a
letdown when you can't produce," said the distraught runner-up afterwards. "It
was too physical - he was just too good.
"I wasn't
physically good enough today - I don't know why," explained 27-year-old
Willstrop, from Leeds. "I expected to come out stronger. I gave it everything I
could."
A jubilant
Ashour expressed his delight at competing in the event - and winning his 17th
PSA Tour title: "I'm really glad I came here and really glad to win. I think
it was a really good match, but I think we were both tired - James had a very
long game yesterday for more than 100 minutes.
"I was a bit
stuffed mentally when I arrived here - I was OK physically - but I really pushed
myself during the week. My brother (Hisham) has done a great job - I've learned
a lot from him.
"And I have
been able to phone my parents every day - and that helped me a lot too.
"James is a
great player - I played him in Hong Kong last month, but this was tougher. He
has a special kind of game - a mixture of Egyptian and English.
"It's always
great to play him," concluded the new champion Ashour.
Willstrop
Survives Marathon To Make ROWE British Grand Prix Final
England's
James Willstrop reached the final of the biggest squash event in Europe this
year after surviving an incident-packed semi-final in the ROWE British Grand
Prix in Manchester and will now meet Egypt's world
number one Ramy Ashour for the $92,500 PSA Super Series event
title at the National Squash Centre.
The
Yorkshireman's clash with Gregory Gaultier was his latest encounter with
the life-long French rival whom he first competed against as a fellow
14-year-old. Leading by two games, the now 27-year-old world No6 from Leeds
suffered a dead leg after an accidental collision with the Frenchman, ranked one
place higher.
After a
seven-minute injury break, Willstrop returned to the court and recovered from
1-5 down to lead 9-7 - two points away from a straight games victory.
But the
determined Gaultier fought back to take the game - and then won the fourth to
force a decider.
The world No5
twice led - and also had injury break for four minutes after treatment for an
ankle injury. But Willstrop held his nerve to clinch a remarkable 11-7, 11-9,
9-11, 5-11, 11-9 win after 101 minutes.
"When both of
us are playing at the highest of intensities - which both of us were today - you
can't keep it going for five games," explained Willstrop afterwards. "When we
were good, we were very good.
"I'm just glad
to have come back in the fifth.
"That third
was a most bizarre game. The injury break didn't help me - but I remember
thinking at 8-5, 'I can't settle down'," said the England number two from Leeds.
"It's
brilliant to be in another Super Series final," added Willstrop, now in the 22nd
Tour final of his career. "I love playing here - the crowd was incredible."
A dejected
Gaultier admitted that he hadn't stuck to his game-plan: "I didn't follow the
tactic I wanted at the beginning. I was a bit disappointed to lose the second
game.
"In the third,
I think he was a bit tired and I tried to make the rallies longer. The fifth was
anybody's game.
"I am really
disappointed to lose - but I will come back stronger next time," added the
former world number one from Aix-en-Provence.
Ramy Ashour,
who despatched his three earlier opponents 3/0 in little more than an hour of
playing time, dropped the first game against veteran Australian David Palmer,
the 34-year-old from New South Wales who is the event's No8 seed.
Palmer, who
celebrated ten unbroken years in the world's top ten a month ago, was playing
the game of his life - while 22-year-old Ashour was scurrying around the court
to keep up with the former world No1 and two-time world champion.
Second seed
Ashour reclaimed the upper hand in the second game, but the US-based Aussie
battled back to earn four game balls in the third before his younger opponent
forged a 2/1 lead.
Palmer twice
led in the fourth, but again Ashour recovered before closing out the match 5-11,
11-6, 13-11, 11-9 in 57 minutes.
"I couldn't
believe it - he was incredible today," Ashour acknowledged to the crowd
afterwards. "Sometimes, there was nothing I could do against him."
On the
prospect of the final, Ashour said: "James is a great player - very skilful on
court. I'm sure it will be a great game."
Despite
losing, Palmer took positives from his performance: "It's given me
encouragement," said the four-time British Open champion. "I haven't been
able to play a match like that for the last four or five months.
"The
Commonwealth Games is very important to me - and it looks as if I'm back in
form. It's better late than never!
"So I can go
back home and be happy now.
"But it's
going to be very tough in Delhi - James looks like he's in great form,"
concluded Palmer.
Willstrop
Waltzes Into ROWE British Grand Prix Semis
Hopes of home
success in the ROWE British Grand Prix Squash Championship rest
exclusively with James Willstrop after the fifth-seeded Yorkshireman beat
his Pontefract club-mate and Indian number one Saurav Ghosal in straight
games to claim a semi-final berth in the $92,500 PSA Super Series event -
the biggest squash tournament in Europe this year which is being staged at the
National Squash Centre in Manchester.
It was a
dazzling display of master v student as the experienced 27-year-old from Leeds,
ranked six in the world, despatched the now 24-year-old from Calcutta who honed
his game while earning a first class honours Economics degree at Leeds
University.
"You can't
help but think about the friendship when you play someone like that, but I think
I was a bit more ruthless than him today," said Willstrop after his 11-7, 11-5,
11-4 victory.
"There's a lot
of respect between both of us," added the former world No2. "He's extremely
quick - in fact, probably the quickest on the Tour. You have to be very accurate
against him."
Willstrop,
winner of the first Super Series event of the year in New York, is celebrating
his fourth semi-final appearance in 2010: "To be in the semis of a Super Series
event is a pretty good effort. It feels great - but that's not it; there's a lot
more to do. I've now got to get ready for the next one."
When asked if
he was particularly focussed on regaining his England No1 status, Willstrop
said: "To be England No1 is a big thing, without doubt - but I don't think about
rankings.
"But I aspire
to achieve what players like Nick (Matthew) and Ramy (Ashour) do. They're at the
top of their game. That's my next step - and I'm playing well."
Ghosal, who
was making his Super Series quarter-final debut, was full of praise for
Willstrop: "He's playing really well - his accuracy is incredible," said the
world No26 from Chennai. "Most of the points I won, I really had to work hard to
get.
"I was with
him for two games - and then he really went away. He came out in the third game
firing - playing ridiculous shots. I must have said 'great shot' to him about
four times!"
On the effect
of the friendship when they play each other, Ghosal explained: "I think it's
harder for me than it is for him.
"It was a
privilege to play him - I really hope he goes on to win the tournament."
Willstrop will
now face life-long French rival Gregory Gaultier, the former world number
one who denied the crowd an all-English semi by beating Daryl Selby, the
world No9 from Essex, 11-3, 11-8, 11-5.
"I have had
seven weeks of great preparation and think I am playing well - in fact I think I
am better than I was at my peak," explained the 27-year-old from
Aix-en-Provence, who slumped five places in the rankings just four months after
reaching No1 last November.
"I played
really badly earlier in the year - I was really wasting my capacity. But now I
am happy with my life, and I think it shows on court. I really want to get back
to world number one."
Selby was
disappointed with his reversal of form over 24 hours: "I played really well
yesterday to reach the quarters, but I just didn't replicate that today,"
admitted the England international.
"That was half
down to Greg playing well and half to me feeling a bit sluggish. He started the
match playing perfect squash - and once he has that confidence, he's hard to
break down.
"His movement
is excellent and he's a phenomenal athlete - I've got tremendous respect for his
squash," added Selby, who will now turn his focus on next month's
Commonwealth Games in Delhi.
The other
semi-final will feature Egypt's world No1 Ramy Ashour and Australia's
former world No1 David Palmer.
Palmer faced
Amr Shabana, the reigning world champion from Egypt. The capacity and
knowledgeable crowd at Sportcity were anticipating a high quality clash between
two giants of the game - but were treated to a brief encounter which lasted just
10 minutes when Shabana offered his hand to the Australian just two points into
the second game.
"It's a
nagging back problem which I've been aware of throughout the tournament," said
the 31-year-old from Cairo as he grimaced with pain while undergoing
physiotherapy treatment within minutes of leaving the court.
"I felt that
if I pushed it hard, I might inflame it. I didn't want to risk doing any serious
damage," Shabana explained.
The final
quarter-final was also short - a 24-minute display in which second seed Ashour
despatched a less-than-fully-agile Frenchman Thierry Lincou 11-3, 11-4,
11-3.
"I feel my age
is catching up on me - some weeks I feel older than others, and this hasn't been
a good week for me," said the 34-year-old from Marseille.
"I have a
problem with my left leg and this is restricting my movement. When my movement
is not efficient, I suffer. And Ramy was playing at such a ridiculous pace, I
couldn't do anything," explained the forlorn Frenchman.
By contrast,
the exuberant young Egyptian was positively bubbling with enthusiasm for his
performance. "I was very confident in my play today, but I knew he was not
playing his normal game," said 22-year-old Ashour, who has only spent 70 minutes
over his three matches on the Manchester all-glass court.
"But tomorrow
will be the biggest test - and if I am in the final, that will be even bigger!"
Willstrop &
Selby Raise Home Hopes In ROWE British Grand Prix
England
team-mates James Willstrop and Daryl Selby ensured domestic
interest in the quarter-finals of the ROWE British Grand
Prix Squash Championship after straight games successes in the second round
of the $92,500 PSA Super Series event - the biggest in Europe this year -
being staged at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.
Selby, the No7
seed from Essex who broke into the world top ten this year, was looking for his
first Tour win over English rival Alister Walker after defeats in their
two previous Tour clashes.
And the world
number nine finally made his breakthrough with an 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 win over
Walker, the Leeds-based world No17 from Gloucestershire.
"To get
Alister in three games is no mean feat," said the jubilant 27-year-old. "I want
to do well in this tournament, and if I carry on playing like that, anything can
happen."
Selby feels he
is back on track after a shock defeat to lower-ranked fellow countryman Tom
Richards in the first round of the Australian Open last month. "That
gave me quite a kick start as I was playing well - but he played better and
thoroughly deserved the win.
"In hindsight,
it perhaps did me some good, as I've been playing better since then - sometimes
you can learn more from a loss than a win. You can turn a negative into a
positive.
"Perhaps I owe
Tom a vote of thanks," added Selby.
Willstrop, the
fifth seed from Leeds, battled for 45 minutes to quash Manchester-based
Australian Stewart Boswell 11-6, 11-9, 11-9.
"Stewart is
not only very good, but experienced too. I know him pretty well - we train
together a lot
When asked
what are his goals, Willstrop replied: "Kuwait, Qatar, India, Egypt," referring
to the locations of the PSA Super Series events which follow the British
Grand Prix.
"To win a
Super Series event is huge," admitted the 27-year-old Yorkshireman. "And of
course there's the Commonwealth Games, and finally the World Open,"
added the former world No2.
Does the
current world No6 yearn to reclaim his No2 position - then move on to become the
world's top-ranked player? "I concentrate on the tournaments - I don't think too
much about rankings. Do well in the tournaments and hopefully the rankings will
follow!"
Winner of the
opening PSA Super Series event of the year in New York, Willstrop is now poised
to exploit the gap in the field left by the withdrawal through illness of
compatriot Nick Matthew, the world No2.
Willstrop, a
finalist in his previous two appearances on the all-glass Manchester court, will
now meet Pontefract club training partner Saurav Ghosal, the 14th seed
from India who ousted Guernsey-born qualifier Chris Simpson 11-4, 7-11,
14-12, 11-4.
"It's my first
quarter-final in a Super Series event - I am so happy," said the Calcutta-born
24-year-old who is India's highest-ranked player of all-time.
"Playing James
is always a pleasure. I've learned so much from him. I'm going to try and play
the best I can - hopefully we'll play some good squash," added the world No26.
Gregory
Gaultier
became one of two Frenchmen to make the last eight when he beat England
left-hander Adrian Grant, the No9 seed. Gaining revenge for an
acrimonious clash on the same court in the Manchester World Open almost
two years ago, Gaultier beat London-born Grant 11-4, 6-11, 11-6, 11-9 in 75
minutes.
"I knew Adrian
would be up for it as he's had some good results - and he would want to play
well in front of his home crowd," said the Frenchman. "I managed to push hard in
the fourth to close the match. I wanted to make him work hard.
"I'm happy to
go through. I played really well in Australia and Hong Kong - that built up my
confidence," added the 27-year-old from Aix-en-Provence who is bidding to return
to the form which saw him reach No1 in the world rankings in November last year.
Gaultier will
be joined in the last eight by fellow countryman Thierry Lincou, the
sixth seed who fought for exactly an hour to quash rising Egyptian Mohd Ali
Anwar Reda, the 15th seed, 11-9, 5-11, 11-7, 11-8.
The
34-year-old from Marseille has little to prove - having won the world title and
reached world number one in his illustrious career. "My goal for this season is
to qualify for the Super Series Finals. I need to be consistent and make
a few quarter-finals and semi-finals.
"But I still
love the game, and love the training - and I get great support from my family,"
added Lincou. "But my aim isn't to get back to world No1 - I'd like to stay in
the top eight.
"And it would
be nice to keep causing a few upsets!"
Lincou now
lines up against Egypt's new world number one Ramy Ashour, the
22-year-old from Cairo who ended Alan Clyne's run with an 11-5, 11-7,
11-4 win over the Scottish qualifier from Edinburgh.
Ashour will be
joined in the quarters by fellow countryman Amr Shabana, the reigning
world champion from Cairo who beat his older brother Hisham Mohd Ashour
11-7, 11-8, 6-11, 11-4.
Shabana, a
four-time world champion, boasts 26 PSA Tour titles - as does his
quarter-final opponent David Palmer, the eighth seed from Australia who
defeated Pakistan's Aamir Atlas Khan 11-4, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6.
Flying Scot
Clyne Claims First ROWE British Grand Prix Upset
British
interest in the ROWE British Grand Prix Squash Championship was
unexpectedly boosted in Manchester tonight when Scotland's Alan Clyne
claimed the first upset in the $92,500 PSA Super Series event, the
biggest event in Europe this year, at the National Squash Centre.
The
24-year-old qualifier from Edinburgh took a two-game lead over 16th seed
Farhan Mehboob - but the world No29 from Pakistan struck back to level the
match before forging an 8-0 lead in the decider.
The flying
Scot reclaimed seven points in a single hand, however, and went on to save three
match balls before finally celebrating a sensational 11-6, 11-8, 8-11, 5-11,
16-14 victory after 61 minutes.
"That's
definitely my best win ever," said the Inverness-born world No55. "He's the
first top 30 player I've beaten - and it's in a Super Series event too. It's a
great result!"
Clyne now
faces second seed Ramy Ashour, the new world No1 from Egypt who dismissed
English qualifier Laurence Delasaux, from Hull, 11-4, 11-7, 11-5.
It was third
time lucky for Mohd Ali Anwar Reda earlier when he recovered from two
games down to beat unseeded New Zealander Campbell Grayson 13-15, 12-14,
11-7, 11-7, 11-8 in 75 minutes - the longest match in the first round.
It was the
15th seed from Egypt's first win in Manchester in three attempts. "When I was
two games down, I thought 'oh no, not again'," said the jubilant 21-year-old
from Cairo.
Reda will line
up against experienced Frenchman Thierry Lincou after the sixth seed from
France, one of six former world number ones in the event, beat Egyptian Omar
Abdel Aziz 9-11, 11-4, 11-4, 11-5.
Veteran
Australian David Palmer saw off rising US star Julian Illingworth
in straight games in the afternoon session - then admitted that he is still far
from being at full strength after being laid low by tonsillitis back in his home
country last month.
Eighth seed
Palmer, the 34-year-old from New South Wales who slipped to No12 this month to
end a remarkable unbroken ten-year run in the world top ten, despatched
Illingworth, the world No35 from New York, 11-3, 11-7, 11-6 to reach the last
16.
"To win three
love on a pretty dead court is not bad," said the US-based Palmer after his
38-minute win. "We play a lot in the US. He's done well - he's dangerous."
The former
world No1 and two-time world champion was struck down by tonsillitis a week
before the Australian Open, and was on antibiotics for a month. "I
haven't quite got back to my full strength. I still feel a bit run down - though
my results haven't been disastrous.
"But I was
terrible in Australia," admitted Palmer.
Winner of four
British Open titles in England, Palmer now has his sights on success in
the Commonwealth Games in Delhi: "It's my fourth Commonwealth Games,
and I'm pretty proud of that. I've got a few medals, but I'm still missing the
gold!
"It's going to
be pretty tough - but I feel, on my day, I can pull off an upset. I just hope I
get my health back."
Ambitions? "I
would love to get back into the top eight again - and also get one more World
Open title!"
The reigning
World Open champion Amr Shabana also progressed in straightforward
fashion to the last sixteen with an 11-8, 11-7, 11-5 victory over Italian
Davide Bianchetti 28 minutes.
The
distinguished Egyptian, a four-time winner of the world title and the world
number one for 33 months in a row until December 2008, has yet to win a title in
England - and was reminded of the fact by tournament MC Andrew Nickeas.
"There are
still a few tournaments here - we'll see if it can happen," quipped Shabana, who
boasts 26 PSA World Tour titles.
The
31-year-old from Cairo also admitted that he is fighting back to full fitness
after suffering with tendonitis in both knees, coupled with a back injury.
"I'm on my way
back - but I feel I am currently only at about 60%!
"It's been
about two years now that I've been suffering with injuries - and my main
ambition is to get back my world number one ranking.
"But first,
I've got to get my health back," concluded the third seed.
Shabana will
meet Hisham Mohd Ashour in the next round after his compatriot, the No13
seed, beat Brazilian Rafael F Alarcon 11-4, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7.
Palmer will
take on Aamir Atlas Khan, the 12th seed from Pakistan who defeated
Cairo-based Italian Amr Swelim 11-3, 11-5, 11-7.
English
Quintet Make British Grand Prix Last 16
A quintet of
Englishmen battled through to the second round of the ROWE British Grand Prix
in Manchester after successes in the opening day of action in the $92,500
PSA Super Series event, the biggest squash event in Europe this year at
the National Squash Centre.
But the day's
biggest upset took place off-court when Nick Matthew, the top-ranked
Englishman who was hoping to reclaim his world number one ranking following
success in the sixth Super Series event of the year, was forced to pull out less
than two hours before his opening match.
"During my
practice session yesterday afternoon, I felt strange - my heartbeat was going at
about 200 beats a minute - and by the time I got back to my hotel room I was
really shivering," Matthew told the crowd after seeing the EIS (English
Institute of Sport) doctor minutes before in the same building.
"I woke in the
middle of the night with a heavy fever and covered in sweat. I left it as long
as I could today before making my decision, but the doctor has advised me not to
play.
"I'm very
disappointed to pull out," said the clearly emotional Yorkshireman. "It's my
favourite venue and I was really looking forward to playing here."
Later
Manchester favourite James Willstrop, the No5 seed who was expected to
line up against his England team-mate in the quarter-finals, pulled away from
seven-all in the first game against Max Lee to beat the Hong Kong
qualifier 11-7, 11-5, 11-2 in 26 minutes.
"I really feel
for him - he must be feeling dreadful at the moment," said the 27-year-old from
Leeds when asked about Matthew. "Nick being out of the event is obviously a
bitter blow for the tournament, but devastating for him.
"It's the
worst thing getting injured - we all feel for him, we know what it's like!"
Asked about
his match against Lee, a 22-year-old making his Tour debut in Manchester,
Willstrop agreed that there are no easy games. "I had to be on my toes - it was
really level at seven-all - there was not too much of a gap, to be honest."
After
suffering the worst experience of his life, causing him to be hospitalised for
six days in Australia, England international Adrian Grant was clearly
back at his best today when he despatched German opponent Jens Schoor in
straight games.
It was after
winning his first round match in last month's Australian Open in Canberra
that the London-born left-hander was taken ill within an hour of eating an
evening meal with his England team-mates.
"I have never
felt so ill - and it came on so suddenly," said the Leeds-based former world No9
who was later diagnosed with severe gastro-enteritis, and spent six days in
hospital where he lost almost a stone in weight.
"It's the
worst experience I've ever had - I was in an absolute mess."
Grant then
played at the Hong Kong Open, losing in the first round: "I was only
playing at about 20% - I'd lost all my muscle strength.
"Getting home
in itself was massive - and, with help from the EIS here in Manchester, I had a
really good two weeks, building my strength back up.
"So my season
starts here," said the event's 29-year-old ninth seed after his 11-4, 11-7, 11-4
win over wildcard Schoor. "I'm taking this as the first tournament of the season
- and I'm really focussed."
Grant will now
face Gregory Gaultier after the fourth-seeded Frenchman defeated New
Zealander Martin Knight 11-6, 11-2, 11-3.
The
27-year-old from Aix-en-Provence is making a notable return to form after
failing to exploit his world number one ranking last November, when he slumped
to sixth place within the next four months.
"The most
important thing was to get myself back in shape and get my motivation back,"
said Gaultier, who became the first Frenchman to win the British Open
title on the same all-glass court three years ago.
"I'm looking
for good times again - and I feel pretty confident," added the world No5.
Grant was
joined by two fellow Englishmen in the second round after tenth seed Alister
Walker, from Leeds, beat Malaysian qualifier Ivan Yuen 11-4, 11-9,
11-5 in the opening match of the day, and Essex's No7 seed Daryl Selby
defeated Gloucestershire qualifier Robbie Temple 11-5, 11-3, 11-2.
Matthew Forced To Withdraw In Manchester
Nick Matthew,
the top-ranked Englishman who was hoping to reclaim his world number one ranking
following success in the ROWE British Grand Prix Squash Championship, was
forced to pull out of the $92,500 PSA Super Series event today less than
two hours before his opening match in Manchester
"During my practice session yesterday afternoon, I felt strange - my heartbeat
was going at about 200 beats a minute – and by the time I got back to my hotel
room I was really shivering," Matthew told the crowd at the National Squash
Centre after seeing the EIS (English Institute of Sport) doctor in the same
building.
"I
woke in the middle of the night with a heavy fever and covered in sweat. I left
it as long as I could today before making my decision, but the doctor has
advised me not to play.
"I'm very disappointed to pull out," said the clearly emotional Yorkshireman.
"It's my favourite venue and I was really looking forward to playing here."
Britons
Progress In British Grand Prix Qualifiers
Home interest
in the ROWE British Grand Prix has been significantly boosted after four
Britons battled through the qualifying finals of the $92,500 Professional
Squash Association (PSA) Super Series event which gets underway at the
National Squash Centre in Manchester on Wednesday (15 September).
Qualifying for
the ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2010, Europe's biggest squash
event this year and the sixth of ten 2010 PSA Super Series championships
being held around the world, took place at the Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis &
Squash Club in Wolverhampton.
Yorkshireman
Laurence Delasaux claimed an unexpected place in the main draw after
beating local hope Jaymie Haycocks, the long-time Wolverhampton club
member who despatched South African Stephen Coppinger, the highest-ranked
player in the event, in the first round.
But Haycocks
was unable to repeat his heroics against compatriot Delasaux as the 25-year-old
from Hull claimed his first Super Series event appearance of the year following
his 11-8, 11-13, 11-5, 11-3 victory. Delasaux's reward is a first round clash
with Ramy Ashour, the second seed from Egypt who is the world number one.
Guernsey-born
Chris Simpson is also celebrating his first appearance in a Super Series
event this year after beating India's Siddharth Suchde 11-8, 11-8, 11-4.
The Harrogate-based 23-year-old will now face fellow countryman Nick Matthew,
the top seed and former world number one from Sheffield, in the main draw.
In the final
match of the evening, Gloucester's Robbie Temple overcame Australia's
Steve Finitsis. The match was halted for 27 minutes at 11-11 in the second
game after Finitsis sustained a blood injury.
The Australian
went on to win the game to level the match, but London-based Temple fought back
to take the next two games to win 12-10, 14-16, 11-4, 11-9 after 78 minutes of
playing time. The success also takes left-hander Temple into his first Super
Series event of the year.
Scotland will
also be represented in Europe's biggest championship in 2010 after Alan Clyne
survived the longest match of the day to beat England's Joe Lee 8-11,
11-4, 8-11, 11-3, 11-6 in 80 minutes.
The
24-year-old from Edinburgh will now face rising Pakistan star Farhan Mehboob,
the 16th seed from Peshawar.
Teenager
Ivan Yuen will provide Malaysia's sole interest in Manchester after
upsetting England's Adrian Waller 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 in 79 minutes.
The 19-year-old from Selangor - at 81 in the world, the lowest-ranked player in
the draw - will line up against England's No10 seed Alister Walker, from
Leeds, in the first round.
New Zealand's
Kashif Shuja overcame Matthew Karwalski of Australia 7-11, 11-7,
11-7, 11-8, while Italy's Amr Swelim recovered from a game down to beat
USA's Christopher Gordon 8-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8.
Late addition
Clinton Leeuw, the South African who had defeated Egypt's up-and-coming
star Karim Abdel Gawad in the previous round, could not continue his form
- losing out to Hong Kong's Max Lee 11-8, 11-9, 11-4.
Hero Haycocks
Leads Local Hopes Into Grand Prix Qualifying Finals
Local hero
Jaymie Haycocks produced the biggest shock in the first qualifying round of
the ROWE British Grand Prix when he beat the event's highest-ranked
player Stephen Coppinger in a dramatic 55-minute encounter at
Wolverhampton Lawn Tennis & Squash Club in Wolverhampton, England.
English
players dominated today's action which has reduced the field to 16 players who
will compete in Wolverhampton for the eight qualifying places available in the
ROWE British Grand Prix - Manchester 2010, Europe's biggest squash event
this year. The $92,500 ROWE British Grand Prix, which will be
staged at the National Squash Centre in Manchester from 15-20
September, is the sixth of ten PSA Super Series championships being held
around the world this year.
Jaymie
Haycocks,
the world No 101 who has been a member of the Wolverhampton club for more than
ten years, defeated Coppinger, ranked 57 places higher, 1-11, 11-8, 12-10, 13-11
in 55 minutes.
After the
first game dominated by Coppinger, Haycocks slowed the place and played tight
accurate squash producing a stream of mistakes from the South African's racket.
The fourth game could have gone either way and a controversial point at 9-9
could have upset the local hero, but Haycocks held his nerve to close out the
match.
The
Shrewsbury-born 26-year-old will now face fellow Englishman Laurence Delasaux,
a 25-year-old Yorkshireman from Hull who beat Surrey teenager Charles Sharpes
11-6, 11-9, 11-8.
Former England
junior international Adrian Waller, from Enfield, was too strong for
local Over 35 player Pete Goodings, in a game played in good spirit by
both players - whilst Kashif Shuja of New Zealand recorded an 11-7, 11-9,
11-3 victory over Kent's Ben Ford, who made the draw following a late
withdrawal.
Guernsey's
Chris Simpson enjoyed a convincing straight games win over compatriot
Adam Murrills, as did Australia's Steve Finitsis who defeated
Nottingham's Ollie Holland 11-4 11-7 11-2.
Australian
Matthew Karwalski recovered from two games down to beat Finland's Henrik
Mustonen 8-11, 7-11, 11-8, 11-8, 13-11 - with both players having served for
the match which lasted a full 75 minutes.
After losing
the first game, Scot Alan Clyne got into his rhythm and ran out a
comfortable winner over Derbyshire's Joel Hinds, whilst Italian Amr
Swelim defeated Devon's James Snell 8-11 11-4 12-10 11-6.
Brothers
Andrew and Richard Birks, both of whom play at Wolverhampton, both took
games from their higher-ranked opponents - but England's Joe Lee went on
to beat Andrew 11-9, 11-4, 11-13, 11-6 and USA's Christopher Gordon
defeated Richard 11-7, 11-4, 11-13, 11-7.
Max Lee
of Hong Kong overcame England's Shaun Le Roux to earn his place in the second
round with a hard fought 11-8 11-7 13-11 6-11 11-2 win - whilst late addition
(due to a no show) Clinton Leeuw of South Africa caused a further
significant upset when he defeated Egypt's rising star Karim Abdel Gawad
11-9, 14-12, 7-11, 11-7.
In the final
match of the night Robbie Temple defeated fellow Englishman Anthony
Graham 10-12 11-9 11-7 11-7 to progress to the next round.
Qualifying
finals line-up:
Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) v Laurence Delasaux (ENG)
Adrian Waller (ENG) v Ivan Yuen (MAS)
Chris Simpson (ENG) v Siddharth Suchde (IND)
Kashif Shuja (NZL) v Matthew Karwalski (AUS)
Robbie Temple (ENG) v Steve Finitsis (AUS)
Alan Clyne (SCO) v Joe Lee (ENG)
Clinton Leeuw (RSA) v Max Lee (HKG)
Amr Swelim (ITA) v Christopher Gordon (USA) | 
