In a sensational all-Egyptian clash which
went to the wire, Ramy Ashour triumphed over outsider
Mohamed El Shorbagy in today's final of the Qatar
PSA World Squash Championship at the Khalifa
International Tennis & Squash Complex in Doha to
become world champion for the second time since 2008.
Ashour, who 24 hours earlier dethroned
England's defending champion Nick Matthew to ensure
his status as world number one next month, had to be at his
best to see off his 21-year-old opponent, the youngest
player in the PSA world top 25.
The final (both players pictured below)
brought to a magnificent climax the premier PSA World
Tour championship which boasts a $325,000 prize-fund,
the second biggest in the sport's history, and was being
hosted by Qatar for the third time since 1998.
Eighth seed El Shorbagy, who upset England's
world number James Willstrop in a 112-minute
semi-final, got off to an excellent start - romping from 4-2
up to win the opening game in a single hand in just 10
minutes. It was the first game the youngster had taken off
Ashour after two 3/0 defeats since 2009.
Ashour, who was clearly not yet in the match,
stayed on court throughout the break before the second game
- trying to refocus himself for the next stage.
The tactic clearly worked as the fifth seed
and 2008 champion recovered from the loss of the first two
points in the game to build up an 8-4 lead. Underdog
Shorbagy, the world number six from Alexandria, clawed back
two more points - but Ashour drew level to forcefully mark
his return to the match.
Shorbagy's response was to demand a new ball
and promptly returned to the court before his opponent to
warm it up for the third game.
It was he who took the early advantage, but
Ashour again resumed control, reeling off seven points in a
row en-route to taking the game and moving 2/1 ahead.
The effect of Shorbagy's near-two-hour-long
semi looked to be taking its toll - but the world final
debutant refused to surrender to his experienced fellow
countryman.
Shorbagy led 4-1 and 7-4 in the fourth - but
from 5-8 down, Ashour pulled the game back to nine-all, just
two points away from the title.
Shorbagy responded in fantastic style,
surviving what PSA SquashTV commentators Joey
Barrington and Paul Johnson called "an outrageous
rally", to get to match-ball - which he duly converted to
take the climax into a fifth game decider.
"The final has truly come alive," added
Barrington.
It was nip and tuck through the fifth -
Ashour leading 4-1 and 7-5 before Shorbagy clawed back to
eight-all. An unforced error by Shorbagy, followed by a
stroke against the underdog, took Ashour to his first
match-ball.
Within seconds Ashour had converted his
advantage - and the beaming 25-year-old from Cairo bent down
to one of the camera positions in the court's front wall to
kiss the TV camera lens!
"I am very, very, very glad I have won this
title," said new world champion Ashour after his 2-11, 11-6,
11-5, 9-11, 11-8 victory in 90 minutes. "But what makes me
most happy is that I have done this after coming back from
injury.
"Mohamed - he was amazing today.
"I'm really proud of the fact that this was
an Egypt final," added Ashour.
TV co-commentator Paul 'PJ' Johnson said:
"Ramy put in his best performance of the tournament. I just
don't know how Mohamed was still standing after what he's
been through over the past few days - he has amazing heart
and talent."
Barrington added: "Nobody would have thought
that Mohamed would take Ramy all the way to the wire."
The final of the Qatar PSA World Squash
Championship will be an all-Egyptian affair for the
third time in the last five years after underdogs Mohamed
El Shorbagy and Ramy Ashour triumphed against
higher-ranked Englishmen in today's semi-finals of the
premier PSA World Tour championship in Doha.
Boasting a $325,000 prize-fund, the second
biggest in the sport's history, the Qatar PSA World
Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time
and being held at the Khalifa International Tennis &
Squash Complex.
El Shorbagy
(right in blue top), aged 21 and the youngest player
in the world top 25, faced top seed James Willstrop
in the opening semi-final. The 29-year-old world number one
from Leeds boasted a 7/1 career head-to-head record over the
young Alexandrian - but had been stretched to five games in
a 90-minute US Open clash only two months ago.
It was one-all after 46 minutes - and it took
a further 34 minutes to resolve the third game, El Shorbagy
taking it 14-12 after his third game-ball.
But the experienced Willstrop, eager to win
the title for the first time, battled back from 2-4 down in
the fourth to draw level.
The favourite led up to 8-7 in the decider,
but it was El Shorbagy who then held his nerve to win the
next four points in a row to clinch the match 11-9, 9-11,
14-12, 4-11, 11-8 after 112 minutes - and earn his maiden
appearance in a world final.
"Before anything I want to hug my mother,"
the eighth seed told event MC Robert Edwards (in
Arabic) before charging off the court and into the arms of
his weeping mother. The crowd shared the emotional moment as
he also went to his brother and his father.
Willstrop went into the match knowing that
even winning the title would not be enough to enable him to
retain the world number one ranking he has held for all but
one month this year.
"I didn't quite get it right," admitted the
Yorkshireman about the match. "He was hitting with purpose
and ferocity.
"I am as strong as anyone in the world but I
felt like there was a slight drop in intensity. I haven't
had a session like that for a while."
Dramatic though the opening match clearly
was, the second semi-final offered not only the chance for
the winner to reach the final, but also to inherit the first
world number one ranking of 2013.
Ashour
(left in white top), the fifth seed and champion in 2008,
lined up against title-holder Nick Matthew, the world
number two from England who was bidding to become the first
player since Pakistan legend Jansher Khan to win the
world title three times in a row.
The Cairo-based Egyptian (pictured below with
Matthew) last topped the world rankings for nine months in
2010, before Matthew succeeded him to reign supreme
throughout 2011.
The match lived up to expectations: Ashour,
13/7 ahead on career meetings and winner of their two most
recent clashes, took the first two games - but the reigning
champion fought back to reduce the deficit.
Ashour reclaimed the advantage in the fourth
to win 11-9, 11-5, 9-11, 11-8 after 72 minutes - and ensure
his return to the top of the world rankings after a two-year
absence.
Egypt's
21-year-old Mohamed El Shorbagy - the youngest player in the world top 25
- upset fourth-seeded compatriot Karim Darwish in today's quarter-finals
of the Qatar PSA World Squash Championship in Doha to reach the
semi-finals of the premier PSA World Tour championship for the first
time.
Boasting a
$325,000 prize-fund, the second biggest in the sport's history, the Qatar PSA
World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time - following
previous stagings in 1998 and 2004 - and being held at the Khalifa
International Tennis & Squash Complex.
"The
head-to-head between these two Egyptians was 7-1 in Darwish's favour coming into
this match," observed tournament MC Robert Edwards. "But Mohamed came of
age this afternoon as he wore down and finally beat his good friend."
After his
sensational 11-9, 12-10, 11-9 upset over the former world number one, El
Shorbagy "fell to the floor and lay there prone as the cheers washed over him,"
added Edwards.
Interviewed by
Edwards after the match, the world No6 from Alexandria said how much respect he
had for 31-year-old Darwish, who had encouraged him as a youngster coming into
the game by spending time on court with him.
Later, El
Shorbagy told his Twitter followers: "I'm out of words right now, I'm in the
semis of the Worlds!!!"
The
eighth-seeded underdog now faces top seed James Willstrop for a place in
the final. The world number one from England, bidding to win the crown for the
first time, ended Spaniard Borja Golan's run - beating the surprise
quarter-finalist from Santiago de Compostela 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 in 65 minutes.
"We clashed
out there," admitted the 29-year-old from Leeds later. "It wasn't pretty and not
the best match to be involved in. People have had recent issues with movement
but I'm not meaning to block. Sometimes squash brings out these issues.
"But you need
to win these ropey matches. People think I am a rhythmical player - but I showed
I can win scrappy too!"
Golan, who had
become the first Spaniard for 20 years to reach the world quarter-finals, added:
"I was playing the world number one. I tried one hundred per cent on each point,
but today he was better than me.
"But this is
the best I have done in my career, and I am pleased about that," concluded the
world No13.
The other
semi-final will also be an Anglo/Egyptian clash - between England's defending
champion Nick Matthew and 2008 champion Ramy Ashour.
Fifth seed
Ashour overcame French rival Gregory Gaultier, the No3 seed, 12-10,
10-12, 11-6, 9-11, 11-3 in an exhilarating 92-minute encounter in which the
Egyptian saved five game-balls in the first game and Gaultier saved five in the
second!
In the final
match of the day Matthew, the world number two from England bidding to become
the first player since Pakistan legend Jansher Khan to win the world
title three times in a row, faced illustrious Egyptian Amr Shabana, a
four-time winner of the trophy.
It was the
pair's 21st PSA Tour match over the past 11 years, with the head-to-head poised
at 11-9 in the Englishman's favour before they went on court.
It took more
than an hour for Matthew to extend the record, winning 11-5, 9-11, 11-5, 11-4 in
64 minutes to reach his fourth semi-final since 2007.
Borja Golan
upset sixth-seeded Englishman Peter Barker in today's third round of the
Qatar PSA World Squash Championship in Doha to become the first
Spaniard to reach the quarter-finals of the premier PSA World Tour
championship for 20 years.
Boasting a
$325,000 prize-fund, the second biggest in the sport's history, the Qatar PSA
World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time - following
previous stagings in 1998 and 2004 - and is being held at the Khalifa
International Tennis & Squash Complex.
Londoner
Barker, who retired injured during last week's Hong Kong Open, was
clearly still suffering the effects of his pulled hamstring. But Golan meant
business from the outset and, despite dropping the second game, was largely in
control of the clash which he went on to win 11-7, 4-11, 11-3, 11-3 in 45
minutes - denying Barker a quarter-final berth in a PSA World Series
event for the first time since December 2010.
"I've played
Peter since we were juniors and I know how tough he is," said a jubilant Golan
(pictured below with Barker) afterwards. "I don't think he was 100 per cent
because he had a problem with his leg, but I tried to be focussed on my game.
"In the second
game I was not patient," added the 29-year-old world No13 from Santiago de
Compostela. "I tried to play from the front, and when you give players like him
a chance they don't let you back into it.
"I learnt from
that and I was more patient, and that helped me take my chance."
Austin
Adarraga
was the last Spaniard to reach the world quarter-finals - a feat the former
world No11 achieved in 1992, before going on to reach the last four where he
went down to the legendary Pakistani Jansher Khan.
"I remember
Austin very well," said Golan. "He was an inspiration to me. I shall have to win
again to equal what he did."
Golan will now
face top seed James Willstrop. The world number one from England beat his
Pontefract club training partner Saurav Ghosal, the Indian number one,
11-6, 11-7, 11-2.
There will be
Egyptian interest in each of the other three quarter-finals. Ramy Ashour,
the 2008 champion who arrived in Doha fresh from winning last week's Hong Kong
Open, was taken to tie-breaks in the first two games against fellow Egyptian
Omar Mosaad before overwhelming the tenth seed in the third game to open up
a 2/1 lead.
At 10-8 and
match ball in the fourth game, fifth seed Ashour took a bad fall in the back
hand back corner of the court. The 25-year-old from Cairo immediately emerged
unscathed, but quickly faced two game-balls against him before finally surviving
11-13, 12-10, 11-2, 14-12 after 76 minutes - a win which stretched Ashour's
unbeaten career record against Mosaad to ten matches.
"He played
superbly," responded Ashour when asked to comment on the battle with his
Heliopolis club-mate. "I had so much pressure. All credit to him.
"I felt
pressure from the tournament and from myself. I still have a lot to learn.
"Tomorrow? I
don't want to think about it!"
Ashour will
now play Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in their fourth world championship
meeting since 2005. The world No3 from Aix-en-Provence, three times a runner-up
in the event, ended Chris Simpson's impressive run, beating the unseeded
Englishman 11-7, 11-6, 11-4.
Guernsey-born
Simpson told his Twitter followers later: "Gave it my all but he was too good,
lots of positives to take, it's been a good tournament to finish the year."
Earlier in the
day, 21-year-old Egyptian Mohamed El Shorbagy beat Australian Cameron
Pilley to not only celebrate his third quarter-final appearance since 2008,
but also clinch his place in next month's ATCO PSA World Series Finals.
"Very happy
with my win - played the best so far in this tournament," tweeted El Shorbagy
after his 11-13, 11-6, 11-2, 11-7 victory. "And just can't wait to be on court
tomorrow!"
Eighth seed El
Shorbagy will meet compatriot Karim Darwish, the No4 seed who defeated
England's Daryl Selby 11-9, 13-11, 10-12, 11-9 in 80 minutes.
Underdog
Selby, the 11th seed from Essex, summed up his disappointment via Twitter:
"Gutted. Gave it everything I had today, came down to a few bits of 'luck' at
crucial points. Just wasn't to be. Watch out 2013 - I'm coming for ya!"
Two
contrasting third round matches concluded the day's play: Defending champion
Nick Matthew, the world number two from England bidding to become the first
player since Jansher Khan to win the world title three times in a row,
defeated Egypt's Tarek Momen 11-8, 11-9, 13-11 in a hard-fought tussle -
whereas Egypt's four-time champion Amr Shabana took just 17 minutes to
earn his quarter-final slot when opponent Alister Walker retired injured
with the score at 11-4, 9-3.
"Matthew
played some exceptionally clinical squash that never allowed Momen to play his
big game," recalled tournament MC Robert Edwards. "I was sat next to
Amir Wagih, the National coach for Egypt, who whispered to me that he had
only counted three unforced errors from Matthew in 65 minutes!"
Matthew
himself described the match on FaceBook: "When we get down to the last 16, it's
bound to be hard matches, and Tarek beat me here last year, so a 3/0 win - even
if it was close to the hour - is better psychologically than a shorter 3/1.
Don't ask me, that's the way it is!
"It's a good
job we played in 11, because I gave him a 5 points start every game! 5/0, 6/0.
Good news is that I got it right after that, but it's something I have to work
on for tomorrow! And it didn't feel like long rallies either, seemed very
short."
Chris
Simpson,
an Englishman who had never before progressed beyond the opening round, today
earned a place in the last 16 of the Qatar PSA World Squash Championship
after upsetting ninth-seeded Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema in a dramatic
five-game second round battle in Doha.
Boasting a
$325,000 prize-fund, the second biggest in the sport's history, the Qatar PSA
World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time -
following previous stagings in 1998 and 2004 - and is being held at the
Khalifa International Tennis & Squash Complex.
The
Guernsey-born 25-year-old made a brilliant start to open a first game lead over
Anjema, the 30-year-old world No11 to whom he lost in straight games only two
months ago. The Dutchman fought back to draw level, and again levelled after
dropping the third game.
In the
decider, world No34 Simpson opened up a 5-0 lead - but again Anjema caught up,
before taking a slender 7-6 lead.
"Simpson
levelled at seven-all and then there was a brilliant rally where Anjema was in
total control and seemed to win the point - when Simpson retrieved a brilliant
drop shot from the back hand back corner to die in the front, and Anjema had no
answer to it," explained tournament director Alaaeldeen Allouba.
Simpson moved
ahead to 9-7 before earning match-ball at 10-9. The match concluded with a
brilliant final rally in which the underdog Englishman gave it everything he had
before his opponent came up with an unforced error in the front right hand
corner where his drop shot hit the tin.
"I was so
nervous in the fourth," admitted Channel Islander Simpson after his sensational
11-4, 8-11, 11-7, 9-11, 11-9 win. "Sometimes you wonder whether you will ever
get there. But I really wanted this one so much.
"The first
game was the best I've ever played.
"The last two
tournaments I have come close to beating top 16 players, so I know I can do it!"
Simpson - one
of only two unseeded players in the last 16 round - now progresses to meet
French star Gregory Gaultier, the No3 seed who last year finished as
runner-up for the third time. It took 50 minutes for world No3 Gaultier to
extinguish South American interest in the event, beating Colombian Miguel
Angel Rodriguez 11-9, 11-7, 11-9.
A quartet of
Egyptians came through the remaining second round clashes today, to join a
further two who survived Sunday's action. 2008 champion Ramy Ashour was
in dazzling style as he dismissed England's Adrian Grant 11-6, 11-2, 11-9
in 30 minutes.
"Ramy started
the first game with an awesome display of movement, shot selection and
execution," commented event MC Robert Edwards. "A bewildered Grant found
himself chasing shadows as Ramy displayed a set of skills that were from another
stratosphere.
"The Egyptian
raced to a two-game lead like a man with a train to catch. A frustrated
Englishman finally stopped his charge as he got himself into the match and led
7-5 in the third. Again Ramy unleashed some silky nicks and devastating lobs and
drives as he mixed up the pace.
"In just 30
minutes it was all over. As quickly as he had entered the arena, he had gone!"
concluded Edwards.
Fifth seed
Ashour will now meet fellow countryman Omar Mosaad, the No10 seed who
defeated Hong Kong's Max Lee 11-9, 11-5, 11-4.
There was
double disappointment for Lees when English qualifier Joe Lee went down
11-5, 11-2, 11-4 to Egyptian maestro Amr Shabana, a four times winner of
the trophy.
"Chris
Robertson (England national coach) said to me beforehand it would be like
playing two opponents on there today: the court and Shabana," explained the
London-born 23-year-old who upset Pakistan's Aamir Atlas Khan in the
opening round.
"It was a
double learning experience playing the best technical player in the world, the
way he moves and strikes the ball," added Lee after his maiden meeting with the
former world number one. "There is no better way to learn than witnessing what I
did."
The match
earned significant praise from spectator Daryl Selby, the No11 seed from
England who was enjoying a rest day after winning his second round match 24
hours earlier. "@amrchabana was absolutely awesome just then," tweeted the world
No10 later. "I thought Joe played well, I would have been happy with 11 points
in the whole match!"
Towards the
end of the day, England's defending champion Nick Matthew recovered from
a game down to beat Australian Zac Alexander 8-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-5.
Bidding to
become the first player since Pakistan legend Jansher Khan to win the
world title three times in a row, world number two Yorkshireman Matthew now
meets Egypt's Tarek Momen. The 13th seed from Cairo despatched Australian
Ryan Cuskelly 11-6, 11-8, 11-6.
2nd
Round (top half of draw)
Ghosal Gains
Indian World Breakthrough
Unseeded
Saurav Ghosal beat Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad in today's second round
of the Qatar PSA World Squash Championship in Doha to become the
first Indian in the 36-year history of the PSA World Tour's premier event
to reach the last sixteen.
Boasting a
$325,000 prize-fund, the second biggest in the sport's history, the Qatar PSA
World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time - following
previous stagings in 1998 and 2004 - and is being held at the Khalifa
International Tennis & Squash Complex.
World No21
Ghosal was facing Gawad - who revealed a heavily-strapped left calf when he came
onto the court - for the first time.
"Saurav raced
to a 2/0 lead," reported event MC Robert Edwards. "Gawad showed great
skill at the front of the court and occasionally halted Ghosal's steady progress
with some typical Egyptian magic with his short game.
"Ghosal is too
experienced, however, to permit a player with difficult court movement any
success and at 5-1 in the third game Gawad fell heavily and it was clear that
whatever the problem is - his match was over! As he was helped to his feet by
his opponent, Karim offered his hand and promptly retired."
The
21-year-old from Cairo explained later that he had felt some pain during his
previous match against English seed Tom Richards, but thought it was
cramp. Following his 3/2 upset, Gawad went to the local clinic - and was told
that there was some fibre damage.
"Despite this,
he wanted to give himself every chance - because this is the World
Championship," added Edwards.
Ghosal was
delighted with his historic success: "I'm very proud to be the first Indian to
reach the world championship last sixteen," said the 26-year-old from Kolkata.
"Of course, I really hope I can go further in the event!
"It is good to
see Indian squash doing well - all of us are working extremely hard! The girls
did fantastically well in Nimes (at the women's world team championships in
November) and all the success can only be good for the sport back home.
"All of us
want to take it to the next level - and hopefully we will soon!"
Ghosal, who is
based in Leeds in the UK, will now play his Pontefract club-mate James
Willstrop for a place in the quarter-finals. "I want to be in the top ten,
so I shall look forward to playing James whom I know very well."
Willstrop, the
event's top seed, took just 26 minutes to despatch Canadian Shawn Delierre
11-2, 11-0, 11-7 on the Khalifa complex's famous permanently-sited all-glass
court.
"I started
much better than in the first round," explained Willstrop, the world number one.
"I suppose I was always trying to work on that. This time everything worked.
It's what you want to do. It sets the tone (for the tournament).
"This can be
such a tough court to play on - and he was reeling after playing in the other
courts (with plaster walls). It's important to keep your body in shape, and yet
you need decent matches. It's about finding balance, but to get two wins like
this and to have two rest days - well I will take that."
Two of
Willstrop's England team-mates also survived today's second round. Daryl
Selby, the 11th seed from Essex, despatched Egyptian qualifier Omar Abdel
Meguid 11-8, 11-9, 11-3 - while London-born Peter Barker, the No6
seed, had to fight back from a game down to overcome rising French star
Mathieu Castagnet 2-11, 11-6, 13-11, 11-4 in a match which lasted exactly
one hour.
"Mathieu is an
improving quality player, so I'm pleased to have won," Barker said later. "I had
an injury last week (hamstring) and I've not been on court much. I've just tried
to keep my body fit and tried to rest.
"Perhaps my
hitting reflected that," added the world number five. "But I am happy with the
way I responded after the first game. It was a hard battle."
Barker will
face Spaniard Borja Golan in Tuesday's third round, while Selby will take
on Egypt's Karim Darwish. Fourth seed Darwish extended his career-long
unbeaten run over Simon Rosner with an 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 win over the
German, while 15th seed Golan saw off top-ranked Scot Alan Clyne 11-7,
11-7, 11-7.
Australia's
world championship campaign is being led by Cameron Pilley. The 16th seed
from New South Wales beat Malaysian Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan 11-3, 11-8, 11-5
and will now line up against Egypt's No8 seed Mohamed El Shorbagy, an
11-3, 11-9, 12-10 winner over Frenchman Gregoire Marche.
Matthew's
World Title Defence Successfully Underway
England's
world number two Nick Matthew defeated Swiss number one Nicolas
Mueller in straight games in today's first round of the Qatar PSA World
Squash Championship to successfully get his campaign to win a third
successive world title underway in the Qatar capital Doha.
Boasting a
$325,000 prize-fund - the second biggest in the sport's history - the Qatar PSA
World Championship is being hosted by Qatar for the third time, following
previous stagings in 1998 and 2004, and is being held at the Khalifa
International Tennis & Squash Complex.
Bidding to
become the first player since the legendary Pakistani Jansher Khan to win
the world title three times in a row, Matthew despatched Mueller 11-8, 11-6,
11-4 in 36 minutes to notch up his 13th consecutive win in the event since
losing in the 2009 quarter-finals in Kuwait.
It took almost
three times as long for the Yorkshireman's next opponent to earn his place in
the second round. In one of the most dramatic matches seen on the Doha courts,
Australian Zac Alexander finally emerged victorious 11-9, 8-11, 5-11,
13-11, 14-12 in 97 minutes over Welsh qualifier Peter Creed.
In his fourth
successive attempt to win a first round match in the championship, English
qualifier Joe Lee progressed to the second round for the first time after
upsetting Pakistan's higher-ranked Aamir Atlas Khan 11-6, 24-22, 11-6 in
66 minutes - the second game being one of the highest-scoring games since the
PAR-to-11 scoring system was introduced on the PSA World Tour in September 2004.
"The second
game was a real crowd pleaser with the advantage swinging back and fore," said
tournament MC Robert Edwards.
Lee agreed
that winning the middle game was essential: "I knew that the second would be
crucial, as it was nearly as long as playing three games instead of two,"
explained the London-born 23-year-old
"And one-all would have make a massive difference."
The world No48
from Surrey now faces No7 seed Amr Shabana, the illustrious Egyptian who
boasts four world championship titles. "Now, Shabana," added Lee. "I'm so happy
- that was one more incentive to get to the next round, just to have a chance to
try and have a shot at him!"
Shabana, the
32-year-old from Cairo who is marking his 13th successive appearance in the
event since making his debut in 1998 - also in Qatar - brushed aside Malaysian
qualifier Ivan Yuen 11-6, 11-4, 11-9.
Dutch master
Laurens Jan Anjema was the first seed through today after overcoming
experienced fellow left-hander Jonathan Kemp of England.
"It was a
pairing that seemed to promise a tough match - and it started as expected, with
the score reaching seven-all," explained Edwards. "From that moment on, a very
relaxed Anjema steamrolled his opponent to run out an 11-7, 11-2, 11-4 winner in
just 22 minutes. Certainly Kemp seemed to be out of sorts and never got his big
game into play."
Anjema himself
told his Twitter followers later: "My 22-minute match was twice as short as my
warm-up today! A lot more intense, however. Happy to get through to the second
round."
Third seed
Gregory Gaultier claimed another lightning-fast passage through to the
second round, dismissing Egypt's Mohammed Abbas 11-5, 11-5, 11-1 in just
26 minutes. Runner-up for the third time last year, the world number three from
France is enjoying a fine run of form currently - and moves on to meet Colombian
Miguel Angel Rodriguez for a place in the last 16.
Rodriguez, the
world No25 from Bogota, defeated Kuwaiti qualifier Abdullah Al Muzayen
11-3, 11-8, 5-11, 11-6.
"I'm so happy,
it's the first time a South American player has reached the second round of the
worlds - so I'm feeling I have to play well for my continent!" said Rodriguez.
1st Round (top half of draw)
Gawad Grabs
First World Scalp In Doha
Egypt's
Karim Abdel Gawad (right) recorded the first seeding upset in the Qatar PSA World
Squash Championship when he despatched England's 14th seed Tom Richards
in today's first round of the premier championship on the PSA World Tour
in the Qatar capital Doha.
World No12
Richards, a top 16 seed for the first time in the prestigious championship,
twice led in the match against the lower-ranked Egyptian. But the 21-year-old
from Cairo kept fighting back - and, after drawing level, maintained the upper
hand in the decider to close out the match 9-11, 11-6, 4-11, 11-5, 11-7 in 68
minutes to claim one of the biggest scalps of his career.
"Tough loss
earlier, I train hard to win those matches," Richards told his Twitter followers
later. "Time to escape squash for a while!"
Gawad, who
celebrated a career-high world No26 ranking last month, will now face Indian
number one Saurav Ghosal, who needed just 30 minutes to see off
17-year-old Qatari wildcard Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi 11-5, 11-4, 11-9.
Omar Abdel Meguid
became the first qualifier to claim a place in the second round when he
outplayed world No29 Julian Illingworth to extinguish US interest in the
event. Ranked almost 40 places lower, the 24-year-old from Egypt overcame a
first game deficit to beat record eight-time US champion Illingworth 8-11,
15-13, 11-7, 11-4 in 75 minutes.
In a fine
opening day for Egyptians, Gawad and Meguid were joined in the second round by
compatriots Mohamed El Shorbagy and Karim Darwish. Fourth seed
Darwish raced to the quickest first round win of the day, defeating Hungarian
qualifier Mark Krajcsak 11-5, 11-3, 11-3 in just 26 minutes.
El Shorbagy,
the No8 seed, survived an all-Egyptian encounter, beating Cairo-based Mohd
Ali Anwar Reda 11-8, 11-9, 10-12, 11-5 in 56 minutes.
James
Willstrop
made a slow start in his bid to claim the title he is seeded to win. The world
number one from England lost the first game to fellow countryman Chris Ryder
- and only midway through the second game did he assume control before going on
to brush aside his lower-ranked opponent 7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-2 after 52
minutes.
Willstrop's
two England team-mates in action on the opening day of first round action also
secured their anticipated places in the last 32 round. Londoner Barker, the
sixth seed, beat New Zealander Martin Knight 11-5, 11-2, 11-3 in 27
minutes.
Later in the
day, 11th seed Daryl Selby chalked up his third successive World
Championship win over Olli Tuominen when he beat the Finn 12-10, 11-4,
11-9 in 55 minutes.
There was a
notable upset in the all-Malaysian clash between former world No7 Ong Beng
Hee and young pretender Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan. Beng Hee, the current
world No22 who first began his world championship campaign in the 1997
qualifiers, took the opening game.
But Adnan, who
had never before beaten his higher-ranked national rival on the PSA Tour, struck
back to record a breakthrough 6-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 victory in 58 minutes.
Doha Delivers
Dramatic
World Championship Year End
This week's
Qatar PSA World Squash Championship will provide one of the most dramatic
climaxes to the end of a PSA World Tour year ever - with four players in
reach of the first world number one ranking of the New Year 2013.
Furthermore,
four different players will be out to consolidate their positions in the top
eight of the Dunlop PSA World Series Standings in order to confirm their
places in January's flagship ATCO PSA World Series Finals in London.
Meanwhile, a
further four will be looking to stage late bids to join the World Series Finals
field by battling through to at least the World Championship semi-finals.
And, finally,
England's Nick Matthew will be looking to defend the sport's premier
title he won for the second time in Rotterdam in 2011 - and become the first
player since Pakistan's legendary Jansher Khan to claim the trophy three
times in a row.
The Qatar PSA
World Championship gets underway at the Khalifa International Tennis & Squash
Complex in the Qatar capital Doha on Friday (7 December). Boasting a
$325,000 prize-fund - the second biggest in the sport's history - the premier
event on the PSA World Tour reaches its climax on Friday 14 December.
Title-holder
Nick Matthew, who topped the world rankings throughout 2011 but saw
English rival James Willstrop succeed him for most of this year,
currently leads a quartet in line for January's top slot. Current incumbent
Willstrop could retain his position - while Egyptian Ramy Ashour and
Frenchman Gregory Gaultier both also have the potential to regain the
world number one ranking they each once held.
All four have
already booked their places in the ATCO PSA World Series Finals at The
Queen's Club in London from2-6 January.
Amr Shabana,
the four-time world champion from Egypt; compatriots Karim Darwish and
Mohamed El Shorbagy; plus Englishman Peter Barker currently occupy
places five to eight in the WS standings - but need to consolidate those
positions in Doha.
The chasing
pack is led by England's Adrian Grant and Germany's Simon Rosner -
neither of whom has yet to compete in the World Series Finals. But England's
Daryl Selby and Australian number one Cameron Pilley are also in
possible contention.
Willstrop is
seeded to win the world title for the first time - and is expected to face
fellow Yorkshireman Matthew, the No2 seed, in the final.
Matthew, who
dropped out of last week's Hong Kong Open at the semi-final stage, has
had his eye on a third world title for some time: "It's been my main focus the
whole year really," said the 32-year-old from Sheffield. "Obviously I have been
chasing hard to be consistent enough to get back the world number one ranking,
but if I had a straight choice between the two, I would choose this every day.
"I am looking
forward to it but aware that the hard work has been done and trying to get in as
much downtime as possible between now and when it starts.
"Winning the
title three times in a row would be career-defining - but I also think it's
important not to get too far ahead of yourself. I have a tough first round match
with Nicky Mueller and that's all I'm looking at for now."
With two world
titles, a historic three British Open trophies and a pair of
Commonwealth Games gold medals, are there any goals still left for the
English squash star?
"One step at a
time!" responded Matthew candidly. "But obviously the World Championship in
Manchester next year is big, and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, as well as
the British Open which is being held in Yorkshire for the next two years."
Matthew begins
his title defence against the Switzerland number one Nicolas Mueller, the
highest-ranked Swiss player of all-time, while Willstrop opens his world
campaign against fellow countryman Chris Ryder.
Players from
21 countries will contest the 64-man main draw in Doha, with a further 11
nations represented in the qualifying competition.
Formerly known
as the 'World Open', the world championship will be hosted by Qatar for the
third time, following stagings in 1998 and 2004.
