Daryl Selby 9-11, 6-11, 11-3,
11-9, 11-9 (98m)
Nicolas Mueller
Nicolas Mueller (Sui)
9/9 rtd
[2] Tom Richards (Eng)
RESULTS: PSA International 35 Grasshopper Cup, Zurich,
Switzerland
Walker
Wins Grasshopper Cup
Surviving his second successive match lasting more than 100 minutes,
Alister Walker dethroned defending champion Daryl Selby to
win the Grasshopper Cup in a five-game final of the PSA World
Tour International 35 squash event at the Grasshopper Club in
Zurich, Switzerland.
Twice
Walker, the world No13 from Botswana, led the match - and twice English
title-holder Selby, ranked just a single place lower, battled back to
draw level in front of a packed crowd at the club.
Digging deep, and rediscovering the form which saw him oust top seed
Borja Golan in a two-hour long semi-final, Walker raised his game
again - taking the first five points of the decider before Selby made
his mark.
Eager
to extend his unbeaten record on the Zurich court, Selby was hoping to
maintain his momentum in the fifth.
But it
was New York-based Walker who took the early advantage in the decider -
taking the first five points without reply.
"Ali
did play really well in the fifth - he went for shots and it paid off,"
said an event spokesman.
After
102 minutes of intense squash, it was Walker (pictured, right, with
Selby) who emerged as the Grasshopper Cup champion, winning 11-4, 5-11,
12-10, 9-11, 11-2 to claim the eighth PSA Tour title of his career.
"Congrats @alisterWALKER," tweeted Selby later. "Played a great match
today and deserves this title. Gave everything I had but came up just
short."
Walker
responded to his Twitter followers: "Great tournament, comeback from 8-0
in the quarter and dominant display in the semi. Things went my way
today!"
Selby
& Walker In Surprise Grasshopper Final
Fourth
seed Alister Walker and unseeded Daryl Selby, the
defending champion, will meet in a surprise final of the Grasshopper
Cup in Switzerland after a marathon victories over higher-seeded
opponents in the PSA World Tour International 35 squash event at
the Grasshopper Club in Zurich.
Englishman Selby faced third seed Laurens Jan Anjema. The
Dutchman played a solid opening game and took the lead. After Selby, the
30-year-old world No14, drew level by taking the second, it was again
left-hander Anjema who took the early advantage in game three to forge
5-2 ahead.
"There
were some really hard rallies in the middle of the game which Daryl came
out on top of and took nine points in a row against a tiring LJ,"
explained event spokesman Mark Meyer. "Daryl was on top the whole
way through the fourth and closed out the match 11-2."
The
6-11, 11-5, 11-5, 11-2 win in 68 minutes takes Selby into his first Tour
final since contesting the 2012 Grasshopper Cup climax - but the 18th of
his career.
"Very
happy with my performance tonight against an always strong @ljanjema,"
tweeted Selby later. "Hoping I can play like that again tomorrow!!"
Walker
survived an epic encounter against top seed Borja Golan, the
world No9 from Spain who won their most recent Tour encounter in
straight games.
Walker, the world No13 from Botswana, took the first two games before
Golan reduced the deficit by taking the third.
"The
fourth game was pure drama, both players getting gradually more tired
and the let count increasing," said Meyer. "The crowd were treated to an
unbelievable game of squash that really could have gone either way.
"The
last part of the match was a great advert for squash in two players
fighting for everything and Ali was overjoyed to sneak the fourth 14-12
and the match in 124 minutes."
Selby
himself summed up the battle via Twitter: "Unbelievable match between @alisterWALKER
and Borja. Big respect to both for the total commitment and fight to win
a gruelling match."
The
11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 14-12 victory takes Walker into the 13th PSA Tour
final of his career - but his first of the year.
The
final will be Selby and Walker's fifth Tour clash since 2005 - with the
current head-to-head record finely poised on two wins apiece!
Selby
Secures Semi Slot In Zurich
England's defending champion Daryl Selby became the only unseeded
player to make the semi-finals of the Grasshopper Cup in
Switzerland after a double fight-back over local hero Nicolas Mueller
in the PSA World Tour International 35 squash event at the
Grasshopper Club in Zurich.
World
No21 Mueller, the highest-ranked Swiss player of all-time and winner of
a seventh successive Swiss national title at the weekend, is yet to beat
the Englishman ranked seven places higher.
"Both
athletes did their utmost and Nici was really asking for his first win
against Daryl," said event spokesman Mark Meyer. "He won the
first two games 11-9 and 11-6, when Daryl gave a first sign of life by
winning the third 11-3.
"And
then the game went crazy. Daryl turned a 1-6 defeat to a 9-6 lead,
finishing the game 11-9 in his favour. Nici took it easy and started
with 8-0 run into the fifth. And Daryl came back again, taking eight
points in a row and finishing the match with another 11-9 game.
"The
match had everything you can ask for in the sport of Squash," added
Meyer of the 98-minute battle which was a repeat of the 2012 final.
Selby
later admitted to his Twitter followers: "Not sure how I managed to win
that match. Shows what can happen if you dig deep and hang in there."
The
30-year-old from Chelmsford now faces Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema
after the third seed ended the brave run of Frenchman Gregoire Marche
11-5, 11-8, 11-9. The 23-year-old from Aix-en-Provence had reached the
quarter-finals after a shock upset over England's world No20 Adrian
Grant.
Top
seed Borja Golan will contest the other semi-final as predicted.
But the world No9 was pushed all the way by Andrew Wagih Shoukry
before beating the 'lucky loser' from Egypt 11-6, 11-2, 12-14, 11-3.
Golan
will line up against Alister Walker, the No4 seed from Botswana
who quashed English qualifier Eddie Charlton 11-9, 11-4, 11-7.
Home
Hero Mueller Makes Grasshopper Cup Quarters
Swiss
number one Nicolas Mueller delighted the packed crowd at the
Grasshopper Club in his home city of Zurich when he claimed
an unexpected place in the quarter-finals of the Grasshopper Cup
after overcoming second-seeded Englishman Tom Richards in the
first round of the PSA World Tour International 35 squash event.
"Everybody at the Grasshopper Club knew this match was going to be a
very close encounter between the number two seed and the local hero and
so the game started," said event spokesman Mark Meyer.
"High-paced and with great touch the players traded points up to
nine-all.
"Then
Richards slipped on a drop of sweat on the court floor, while rushing to
pick up a ball in the back left corner. It was clear for all spectators
that Richards - who was gasping in pain - would not be able to continue
playing. After a 3-minute injury break the young Englishman had to
resign and let Nici Müller through to the quarter final. We wish him
fast recovery."
Mueller, the world No21 and winner of a sixth Swiss national title at
the weekend, will now face another English opponent - title-holder
Daryl Selby, ranked seven places higher in the world.
Selby
set up a repeat of last year's final when he beat Malaysian qualifier
Muhd Asyraf Azan 11-0, 11-4, 11-9 in 48 minutes.
But
the biggest upset of the day came when Andrew Wagih Shoukry
earned a place in the last eight after beating German wildcard Andre
Haschker. Shoukry lost out in the qualifying finals - but became the
event's second 'lucky loser' when German number one Simon Rosner
was forced to withdraw as a result of illness.
The
22-year-old Egyptian took full advantage of his lucky break, defeating
Haschker 11-6, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6 to set up a quarter-final clash with top
seed Borja Golan. The Spaniard was tested for almost an hour
before seeing off Australian Ryan Cuskelly 11-5, 11-9, 5-11,
11-4.
Another intriguing first round battle took place between Eddie
Charlton and Kristian Frost Olesen. The pair had already
fought out a 105-minute qualifying final, with Englishman Charlton
surviving 12-10 in the fifth to become a qualifier.
But
Dane Frost Olesen was handed the first 'lucky loser' slot when Frenchman
Mathieu Castagnet pulled out. And Charlton justified the earlier
win when he beat Olesen for the second time in 24 hours, 11-4, 11-7,
8-11, 11-5 in 76 minutes.
