Qualifying finals:
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Shaun le Roux (RSA) 11-4, 11-9, 12-10
Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Max Lee (HKG) 8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 15-13
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt Henrik Mustonen (FIN) 11-5, 11-5, 10-12, 11-5
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 11-5, 11-8, 11-3
Click
on Images for a Larger View
Proud
Matthew Makes World No1
Ranking His Own
England's
Nick
Matthew
regained exclusive rights to next month's World No.1 Squash Ranking
after securing a dramatic five-game victory over Ramy Ashour
in today's final of the Case Swedish Open,
the PSA World Tour International 70
event celebrating its 11th successive year at Linköping Sporthall
in Linköping.
The three-time World Champion from Sheffield uniquely shared the top
world ranking this month with Gregory Gaultier
– but despatched the event's defending champion in straight games in
the semi-finals to move ahead of his French rival.
And in his sixth appearance in the Swedish Open final since 2004,
Matthew today recovered from a game down to upset the top seed from
Egypt 11-13, 11-6, 11-8, 6-11, 11-4 in 91 minutes to claim his first
complete match win over Ashour, the World No.1 throughout 2013,
since May 2012.
"I'm
proud to be Swedish Open Champion," said 33-year-old Matthew later.
"It was one of the toughest matches I ever played – it tested
everything; Physical, Mental, Technical & Tactical."
PSA SquashTV
commentator Joey Barrington
succinctly summed up the performance which guaranteed Matthew's sole
status as World No.1 in March: "The way he played was absolutely
exemplary."
Ashour made his PSA Tour debut in Sweden after an injury layoff
since December. But, while disappointed with the loss, the
26-year-old from Cairo was delighted to survive the tournament
unscathed.
"I was really pleased with my performance," Ashour told the crowd
after the trophy presentations. "I am just glad to get to the final
and give it 100%. I was happy to finish the tournament without
coming out disappointed.
"Nick was very consistent. He's in top form right now."
Ashour summed up his feelings later to his Twitter followers: "Not
happy to lose, but happy to come out of the court in one piece
'injury free', and Nick was the better player today."
Matthew's triumph marks his fourth Swedish Open title – and takes
his career Tour title haul to 29.
Masterful
Matthew Powers To Historic Win
A
masterful performance by England's Nick
Matthew
(right) in the historic first ever match between two joint world
number ones saw the three-time World Champion defeat Frenchman
Gregory Gaultier
in straight games in the semi-finals of the Case Swedish Open,
the PSA World Tour International 70
squash event celebrating its 11th successive year at Linköping Sporthall
in Linköping.
"I played really well today against Greg," said the 33-year-old from
Sheffield who won the title three years in a row from 2009 – but
lost to Gaultier in the 2013 final.
"The first two games could have gone either way and I had the
momentum in the third," said Matthew of his impressive 12-10, 11-8,
11-1 victory in 61 minutes over the 31-year-old from Aix-en-Provence
who had looked supreme in the earlier rounds.
"It's always a big mental and physical battle.
"I think the rally we had at 7-8 in the first game might have been
the hardest I have ever had in my life," continued the Yorkshireman,
now in the 59th Tour final of his career – and his sixth Swedish
Open final in ten years. "My lungs felt like they were going to
explode.
"I looked at him and he looked like he felt the same - and it made
me feel a bit better!"
Matthew
will now face top seed Ramy Ashour
(left) for the title. It was the Egyptian that Matthew replaced at
the top of the PSA World Rankings in January after Ashour had headed
the list throughout 2013 after winning nine Tour titles in a row.
Ashour, returning to PSA Tour action after a hamstring injury
layoff, was facing his illustrious national rival Amr Shabana,
the 34-year-old former World No.1 enjoying a rich vein of form in
2014 after winning the PSA World Series Tournament of
Champions
in New York in January against expectations.
The match went the full distance, with sixth seed Shabana taking the
early honours before Ashour ultimately wrapped his 9-11, 11-2, 11-8,
6-11, 11-7 after 72 minutes.
The exuberant 26-year-old from Cairo told the crowd afterwards:
"The man (Shabana) is 54 years old, he is playing as good as like he
was 11 years old! But it’s amazing everything he does; he is
flexible, fast and explosive, he has good skills and he is smart.
"It's good to be in Sweden and play in front of this amazing crowd,"
added Ashour, who is making his debut in the country.
Ashour later reported to his Facebook friends: "I believe that
myself and the legend Amr Shabana represented our country in the
best manner today."
The win takes Ashour into the 48th Tour final of his career – and
his 12th clash with Matthew in a PSA final since the pair faced each
other in the North American Open
climax exactly five years ago.
The final will mark the pair's 24th Tour meeting – with Ashour
currently leading the head-to-head tally 15-8.
Gaultier
Marks Half Century Success In Sweden
Frenchman
Gregory Gaultier
celebrated his 50th successive quarter-final appearance on the
PSA World Tour
in perfect style in Sweden – despatching English rival
Peter Barker
in just 30 minutes to secure a semi-final slot in the
Case Swedish Open,
the
PSA International 70
squash event celebrating its 11th successive year at
Linköping Sporthall
in
Linköping.
The 31-year-old defending champion from Aix-en-Provence – who last failed to
make an event's quarter-finals when he was beaten in the first round
of the PSA Masters
in India in December 2009
– was in devastating form as he crushed Londoner Barker, the World
No.7, 11-5, 11-3, 11-4.
By the third game, it was clear that fifth seed Barker – who was
laid low by a calf injury for the last two months of 2013 and was
taken to five games in his first round match - was struggling with
his movement.
"I am satisfied with my performance in the game," commented joint
World No.1 Gaultier after the match.
"I think his body was hurting – but that's the way it goes. Perhaps
it was a bit of luck for me – but I was ready to compete.
"With
eight players here in the top 11, this must be the strongest Swedish
Open field there has ever been."
A dream semi-final is now in store when
Gaultier takes on his fellow World No.1
Nick Matthew
(right), the 33-year-old Englishman, in a repeat of last year's
final. In an error-free display, No.3 seed Matthew beat England
team-mate
Daryl Selby,
the seventh seed, 11-3, 11-3, 11-6 in 44 minutes.
"I was pleased with that – but I'll need to sharpen up for my next
game with Greg," said the three-time World Champion from Sheffield.
"I saw that Greg didn't spend much time on court in his earlier
match. I admire the way he plays – he seems to only take about 40
minutes with all his matches. He's so clinical!"
There was an upset in a later quarter-final when sixth seed
Amr Shabana
beat fourth-seeded Spaniard
Borja Golan
11-8, 11-8, 12-10 in 48 minutes.
But
Shabana (left), the 34-year-old World No.9 from Egypt, is enjoying a
sensational run of form this year after winning the
PSA World Series Tournament of
Champions
in New York in January against the odds.
"I'm still trying to find the right feeling after having been
injured for a long period," said the 'Cairo Maestro' later.
Shabana will now face fellow countryman
Ramy Ashour
(below),
the top seed from Cairo who recovered from losing the first game to
beat
eighth-seeded compatriot
Omar Mosaad
7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-5.
Ashour (right), the World No.1 throughout 2013, is making his first
Tour appearance of the year after a hamstring injury layoff.
Click
on Images for a Larger View
Returning
Ramy Excels In Swedish Debut
Back
in
PSA World Tour
action for the first time in 2014, top-seeded Egyptian
Ramy Ashour (left)
thrilled the crowd at
Linköping Sporthall
when he defeated German No.1
Simon Rosner
in the opening round of the
Case Swedish Open,
the
PSA International 70
squash event celebrating its 11th successive year in
Linköping.
The day's final match was the one most eagerly-anticipated - with
Ashour, who topped the rankings throughout 2013, making his first
appearance since sidelined by a hamstring injury aggravated in the
Hong Kong Open
in December.
And the 26-year-old from Cairo did not disappoint. Ashour took the
opening game – but Rosner, clearly inspired by the occasion, drew
level after game two. There was little to choose between the two
PSA stars as Ashour, now ranked four in the world, edged ahead to
take the third before ultimately surviving a lengthy fourth game to
win 11-5, 6-11, 11-9, 14-12 after 57 minutes.
"It's great to be competing again," said the Egyptian later. "I've
been struggling for a while and I'm glad I'm back.
"It was a really fun match against Simon – 'the Beast' – who I know
very well.
"It's fun to be in Sweden for the first time," added the British
Open champion. "I have only heard good things about the Case
Swedish Open - and Freddie (Johnson) does a fantastic job with the
tournament."
Rosner was not unhappy with his performance: "Unfortunately lost
out 1:3 to an incredible player @RamyAshour tonight!" the World
No.11 from Paderborn told his Twitter followers later. "Thought it
was a great match from both of us! Even tho I lost.
"I enjoyed every minute of it. Great to see Ramy back after his
injury. Good luck for the tournament."
England's
Nick Matthew
(right) and Frenchman
Gregory Gaultier
– the two players who have replaced Ashour as the sport's first ever
joint world number ones – were also in action in Linköping.
Matthew, the No.3 seed from Sheffield, survived an all-English clash
with
Tom Richards,
beating the World No.26 11-7, 11-3, 12-10 in 46 minutes.
Three-time champion Matthew now faces another England team-mate
Daryl Selby.
The No.7 seed from Essex twice had to come from behind to overcome
French qualifier
Gregoire Marche
10-12, 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-1 in 75 minutes.
"Happy to sneak through tonight against @GregMarche who played a
great match," tweeted the World No.10 later. "He will get his big
breakthrough soon. Quarters tomorrow v Nick"
Marche responded: "Just lost 3/2 against @DarylSelby! One of my
best matches but he is such a great player! I hope I will be like
him one day!"
Defending champion Gaultier was at his awesome best as he despatched
English qualifier
Adrian Waller
11-6, 11-7, 11-4. Bidding for a third title in a row, the
31-year-old from Aix-en-Provence now meets England's
Peter Barker
for a place in the semi-finals.
The fifth seed from London finally came out on top in a five-game
battle with
Cameron Pilley,
beating the Australian No.1 11-7, 3-11, 11-7, 8-11, 11-5 in 71
minutes.
Amr Shabana,
the former World No.1 from Egypt who won the first major title of
the year at the
PSA World Series Tournament of
Champions
in New York last month, made it through to the quarter-finals after
seeing off English qualifier
Chris Simpson
9-11, 11-4, 11-3, 11-3.
The 34-year-old sixth seed from Cairo will now face top-ranked
Spaniard
Borja Golan
after the No.4 seed defeated French qualifier
Mathieu Castagnet
11-8, 11-6, 11-3.
Local favourite Rasmus Hult
fails to keep up with
Omar Mosaad
Click on Images
for a Larger View
French & English Qualifiers Boost Swedish Open Draw
A pair of qualifiers from both France and England will boost the
draw of the
Case Swedish Open
after successes by
Mathieu Castagnet,
Gregoire Marche,
Adrian Waller
and
Chris Simpson
in the qualifying finals of the 11th staging of the
PSA World Tour International 70
squash event at
Linköping Sporthall
in
Linköping,
Sweden.
Castagnet celebrated his career-high World No.21 ranking this month
with an 11-4, 11-9, 12-10 victory over South African
Shaun le Roux
to earn his first appearance in the championship main draw since
2011.
The 27-year-old from Aix-en-Provence will line up against fourth
seed
Borja Golan,
the World No.6 from Spain who is making his Swedish Open debut.
Fellow Frenchman
Gregoire Marche
will also make his Linköping debut. The 23-year-old World No.31
needed four games to overcome Hong Kong's
Max Lee,
ranked just a single position lower, 8-11, 11-9, 11-5, 15-13.
Simpson became a Swedish Open qualifier for the fourth year in a row
after defeating the top-ranked Scot
Alan Clyne
11-5, 11-8, 11-3.
But bidding to progress beyond the first round for the first time
will be a tough task for the Guernsey-born World No.22 who faces
in-form Egyptian
Amr Shabana,
the World No.9 who won the
PSA World Series Tournament of
Champions
title in New York last month.
An 11-5, 11-5, 10-12, 11-5 victory over Finnish hope
Henrik Mustonen
gave Englishman
Adrian Waller
a first round clash with defending champion
Gregory Gaultier,
the second-seeded Frenchman who became the sport's first ever joint
World No.1 this month alongside England's
Nick Matthew.
Gaultier is aiming for his third successive Swedish Open title -
while No.3 seed Matthew, champion three times in a row from 2009,
has his sights on a sixth appearance in the final since 2004.
The two world number ones are scheduled to face-off in the
semi-finals.
But the eyes of the squash world will be on No.1 seed
Ramy Ashour,
the 26-year-old from Egypt who topped the world rankings throughout
2013.
Ashour, who will play his first ever match on Swedish soil this
week, is making his first PSA Tour appearance this year after
recovering from a hamstring injury aggravated during December's
Hong Kong Open.
Ashour lines up against top-ranked German
Simon Rosner,
the World No.11, in the first round.
