16/09/2005
ST LOUIS OPEN
Shabana Is St Louis Champion
TOURNAMENT:
MPM St Louis Open Squash Championship, St Louis, Missouri, USA
Prize money: $50K Grade: Five star
RESULTS
1st round:
[1] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt John White (SCO) 11-6, 11-9, 11-10 (2-0) (44m)
[8] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [Q] Matthew Giuffre (CAN) 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 (27m)
[3] David Palmer (AUS) bt [Q] Stewart Boswell (AUS) 11-10 (2-0), 11-6, 11-3 (43m)
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Graham Ryding (CAN) 11-1, 11-9, 11-9 (25m)
[5] Peter Nicol (ENG) bt [Q] Raj Nanda (AUS) 11-1, 11-9, 11-9 (32m)
[4] Jonathon Power (CAN) bt Joseph Kneipp (AUS) 11-4, 11-4, 11-4 (31m)
[6] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt Michael Puertas (USA) 11-5, 11-1, 11-4 (20m)
[Q] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt [2] Lee Beachill (ENG) 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (41m)
Quarter-finals:
[8] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [1] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7 (85m)
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [3] David Palmer (AUS) 10-11 (0-2), 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 (50m)
[4] Jonathon Power (CAN) bt [5] Peter Nicol (ENG) 11-2, 11-8, 11-7 (45m)
[6] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt [Q] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) 11-10 (4-2), 9-11, 11-9, 11-5 (66m)
Semi-finals:
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [8] James Willstrop (ENG) 11-7, 11-7, 7-11, 11-7 (56m)
[6] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt [4] Jonathon Power (CAN) 8-11, 7-11, 11-9, 7-1 ret. (73m)
Final:
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [6] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) 11-10 (2-0), 11-8, 11-7 (47m)
QUALIFYING
1st qualifying round:
Simon Parke (ENG) bt Nicholas Kyme (BER) 11-3, 6-11, 11-8, 11-6 (43m)
Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Dylan Patterson (USA) 11-3, 11-9, 11-3 (22m)
Scott Handley (ENG) bt Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-9, 11-8, 11-10 (2-0) (36m)
Matthew Giuffre (CAN) bt Beau River (USA) 11-4, 11-7, 11-9 (23m)
Eric Galvez (MEX) bt Julian Illingworth (USA) 11-3, 11-1, 8-11, 11-7 (31m)
Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Dylan Bennett (NED) 11-8, 11-10 (4-2), 11-8 (37m)
Raj Nanda (AUS) bt Ian Power (CAN) 11-7, 11-6, 11-9 (29m)
Gregory la Mude (RSA) bt Dan Jenson (AUS) 3-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 (35m)
Qualifying finals:
Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Simon Parke (ENG) 11-6, 11-4, 11-6 (50m)
Matthew Giuffre (CAN) bt Scott Handley (ENG) 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 11-9 (45m)
Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Eric Galvez (MEX) 11-10 (3-1), 11-4, 8-11, 3-11, 11-8 (79m)
Raj Nanda (AUS) bt Gregory la Mude (RSA) 11-9, 10-11 (1-3), 11-6, 8-11, 11-7 (66m)
REPORTS
FINAL: Shabana Is St Louis Champion
For the second time this month, Egypt's Amr Shabana demonstrated that he is the in-form squash player of the moment when he won the MPM St Louis Open at the Garden Court in the St Louis Galleria in Missouri, USA.
Facing sixth seed Anthony Ricketts for the third time this year, the 26-year-old seventh seed from Cairo swept to an 11-10 11-8 11-7 victory over the Australian in 47 minutes to claim the five-star PSA Tour title for the first time.
Shabana, ranked seven in the world, has had a mixed run on the PSA Tour since taking the squash world by storm in December 2003 when, as ninth seed, he won the World Open crown in Pakistan – becoming the first Egyptian to hold the prestigious title.
But the newly-married Shabana has struck a rich new vein of form – and earlier in the month won the Heliopolis Open in his hometown of Cairo, beating compatriot Karim Darwish in the final.
"Najla changed my life you know, she gave me stability," said the left-hander of his new wife. "I've known her for four years, but it’s only after our wedding that we started living together - and coming home to a house where somebody is there, waiting for you, happy to see you, and taking care of you made a huge difference."
Ricketts, the 26-year-old world No6 from Sydney, was pleased with his performance in his second PSA final of the year.
"But Amr was just too good, in particular his length was excellent, he didn’t give me the opportunity to get to the front, I couldn't play my game," explained the runner-up.
SEMI-FINALS: Power Cut In St Louis
Unable to convert a two games lead into a straight games win, Jonathon Power was forced to concede to Australian opponent Anthony Ricketts after 73 minutes in the semi-finals of the MPM St Louis Open Squash Championship at the Garden Court in the St Louis Galleria in Missouri, USA.
The fourth-seeded Canadian – the highest-seeded player left in the five-star PSA Tour event – had been nursing a hamstring injury before arriving in St Louis. But the 31-year-old from Montreal was in sparkling form in his earlier quarter-final against fifth seed Peter Nicol, beating his great rival in straight games.
Power's signs of discomfort, however, came midway through the third game – but, at 6-9 down, the Canadian staged a mighty recovery to level the game, leaving himself just two points away from victory.
But Ricketts, 26, from Sydney, was able to clinch the third and sped to a 7-1 lead in the fourth before a dejected Power threw in the towel with the score at 8-11 7-11 11-9 7-1.
"I was feeling good, but as soon he put the ball in the left front corner, I couldn’t stretch, so I had to play crosscourts all the time," said Power. "And after running for an hour and only putting weight on my right leg, you just get awfully tired."
Now celebrating his tenth appearance in a PSA Tour final, Ricketts will face Egypt's former world champion Amr Shabana, the seventh seed who ended the courageous run of England's James Willstrop.
Less than 24 hours after pulling off the best upset of his career – beating top seed Thierry Lincou, the world No1 from France in an 85-minute marathon – Willstrop, the eighth seed was unable to produce the same magic against the gifted left-hander from Cairo.
Shabana, fresh from victory in the Heliopolis Open in his hometown earlier in the month, reached his fourth PSA final of the year with an 11-7 11-7 7-11 11-7 victory over the Englishman in 56 minutes.
"James is an Englishman who hides his shot like an Egyptian, you never know where the ball is going," said Shabana, sporting a new blond hairstyle, afterwards. "He is a big boy, but he is so fair, he doesn’t use his body to put physical pressure on you. As far as I’m concerned, he is the most talented English player, he plays squash the way it should be played," added the 26-year-old.
QUARTERS: Willstrop Stuns Lincou In St Louis Shock
James Willstrop produced the best PSA Tour result of his career when he toppled top seed Thierry Lincou in a dramatic five-game upset in the quarter-finals of the MPM St Louis Open Squash Championship at the Garden Court in the St Louis Galleria in Missouri, USA.
It was the 22-year-old Englishman's first Tour victory over a world number one – and established the latest high in the young Yorkshireman's glittering early years on the international squash circuit.
Favourite Lincou took the opening game, but the eighth-seeded underdog fought back to move 2/1 ahead in the final quarter-final encounter of the day. With the packed St Louis crowd on the edges of their seats, the French world champion struck back to draw level – but Willstrop dug deep and after 85 minutes beat the year-long world number one 9-11 11-9 11-8 7-11 11-7.
A surprise semi-final opponent awaits the tall, 6' 4", world No8 after seventh seed Amr Shabana battled to a 10-11 11-7 11-5 11-8 victory in 50 minutes over Australia's third seed David Palmer. It was a clash between two former world champions, with the left-handed Egyptian gaining long-awaited revenge for his defeat by Palmer in last year's British Open final.
Willstrop will fly a lone flag for England in the five-star event's semi-finals after compatriot Peter Nicol crashed out in straight games to long-time rival Jonathon Power. Former world No1 Nicol went into the match with revitalised enthusiasm for the game after victories in the last two events he has played.
But the mercurial Canadian, seeded four, was simply too hot for the fifth seed and won 11-2 11-8 11-7 in 45 minutes to close the career head-to-head tally between the pair to 22-21 to the Englishman.
Power will now face Australia's Anthony Ricketts, the sixth seed who was fully tested by Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema before finally overcoming the giant-killing qualifier 11-10 9-11 11-9 11-5 in 66 minutes.
1st ROUND: Laurens Lashes Lee In St Louis
Dutch qualifier Laurens Jan Anjema pulled off a major upset in the first round of the MPM St Louis Open Squash Championship when he knocked out second seed Lee Beachill on the opening day of action in the five-star PSA Tour event at the Garden Court in the St Louis Galleria in Missouri, USA.
Anjema, ranked 33 in the world, needed 41 minutes to claim one of the biggest scalps of his life – beating the world No2 from England 11-9 11-6 11-7 to take an unexpected place in the quarter-finals.
His opponent Anthony Ricketts reached the last eight in the shortest of the first round battles – overcoming USA wildcard Michael Puertas 11-5 11-1 11-4 in just 20 minutes.
The eagerly-anticipated all-Australian clash between third seed David Palmer and qualifier Stewart Boswell ended without an upset, but former world No4 Boswell stretched his former national team-mate all the way in the first game before going down 11-10 11-6 11-3 to the reigning world No3 in 43 minutes.
The quarter-final certain to attract the biggest crowd in St Louis will be the latest clash in a well-documented series of matches since October 1995 between former world number ones Peter Nicol and Jonathon Power.
Nicol, the fifth-seeded Englishman who is enjoying a newfound enthusiasm for the game with two tournament titles to his credit over the past two months, despatched Australian qualifier Raj Nanda 11-1 11-9 11-9 in 32 minutes. Power, the fourth seed from Canada with three PSA titles to his name this year, defeated Australian Joseph Kneipp 11-4 11-4 11-4 in one minutes less to set up his third meeting with Nicol this year.
QUALIFYING FINALS: Boswell Qualifies To Face Compatriot Palmer
Australia's former world No4 Stewart Boswell despatched fellow former world top five player Simon Parke in the qualifying finals of the MPM St Louis Open Squash Championship to set up a first round meeting with ex-Australian team-mate David Palmer at the Missouri Athletic Club in St Louis, USA.
Boswell, fighting back to the top after a two-year layoff with a back injury, took 50 minutes to overcome Parke, the world No26 from England, 11-6 11-4 11-6. The 27-year-old from Canberra's meeting with Palmer, the third seed, will be the pair's first since the 2002 US Open when Palmer won in straight games.
Another Australian Raj Nanda also survived the qualifying event: The 26-year-old from Brisbane ended the run of local coach Gregory la Mude, a former South African national champion, 11-9 10-11 11-6 8-11 11-7 in 66 minutes. Nanda goes on to face England's fifth seed Peter Nicol, who is unbeaten over the last two tournaments.
France's world No1 Thierry Lincou is top seed in the five-star PSA Tour event. The world champion faces Scotland's former world No1 John White in the first round – and is expected to meet England's world No2 Lee Beachill in the final on Tuesday.
QUALIFYIING: Jenson Suffers St Louis Blues
Australia's world No21 Dan Jenson suffered a shock defeat in the MPM St Louis Open Squash Championship when he was beaten in four games by unranked South African Gregory la Mude in the first qualifying round in St Louis, in the US state of Missouri.
La Mude, who represented his country in the 2003 Men's World Team Championships, is now a coach at the Missouri Athletic Club – and last played on the PSA Tour exactly a year ago, in his first appearance in the St Louis Open at his club base.
The South African recovered from a game down to beat Jenson, a former world No5, 3-11 11-5 11-9 11-5 in 35 minutes to set up a meeting with Australia's Raj Nanda for a place in the five-star PSA event's main draw.
The hottest battle for a place in the first round is likely to be the qualifying final between former world top five stars Simon Parke and Stewart Boswell. Parke, a former world No3 from Yorkshire in England, took four games to overcome Bermuda's Nicholas Kyme 11-3 6-11 11-8 11-6, while Canberra-born Australian Boswell brushed aside local player Dylan Patterson 11-3 11-9 11-3 in 22 minutes.
Both players are fighting back to former form – and will be eager to make their mark on the $61,000 event on the growing US PSA Tour.
Dutchman Dylan Bennett will have hoped for a better way to celebrate his 21st birthday tomorrow (Saturday). The former European Junior Champion from Eindhoven faced compatriot Laurens Jan Anjema in the first qualifying round – and went down 11-8 11-10 11-8.
DRAW:
Updated 1st round draw:
[1] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v John White (SCO)
[8] James Willstrop (ENG) v [Q] Matthew Giuffre (CAN)
[3] David Palmer (AUS) v [Q] Stewart Boswell (AUS)
[7] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Graham Ryding (CAN)
[5] Peter Nicol (ENG) v [Q] Raj Nanda (AUS)
[4] Jonathon Power (CAN) v Joseph Kneipp (AUS)
[6] Anthony Ricketts (AUS) v Michael Puertas (USA)
[2] Lee Beachill (ENG) v [Q] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED)
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