2005:
Fri 25th Jan
Willstrop To Make Super
Series Finals Debut
Squash Media Release
Pontefract’s James
Willstrop will make his Brit Insurance Super Series Finals debut at the
Broadgate Arena in May after enjoying the best year of his professional
career to date in 2004 - finishing an impressive fifth place in the final
PSA Super Series Tour standings.
The former world junior champion, now a career-high no.5 in the Dunlop PSA
world rankings, will join seven of the world’s current top ten players to
contest one of the sport’s most coveted titles in the city of London from
9th – 13th May.
Coached by his father, Malcolm, Willstrop made a major impact on the PSA
tour in 2004, rounding off the year in some style with his first Super
Series title. Just a week after reaching the quarter-finals of the World
Open in December, the 21-year-old went on to defeat Australia’s Anthony
Ricketts in the final of the Pakistan Open in Islamabad, a result that
saw him take a dramatic leap up the final PSA Super Series Tour standings.
Of the 12 PSA events he played in 2004, Willstrop never once failed to at
least match his seeding. Indeed he fared better than his tournament seeding
on no less than six of those occasions.
Willstrop is one three Yorkshiremen and a record equalling four Englishmen
to have qualified for this year’s Brit Insurance Super Series Finals.
Joining him will be Pontefract’s Lee Beachill – who occupied the
world no.1 spot for the first time from October to December last year,
Sheffield’s 24-year-old Nick Matthew who made an impressive debut at
last year’s Finals, and the three-time Champion and current world no.3,
Peter Nicol. Not since 1996 have as many as four English players
qualified for the event.
Heading the 2005 line-up will be defending champion Thierry Lincou,
the reigning world champion and world no.1, who comfortably qualified in top
place despite playing in only three of the four qualifying tournaments in
‘04. Lincou will be one of a record four former champions to contest the
2005 title. Also looking to add to their previous triumphs will be
Australia’s David Palmer, the 2002 winner, Canada’s world no.4
Jonathon Power, who lifted the trophy in 2003, and Nicol, who will be
bidding for a record 4th title at the event. Egypt’s Amr Shabana,
the 2003 World Champion, completes the eight-strong field.
The $80,000 Brit Insurance Super Series Finals is contested by the top eight
performing players from the PSA Super Series Tour. The qualifying events
for this year’s Finals were: The 2004 PSA Masters, The 2004 Cathay Pacific
Hong Kong Open, The 2004 Qatar World Open and the 2004 Pakistan Open.
Promoted once again by Satinder Bajwa of CSS and London-based Sports
Marketing Consultancy, WSM, the 2005 tournament will be staged for the
seventh consecutive year in a specially constructed all-glass court at the
Broadgate Arena in the heart of London’s financial district. |
Willstrop to make his
first Super Series Finals in 2005!
|