WILLSTROP SET TO CAUSE A STIR AT THE 2005
BRIT INSURANCE SUPER SERIES FINALS
James Willstrop, the former junior
British, European and World squash
champion from Pontefract, Yorkshire, will seek to enhance his rapidly
growing reputation amongst the world elite when he makes his debut
appearance at the Brit Insurance Super Series Squash Finals at London's
Broadgate Arena next week.
The past 12 months have seen the 21-year-old enjoy a meteoric rise to
the
upper echelons of the world game, reaching the semi-finals of four PSA
Tour
events, clinching his first PSA Super Series title and shooting to a
career
best no.5 in the world rankings. Considered one of the biggest threats
in
the world game, he has already claimed a string of major scalps during
his
fledgling professional career, including high profile victories over
fellow
Broadgate finalists, Jonathon Power, Amr Shabana and David Palmer.
The 6'4" Yorkshireman has today been drawn in the Harrow Group alongside
fellow Yorkshiremen Lee Beachill and Nick Matthew and Australia's world
no.2, David Palmer - the title winner at Broadgate in 2002. Willstrop
will
launch his title bid against the Bermuda-based Australian on Monday 9th
May.
Reacting to the draw, Willstrop said: "David is a tough opponent but it
doesn't really matter who you draw first as all three group matches are
going to be hard. It's up to me to make sure I'm ready for them. A good
start would be helpful so I've got to make sure I'm at my best."
After the three-day group stage, the two best-placed players from the
Harrow
group will progress to Thursday's semi-finals along with the top two
qualifiers from the Fleet Group, headed this year by France's defending
champion and no. 1 seed, Thierry Lincou.
In a first for the Super Series Finals, Lincou, the reigning world
champion,
has been drawn in the same group as three former world champions -
England's
Peter Nicol, Egypt's Amr Shabana and Canada's Jonathon Power - making
it, on
paper, perhaps the most competitive group in the history of the
tournament.
Lincou will be first on court on the Monday evening, opening his title
defence against the in-form Power, winner of last month's Bermuda
Masters.
Nicol, making an unprecedented 10th appearance at the finals, will face
Shabana later in the evening as he embarks on his bid to clinch a record
fourth Super Series Finals title. The Englishman - winner of 49
professional
titles - currently shares the record of three Finals wins with the great
Jansher Khan.
Despite the breathtaking quality of the 2005 Brit Insurance Super Series
Finals field, Willstrop will be unfazed by the prospect of mixing it
with
the world's best after qualifying as the fifth highest points scorer
from
the 2004 PSA Super Series Tour - a series of elite world events that
included the World Open, the Hong Kong Open, the PSA Masters and the
Pakistan Open. It was at this final qualifying event, in Islamabad last
December, that he cemented his place in the 8-man line-up at Broadgate,
defeating Australia's Anthony Ricketts to clinch his first PSA Super
Series
Tour victory.
He commented: "I believe this is an event that I can win. The world game
is
really open at the moment - the last seven or eight tournaments have
been
won by different players - and that's great for the sport. On our day,
any
one of us is capable of beating the next. We all have what it takes to
win
this tournament.
"I've never been to the event before but I've watched it on TV and the
venue
looks superb. It's a big event with a great deal of prestige. I was
really
keen to qualify and am very happy to have made it," he added.
Willstrop capped a sensational junior career in 2002, claiming his third
consecutive British Junior U19 National Championship to establish
himself as
the country's most successful junior player of all time. His trophy
cabinet
already boasted U12, U14 and U17 national titles as well as British
Junior Open trophies at U14, U17 and U19 level. 2002 also saw him
become th
world's top junior, when he claimed both the European and the World
titles
After representing England with distinction at all junior levels,
Willstrop
has gone on to become one of the youngest players ever to play for the
senior England team. Just last week he helped steer the four-man
national
team to victory over France in the final of the European Team
Championships
in Amsterdam.
Willstrop is coached by his father, Malcolm - also long-term coach and
mentor to club colleague and close friend, Lee Beachill. The two face
each
other in their second group matches on Tuesday evening.
"Lee is almost like a son to my dad. When we play each other dad just
leaves us to it. He sits and watches but doesn't offer any advice," he
said.
Willstrop is widely tipped to become the next big star of world squash.
Asked about where he saw himself in two years time, he replied: "I'm
just
taking it as it comes. I don't want to put too much pressure on myself.
You look at the players like Lee and Thierry, who won the World Open
last
year, and appreciate the years of work they've put in to get where they
are.
I don't want to get carried away - it's not as easy as people seem to
think.
Of course I want to get to the no.1 spot, but I want to enjoy my life as
well - travelling around the world playing the sport I love. I'll just
keep
plugging way, enjoying it and take each tournament as it comes." |