Egyptian Ramy Ashour, the 27-year-old appearing in his first
competitive tournament since May's Allam British Open, defied all
critics to claim his third World Championship crown, beating
compatriot Mohamed Elshorbagy in a thrilling final win Doha.
Ashour, who has been plagued with injuries since retiring during his
2013 World Championship semi-final, completed a miraculous return to
action to come through 3-2, 13-11, 7-11, 5-11, 11-5, 14-12 in a
dramatic 90-minute encounter that saw both players squander match
points before Ashour eventually prevailed in a repeat of his 2012
victory over Elshorbagy, at the same venue.
"I'm speechless," said Ashour afterwards. "It's an unbelievable
feeling and I just can't believe it.
"I have worked so hard both mentally and physically to get myself
ready for this tournament and I have pushed myself so hard - It
doesn't get any better than this."
In the early stages of the match both players displayed nerves,
making uncharacteristic errors, but it wasn’t long before the
capacity crowd at the Khalifa Squash centre, which has packed over
1,200 fans in for the all-Egyptian encounter, were treated to some
of the most enthralling action ever witnessed in a World
Championship final as both players produced squash of the highest
standard.
“It was dramatic and it was brutal – it was like a fight. We were
both trying to get inside the other’s game but nobody succeeded – we
were both producing our best squash,” added Ashour.
“In that last game we both had match balls and it was back and forth
between us, we both wanted so badly to be World Champion and winning
my third World title means so much to me – this is a very special
moment.
"Mohamed is an amazing player and he will win a lot more tournaments
but I was very proud of the way both of us represented Egypt in such
a great manner today and it makes me proud of my country."
Elshorbagy Downs Matthew To Set Up
All-Egyptian World Final
#PSAWorldTour
World No.1 Mohamed Elshorbagy proved he can walk-the-walk by
defeating 2013 title holder Nick Matthew 3-0 in their 2014 Qatar PSA
World Championship semi-final show-down in Doha to back up his
off-court claims.
The duo were embroiled in a war-of-words coming into the tournament,
with Elshorbagy stating Matthew 'wouldn't be able to handle the
pace' and the 23-year-old from Alexandria lived up to his
prediction, out-muscling Matthew in an intense 60-minute battle.
Brutal rallies dominated proceedings throughout, with both players
testing each other to the max, with the Bristol-based Egyptian
prevailing to set up a final encounter with compatriot Ramy Ashour
tomorrow, but he was quick to praise elder statesman Matthew
following their match.
"It feels great to get that win because I came here today and I
really wanted it and I gave it everything I had," said Bristol-based
Elshorbagy.
"We were both really fired up for the match. There was a lot of talk
and mind games before the match but there's a big respect there
between us as well - Nick is an inspirational player and I have
learnt a lot from him during my career so far.
"But on court it's a war and we both want to win. But once it's
done, it's finished. Tomorrow I'm sure we'll joke with each other
and forget about all the talk beforehand.
"I expect another exciting match in the final against Ramy tomorrow
and I'm really looking forward to it."
Ashour, returning to competitive action in this event for the first
time since May's Allam British Open, was in majestic form as he
withstood everything number one seed Gregory Gaultier threw at him
to come through 3-0 in 56-minutes.
Ashour's last World Championship triumph came in Doha in 2012 when
he beat Elshorbagy in the final and he'll be hoping for a repeat
performance tomorrow.
"It feels great to be in the final and I'm going to give it 100 per
cent and fight for every shot and every point," said Ashour.
"I'm pushing away the demons in my head and what counts is that I'm
in there and I'm determined not to waste all the work I have put
in."
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Mohamed Elshorbagy proved he can
walk-the-walk by defeating 2013 title holder Nick Matthew
Ramy Ashour, was in majestic form as he withstood everything number
one seed Gregory Gaultier threw at him
Matthew And
Elshorbagy To Clash In Worlds Semi-final
#PSAWorldTour
Defending champion Nick Matthew and current World No.1 Mohamed
Elshorbagy will go head-to-head in the semi-finals of the 2014 Qatar
PSA World Championship in what is certain to be a blockbuster
encounter.
Coming into the tournament in Doha, Elshorbagy, 11-years Matthew's
junior, claimed his title rival was 'past his peak' while Matthew
hit back stating Elshorbagy has only been number one for 'five
minutes' and the duo will now meet in a crucial encounter where
they'll be aiming to back up their words with victory on the court.
"I know what to expect from Mohamed tomorrow," said Matthew, who
booked his place in the last four with a resounding 3-0 win against
four-time World Champion Amr Shabana.
"He is an extremely strong player and I'll be preparing myself to
deal with that. I’m going to enjoy the way I played tonight and then
I’m going to refocus.
"I've proved that I still have the hunger to compete this week and
I've not come here to end my run at the semi-finals. I've probably
not got a million years left in these events so I'm going to try and
make the most of it."
The duo last met in the semi-finals of the Allam British Open in
May, when Matthew used his experience to get past the Bristol-based
man from Alexandra 3-2 in a brutal 104-minute encounter, but
Elshorbagy expects a different outcome tomorrow.
"Nick looked in great form in his match today and I know he wants to
break another record and become the oldest World Champion," said
Elshorbagy, conqueror of South African Stephen Coppinger in the
quarters.
"But he made a comment before the tournament that I have only been
number one for a few minutes and I think he needs to be a little bit
careful.
"He likes to stand up a lot between games and my advice to him is
that he should sit down and get that rest tomorrow because I'm going
to play at a pace that he won't be able to handle."
The winner of their crunch encounter will face either two-time World
Champion Ramy Ashour or four-time runner-up Gregory Gaultier in the
final after they cam through the encounters with Borja Golan and
Cameron Pilley, respectively, with Ashour completing a remarkable
come-from-behind triumph in his encounter.
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In order Below Matthew,
Shorbagy, Gaultier and Ashour
Unseeded Stephen Coppinger, the World No.24 from Cape Town, pulled
off what he described as the biggest win of his career as he beat
Egyptian World No.9 Tarek Momen to move into the quarter-finals of
the 2014 Qatar PSA World Championship.
The 30-year-old, who knocked World No.11 Daryl Selby out in round
one, put in a thunderous performance to get past Momen in an
85-minute thriller, completing the victory with a dramatic final
rally to take the match 12-10, 9-11, 14-12, 8-11, 11-8.
It's a victory that sees him become the first South African since
Roland Watson in 1979 to reach the quarter-finals and he will now
take on World No.1 Mohamed Elshorbagy, conqueror of German Simon
Rösner, for a place in the semi-finals.
"Considering the setting, the circumstance and that this is the
World Championship, this is without a shadow of a doubt the biggest
win of my career," said Coppinger.
"I was just a few points away from a win and then had to start all
over again but I done something similar in the first round so I had
the belief that I could do it.
"I'm in the quarters now and I don't think any player gets there
easily, we've all had our own battles. I've come through a few of
those so I'm mentally in the right place, so lets see what happens
tomorrow."
Australia's top ranked squash player, Cameron Pilley, joined
Coppinger as the only other unseeded player in the last eight after
he defeated Botswanan Alister Walker 3-0.
Pilley, the current World No.20 from Yamba, took out World No.8
Peter Barker in his first round match and followed up that
performance with an impressive and dominant display against Walker
to set up a last eight encounter against World No.2 Gregory Gaultier.
"I'm absolutely stoked to be in the quarters of the World
Championship," said Pilley.
"It's an awesome feeling, especially after the last few months where
I've been out of form.
"Alister likes to use his physical attributes on the court and like
with every player, I done what I could to neutralise their talents,
and today everything worked to a tee for me."
Elsewhere defending champion Nick Matthew survived a tough test
against Saurav Ghosal of India to set up a last eight battle with
four-time champion Amr Shabana while two-time winner Ramy Ashour
will meet Spanish champion Borja Golan after winning a thrilling
match with Colombian Miguel Angle Rodriguez.
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Stephen Coppinger, career high as he
beat Egyptian World No.9 Tarek Momen
Asshour (Below) and Gaultier (above) both through to Quarter
finals in 4
Cameron Pilley Follows Stephen
Coppinger as the only unseeded players throu to Quater Finals
Matthew Carries British Hopes In
World Championship
#PSAWorldTour
All hopes of British success in the 2014 Qatar PSA World Squash
Championship will rest on defending champion Nick Matthew after he
moved into the third round after a 3-0 win over French World No.29
Gregoire Marche.
Matthew's victory, in what was an impressive 40-minute performance,
means that he is the only English representative in the third round,
the first time since 2007 that England have had only one sole player
reach the latter stages of the sport's most prestigious tournament.
Matthew will now take on Indian number one Saurav Ghosal in the
third round to keep his hopes of victory, and a fourth championship,
alive.
"I was very respectful of Greg today because he's a talented player
on the rise," said Matthew.
"He's got a great future ahead of him and he likes a fast game so I
tried to use my experience to my advantage today and I'm very happy
to win and go through.
"I've been very lucky to play a sport I love for a living and I'm
happy to be playing at the moment and hopefully I have a few years
left in me yet as long as the hunger is there."
Matthew's likely semi-final opponent, World No.1 Mohamed Elshorbagy,
continued his impressive start to the tournament by dismantling
Indian Mahesh Mangoankar 3-0 in 29-minutes to keep alive hopes of
what could be a potentially explosive last four encounter.
Elshorbagy has blitzed his way to the title in his last
four-consecutive PSA World Tour events, taking the title at both the
prestigious US Open and Hong Kong Open in the process, and looks a
hot-favourite to take the 2014 crown.
"I'm feeling really good at the moment," said Elshorbagy. "I knew it
would be important to keep the first two matches short if possible
and from tomorrow I think my tournament really gets started.
"I think I have maybe the toughest draw of the top players. If
things go to seedings I have to beat two top ten players just to
reach the semi-final but to be the No.1 you have to beat everyone
and I believe I can deal with it."
In the first match of the day, World No.21 Max Lee became the first
ever player from Hong Kong to reach the third round of squash's
biggest tournament, while South African Stephen Coppinger became the
first South African to reach the last 16 since Roland Watson in
1981.
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Nick Matthew moves into the third
round after his win over Gregoire Marche
Mohamed Elshorbagy, beats Indian
Mahesh Mangoankar
2nd
Round Top Half of Draw
Pilley Powers Past Barker In Worlds
#PSAWorldTour
Australian Cameron Pilley, the World No.20, powered his way past
English World No.8 Peter Barker in a brutal 86-minute encounter to
move into the third round of the 2014 Qatar PSA World Championship
in Doha.
The rangy man from Yamba struggled to overcome another Englishman,
Joe Lee, in the first round but he stepped up through the gears
against Barker, one of the tour's most resilient players, to earn an
impressive victory against the number seven seed, surviving a strong
fightback to hold on for victory.
Pilley looked in control of the contest after racing out to a
two-game lead but Barker fought back and took advantage of a string
of errors to level the match and force a decider, but it was the
Australian who prevailed in a tough physical match-up, winning 2-10,
11-6, 9-11, 6-11, 11-5
"I'm very happy with that win," said Pilley. "We've played a few
times in the last six months and he's won every time so it's
pleasing to make up for those today.
"In the fifth game I just wanted to get off to a good start and not
mess it up and I played as well as I could ever have hoped to.
"I had a bit of a motivation drop after the Commonwealth Games but I
had a great training stint with David Palmer recently and that gave
me a bit of a new lease of live.
"I struggled in the first round so I'm more than happy to get that
win today."
Earlier in the day Gregory Gaultier, the French number one seed,
responded to his critics with a resounding victory over Malaysian
Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan.
Gaultier almost crashed out of the tournament at the first hurdle,
having to come from two-games down to claw his way past Egyptian
Andrew Shoukry, but he rebounded in emphatic fashion to annihilate
Adnan 11-4, 11-7, 11-3 in just 31-minutes.
It's a victory that sees the man from Aix-En-Provence move into the
third round to face Egyptian Omar Mosaad in what will be his 50th
World Championship contest since making his debut in the tournament
in 2002, when he beat Del Harris in the first round.
"I'm feeling better and I feel like things are starting to come
together more now," said Gaultier.
"Physically I hadn't felt good since I arrived here in Doha but I'm
felling much better now and I'm looking forward to the next match
now.
"I have been playing and training had for two weeks building up to
this tournament and winning is all I care about."
Gaultier's seeded semi-final opponent, two-time World Champions Ramy
Ashour, continued his his injury-comeback with a resounding 3-0
victory over England's Adrian Grant.
Elsewhere Egyptians Omar Mosaad and Fares Dessouki successfully
moved into the third round, getting past compatriots Karim Ali Fathi
and Marwan Elshorbagy, respectively, while Miguel Angle Rodriguez,
Alister Walker and Borja Golan rounded out the top half of the
second round with wins..
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view
Australian Cameron Pilley, the World
No.20, powered his way past English World No.8 Peter Barker
Ramy Ashour Victory Over Adrian Grant
Fares Dessouki Wins In Three Against Fellow Egyptian
Marwan Elshorbagy
Defending squash World Champion Nick Matthew got the defence of his
title off to a successful start, getting past tricky German opponent
Raphael Kandra 3-1 in his opening match of the 2014 Qatar PSA World
Championship.
Matthew, who won his third World Championship crown in four years on
home soil in Manchester last November, is bidding to become just the
fifth man to win the title four times and he raced out of the blocks
against Kandra, racking up a two game lead in rapid time.
Matthew produced some vintage squash as he visibly overwhelmed
Kandra, but the youngster regained his composure in the third game
to fight back against the number three seed and held his nerve to
take the game 12-10 and force the match into a fourth.
However, that was as good as it got for the German No.2 and World
No.58 as Matthew upped his game to storm home taking the match 11-2,
11-6, 10-12, 11-1.
"It's not always a bad thing to have a tough first match", said
Matthew.
"Losing that third game sparked me up a bit and really got my mental
state from training-mode to match-mode, which sometimes can be a
problem in the opening round of a tournament.
"I've put the training in and it's a case of hopefully going deep
into the competition and seeing things come together throughout the
week.
I've got a day off tomorrow to keep working on things and I'm just
enjoying being here and I'm looking forward to the next match."
While Matthew progressed, his compatriot and number eight seed Daryl
Selby suffered a shock first round exit at the hands of South
African Stephen Coppinger, as the physical powerhouse came through
an epic 3-2 encounter.
Coppinger watched Selby claw back a two game deficit but managed to
hold out in the fifth and deciding game to earn an impressive
victory.
"It's a massively satisfying result and I'm really pleased to get
that win," said Coppinger.
"It was a brutal encounter mentally and when I got things right
today I felt great and hopefully I can lock into that mode again in
the next round.
"I've been struggling to get big wins like that for a while so I'm
really chuffed to get a big win today in the World Championship."
Elsewhere there was an historic moment for Indian squash as duo
Saurav Ghosal and Mahesh Mangoankar emerged victorious in their
encounters with Australian Steve Finitsis and New Zealand's Lance
Beddoes, respectively, to ensure their country has two
representatives in the second round for the first time ever while
Egypt will have a record ten representatives involved in the second
round.
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view
Matthew Marches On And Into Round
Two
Daryl Selby suffered a shock first
round exit at the hands of South African Stephen Coppinger
Shorbagy Safely Through In 3
1st
Round Top Half of Draw
Top Seed Gaultier
Survives Scare In World Championship Opener
#PSAWorldTour
French World No.2 and number one seed Gregory Gaultier narrowly
avoided crashing out of the 2014 Qatar PSA World Championships at
the first hurdle today at Doha's Khalifa Tennis and Sports Complex,
having to come from two games down to get past his opponent,
Egyptian qualifier Andrew Wagih Shoukry.
Gaultier, who is competing in his 150th PSA World Tour event, looked
in lacklustre form during the opening two games as Shoukry, who
earned his place in the main draw after his qualifying opponent
Shehab Essam Hosny failed to turn up, stormed into an early lead.
The 24-year-old World No.72 belied his ranking to stun the
Frenchman, who has suffered heartbreak in four World Championship
finals, but the man known on tour as 'The General' rallied to turn
the match on its head and complete a 6-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-3
turnaround victory.
"I didn't feel good at all today," said Gaultier afterwards.
"I felt off and things were not working, but it's better to play
like that early and still go through because as long as I win I
don't care how I do it - I train to win even if I'm not at 100 per
cent.
"He had no fear and played well but I didn't really feel in danger.
At 2-0 down I just told myself to start over again and pretend it
was 0-0 and find my patience.
"You have to deal with these things I need to get on the practice
court tomorrow and try and find my rhythm and tomorrow is another
day."
Gaultier's likely semi-final opponent, Egyptian World No.5 Ramy
Ashour, made is highly anticipated return to PSA World Tour action
with a convincing 3-0 victory over Malaysian Ivan Yuen.
The two-time World Champion from Cairo has missed the better part of
the past 12 months following an horrendous run of injuries but his
title rivals will have been paying attention as he came through in
emphatic fashion, taking the match 11-5, 14-12, 11-5.
Elsewhere on the opening day of main round action Scotland's Greg
Lobban pulled off an upset win over Finland's Henrik Mustonen to
become the only qualifier to progress in the top half of the draw,
while championship hopefuls Borja Golan, Omar Mosaad and Peter
Barker all began their campaigns with wins.
Pakistani Quartet Move Into First
Round Of World Championship
#PSAWorldTour
Pakistan will have five representatives in the first round of the
2014 Qatar PSA World Championship for the first time since 2003
after Farhan Mehboob, Farham Zaman and brothers Aamir Atlas and
Danish Atlas Khan came through qualification at the Khalifa Tennis
and Squash Complex earlier today to join compatriot Nasir Iqbal in
the main draw.
The quartet booked their place in the first round of the prestigious
competition courtesy of some dominant performances, with Mehboob and
Zaman completing 3-0 wins over Kuwait's Bader Al Hussaini and
American Chris Gordon, respectively while the Khan brothers show
their spirit to come through testing encounters with England's Jamie
Heycocks and fellow compatriot Tayyab Aslam.
Aamir Atlas Khan, the former World No.14, was given the toughest
test during qualification, taking five games to get past Heycocks to
earn a first round encounter with Alister Walker while Danish, the
youngest qualifier at just 20, will face German World No.10 Simon
Rösner.
"This is my first time in the World Championship and I'm very happy
to win today to get into the main draw," said Danish.
"I hope to do my best against the best players in the world and get
the experience of playing against them. The World Championship is
huge, my uncle Jansher won it eight times and I hope to one day win
it as well and make my country proud."
Elsewhere there was delight for young English duo Ben Coleman (23)
and Charles Sharpes (22) as they eased into the main draw, while
Dutch player Piedro Schweertman pulled off the biggest upset of the
qualification round to defeat Danish World No.62 Kristian Frost
Olesen 3-1.
Four-time World Champion Amr Shabana, one of the most successful
squash players of all-time, says he's hungry to add a fifth title to
his name ahead of the 2014 Qatar PSA World Championship which get
underway in Doha on Friday.
The 35-year-old from Cairo, who now resides in Toronto, became the
first Egyptian player ever to win the prestigious title when he beat
Thierry Lincou in the 2003 final and having gone on to become only
the fourth man in history to win the title four times, he says he's
hungry for more.
"Winning the World Championship is huge as the title is the biggest
in our sport," said Shabana.
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"As a kid I used to daydream of playing the World Championship
against the top guys so to actually win it once, and to be the first
Egyptian to win it after all the amazing Egyptians that played
before me, is something I am still proud of today.
"But I'm not going to this year's ever just to show up. I'm going to
try and win - whether that results in me losing first round or
winning it is unknown, but I will try my best going in to each
match.
"As long as the mind and body are still healthy then I'm confident
going in to this event."
Having beaten current World No.2 Gregory Gaultier and World No.5
Ramy Ashour to the title in 2007 and 2009, respectively, Shabana
knows exactly what it takes to lift the coveted trophy and he says
the battle between Gaultier, current World No.1 Mohamed Elshorbagy
and defending World Champion Nick Matthew to top the PSA World
Rankings this year could play a huge role in the outcome of the
Worlds.
"To win the World Championship it takes a few factors to all fall in
to place in that week," said Shabana.
"You need to train hard and be ready for the competition and you
need to focus on each round as it comes because everyone there will
be just as prepared as you.
"I just treat it as any other tournament but I know the rankings can
have a huge effect in those situations. It shows and reflects how
well you played through the year but it can drain you or push you
forward as well and we'll see if there's been any effect next week."
Gaultier Hungry For World Championship Win
#PSAWorldTour
French World No.2 Gregory Gaultier, the four-time World Championship
runner-up, says he is preparing harder than ever before to end his
Championship hoodoo ahead of the 2014 Qatar PSA World Championship
which gets underway in Doha on Friday November 14.
Gaultier, who held the World No.1 ranking for eights months in 2014,
lost an agonising final against Nick Matthew in England last year
and he's hoping that a change in approach to the competition will
pay dividends when the world's top players converge in the heat of
the Middle East.
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"I am really looking forward to the tournament," said
Gaultier. "My training has been going well recently and I am trying
to peak for the event.
"I chose to play less tournaments during the last few months
compared to how many I played at the same time last year and that
was all so that I can go into the World Championship as fresh as
possible.
"I have a lost a few World Championship finals in the past but that
gives me extra motivation to try and get that trophy in my hands
because winning the Worlds would be a dream come true."
Gaultier lost his World No.1 ranking to Egyptian Mohamed Elshorbagy,
who won the 2013 Qatar Classic in Doha, in the November rankings but
despite losing to the Bristol-based 23-year-old in consecutive PSA
World Series tournaments, in Hong Kong and Philadelphia, Gaultier
says his focus is not on the younger man.
"Mohamed is in good form and he is maybe the man to beat but there
are other players who will be going there who will be very
dangerous," he said.
"There will be a lot of players who have prepared specifically for
that event and while the crowd might favour and encourage the
Egyptians more than the other players in Doha, I remember when I won
there a few years ago the public were on my side as well so I'm
looking forward to the challenge."
Matthew Ready For World
Championship Challenge
#PSAWorldTour
Defending squash World Champion Nick Matthew says he is looking
forward to beginning the defence of his title when the 2014 Qatar
PSA World Championship gets underway in Doha, Qatar on Friday
November 14.
The 33-year-old from Sheffield, who claimed his third world crown in
front of a partisan home crowd in Manchester last November, goes
into the 2014 tournament under the radar after falling to No.3 in
the World Rankings behind Egyptian powerhouse Mohamed Elshorbagy and
Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, the man he beat to glory last year.
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But the resilient Matthew, known on tour as 'The Wolf', says he is
happy to be considered the underdog ahead of the most prestigious
tournament in the squash calendar.
"The World Championship is the reason you play," said Matthew.
"Everything else takes a back seat when you look at the calendar at
the start of the year - this is the one that everybody wants.
"Every year you try and peak for the worlds but this year, with the
Commonwealth Games and arrival of our first child, preparation
hasn't been as fine tuned as perhaps last year but in the last few
weeks I've started to feel that things are coming together.
"There's no pressure on me though - I'm old enough now to be past
the stage where I put unnecessary pressure on myself and I know that
you can't win every tournament.
"I know that if I never win again I can look back and be happy with
my career but that said, if I'm in my best form in Doha next week
and do myself justice, then I know I can be challenging in the
latter stages and I'm really looking forward to it."
Having made history by becoming the first man to win back-to-back
Commonwealth Games Gold Medals in Glasgow this summer, followed
shortly after by the birth of his first child, Charlotte, 2014 has
been a year to savour for Matthew so far but he knows he will have
his work cut out to cap it all off with a fourth World Championship
triumph.
Elshorbagy, the Bristol-based Egyptian, has been is sublime form so
far this season, winning his last four consecutive tournaments and
recording impressive victories over Gaultier in the process, and
Matthew says he's the man everyone else has to beat in the heat of
the Middle East.
"Mohamed has been the hunter throughout his career so far but now
he's become the hunted," he said.
"It's how you react to that challenge and that position that
determines a lot and I remember that when I got to number one for
the first time it was quite tough. I think I dealt with it better
second time around but to be No.1 at his age is pretty special.
"Doha is also a venue that he enjoys and it's a pretty difficult
place for western players to go to and win because it's sort of a
home venue for the Egyptians - they get a lot of vocal support there
and I remember the 2012 final between Ramy (Ashour) and Mohamed was
a crazy atmosphere.
"There's a new court though this year and that could change the
dynamic of the competition. Mohamed especially has said before that
he would have taken the old court to any tournament in the world as
he like it that much so that might have a bearing on what happens
next week. Either way, I’m really looking forward to it."
The 2014 Qatar PSA World Championship takes place at the Khalifa
Tennis and Squash Complex, Doha, Qatar from Friday November 14 -
Friday November 21 with Nick Matthew beginning his campaign on
Saturday November 15 against a qualifier.
Anjema Out Of 2014 Qatar
PSA World Championship
#PSAWorldTour
Dutch national champion Laurens Jan Anjema has withdrawn from the
upcoming 2014 Qatar PSA World Championship taking place in Doha,
Qatar from Friday November 14 - Friday November 21 due to injury.
The World No.16 has been suffering from a series of recurring foot
and ankle problems throughout the past few months, having also
missed the Delaware Investments US Open and Cathay Pacific Sun Hung
Kai Financial Hong Kong Squash Open, and becomes the second player
to withdraw from the sport's annual showpiece event in the past week
following the retirement of Karim Darwish.
As a result, Egyptian Omar Abdel Aziz and Indian Mahesh Mangaonkar
move into the main draw automatically and will be in first round
action on Saturday November 15.
Aziz will face compatriot Tarek Momen, the World No.9, while
Mangaonkar will take on a qualifier in his opening encounter.