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Shabana & Gaultier To Contest Bermuda World Open Final

Amr Shabana, moved convincingly into the final of the Endurance World Open in Bermuda with an 11-6, 3-11, 11-5, 11-5 win over the titleholder David Palmer. In essence Shabana was too sharp and there was little that Palmer could come up with that could consistently trouble his opponent.

Palmer was just ahead in the first game at 6-5, partly kept in it by five mistakes from his opponent, but then tried to force the play made three mistakes himself and didn’t get another point that game. The omens for him did not look good when Shabana went 2-0 in the second but strangely the Egyptian lapsed into error, a grand total of eight for the game from the world no.1 who got just one more point and suddenly everything was level 11-3. Shabana had been in a great position and thrown it away.

“I was trying too hard to go for it. I got carried away with playing shots. Sometimes you think you can hit anything from anywhere. I had to get back to basics,” he said later.

Winners flowed from Shabana’s racket again in the third. He went to 3-0 then 9-2 and the end was in sight for Palmer. The Australian made uncharacteristic mistakes and although he smashed the ball around Shabana kept it straight and varied the pace so that his opponent could not apply any consistent pressure. It was gone quickly 11-5 and was a tragedy for Palmer. Gifted the last game he would have wanted to make a bit more of it than this.

“I kept it straight,” said Shabana. “You have to play like that against the top guys – if you give them an angle they can put it away. You have to put it as close to the wall as possible.”

In the fourth Palmer fell behind, tried to raise himself, struck with his famous and now rarely used forehand crosscourt volley nick at great speed, called a Joy Turner, that rolled only for the left-handed Shabana to immediately strike with one of his own on the other side. Really that was Palmer’s problem. Shabana generally had it covered, could mount more threat and Palmer could not apply any consistent pressure. Shabana won the last four points in a hand 11-5.

He is through in good condition but he will need to lift his game again if he is going to regain the world title.

And on his final opponent he added, “I want them to have a long match. They need to have one,” he said with a smile pointing out that whoever won – Nick Matthew was the US Open champion and Gregory Gaultier the British Open champion –  it would be tough.

Gregory Gaultier stamped his claim for the world title in the second semi-final with an  impressive demolition of the English hope Nick Matthew. After a point for point tussle at the start Gaultier moved from 5-all to 10-5 in a hand of his opponent’s errors as Matthew tried in vain to force the pace. The game was won by the Frenchman 11-6 and confidence boosted he played impeccably to dominate the match.

The variation of pace from lobs and high floating clinging balls, way above Matthew’s probing volley, to stinging shots from a taunt short backswing that unwinds like a catapult and smashes in drives and kills, to the deftest of touches set up the opportunity for Gaultier to score winner after winner. Matthew drove hard and deep, this was good length, deep, far superior to that displayed by Palmer and Shabana but Gaultier found breathtaking finish with ease.

In the second Gaultier went 9-0 up in one hand. Seven winners in a row – drives, volley drops, drops and stinging crosscourts, forced two errors and Matthew’s world title hopes were in tatters. Matthew got his first point with an exceptionally good volley, but Gaultier was there only thwarted by its clinging line. That game was won 11-4. Gaultier was two games up and had made just two mistakes.

In the third Gaultier slipped on the glass floor and Matthew took the opportunity to play a fine winning forehand straight drop only to find Gaultier striding to the front to attempt a recovery. Recover it he did and raced up and down the court to retrieve Matthew’s best shots and only conceded the rally when he fell again heavily. That’s how hard it was for Matthew to get points, to make any headway.

Gaultier struck with superb winners, volleyed behind his back to the ohhs of the crowd and established a 6-2 lead. Matthew never gave up fighting as Gaultier, the winning post in site, loosened up his play and just a hint of speculation came into a few of his shots. Matthew closed the lead down, hit a superb winning volley, to get to 7 but his opponent already had matchball. Matthew bitterly contested the final points, bent double in exasperation as the referees refused him replays on the pick-ups he thought questionable.

Gaultier won the fifth 11-8. It was a peek performance. Perhaps the best squash he has played. There was nothing Matthew could have done. He did not play badly and should not feel too disappointed. Gaultier did waste a few points at the end and the nightmares that keep reminding him he was sloppy when he had the world title in  his grasp in Cairo  in 2006 will only disappear when he wins this title. Shabana will have to lift his game considerably if Gaultier can reproduce this performance.

“It is a great feeling to be in the world final two years in a row. Last time I missed it. I don’t think I will tomorrow,” he said.

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SHABANA READY

“I am ready,” said Amr Shabana after a very good quarter-final match against Thierry Lincou. “I was ready before, but I was not there. Now I am there.”

If he is to regain the world title this will be the match where he stated his intention. The first game was a little error prone with Lincou recovering from an early 3-0 deficit to surge back with five points in a hand and keep ahead for the game 12-10.

“The intensity of the play in the first caught me by surprise,” said Shabana. “It was hit and run. I was tense in the beginning because of the importance of the match and what was at stake.”

“He usually plays show and long but he took me by surprise going low and hard. I was using the wrong strategy. I had to be patient.”

Shabana recovered from the loss of the first to go 5-2 ahead calling on his superb range of winners and mixing the rallies well. This time it was Lincou who had been forcing the play, who made the mistakes, as Shabana leveled 11-6 and went ahead 5-2 in the third. Lincou however kept pushing to save game ball and leveled but let his opponent into the front to finish off with two superb winners and take the vital game 12-10.

Lincou forced it again in the fourth fell immediately into error, went 5-0 behind and his chances of a world title were drifting away. He fought back to 3-5 but Shabana’s range of winners gave him no chance the Egyptian was through to the semi-final 11-5.

“In my first two matches I was physically strong but my shots where not there. Now my movement and my shots are there,” said Shabana.

Perhaps more importantly so was his thinking. He improved in this match from being error-prone to getting his squash thinking going – not just shooting but also thinking in combinations and of controlling the rallies – he will have to improve on this if he is going to win the world title but he is well on the way.

“It was a confidence booster,” he said.

PALMER IMPRESSES

Shabana goes through to face David  Palmer who dismissed Alex Gough impressively 11-5, 11-4, 11-4. This was a fine outing for Gough and he applauded the crowd as he left. There was much positive sentiment for the oldest player in the tournament. He kept Palmer at it for 42 minutes, he hit length, he ran, he tried his improvised short shots but all the reward he got was a handful of points. Palmer was masterful, forceful, tight and incisive t on his shots. He is ready. The only question then is does he have the speed to impose his game on Shabana or Gaultier. We can only wait.

THE BATTLE OF THE ENGLISHMEN

A lot was at stake in the quarter-final battle of the Englishmen Nick Matthew and James Willstrop. A crack at the world title for one, perhaps the top spot in the home countries peeking order for another.

One fact overshadowed this match, Willstrop had struggled through to the quarters – he had recovered from two down, twice, in an hour and a half apiece and that had drained him. As David Palmer said, maybe he could beat Nick Matthew but he had already lost his chance of a world title – the physical resources where just not there.

To have any chance Willstrop needed a good start this time. Within a couple of minutes he was 3-0 down, within a few more he was 6-1 down and from there it was always going to be hard work. He fought back, ran, worked hard at chasing Matthew’s persistent volleys, volleys that tortured him and moved him up and down the court, volleys that made him chase and gave him no time on the ball.

Later Matthew was to say: “My sports psychologist in Sheffield said to me ‘What are you the best in the world at? and he explained that to be the best in the world you need to work on your strengths not just at improving your weaknesses. My volleying is my main strength and I’m trying to build on it.”

Matthew won the first 11-8. The second was very tight. Willstrop tried everything and there were some big rallies. He varied the pace, threw up high crosscourt lobs from the back, drives, volleys, attacked and counter attacked into the front corners but Matthew was up for it all.

“There were some big rallies. I just seemed to win them,” said Matthew.

That assessment was fair. There was no way through for Willstrop. Everything had been tried. Every time he got on the wrong end of a rally Matthew pushed back to the T to run the next one down. He pushed into the front corners, worked up and down the court. His first move on every shot seemed to be toward the ball looking for the volley and if it was out of reach he moved back to take it off the bounce but he was always look for it.

The second was won 11-6.

“I made a big push for that. I knew he was not going to come back from two down,” said Matthew. “He is a great friend of mine. What he did in the first two rounds was a bit special.”

No one, not even Willstrop could see a way back in the third but he kept on until the end going down 11-4 on the hour.

Matthew will face the no.2 seed, and British Open champion Gregory Gaultier. He has played him recently in both Qatar and Hong Kong. In Qatar he lost 11-9 in the fifth and in Hong Kong he had matchball in the fifth but lost 12-10. Perhaps it is his turn?

WHITE OUT

Gregory Gaultier beat John White convincingly in the end. By the third when White was crouched in agony in the front corner and the referees where trying to get him to continue it was obvious that this was the inevitable result– unless Gautlier played very badly and there was not much chance of that.

White’s big-hitting firepower had the chance to seize the first game at 10-8. Perhaps he through it already won for he was careless and a stroke and a series of mistakes cost him his chance 12-10.  In the second White was in the zone at 6-4 having struck with several unplayable shots but he encroached into Gaultier’s hitting line to the front wall and was struck by his opponents shot. White tried to claim it was a sidewall shot (this is often a convention between players when this instance occurs) but the referees where having none of it and a stroke was awarded. This seemed to unhing White’s mental equilibrium to some extent. The brilliant focus of a few moments before was now gone and White slumped into error to lose the game 11-6. The third was really a formality from 5-all when Gaultier went through to the match in one hand imposing a long rally on White at 8-5 that drained the last vestiges of resistance out of him.

Gaultier was not pleased with his performance. “I won and that’s the main thing. Whitey was not at his best but that doesn’t matter. I am through. Tomorrow is going to be very important.

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The Nick of Time
Nick Matthew did his job in seeing off Omar Mossad in straight games 11-6, 11-9, 11-7 but it was not a totally convincing performance. Young Omar is an impressive character. If you have not heard of him you will. He is of course Egyptian, just 19 years old and already ranked 33 in the world. He was the only qualifier, along with England’s Jonathan Kemp, to reach the second round and those valuable points will move him up the rankings.

He is a tall man, powerful in build and gave nothing away to Matthew in power of the strike, shots or presence on court. So you have the idea, he may not be quite there yet but Nick Matthew was not taking him lightly, nor should me.

“He can hit winners from anywhere,” said Matthew.

It must be said the conditions were difficult. It is clear that this glass floor for all it promotional benefits, and its normally solid grip, is a problem in humid conditions. The floor whippers were on regularly, smart industrious youngsters in red uniforms buzzing about the court, but it was a distraction.

“The difficult conditions were a factor in the performance,” said Matthew,  “but the fact that I couldn’t stretch my lead beyond a point or two each time is cause for concern.”

“I was trying to step up the pace a bit and play fast. It was just about enough but against the next player I play, maybe Shabana, that will not be enough.”

That summed it up. Matthew is through but will need to play better to challenge for this title.

Deja Vue for Willstrop
James Willstrop managed to produce a repeat of his first round performance when he went two games down to Mohammed Abbas. It must be said Willstrop’s basics were a little indifferent – he likes doing everything else but hitting the ball down the wall for length and Abbas with plenty of opportunities seized then with glee. From the beginning he was in control, had the extra pace and incision and Willstrop was just reacting. Abbas struck with hard fast drops and Willstrop had trouble seeing them to go 5-11, 9-11 down.

Willstrop had gone down 2/0 in the first round and survived. Could he do it again? The start of the third would be crucial. If he fell behind he was out of it.

Willstrop worked at his length, up and down the backhand. Abbas went 1-0 up but floundered. Two strokes penalized him he tinned a volley whereas in the first two games he had been focused but relaxed. Willstrop went to 4-1 and 7-3 and suddenly the match had turned around 11-7.

Deja Vue! and they slipped on the floor. Willstrop was onto his game and had just bamboozled his opponent with double swings on two shots and a reflex shot between his legs to go 4-0 up when his feet went from under him. He came off court and informed the referee that the court was unplayable. Much discuss followed, the wipers were on and they carried on. Willstrop took the initiative 10-5 and with nothing to loss Abbas struck with three clean aggressive winners at pace and surged back. In a fantastic rally Willstrop took his turn to smash it forcing his opponent to retrieve brilliantly flicking off the back and side to survive the pressure and race down the court for a retrievable ball when suddenly his feet went from under him and he ended up flat on his back, lifted his arm, fired his racket into the side wall as Willstrop walked off having leveled the games 11-8.

Willstrop got the early lead in the fifth as Abbas’s uninhibited shots of the first two games were not working and managed to hang onto that lead to see out the match 11-5 after 91 minutes.

“I’m thrilled to get through again. I’ve been under the kosh for such long periods but come through,” he said.

White Skates Through
John White, the sixth seed, should have gone out when he was 2/1 and 10-8 down to Mohd Azlan Iskandar. White however survived, leveled the points, and as Iskandar slipped twice and lay spread-eagled on the T in total frustration, leveled the games as the crowd applauded White’s Houdini act.

Iskandar was not getting on with the court well, he slipped and screamed on several ocassions in the fifth. On one at 9-6 he fell brilliantly recovered and then took White out as he raced for the drop and they both sprawled on the floor. As the wipers came on White came outside the court and eyeballed the referee fearing a let. A let was given to Iskandar but it only delayed the inevitable as the Malaysian slipped chasing whites last winning drop and was helped to his feet by a triumphant White.

Speedy Greg
Gregory Gaultier didn’t waste time in the last match of the second round beating Hisham Ashour 11-4, 11-8, 11-4 in just 26 minutes.

“If I want to be fresh for the later round I want to be off court quickly. I don’t want to waste time late at night here. I come to the quarters fresh,” he said.

There were a few mistakes, not many, most of what his opponent Hisham Ashour dished up was handled with ease and even the exceptional shots were run down. Gaultier is in superb condition, hitting and moving brilliantly. Someone is going to have to play well to beat him.

Ashour was very disappointed with his match and says he never adjusted to the court conditions.

“It felt like my first game on glass. I couldn’t see the ball and I couldn’t get into the match. Yes he is good, quick and accurate but I just didn’t get into the game.”

Who will win the world title?

“I think it is between Greg and Shabana,” added Hisham.

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The Beach for Shabana

Top seed Amr Shabana took his time to get into the second round of the Endurance World Open and by then his opponent Stewart Boswell was a game up winning a close first 8-11 but he won the second and third convincingly 11-4, 11-2. You have to say then he was extremely careless to find himself 10-6 down in the fourth without having established good length or tightness. He just about closed that gap saving three game points but tinned on a backhand drop with no margin at a good opening to dangerously be pushed into a fifth game.

How after being so dominant for so long, how had the top seed arrived in this position? He has had four tournaments in a row and was smooth in his movement and crisp in his hitting. 

“I’m not mentally fresh,” he said later.

In the fifth Shabana, a little more sharpish, got away to a 4-1 lead, was a little careless to let his opponent to 3-4 but then took control against a somber Boswell to see it out 11-4.

Earlier it was too easy for Shabana and he did not close the match down as he should have – he is vulnerable but he has a day off on Wednesday in the split second round.

“I let my guard down a little. I was casual and he went for it and got a lead. I felt OK in the fifth. When you play a lot of matches you can focus. To win you must stay calm and I was calm.”

“I will play five times better in the quarter-final.”

Shabana has had too much squash, he is not fresh but it is all there if he can get it together mentally.

What’s he up to on his day off? “I’ll be going to the beach,” he said. Which seems the best preparation he can make for the world title bid at this time.

Jonathan Kemp made a good start against the slow starting Frenchman Thierry Lincou, had a good chance at game ball 10-8 but was a bit anxious to finish it as penalty strokes and mistakes cost him his chance. Thereafter he only rarely got back a semblance of control as he tried to match Lincou’s pace. The balls kicked out and Lincou put them away. So the Frenchman, a former champion is through to the quarter-finals comfortably.

“When I won this title it was the highlight of my career but I’m in good shape still and enjoying playing,” he said. He goes through to face the vulnerable Shabana.

David Palmer, the two-time world champion, and titleholder moved into the quarter-finals but it was not a convincing performance. His opponent Peter Barker had a 9-6 lead in the first game and he will still be kicking himself that he was not able to take advantage of it. He also should have had a stroke at 10-9 when Palmer encroached into his hitting area the ball kicked out and when a boast would have won the game but was given a let and was then stroked himself at 11-10 in a marginal situation to loose  the first game 12-10.

From then on Barker was always a step behind, struggling to close the gap. His difficulties were compounded by several visits to the floor in slippery conditions as Palmer saw out the match 11-10 (2-0), 11-7, 11-9.

“I was a bit flat, I didn’t feel as well as I did in the first round,” said Palmer and added. “I’m looking to get my name on this trophy, if it is the world open even better.”

On Barker’s performance he was complementary. “Peter Barker is a future top 10 player that is for sure,” said Palmer.

Upset of the day was caused when Alex Gough overcame the ninth seed Wael El Hindi in four games over 74 minutes. There were many stoppages, endless replays but Gough stuck to his task well drove deep to keep his tricky opponent out of the front court and came through in the fourth 11-1, 11-7,  4-11, 11-7.

El Hindi’s play fluctuated and he may had been carrying a strained hamstring. He was superb in the second, indifferent in the third and had the early lead in the fourth but Gough kept chasing to go ahead 6-4 before El Hindi upped the tempo to level 7-all. Then he was KO’ed by a ‘no let’ refereeing decision on a loose mid-court ball he was hoping to get a stroke for.

“You must be more aware of where your opponent,” is said the referee (explaining the three man refereeing panel decision). It came, if it was a guideline decision, at the worst time for El Hindi. Gough went on the offensive immediately with a fast front corner angle, and clenched his fist to maintain momentum and put a little psychological pressure on his opponent. Another tin, a close one, put him out of it before Gough killed of the game to make at 36-years-old the World Open quarter-finals.

“It’s awesome. It’s probably one of the biggest feelings I’ve had in my career,” he said.

“I’m on my third generation of players. I’m probably a bit more professional, I have to do things properly now.”

And on how long he will keep playing he says. “I can’t give it up. It’s like a drug.”

He too will have a day off and a chance to rest his aging body.

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Willstrop Survives - Just

The afternoon’s play on the second day of the Endurance World Open saw two upsets. In the opening match the tall and powerful Omar Mosaad, just 19-years-old, upset the experienced no.14 seed Olli Tuominen. Mosaad, may not yet have come to notice amongst squash watches but he is a powerful hitter, talented shotmaker and focused performer. It was always on the cards that he would take out the no.14 seed especially on the warm club courts.

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Controversy Over Ashour Tantrum

Hisham Ashour (right) launched into an abusive torrent against his opponent and the referee after upsetting the seedings in the World Open.

The world number 24 from Cairo reduced the applauding crowd to silence with his unexpected tirade after bringing down the 16^th seeded Englishman Adrian Grant (left) in four increasingly heated games.

Ashour appeared to be claiming that Grant was swearing during their first round encounter, and blocked the loser’s path from the court by eyeballing him from close range, shaking with rage as he did it.

Ashour then disappeared from the arena only to return, shrieking at referee Wes Barlow: “Fuck, fuck, fuck – is this boxing or what? Didn’t you hear anything?”

The Canadian admitted that he didn’t, and just when it seemed that the incident might worsen, the victor disappeared down the tunnel, still shrieking as he did so. 

“I don’t want to say anything, except to his fat friend who was pushing me when I came off the court,” said Grant later.

Ashour’s fury was not helped by two or three contentious decisions in the fourth game of his 11-7, 11-6, 4-11, 11-8 win, one at 8-6 to Ashour when he was refused a let, and another in the following rally when the Egyptian was awarded a let after Grant had not appeared to obstruct.

A couple of minutes earlier Grant had left the court to complain about the noise. “He’s screaming so much, it’s off-putting,” he said. This infuriated Ashour, who yelled: “you blocked me.”

And on the penultimate rally Grant was angry that a penalty point awarded against him, for accidentally failing to give Ashour a clear view of the ball, and said: “If there weren’t kids here…..” apparently suggesting he would like to say something strong.

Ashour won because he had spells of remarkable brilliance, which was one of three good performances which helped atone for Egypt’s dented chances of winning the world team title for the first time in a fortnight’s time.

Earlier Omar Mosaad beat the 14^th seeded Olli Tuominen of Finland 7-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-4 to join Ashour and their 12th seeded compatriot Mohammed Abbas in the second round. Abbas beat Australia’s Cameron Pilley in straight games

But the news on Ramy Ashour, the Super Series champion who is Hisham’s brother, and Karim Darwish, the world number eight, both of whom are injured is worrying.

Ramy has a bad foot and Darwish an injured calf. “It doesn’t look good,” said Egypt’s coach Amir Wagih. “It doesn’t look as though they will be fit in time.”

Shabana Cruises Through
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Amr Shabana, the top seed, cruised comfortably into the second round of the Endurance World Open in Bermuda with a four set win, 11-9, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9 over Frenchman Renan Lavigne. It is all there – the fast action, smooth movement and deadly hitting – but perhaps he was a little lacking in urgency. He is the favourite for the world title but there is along way to go yet and he is relaxed about it.

“I was lucky enough to win it twice, if I win it three time it well be amazing but if I don’t it will be OK,” he said of his title bid.

You can’t really imagine the titleholder David Palmer saying that, or indeed Gregory Gaultier, who was reminded of his loss of the final in 2006 by compare Robert Edwards in the glittering opening ceremony.

“It was a terrible feeling,” said Gaultier.

The Town Crier announced the tournament, held in a vast marquee next to the luxurious Fairmont Southampton resort high on the hill overlooking the beautiful Horseshoe bay. This is a country in Technicolor and Shabana, in what is an obligatory chore for world no.1s (in whatever sport, wherever they go), said how much he loved it. The first and second rounds are split giving time for relaxation, so Shabana will be out to lunch around the island, viewing the beaches and is relaxed about his preparation.

The undemanding schedule, is however of more importance than in assisting with Shabana’s lunch and sightseeing schedule, it will allow players to recover and put them in the best shape for the quarter-finals on Thursday.

Shabana knows what will be required to win it he says. “These days all the players are strong, and it’s difficult to play back to back event.”

He has had a demanding schedule with wins, and daily play in the last three events – the Saudi, Qatar and Hong Kong tournaments as will as the Arab Championships immediately thereafter. At the British Open he slipped against Nick Matthew and hurt his ankle, is playing in a brace here but says it is OK.

He has matured as a player, matured mentally – this and his relaxed attitude will help him here. The traumas of his loss of the world title in Giza in 2006, in front of the Pyramids with the whole Egyptian nation willing him on, expecting him to do it for them and himself are behind him now.

“I know what you have to do, I am ready to work to win, before I was rushed,” he said.

Shabana was through safely, but fifteen seed Ong Beng Hee fell to a sound performance from qualifier Jonathan Kemp. Kemp, in the tough and humid conditions at the squash club (ten miles away in Hamilton) got away at the end of both the first and second games to go two up, dropped the third with nervous errors but was back on course in the fourth. A ball smashed into his body was parried instinctively with the deftest of touches for an unplayable volley drop in the fourth and it was then that Beng Hee might have realised that it was not his day. On a roll Kemp felled the first seed to go out 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-5.

Kemp who had beaten Nick Matthew in the National League earlier this month, has improved since his move to Halifax and made the most of his opportunity.

“All the qualifiers have seeds,” he said on this first round draw. “I have had a cold but I had one match [he had one bye in the qualifying then beat New Zealand’s Kasha Shuja in five games] and that was all I needed. Now I’m playing well.”

Elsewhere in the afternoon session former champion Thierry Lincou saw off up and coming American Julian Illingworth in four; Bradley Ball gave Peter Barker a fright and the referee and good workout in going down 8-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-5 (76 min); El Hindi too had a fright and a fall against the tough young Mexican Eric Galvez saving two match points to finally win 15-13 in the fifth.

The evening session saw Shabana and Palmer go through, so, with Lincou through in the afternoon, all former champions where into the second round. Palmer did not find much resistance against the prancing Shawn Delierre while his Australian teammate Stewart Boswell saw off the local wildcard James Stout – whose every point was wildly cheered – in three.

Lee Beachill, has been seemingly the banker for England at no.3 in the team for the World Team Championships in Chennai, immediately after this event. At 1 / 2 down Beachill went ahead 4-1 in the fourth but after a long rallies he failed to score again in that game. Although he lifted himself for a fight in the fifth, errors counted against him, and he was down in five. He was out of the world title race and England’s chances seemed diminished.

“I didn’t play well and I’m not confident in my fitness to play matches like that,” he said. I’ve got a niggle – I’ll get it sorted out over Christmas – and it hasn’t allowed me to prepare and train properly.

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Previews

English Players Dominate
World Open Qualifiers

English players claimed half of the qualifying places on offer in the Endurance World Open Squash Championship in Bermuda as Alister Walker, Bradley Ball,
Jonathan Kemp and Daryl Selby (right) powered past their opponents in the qualifying finals of the $175,000 flagship PSA Tour event in the island's capital Hamilton.

 

Walker was the first to make it to the main draw when he beat Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez 11-5, 11-9, 11-9 in 45 minutes.  The 25-year-old from Leeds, in his second successive World Open as qualifier, is drawn to face sixth seed John White, the hard-hitting US-based Scotsman making his first PSA Tour appearance outside the USA since April.

 

Bradley Ball bounced to the swiftest win of the day, beating Egypt's Yasser El Halaby 11-3, 11-3, 11-3 in just 25 minutes.  The 31-year-old from Ipswich - winner of more PSA Tour titles than any other Englishman on the current Tour - now faces compatriot Peter Barker, the 11^th seed from Essex.

 

Jonathan Kemp survived a five-game tussle with Kashif Shuja before beating the New Zealander 7-11, 11-4, 11-2, 5-11, 11-4 in 43 minutes.  The 26-year-old from Telford takes on Malaysia's 15^th seed Ong Beng Hee - while Daryl Selby, an 11-4, 11-7, 11-10 (3-1) victor over Egyptian Omar Abdel Aziz, will meet France's No2 seed Gregory Gaultier.

 

Julian Illingworth produced an impressive 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 win over Egypt's experienced former world No14 Omar Elborolossy to become the first USA player to claim a place in the main draw of a World Open.  The 23-year-old Yale graduate - at 50, the lowest ranked player to qualify - will face fifth seed Thierry Lincou, the 2004 World Open champion from France.

 

Eric Galvez also becomes the first Mexican to qualify for the World Open.  The 24-year-old from Puebla beat Australian Ryan Cuskelly 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 and is rewarded by a first round clash with Egypt's No9 seed Wael El Hindi.

 

 

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Locals Overpowered
In World Open Qualifying
 

Day one of qualifying for the Endurance World Open Squash Championship in Bermuda was a tough one for the four local players representing the host country.  All were beaten by their opponents at the Bermuda Squash Racquets (BSRA) venue, which means that Bermuda’s only representative will be James Stout, who has the wildcard entry to the main draw.

 

The four locals - Nicholas Kyme, Chase Toogood, Melrindo Caines and Patrick Foster - all played valiantly, backed up by a partisan crowd at the Devonshire Club, but were ultimately despatched by better opponents.