England Upset Title-Holders Egypt To Win World Team Title In France
In a
dramatic final of the WSF Men's World Team Squash Championship in
France which went the full distance, second seeds England
upset defending champions Egypt to reclaim the sport's most
prestigious trophy for the fifth time since 1995.
Daryl
Selby
put the underdogs ahead before world number one Ramy Ashour
evened matters for Egypt, the top seeds bidding to become the first
nation since 1987 to win the title three times in a row.
In the
decider, world No4 James Willstrop made up for his loss to
Karim Darwish at the same stage of the previous final two years ago
to beat the world No5 11-3, 11-13, 11-3, 11-5 to clinch the title for
England for the first time since 2007.
31
nations have been competing in the 24th edition of the championship
which is being staged in France for the first time in its 46-year
history. Play has been taking place at two venues in Mulhouse,
the Espace Squash 3000 Centre and the Palais Des Sports
where, for the first time, matches have been played simultaneously on
three ASB all-glass showcourts spectacularly lined up side-by-side.
England made a great start when team number three Selby
(right)
beat Tarek
Momen 11-5, 11-3, 11-7 in his first win over the higher-ranked
Egyptian for over three years.
"I am
much fitter now than I was," said Selby when asked to explain the end of
his losing run to Momen.
"The
focus of my training for the last six months has been for this match,"
continued the world No14. "The England team has taken this event
extremely seriously. Watching James and Nick last night was an
inspiration - the amount of effort they put in was phenomenal. I just
wanted to put in the same - and if that helps us win the title I'll be
happy.
"The
whole England Squash team put in a lot of effort and energy into the
elite programme - and that win was the repayment of that investment.
It's also repaying the support from my family and, of course, there's
new member of my family since last time. In years to come, I would like
him (baby son Noah) to be able to say that Daddy was a world champion
for England.
"I
couldn't have dreamed of a better performance - my good friend Peter
(Barker) would have been watching - as I watched him last time do the
same thing to Hisham Ashour.
"This
is a fantastic event - the organisers have done a great job - and it's a
great honour to be part of the England team."
Nick
Matthew,
who prevailed in the event's longest match when he beat the hosts' world
No2 Gregory Gaultier in a 138-minute semi-final marathon less
than 24 hours earlier, was unable to stop world No1 Ramy Ashour
(left)
from levelling the tie. Ashour extended his unbeaten run in the event
over the last six years when he beat Matthew 5-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9.
But
Willstrop was the underdogs' hero, taking out Darwish in 69 minutes of
tense squash to bring the world title back into England hands.
"It
doesn't get much bigger - does it?" said the 29-year-old Yorkshireman as
he tried to take in the achievement.
"We've
worked so hard for this - we've had unbelievable support from England
Squash back home," Willstrop continued. "Nick made an amazing
contribution last night.
"We
had so many disappointments along the way after last year - so it's nice
to get the trophy back.
"We've
got a great rivalry with the Egyptians and Ramy has had a lot of success
- so it's lovely when all the work pays off."
England national coach Chris Robertson was delighted with his
team's success: "It's good to win something you deserve to win - and I
think we deserved to win this title tonight.
"Our
goal is to win things - it was very disappointing to lose the final two
years ago in Paderborn and also the women's world final in Nimes last
year.
"And
it was good to see James exorcise his demons of Paderborn.
"I
hope this will inspire some of the younger players back home - we need
them to realise that they can also wins things.
"And
of course this win is important as we look forward to next year's
Commonwealth Games."
Earlier, to the ecstatic delight of the packed crowd at the Palais des
Sports, hosts France won the bronze medal play-off battle against
Australia - the third seeds beating the fourth-seeded former
champions 2/0.
Squad
number three Mathieu Castagnet survived a tense and close
encounter against Ryan Cuskelly, twice coming from behind to beat
the Aussie left-hander 8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6. Showing few signs
of the marathon encounter less than 24 hours earlier against England
number one Matthew - after which he was barely able to walk - Gregory
Gaultier (right) put in a composed performance to overcome world No13
Cameron Pilley 11-9, 11-4, 11-4.
Team
coach Renan Lavigne admitted that a team effort, involving the
team physio, his staff and all the players helped lift Gaultier after
his energy-sapping semi. "He said to me this morning 'I want to play',"
said Lavigne.
"Right
now I'm just relieved. It's been a long week - and a long night last
night, which was hard work.
"We
were aiming for a podium finish so any medal is great - though gold
would have been better!
"I
have no regrets about last night - I can't complain about losing such a
monster semi. Nick played an incredible game."
Sixth
seeds Germany beat South Africa 2/0 to win the play-off
for fifth place - recording their highest ever finish. "It was a
fantastic performance by my team," said German team manager Oliver
Pettke. "It's unbelievable to be fifth in the world - I am so proud
of my team.
"We
had a lot of German support here which was great - and I am sure our
success will give squash a big push back home.
"I
don't want to think about what we might achieve next time, that's two
years away - now we should just enjoy the moment!"
India
also celebrated their best finish since 1979, bettering their seeding by
beating Malaysia 2/0 in the play-off for seventh place. Mahesh
Mangaonkar beat Muhd Asyraf Azan 14-12, 11-4, 11-7 before
Indian number one Saurav Ghosal recovered from two games down to
defeat seasoned opponent Ong Beng Hee 6-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-7,
11-9.
"It
was a great effort today by Saurav and Mahesh, it's so tough playing on
the last day," said India coach Cyrus Poncha. "I'm pleased with
the results and confident that we will keep improving our rankings in
the years to come. Most of all, I'm happy finishing as the highest Asian
nation."
Ghosal
added: "It's been a tough week, but I think we all played well and are
pleased to finish today with a win. We were disappointed to lose
yesterday to Germany - who have finished fifth today - I was so close to
beating Simon (Rosner) in five.
"This
is the toughest tournament in the world as, especially in my position as
the number one, you play top players every day - it's relentless! But we
have a young team, so can look forward to doing even better next time."
But
arguably the most notable success was achieved by Scotland, the
16th seeds who won the play-off for 9th place after beating Pakistan
2/1.
"We
achieved this after only losing out only to the event's top two seeds
Egypt and England, who went on to contest the final," said Scottish
coach Roger Flynn. "I'm a very proud man at the moment."
Final
(all ties played in team order 3, 1, 2):
[2]
ENGLAND bt [1] EGYPT 2/1 Daryl Selby bt Tarek Momen 11-5, 11-3, 11-7 (54m) Nick Matthew lost to Ramy Ashour 11-5, 6-11, 9-11, 9-11
(65m) James Willstrop bt Karim Darwish 11-3, 11-13, 11-3, 11-4
(69m)
3rd
place play-off:
[3] FRANCE bt [4] AUSTRALIA 2/0 Mathieu Castagnet bt Ryan Cuskelly 8-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9,
11-6 (123m) Gregory Gaultier bt Cameron Pilley 11-9, 11-4, 11-4 (52m)
5th
place play-off:
[6] GERMANY bt [7] SOUTH AFRICA 2/0 Jens Schoor bt Clinton Leeuw 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-3 (60m) Simon Rosner bt Stephen Coppinger 6-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-2
(46m)
7th
place play-off:
[8] INDIA bt [5] MALAYSIA 2/0 Mahesh Mangaonkar bt Muhd Asyraf Azan 14-12, 11-4, 11-7
(49m) Saurav Ghosal bt Ong Beng Hee 6-11, 7-11, 12-10, 11-7,
11-9 (59m)
9th
place play-off:
[16] SCOTLAND bt [14] PAKISTAN 2/1 Douglas Kempsell lost to Farhan Mehboob 3-11, 4-11, 5-11
(26m) Alan Clyne bt Nasir Iqbal 11-5, 11-4, 11-7 (23m) Greg Lobban bt Farhan Zaman 11-2, 11-6, 11-9 (31m)
11th
place play-off:
[15] CANADA bt [11] USA 2/0 David Letourneau bt Gilly Lane 8-11, 11-4, 11-7, 9-11,
11-9 (66m) Shawn Delierre bt Christopher Gordon 12-10, 8-11, 11-6,
11-5 (75m)
13th
place play-off:
[10] HONG KONG CHINA bt [9] FINLAND 2/1 Cheuk Yan Tang bt Matias Tuomi 10-12, 11-9, 11-9, 11-8
(60m) Max Lee lost to Olli Tuominen 5-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-1, 7-11
(53m) Leo Au bt Henrik Mustonen 11-5, 11-2, 11-2
15th
place play-off:
[12] NEW ZEALAND bt [13] MEXICO 2/0 Paul Coll bt Eric Galvez 11-5, 12-10, 11-9 (44m) Martin Knight bt Arturo Salazar 11-5, 5-11, 13-11, 7-11,
11-1 (47m)
17th
place play-off:
[17/20] SWITZERLAND bt [17/20] NETHERLANDS 2/0 Jonas Daehler bt Bart Ravelli 11-7, 11-7, 11-9 (22m) Nicolas Mueller bt Laurens Jan Anjema 11-9, 9-11, 11-6,
3-11, 11-7 (64m)
19th
place play-off:
[17/20] KUWAIT bt [21/24] ARGENTINA 2/0 Yousif Nizar Saleh bt Juan Pablo Roude 13-11, 11-7, 11-7
(39m) Abdullah Al Muzayen bt Hernan D'Arcangelo 9-11, 12-10,
12-10, 14-12 (59m)
21st
place play-off:
[17/20] COLOMBIA bt [25/28] JAPAN 2/0 Andres Vargas bt Ryosei Kobayashi 11-7, 11-3, 11-4 (42m) Miguel Angel Rodriguez bt Shinnosuke Tsukue 11-2, 11-9,
11-5 (27m)
23rd
place play-off:
[21/24] IRELAND bt [21/24] BOTSWANA 2/1 Steve Richardson bt Koketso Ntshebe 11-2, 11-8, 12-10
(31m) Arthur Gaskin lost to Alister Walker 6-11, 4-11, 4-11
(25m) Brian O'Brion bt Lekgotla Mosope 11-9, 11-9, 11-8 (30m)
25th
place play-off:
[25/28] CZECH REPUBLIC bt [29/31] KENYA 2/0 Ondrej Uherka bt Rajdeep Bains 11-6, 11-4, 11-7 (29m) Ondrej Ertl bt Kenneth Mwangi 11-9, 11-7, 12-10 (39m)
27th
place play-off:
[25/28] POLAND bt [29/31] RUSSIA 3/0 Lukasz Stachowski bt Sergei Beljaev 11-0, 11-6, 11-4 (17m) Wojtek Nowisz bt Valery Litvinko 11-8, 11-7, 12-14, 11-4
(42m) Przemyslaw Atras bt Dmitri Grishanin 11-4, 11-2 (11m)
29th
place play-off:
[21/24] AUSTRIA bt [25/28] VENEZUELA 2/0 Marcus Greslehner bt Miguel Vallennilla 11-6, 11-4, 11-8
(21m) Aqeel Rehman bt Gabriel Teran 11-0, 11-1, 11-5 (16m)
Top
seeds Egypt and England will contest Saturday's WSF
Men's World Team Squash Championship final in France for the
second time in a row after surviving dramatic semi-finals before a
packed and exuberant crowd at the Palais Des Sports in
Mulhouse.
After
defending champions Egypt recovered from a match down to beat former
champions Australia 2/1 in the first semi, second seeds England
overcame hosts France in a tense contest which ended almost two
hours after midnight.
31
nations are competing in the 24th edition of the championship which is
being staged in France for the first time in its 46-year history - at
two venues, the Espace Squash 3000 Centre and the Palais Des
Sports where, for the first time, play is taking place
simultaneously on three ASB all-glass showcourts spectacularly lined up
side-by-side.
The
session began with favourites Egypt facing Australia, the fourth seeds.
Underdogs Australia took the lead after close-fought battle in which
Australian number one Cameron Pilley, ranked 13 in the world,
recorded his career-first victory over world No5 Karim Darwish,
winning 12-10, 14-16, 12-10, 11-9 in 74 minutes.
But
Omar Mosaad, a world championship debutant, struck back for the
defending champions, beating Australia's comeback hero David Palmer
11-13, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 in 80 minutes.
Egypt
maintained the momentum when Tarek Momen, (right) a last-minute addition
to the team squad and also a championship first-timer, fought back from
a game down to beat Ryan Cuskelly 3-11, 11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5 in
67 minutes.
After
his opening win, Pilley said: "There are only three Egyptians I hadn't
beaten - Ramy, Shabana and Darwish - so now it's two. I've got close a
couple of times before - but I'm now much more confident with my fitness
and stamina.
"I'm
playing really well - probably in the best form of my career. I've been
working on things recently - mainly on my strengths rather than my
weaknesses. That was probably one of the best wins of my career.
"In
general when you wear an Aussie jersey, it helps you punch above your
weight. When you're out there you're doing it for Australia.
"Being
number one above David is a bit weird. Throughout my career I have
always looked up to him. Having David's presence lifts the team - it's
such an honour having him around."
Mosaad, who revealed that he had been ill earlier in the week and unable
to eat anything for a whole day, said after his win over Palmer: "It was
a big match - everybody knows that David was world number one and a
two-time world champion. It was hard today. I lost to him 3/0 last time
we played - in fact I have never beaten him or taken a game off him
before.
"When
Karim lost the first match I tried to say to myself that the match
starts now, not from 1/0 down. The first was a hard game and I made too
many mistakes. Winning the second game was very important for me and for
Egypt, because it brought Egypt back into the match."
A
downcast Palmer said: "I gave it my best - I was disappointed not to be
able to close it out after Cam's great performance. But all credit to
Omar, he hardly made any mistakes the whole match."
Momen
was overwhelmed to have led Egypt into their sixth world team final
since 1999: "It must be the most important match I've ever played - but
I'm still not able to grasp the fact that I'm in the world team
championship!
"I was
nervous watching Karim's match, but when I went on court for mine I
didn't feel that nervous - and I think I suffered as a result.
"In
the break after the fourth game, my coach told me to step it up a notch
and reduce the errors.
"Being
in the final is an amazing feeling - I just hope we can win the trophy
for the third time."
Egyptian coach Mohamed Medhat Morsi added: "I was pessimistic
when Karim went down as we know what a great player Palmer is. But once
we had the decider, I was sure that Tarek would win."
Passion and squash excellence were of the highest order in the opening
match of the second semi when local hero Gregory Gaultier, (left) the
world No2, faced English rival Nick Matthew,(left) ranked two places
lower (both pictured below). This was the pair's 35th encounter since
meeting in the world junior championships 15 years ago - and the
Frenchman was 5/2 ahead in meetings so far this year.
It was
a titanic battle between two giants of the game - both used to playing
each other on the PSA World Tour, but this time proudly representing
their countries. With a capacity crowd cheering each French point won,
Gaultier took the opening game.
But as
the match progressed, with the pair exchanging games to take the match
into a decider, both players suffered with cramp - Gaultier seemingly
barely able to walk at 9-6 up in the fifth. Matthew maintained his
composure, however - fighting not only the opponent but the vociferous
crowd - and closed out the marathon encounter 5-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5,
12-10 after two hours and 18 minutes!
"I've
certainly never played a match before when both players have suffered
severe cramp," said the England number one. "At one point, I felt as if
I'd been hit by the bullet of a sniper but, though the crowd were
totally against me, I assume that it didn't actually happen! Afterwards
I maybe got lucky when he was affected by it more.
"But
just look at the passion when playing for your country!
"I
expected the crowd to be against me of course - it was the loudest crowd
I've ever played before.
"I'm
so delighted for my team as the last couple of times I haven't done it
for the team. The last few points were tough as I had to get the balance
between adrenaline and being calm."
After
the passion of the French crowd subsided temporarily, it was time for
veteran Frenchman Thierry Lincou,(right) the 37-year-old former world
champion, and world No3 James Willstrop (right)to take to the court. The
had met 20 times before, with the head-to-head record finely poised at
10 wins apiece - the most recent being in Lincou's favour in the
European Team Championships.
Willstrop opened up a two-game lead but Lincou refused to give up -
winning the third and forging a 7-4 lead in the fourth. Both visibly
tired as the end of the match approached - but the Yorkshireman clawed
back the deficit and, on his third match-ball, finally put England into
the final with an 11-3, 11-8, 7-11, 13-11 victory.
"The
French pushed us all the way," said an emotional Willstrop to the event
MC afterwards. Referring to the opening match, the 29-year-old told the
crowd: "It was one of the finest matches you'll ever see, for
athleticism and skilfulness - it was a match which this fantastic venue
deserved, and the crowd deserved. It was a fantastic encounter."
As the
clock approached 2am, Willstrop was asked how the late hour affected
him: "Squash players are used to schedules over-running so we know what
to expect.
"It's
such a big win, to beat the French - but tomorrow's another day and we
need to prepare ourselves for the final."
Germany survived two of the longest matches of the tournament to beat
India 2/0 and earn a place in play-off for sixth place - guaranteeing
the highest finish the team has ever recorded. World No12 Simon
Rosner followed up his straight games defeat to Australian
Cameron Pilley 24 hours earlier by twice coming from behind to beat
India's number one Saurav Ghosal 3-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8, 11-7 in
91 minutes before left-hander Raphael Kandra stemmed a fight back
by Harinder Pal Sandhu to beat the Indian number two 11-9, 14-12,
5-11, 3-11, 12-10 in 84 minutes.
"It's
unbelievable - we were bronze medallists for the second time in the
recent European Championships and now, six weeks later, we are in the
top six of the world," said German team manager Oliver Pettke.
"Simon was really down after his match against Australia yesterday and
we all tried to lift him - so we were really pleased with his
performance today. That was a very important win for him.
"This
is good for German squash. This generation of players is one of the best
we have ever had - Simon has pushed everyone and we now have other
players doing well on the world tour."
History was made at the Espace club where Colombia beat event newcomers
Botswana in a play-off for the 21st - 24th places. 14-year-old Theo
Pelonomi became the youngest player ever to compete in the
championships when he represented Botswana in the tie, losing 11-3, 11-6
to Colombian Andres Vargas in the dead rubber.
"I am
happy being here - I can learn lots of things," said schoolboy Pelonomi.
"I wasn't nervous about my match because I knew that the guy was better
than me so I just tried to enjoy it."
Botswana number one Alister Walker, the recently-crowned
All-Africa champion who is ranked 15 in the world, added: "It's all been
such an experience for him, I don't think he probably realises what an
honour it is to put himself and his country into the records books.
"Coming here gave us the chance to make an amazing statement. He was a
tennis player and switched to squash - so when he goes home and meets up
with his friends they are bound to be envious of what he has done.
"And
now the team is playing for 23rd place in the world championship in its
first year - it's an achievement of which we are very proud," concluded
Walker.
Semi-finals(all ties played in team order 1, 2, 3):
[1]
EGYPT bt [4] AUSTRALIA 2/1 Karim Darwish lost to Cameron Pilley 10-12, 16-14, 10-12,
9-11 (74m) Omar Mosaad bt David Palmer 11-13, 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (80m) Tarek Momen bt Ryan Cuskelly 3-11, 11-6, 11-5, 7-11, 11-5
(67m)
[2]
ENGLAND bt [3] FRANCE 2/0 Nick Matthew bt Gregory Gaultier 5-11, 11-9, 9-11, 11-5,
12-10 (138m) James Willstrop bt Thierry Lincou 11-3, 11-8, 7-11, 13-11
5th -
8th place play-offs:
[6] GERMANY bt [8] INDIA 2/0 Simon Rosner bt Saurav Ghosal 3-11, 11-8, 10-12, 11-8,
11-7 (91m) Raphael Kandra bt Harinder Pal Sandhu 11-9, 14-12, 5-11,
3-11, 12-10 (84m)
[7]
SOUTH AFRICA bt [5] MALAYSIA 2/1 Stephen Coppinger bt Ong Beng Hee 6-11, 11-5, 11-9, 11-5
(55m) Shaun le Roux lost to Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan 3-11, 11-7,
11-6, 5-11, 3-11 (63m) Clinton Leeuw bt Muhd Asyraf Azan 12-10, 11-3, 8-11,
10-12, 11-9 (85m)
[16]
SCOTLAND bt [11] USA 2/1 Alan Clyne bt Christopher Gordon 12-10, 9-11, 11-2, 8-11,
11-7 (78m) Greg Lobban lost to Gilly Lane 3-11, 3-11, 11-4, 8-11
(43m) Douglas Kempsell bt Dylan Murray 13-11, 11-7, 11-8 (46m)
13th -
16th place play-offs:
[10] HONG KONG CHINA bt [12] NEW ZEALAND 2/0 Max Lee bt Martin Knight 7-11, 11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7
(88m) Leo Au bt Evan Williams 12-10, 2-11, 11-8, 11-3 (32m)
[9]
FINLAND bt [13] MEXICO 2/1 Olli Tuominen bt Arturo Salazar 7-11, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9,
11-6 (37m) Henrik Mustonen bt Cesar Salazar 6-11, 11-2, 11-8, 8-11,
11-7 (47m) Matias Tuomi lost to Eric Galvez 7-11, 8-11 (20m)
17th -
20th place play-offs:
[17/20] SWITZERLAND bt [17/20] KUWAIT 2/1 Nicolas Mueller bt Abdullah Al Muzayen 11-2, 7-11, 11-7,
9-11, 11-8 (56m) Reiko Peter bt Ammar Altamimi 7-11, 11-3, 11-8, 11-9 (47m) Jonas Daehler lost to Yousif Nizar Saleh 9-11, 4-11 (18m)
[17/20] NETHERLANDS bt [21/24] ARGENTINA 2/1 Laurens Jan Anjema bt Hernan D'Arcangelo 11-1, 11-5, 11-6
(32m) Sebastiaan Weenink lost to Robertino Pezzota 8-11, 11-4,
9-11, 8-11 (62m) Bart Ravelli bt Leandro Romiglio 7-11, 11-8, 11-5, 11-9
21st -
24th place play-offs:
[25/28] JAPAN bt [21/24] IRELAND 2/1 Shinnosuke Tsukue lost to Arthur Gaskin 8-11, 10-12, 4-11
(51m) Yuta Fukui bt Brian O'Brion 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 (34m) Ryosei Kobayashi bt Steve Richardson 10-12, 11-5, 11-8,
8-11, 11-6 (61m)
Top
Four Nations Reach World Semis For Fourth Time In a Row
Egypt,
England, Australia
and hosts France will contest the semi-finals of the WSF Men's
World Team Squash Championship for the fourth time in a row after
surging through today's quarter-finals of the biennial event being
staged in France for the first time in its 46-year history.
31
nations are competing in the 24th edition of the championship at two
venues in Mulhouse - the Espace Squash 3000 Centre and the
Palais Des Sports where, for the first time, play is taking place
simultaneously on three ASB all-glass showcourts spectacularly lined up
side-by-side.
Favourites Egypt, looking to become the first nation since 1987
to win the title three times in a row, brushed aside eighth seeds India
2/0.
Karim
Darwish,
the world No5 making his seventh successive appearance in the
championship, defeated Harinder Pal Sandhu 11-7, 11-4, 11-2 -
then world number one Ramy Ashour (left) recovered from game-ball down
in the fourth to beat top-ranked Indian Saurav Ghosal (both
pictured below) 11-7, 11-9, 4-11, 13-11 in just over an hour.
"It's
my seventh time in a row in these championships and I am pleased to win
today to put Egypt into a strong position in this tie," said 31-year-old
Darwish. "There are a lot of problems back in Egypt - if we win it's the
least we can do for our country to make the people happy. It would be
great for our people. "To be
the captain of Egypt in the most successful era for squash in our
country makes me very proud. It is one of my dreams to hold the trophy
for the third time." After
clinching victory for Egypt on the centre court in the hot Palais Des
Sports, Ashour said: "The conditions out there were incredibly tough -
it was exhausting physically and mentally. It felt like my 758th match
of the year! It took me a long time to warm up. "I
really wanted to play Saurav today - I knew it would be a good game. I
definitely lost a lot of calories.
"Everybody in the team is playing really well - we came here to win. The
people back home are rooting for us big time - and we want to win it for
them." When
asked about the sport's Olympic ambitions, Ashour added: "We are doing
so much work to show the IOC how good our sport is - glass courts, great
venues, etc. 90% of the tournaments on the calendar are wonderful. Every
squash player should be proud of what they are producing. I just hope
the IOC will give us a chance." After
coming so close to taking the world's top player the full distance,
Ghosal said: "Ramy is so unbelievably good - and at the same time so
random. That's what makes him so special. "I was
about 8-4 up in the second and should have won it. But the trouble with
Ramy is that he can reel off points so quickly - and that's what he did."I
played really well in the third and he dropped off a bit towards the
end. In the fourth Ramy had match balls at 10-8 - then I had a game ball
at 11-10. But he played a great shot to win the match. "But
I'm very happy with my performance - even though disappointed not to
take the second," added the UK-based world No20. "I'm not saying I could
have won it - but I would like to have taken it to a fifth. "It's
like playing a world championship home from home as Mulhouse is the team
I play for in the French league - so it's always good to be back here.
But it's the first big tournament I've played in France - it would be
good to have a PSA tournament here. I love France." Egypt,
winners of the title three times since 1999, will now face eight-time
champions Australia. The fourth seeds beat Germany, the
No6 seeds, 2/0. In fourth successive victory this week after coming out
of retirement, former world champion David Palmer (Right) beat rising
German star Raphael Kandra 11-9, 11-4, 13-11 - before squad
number one Cameron Pilley held off a spirited challenge by
Simon Rosner to upset the higher-ranked German 11-3, 14-12, 11-5. A
rejuvenated Palmer said after his win: "I felt good in the first two
games but, all credit to him, he came back - he just didn't give up.
He's a flashy kind of player - some incredible shots but also some
errors. "I
haven't been in second gear yet," added the 36-year-old. "And I didn't
want to use it today. But it's going to be tough tomorrow." A
delighted Australia team manager Byron Davis added: "We've played
extremely well this week - I'm really happy with the way the team has
come together. We've been improving every day and look forward to
playing Egypt tomorrow." Hosts
France, the third seeds, will meet their stiffest challenge of
the tournament so far when they take on former champions England
in the other semi-final. Second seeds England faced tournament dark
horses South Africa, and beat the No7 seeds 3/0.World
No3 James Willstrop put the team in the driving seat after
defeating South African number two Shaun le Roux 11-7, 11-6,
11-8. Fellow Yorkshireman Nick Matthew
(Left) then stepped up to take
out Stephen Coppinger, South Africa's highest-ranked player for
more than two decades, 11-4, 11-4, 11-7. In the best-of-three dead
rubber, Daryl Selby beat veteran Rodney Durbach 11-7,
11-6. "South
Africa weren't just here to make up the numbers - they are capable of
playing above their ranking and we treated them with respect they
deserved," said Matthew, the world No4. "Especially Steve - he's
improved a lot recently. "It
was really important for me to win today as I've had a couple of rest
days - in preparation probably to play the best two players in the world
- and I didn't want to let the team down after what they've done to get
us here. "It's
set us up nicely for the semis - where we expect to play France in front
of a partisan crowd, which will be brutal! We're all experienced players
- James and I both have around a hundred caps each for England - so we
play the opponent, not the atmosphere. We've both won a couple of world
teams - even though a long time ago now! "I've
only really lost two matches in six championships since 2003 - and I'm
proud of that record. "It's
a brilliantly-run tournament - and we want to win it." France
rounded off the evening by conquering Malaysia 3/0. Thierry
Lincou (Right) led the way by beating Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan 11-6,
8-11, 11-7, 11-7 before local hero Gregory Gaultier defeated
Malaysian number one Ong Beng Hee 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 to take France
into the semis. The
packed crowd wanted more - and watched third string Gregoire Marche
beat Sanjay Singh 11-3, 11-3 in the best-of-three dead rubber.
Gaultier, the world's second highest-ranked player, was delighted to be
involved with this historic championship: "It's great to play in front
of a home crowd. We don't have many events in France - and when you see
the quality of this event you are very happy. I am very proud that my
country has staged an event like this - I know the Federation has been
working on it for more than a year, and they are really looking after
the players. "I
don't feel any pressure - it's a pleasure to be playing for my country.
I have been playing for so many years that I feel I am experienced and
mature enough to deal with the pressure. "Being
in the semis is good for the team - we are seeded three so we have done
what we were expected to do. Everything is now a bonus - and we are
going to try and grab a win." In the
play-offs for 9th-16th places, former champions Pakistan upset
New Zealand 2/1 to ensure a significantly improved finish after last
year's shock 21st place. "We
are here to restore pride in squash in Pakistan squash after our lowest
ever finish last time," said Pakistan coach Jamshed Gul. "I am
proud of my young team for this win today and now we can look forward to
playing for a place in the top 12.
Quarter-finals(all ties played in team order 2, 1, 3)
[4]
AUSTRALIA bt [6] GERMANY 2/0 David Palmer bt Raphael Kandra 11-9, 11-4, 13-11 (45m) Cameron Pilley bt Simon Rosner 11-3, 14-12, 11-5 (51m)
[3]
FRANCE bt [5] MALAYSIA 3/0 Thierry Lincou bt Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan 11-6, 8-11, 11-7,
11-7 (52m) Gregory Gaultier bt Ong Beng Hee 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (42m) Gregoire Marche bt Sanjay Singh 11-3, 11-3 (16m)
[2]
ENGLAND bt [7] SOUTH AFRICA 3/0 James Willstrop bt Shaun le Roux 11-7, 11-6, 11-8 (38m) Nick Matthew bt Stephen Coppinger 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 (33m) Daryl Selby bt Rodney Durbach 11-7, 11-6
9th -
16th place play-offs:
[15]
CANADA bt [10] HONG KONG CHINA 2/1 Dane Sharp lost to Leo Au 11-4, 4-11, 6-11, 10-12 (60m) Shawn Delierre bt Max Lee 11-5, 12-10, 11-5 (52m) David Letourneau bt Cheuk Yan Tang 11-1, 11-5, 11-5 (32m)
[14]
PAKISTAN bt [12] NEW ZEALAND 2/1 Farhan Zaman bt Evan Williams 13-11, 11-6, 11-4 (29m) Nasir Iqbal lost to Martin Knight 4-11, 13-15, 10-12 (53m) Farhan Mehboob bt Paul Coll 11-5, 11-7, 11-4 (31m)
[11]
USA bt [13] MEXICO 2/0 Gilly Lane bt Cesar Salazar 11-7, 12-10, 4-11, 11-3 (46m) Christopher Gordon bt Arturo Salazar 11-6, 11-4, 11-9
(33m)
[16]
SCOTLAND bt [9] FINLAND 2/1 Greg Lobban lost to Henrik Mustonen 13-11, 7-11, 11-3,
9-11, 9-11 (61m) Alan Clyne bt Olli Tuominen 11-7, 11-5, 12-14, 10-12, 11-9
(60m) Douglas Kempsell bt Matias Tuomi 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-5
(45m)
17th -
24th place play-offs:
[17/20] KUWAIT bt [25/28] JAPAN 3/0 Ammar Altamimi bt Yuta Fukui 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (30m) Abdullah Al Muzayen bt Shinnosuke Tsukue 11-8, 11-9, 11-8
(30m) Yousif Nizar Saleh bt Ryosei Kobayashi 11-6, 11-9 (18m)
[17/20] SWITZERLAND bt [21/24] IRELAND 2/1 Reiko Peter bt Brian O'Brion 11-9, 11-9, 11-8 (47m) Nicolas Mueller bt Arthur Gaskin 12-10, 11-3, 15-13 (39m) Patrick Miescher lost to Steve Richardson 11-8, 6-11, 8-11
(33m)
[17/20] NETHERLANDS bt [21/24] BOTSWANA 2/0 Sebastiaan Weenink bt Lekgotla Mosope 11-7, 11-7, 11-8
(31m) Laurens Jan Anjema bt Alister Walker 9-11, 11-6, 11-4,
11-5 (50m)
[21/24] ARGENTINA bt [17/20] COLOMBIA 2/1 Robertino Pezzota bt Erick Herrera 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (42m) Hernan D'Arcangelo lost to Miguel Angel Rodriguez 10-12,
9-11, 11-7, 12-14 (54m) Leandro Romiglio bt Bernardo Samper 11-0, 11-6, 11-2 (29m)
25th -
31st place play-offs:
[29/31] RUSSIA bye
[29/31] KENYA bt [25/28] VENEZUELA 2/0 Hartaj Bains bt Miguel Mendez 11-6, 11-6, 11-1 (20m) Kenneth Mwangi bt Gabriel Teran 11-6, 11-1, 11-7 (22m)
[25/28] POLAND bt [29/31] NAMIBIA 2/1 Marcin Karwowski bt Norbert Dorgeloh 11-4, 11-8, 11-13,
11-9 (36m) Wojtek Nowisz lost to Marco Becker 11-13, 13-15, 8-11
(46m) Przemyslaw Atras bt Andrew Forrest 11-8, 12-10, 8-11, 11-8
(58m)
[25/28] CZECH REPUBLIC bt [21/24] AUSTRIA 2/1 Petr Martin bt Jakob Dirnberger 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 Ondrej Ertl lost to Aqeel Rehman 11-9, 9-11, 3-11, 6-11
(53m) Daniel Mekbib bt Andreas Freudensprung 11-6, 11-0, 11-3
(22m)
South
Africa & Germany Storm Back Into World Top Eight
South
Africa
and Germany Day 4reclaimed their status as world top eight nations
after storming through today's last 16 round of the WSF Men's World
Team Squash Championship in France.
31
nations are competing in the 24th edition of the biennial event which is
being held in France for the first time. Action is taking place at two
venues in Mulhouse - the Espace Squash 3000 Centre and the
Palais Des Sports where, for the first time, play is taking place
simultaneously on three ASB all-glass showcourts spectacularly lined up
side-by-side.
Seventh seeds South Africa, who finished in an all-time low 13th
position in the previous championship in 2011, despatched Finland,
the ninth seeds and one-time bronze medallists, 2/0. Stephen
Coppinger, the Cape Town-based 28-year-old who boasts a career-high
world No16 ranking, beat seasoned Olli Tuominen (both pictured in
action below), a veteran of eight world championship campaigns, 11-5,
11-7, 11-9 before third string Clinton Leeuw defeated Matias
Tuomi 11-4, 15-13, 11-9.
"It
means so much for us to get into the top eight," said South Africa coach
Richard Castle. "It's really difficult when you're out of the
main group and just fighting for those lower play-off places.
"But
we had to beat those Finnish guys - they don't just give you the games.
"Steve
is our captain and gave us a great start - he won 3/0, but it was a very
tough match. Steve reaching an all-time ranking high is great for us -
in fact, what he has done is quite phenomenal and I don't think South
Africa have quite realised what he's achieved. Shaun (le Roux) is
playing superb squash and is also at a career-high."
South
Africa will now face former champions England for a place in the
last four. The second seeds, led by world No3 James Willstrop,
knocked out British rivals Scotland 3/0.
"Steve
can handle anyone in the top 20," added Castle. "We're looking forward
to playing England as the pressure will be on them."
Buoyed
by local support in the 2011 event in Paderborn, Germany emphatically
exceeded their 16th seeding by finishing in ninth place - then moved up
to eighth when a top six nation was disqualified.
Two
years on, the focussed sixth seeds today defeated New Zealand
2/1. World No12 Simon Rosner led the assault, beating Campbell
Grayson 13-11, 2-0 (ret.) - and team-mate Jens Schoor
clinched victory by outplaying 23-year-old Kiwi Evan Williams
11-5, 11-5, 11-5. New Zealand gained some consolation when Martin
Knight beat Raphael Kandra in the best-of-three dead rubber.
New
Zealand played the tie in uncharacteristic white kit, forced to forgo
the traditional 'All Black' Kiwi attire in favour of the higher-seeded
Germans - who also play in black!
"It's
unbelievable," said German manager Oliver Pettke of his team's
success. "I cannot find words to express my feelings.
"Last
year we finished in ninth position, but were later raised to eighth when
one team was disqualified - but this time we have reached the
quarter-finals by right. It was very impressive for me to see the team
get to the quarters like this - I am really happy. In fact, I think it
is one of the best results we have ever had.
"Having the last championship in Paderborn was very special for us -
none of us will ever forget it - but now we have to just focus on our
playing.
"Tomorrow we expect to meet Australia and we are really looking forward
to it."
Their
opponents will indeed be fourth seeds Australia, 3/0 victors over
Pakistan. It was the most glamorous tie of the day - between the
two greatest world team championship nations of all, who hold 14 titles
between them and have contested three finals.
Cameron Pilley
led the way in an hour-long tussle, beating the Pakistani number one
Nasir Iqbal 11-5, 11-3, 5-11, 11-6. Ryan Cuskelly put matters
beyond Pakistan's reach by crushing left-hander Farhan Mehboob
11-9, 11-3, 11-6, before David Palmer added another significant
victory to his post-retirement tally when he overcame Farhan Zaman
11-9, 11-7.
"We
have a lot of respect for Pakistan and there is a lot of history between
our two countries," said Australian coach Rodney Eyles. "But when
it comes down to it we're just here to win the tournament and today's
win takes us nearer that goal.
"But
we had to be very alert for Pakistan today," added the former world No2.
"Ryan played a hell of game - the lad he played is very skilful, but he
neutralised him well.
"I
couldn't be happier with the way the guys have prepared for these
championships."
Favourites Egypt, bidding to become the first nation since 1987
to win the title three times in a row, eased to a 2/0 win over 15th
seeds Canada. Ramy Ashour, the world No1 undefeated on the
PSA World Tour for 41 matches over more than a year, beat Dane Sharp
11-6, 11-9, 11-8 before Tarek Momen sealed victory with an 11-6,
11-8, 11-8 defeat of David Letourneau.
Egyptian coach Mohamed Medhat Morsi said later: "All these wins
are important to us - even when the challenges are not high - because it
gives us confidence.
"Every
day is important to us - we have had four days and we have three to go.
Every day we all get together and set a plan which we are all involved
with - it makes no difference that we have a world number one and number
five in our squad."
Egypt
will take on India, the No8 seeds.
"The
boys are ready for the battle," continued world No38 Morsi. "We have
tough opponents in the next round. India are one of the countries coming
up in squash.
"It's
my first time coaching the men's team - I first coached the women in
2010 when we won the world title for the first time, and have been
involved with the juniors since then. But, when I was a player, I played
with all the players in this team on the Tour."
India
beat Asian rivals Hong Kong 2/1. "We were very confident going
into this match," said Indian national coach Cyrus Poncha. "Being
our Asian counterparts, we know their standards well.
"Our
first goal was to get into the top eight. We've got a tough one in Egypt
tomorrow."
Malaysia
will provide further Asian interest in the quarter-finals after beating
USA 2/0. Ong Beng Hee, the 33-year-old Malaysian number
one celebrating his tenth successive appearance in the championships,
put his team ahead with a 7-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-8 defeat of US champion
Christopher Gordon.
Muhd
Asyraf Azan
was too strong for US debutant Dylan Murray in the following
match, but had to fight back from a game down to overcome the
18-year-old from New York 8-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-8.
"Chris
and I played in the pools last time and I beat him then so I felt
confident," said Beng Hee later. "We finished fifth last year, but this
year we don't have Azlan (Iskandar) so it will be difficult to achieve
the same this time. We expect to meet France next, but it will be hard
to beat them."
On
playing his 10th successive worlds, Beng Hee added: "It's a little bit
depressing truthfully as people keep mentioning it! It gets harder all
the time, especially with all these young players coming through!
"But
the more I play in this event, the more special it becomes - and I am
very proud to still be able to play number one for my country.
"If my
body holds out, I hope to continue playing for some time - and
especially in next year's Commonwealth Games and Asian Games,
both of which are very important for Malaysia.
"My
main remaining goal is to win an individual medal at the Commonwealth
Games - a bronze would be fine! Next year is going to be huge."
The
day's play finished with a packed and partisan crowd cheering hosts
France through to a 3/0 win over Mexico, the 13th seeds.
It
took just ten minutes to open up the lead when Mexican number one
Arturo Salazar was forced to concede the match after just one game
to national hero Gregory Gaultier, the world number two from
Aix-en-Provence, due to illness. Third string Gregoire Marche
sealed France's win with an 11-3, 11-3, 11-5 victory over Eric Galvez
- and, in the best-of-three dead rubber, the crowd were treated to
another home win as Mathieu Castagnet beat Arturo's twin brother
Cesar Salazar 11-8, 11-6.
Last 16 round
(all ties played in team order 1, 3, 2):
[8]
INDIA bt [10] HONG KONG CHINA 2/1 Saurav Ghosal bt Max Lee 11-3, 11-8, 7-11, 11-6 (61m) Ramit Tandon bt Yip Tsz Fung 11-9, 11-5, 11-9 (38m) Harinder Pal Sandhu lost to Leo Au 9-11, 11-7, 4-11
[4]
AUSTRALIA bt [14] PAKISTAN 3/0 Cameron Pilley bt Nasir Iqbal 11-5, 11-3, 5-11, 11-6 (60m) Ryan Cuskelly bt Farhan Mehboob 11-9, 11-3, 11-6 (38m) David Palmer bt Farhan Zaman 11-9, 11-7 (23m)
[6]
GERMANY bt [12] NEW ZEALAND 2/1 Simon Rosner bt Campbell Grayson 13-11, 2-0 ret. (30m) Jens Schoor bt Evan Williams 11-5, 11-5, 11-5 (40m) Raphael Kandra lost to Martin Knight 11-2, 9-11, 9-11
(39m)
[5]
MALAYSIA bt [11] USA 2/0 Ong Beng Hee bt Christopher Gordon 7-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-8
(67m) Muhd Asyraf Azan bt Dylan Murray 8-11, 12-10, 11-2, 11-8
(38m)
[7]
SOUTH AFRICA bt [9] FINLAND 2/0 Stephen Coppinger bt Olli Tuominen 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 (43m) Clinton Leeuw bt Matias Tuomi 11-4, 15-13, 11-9 (38m)
[2]
ENGLAND bt [16] SCOTLAND 3/0 James Willstrop bt Alan Clyne 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 (27m) Adrian Grant bt Chris Small 11-3, 11-7, 11-3 (33m) Daryl Selby bt Greg Lobban 11-3, 11-5 (23m)
17th -
31st place play-offs:
[17/20] KUWAIT bye
[25/28] JAPAN bt [29/31] RUSSIA 3/0 Yuta Fukui bt Valery Litvinko 11-4, 11-2, 11-6 (22m) Tomotaka Endo bt Sergei Beljaev 11-4, 11-1, 11-5 (21m) Ryosei Kobayashi bt Dmitri Grishanin 11-7, 11-2 (16m)
[17/20] SWITZERLAND bt [25/28] VENEZUELA 3/0 Nicolas Mueller bt Miguel Mendez 11-3, 11-7, 11-9 (22m) Patrick Miescher bt Ricardo Teran 11-0, 11-3, 11-2 (17m) Reiko Peter bt Miguel Vallennilla 11-1, 11-2 (10m)
[21/24] IRELAND bt [29/31] KENYA 3/0 Arthur Gaskin bt Kenneth Mwangi 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 (31m) Steve Richardson bt Rajdeep Bains 11-3, 11-5, 11-8 (24m) Brian O'Brion bt Hartaj Bains 11-7 ret.
[21/24] BOTSWANA bt [29/31] NAMIBIA 2/1 Alister Walker bt Marco Becker 11-6, 11-7, 11-1 (23m) Koketso Ntshebe bt Andrew Forrest 13-15, 11-6, 11-5, 11-6
(53m) Lekgotla Mosope lost to Norbert Dorgeloh 9-11, 13-15 (19m)
[17/20] NETHERLANDS bt [25/28] POLAND 3/0 Laurens Jan Anjema bt Marcin Karwowski 11-3, 11-7, 11-5
(25m) Marc ter Sluis bt Lukasz Stachowski 12-10, 7-11, 11-8,
11-9 (50m) Bart Ravelli bt Przemyslaw Atras 11-4, 11-3 (20m)
[21/24] ARGENTINA bt [21/24] AUSTRIA 2/1 Hernan D'Arcangelo lost to Aqeel Rehman 9-11, 6-11, 6-11
(38m) Leandro Romiglio bt Marcus Greslehner 11-8, 11-7, 11-5
(24m) Robertino Pezzota bt Jakob Dirnberger 8-11, 11-1, 11-8,
11-2 (47m)
[17/20] COLOMBIA bt [25/28] CZECH REPUBLIC 2/0 Miguel Angel Rodriguez bt Ondrej Ertl 11-6, 11-3, 11-4
(28m) Andres Vargas bt Ondrej Uherka 11-9, 11-7, 11-8
Click on Images For
Larger View
Day 3
Canada
Crown Colombia In Crucial World Championship Clash
A
crucial match in today's final qualifying rounds of the WSF Men's
World Team Squash Championship in France - the outcome of
which would either have put one nation into the world top 16 for the
first time ever or another out of the elite group for the first time in
21 appearances - saw Canada edge past Colombia 2/1 to
maintain top 16 status since 1971.
31
nations are competing in the 24th edition of the biennial event which is
being held in France for the first time. Action is taking place at two
venues in Mulhouse - the Espace Squash 3000 Centre and the
Palais Des Sports where, for the first time, play is taking place
simultaneously on three ASB all-glass showcourts spectacularly lined up
side-by-side.
The
glass-court clash for second place in Pool B, behind former champions
England, got underway when squad number three Andrew Schnell
put 15th seed Canada ahead with an 11-4, 5-11, 11-9, 11-4 victory over
Andres Vargas.
Colombia's new world No19 Miguel Angel Rodriguez - now the second
highest-ranked South American of all-time - took on Shawn Delierre
(both pictured in action below) and beat the experienced Canadian in
straight games to level the tie.
The
decider saw 28-year-old Dane Sharp, the world No82 from Toronto,
take on Bernardo Samper, a 31-year-old New York-based Colombian
who played his last international match over three years ago and is
making his first world championship appearance.
The
former world No57 had game balls in the first game, but it was Sharp who
ultimately prevailed 13-11, 11-3, 11-6 after 44 minutes to give Canada
the tie win.
"Big
match? 'Big' is not the word!" said Canadian team coach Yvon
Provencal. "That was a huge one for us and Dane did a great job to
beat Bernardo. Andrew played really well to put us ahead - but we always
knew that Miguel would be a tough opponent for Shawn, and the Colombian
played amazingly.
"Perhaps Miguel wanted to impress his coach David (Palmer) who was
watching from the side," joked Provencal.
"But
Dane played really well - he really wanted it!"
Now
settled in New York where he works in the textile industry and is the
proud father of recently-born child, Samper was disappointed with the
outcome: "I was just one step behind him for most of the game - he was
just more accurate today.
"There
was so much riding on the match - and I'm really disappointed that I
didn't take the first game from 10-8 up. I made a few silly mistakes. It
was a crucial game and one up would have given me a big advantage.
"I
wasn't far off in the next game but in the third I think I pulled
something in my leg and that probably got into my head."
Another significant tie took place at the end of the day when
Pakistan, the six-time champions who crashed out of the top 16 for
the first time last time, restored their position in the elite group
after seeing off Netherlands 2/1.
After
the first two matches were shared, squad number two Farhan Zaman
(right)
clinched victory for Pakistan when he beat Sebastiaan Weenink
11-7, 12-10, 10-12, 11-8.
"We
were expecting to finish second in the pool - all my players are playing
well," said Pakistan coach Jamshed Gul. "But my players are not
being able to play as many matches as others on the Tour - so this event
gives them a good chance to compete at a high level, which is why we are
here.
"They
have the ability, but they're not getting the matches.
"Dropping out of the top 16 last year was bad for us - which is why we
wanted to come back and improve our position this year to show the
people back home that squash is still a major sport for us."
A
crunch tie took place at the Espace Centre where USA recovered
from dropping the first match to beat Ireland 2/1.
London-based veteran Steve Richardson, 40, put underdogs Ireland
ahead after a 66-minute, five-game, win over US-newcomer Dylan Murray,
aged 18.
But
wins by US champion Christopher Gordon over Irish champion
Arthur Gaskin, and by former pro Gilly Lane over 43-year-old
Derek Ryan gave 11th seeds USA the win.
"In
only his second match in these championships, Dylan was very
impressive," said Paul Assaiante, the US team coach. "But
Richardson just showed his experience.
"It
was a wonderful lesson for Dylan - who said to me later 'How was it I
couldn't wear out a 40-year-old?'!"
"The
pace in the Gordon/Gaskin match was frenetic and Chris maintained that
pace throughout. He really has gone up another level in recent months,"
explained Assaiante.
"And
Gilly was just brilliant - it was a beautiful match between two players
who have come out of retirement.
"I'm
very happy overall and very pleased for the team - they showed a lot of
strength and courage. But what makes this trip so special is having
Dylan with us for the first time - he makes the group feel much
younger."
A 3/0
win over Kuwait puts Scotland back into the top 16 - with
impressive victories by Douglas Kempsell and Greg Lobban,
plus a straight games win by Alan Clyne over Abdullah Al
Muzayen in the battle between the number ones.
"Clyne
and Abdullah are probably each other's worst enemies as their styles are
so contrasting - Clynie's got such speed and the Kuwaiti has such great
racket skills," said Scottish coach Roger Flynn. "But, as they
say, speed kills!
"England had better watch out tomorrow. We had a terrific match with
England in the recent Europeans. Clynie made Nick (Matthew) work very
hard - and he'll be keen to do the same again."
3rd &
final qualifying round - Pool A (all ties played in team order 3, 1,
2):
[1] EGYPT bt [29/31] KENYA 3/0 Tarek Momen bt Joseph Ndungu 11-2, 11-5, 11-2 (19m) Karim Darwish bt Kenneth Mwangi 11-5, 11-5, 13-11 (29m) Omar Mosaad bt Hartaj Bains 11-5, 11-2, 11-1 (22m)
[16]
SCOTLAND bt [17/20] KUWAIT 3/0 Douglas Kempsell bt Yousif Nizar Saleh 8-11, 11-4, 11-4,
11-4 (54m) Alan Clyne bt Abdullah Al Muzayen 11-4, 11-5, 11-9 (31m) Greg Lobban bt Ammar Altamimi 9-11, 11-9, 11-5, 14-12
(50m)
Final
positions: 1 Egypt, 2 Scotland, 3 Kuwait, 4 Kenya
Pool
B:
[2] ENGLAND bt [29/31] NAMIBIA 3/0 Adrian Grant bt Andrew Forrest 11-1, 11-0, 11-4 Nick Matthew bt Marco Becker 11-3, 11-3, 11-1 Daryl Selby bt Norbert Dorgeloh 11-1, 11-5, 11-1
[15]
CANADA bt [17/20] COLOMBIA 2/1 Andrew Schnell bt Andres Vargas 11-4, 5-11, 11-9, 11-4
(40m) Shawn Delierre lost to Miguel Angel Rodriguez 6-11, 8-11,
6-11 (44m) Dane Sharp bt Bernardo Samper 13-11, 11-3, 11-6 (44m)
Final
positions: 1 England, 2 Canada, 3 Colombia, 4 Namibia
Pool
C:
[3] FRANCE bt [29/31] RUSSIA 3/0 Gregoire Marche bt Sergei Beljaev 11-2, 11-0, 11-3 (19m) Thierry Lincou bt Valery Litvinko 11-6, 11-4, 11-4 (32m) Mathieu Castagnet bt Aleksander Shilov 11-8, 11-6, 11-7
(23m)
[14]
PAKISTAN bt [17/20] NETHERLANDS 2/1 Farhan Mehboob bt Bart Ravelli 11-5, 11-7, 11-8 (40m) Nasir Iqbal lost to Laurens Jan Anjema 4-11, 5-11, 5-11
(38m) Farhan Zaman bt Sebastiaan Weenink 11-7, 12-10, 10-12,
11-8 (45m)
Final
positions: 1 France, 2 Pakistan, 3 Netherlands, 4 Russia
Pool
D:
[13] MEXICO bt [17/20] SWITZERLAND 2/1 Eric Galvez bt Jonas Daehler 11-3, 11-8, 11-5 (44m) Arturo Salazar lost to Nicolas Mueller 4-11, 8-11, 7-11
(23m) Cesar Salazar bt Reiko Peter 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-4 (45m)
Final
positions: 1 Australia, 2 Mexico, 3 Switzerland
[12]
NEW ZEALAND bt [21/24] BOTSWANA 2/1 Paul Coll bt Koketso Ntshebe 11-6, 11-2, 11-2 (18m) Campbell Grayson lost to Alister Walker 11-9, 9-11, 11-6,
10-12, 7-11 Martin Knight bt Lekgotla Mosope 11-2, 11-1, 11-4
Final
positions: 1 Malaysia, 2 New Zealand, 3 Botswana, 4 Poland
Pool
F:
[11] USA bt [21/24] IRELAND 2/1 Dylan Murray lost to Steve Richardson 13-11, 7-11, 6-11,
11-9, 7-11 (66m) Christopher Gordon bt Arthur Gaskin 11-3, 11-7, 11-8 (46m) Gilly Lane bt Derek Ryan 11-9, 11-5, 12-10 (36m)
[6]
GERMANY bt [25/28] CZECH REPUBLIC 3/0 Andre Haschker bt Daniel Mekbib 11-2, 13-11, 11-5 (31m) Simon Rosner bt Ondrej Ertl 11-2, 11-7, 11-4 (19m) Raphael Kandra bt Ondrej Uherka 11-5, 11-9, 11-6 (38m)
Final
positions: 1 Germany, 2 USA, 3 Ireland, 4 Czech Republic
Pool
G:
[7] SOUTH AFRICA bt [25/28] JAPAN 3/0 Rodney Durbach bt Tomotaka Endo 11-7, 11-7, 11-2 (25m) Shaun le Roux bt Yuta Fukui 11-4, 11-9, 11-9 (37m) Clinton Leeuw bt Ryosei Kobayashi 11-6, 11-9, 11-4 (28m)
[10]
HONG KONG CHINA bt [21/24] AUSTRIA 3/0 Yip Tsz Fung bt Marcus Greslehner 11-5, 9-11, 11-2, 12-10
(37m) Max Lee bt Aqeel Rehman 13-11, 11-4, 11-3 (32m) Leo Au bt Andreas Freudensprung 11-9, 11-5, 11-3 (21m)
Final
positions: 1 South Africa, 2 Hong Kong China, 3 Japan, 4 Austria
Pool
H:
[9] FINLAND bt [21/24] ARGENTINA 2/1 Matias Tuomi lost to Leandro Romiglio 7-11, 8-11, 7-11
(37m) Olli Tuominen bt Hernan D'Arcangelo 11-7, 11-2, 11-5 (28m) Henrik Mustonen bt Robertino Pezzota 11-7, 3-11, 11-9,
14-12
[8]
INDIA bt [25/28] VENEZUELA 3/0 Mahesh Mangaonkar bt Miguel Vallennilla 11-1, 11-2, 11-7
(16m) Harinder Pal Sandhu bt Gabriel Teran 11-3, 6-11, 11-8,
11-5 (23m) Ramit Tandon bt Miguel Mendez 11-2, 11-2, 11-3 (17m)
"Our
first championship - and our first win," exclaimed the exuberant
Botswana number one Alister Walker as he stepped off the
court after winning the decider against Poland on the second day
of qualifying in the WSF Men's World Team Squash Championship in
France.
Both
Poland and Botswana are making their debuts in the 24th edition of the
biennial event which is being held in France for the first time. Action
is taking place two venues in Mulhouse - the Espace Squash
3000 Centre and the Palais Des Sports where, for the first
time, play is taking place simultaneously on three ASB all-glass
showcourts spectacularly lined up side-by-side.
Lekgotla Mosope
put Botswana ahead with an 11-1, 11-4, 12-10 victory over Marcin
Karwowski, but Pole Lukasz Stachowski fought back, beating
Koketso Ntshebe in four games to level proceedings.
It
then took just 22 minutes for Walker, the US-based world No15, to
despatch Poland's top-ranked Wojtek Nowisz 11-7, 11-2, 11-5 to
clinch victory.
"It
will definitely be good for squash in Botswana and will help us get
recognition from the relevant bodies," said Botswana Squash President
TK Rabasha afterwards. "It will give them an appreciation of what
squash can do for the country. And hopefully it will help us attract
sponsors.
"Ali
encouraged us to be here - and I'm glad we came."
Walker, who developed his squash first in England, then in the US,
added: "I used to play in juniors with most of the team so we know each
other well and get on well."
The
fourth member of the squad is 14-year-old Theo Pelonomi, surely
one of the youngest player ever to compete in the championship!
"Theo
is very talented young boy who started playing tennis, but switched to
squash as soon as he was introduced to it," added President Rabasha. "We
hope he will benefit from exposure to squash at this level."
Third
seeds France faced Pakistan on the centre court at the end
of the day, and forged a 3/0 win over the former champions to extend
their leadership of Pool C. Thierry Lincou and Mathieu
Castagnet earned straight games wins over Farhan Zaman and
Farhan Mehboob, respectively, world No2 Gregory Gaultier beat
Nasir Iqbal (both pictured below) 11-8, 11-8, 11-5 to maintain
the hosts' clean sheet.
"I'm
very pleased overall with the team's performance - they did the job,"
said French national coach Renan Lavigne. "We have a lot of
respect for Pakistan, which is why we put out our strongest team - we
wanted to play with the top three to show that we were up for a big
match.
"Thierry gave us a great start and Mathieu put in a good performance -
Farhan has great racket skills and is certainly top 20 material.
"One
thing that really touched me was that the Pakistan players wanted to get
their pictures taken with our players," added the former world No17.
"Yet years ago, when I was playing, it would have been the other way
round. That was quite significant.
"We're
aiming for at least a top three position - but it would be great to win
the title for the first time, especially at home. But we know we have
strong opposition - we just have to take it one match at a time."
The
top two seeds Egypt and England also posted 3/0 wins.
Playing at the Espace Centre, defending champions Egypt beat Scotland,
while second seeds England defeated 15th seeds Canada on the
centre court in the Palais des Sports.
"It's
the first time on the glass court - and the major objective was to win,
of course, but also to get a good run out on the court," explained
England national coach Chris Robertson.
"It's
probably not unusual to see our players struggle in the first games as
they get used to the court after playing at the club yesterday."
England's world No3 James Willstrop put the team ahead with a
19-minute 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 defeat of Canadian Dane Sharp. Both he
and team-mate Nick Matthew are celebrating their sixth successive
appearances in the event.
"This
year's event is particularly special for me as I have had a long
association with the Mulhouse club in the French league," said
Willstrop. "I know a lot of people here and Thierry Jung has put a lot
into this event - he's a massive squash fan.
"This
is an exciting event that doesn't come around that often so it's good to
make the most of it. And the set-up here is almost revolutionary - I've
never seen anything like it before, with three glass courts
side-by-side.
"It's
squash moving forward, proving that it can do things in different ways -
something other sports can't do."
Seeded
eight and nine, respectively, India and Finland were sure
to be giving their all in their Pool H clash. But impressive
performances by Ramit Tandon, Mahesh Mangaonkar and
Saurav Ghosal saw India record a decisive 3/0 victory.
"I am
delighted with the performance and result today," said Indian national
coach Cyrus Poncha. "Ramit was a class act, Mahesh was solid and
Saurav was simply superb. Overall it was a solid team effort."
In one
of the longest ties of the day, sixth seeds Germany beat USA,
the No11 seeds, 2/1. Raphael Kandra put Germany ahead when former
US champion Julian Illingworth was forced to concede the match
through injury after the third game. A sparkling performance from
retired US pro Gilly Lane against Jens Schoor saw the
underdogs draw level.
But a
focussed bid by Simon Rosner saw the German number one beat
Christopher Gordon 7-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 to give the sixth seeds
their second win of the championship.
"We
expected it to be hard - and I feel sorry for Julian with his injury -
but we are happy with the outcome," said German team manager Oliver
Pettke. "It was a tie we needed to win and it's probably made it
easier for us in the second round. But now we have to do well against
the Czechs."
The
only upset of the day took place in Pool G where 25/28 seeds Japan
beat Austria, seeded in the 21/24 group, 2/1.
2nd
qualifying round - Pool A (all ties played in team order 2, 3, 1):
[1] EGYPT bt [16] SCOTLAND 3/0 Omar Mosaad bt Greg Lobban 11-7, 12-10, 11-3 (46m) Tarek Momen bt Douglas Kempsell 11-3, 11-2, 11-5 (25m) Ramy Ashour bt Alan Clyne 11-6, 13-11, 11-7 (27m)
[17/20] KUWAIT bt [29/31] KENYA 3/0 Ammar Altamimi bt Rajdeep Bains 11-1, 11-3, 11-2 (16m) Yousif Nizar Saleh bt Joseph Ndungu 11-4, 11-8, 11-1 (18m) Abdullah Al Muzayen bt Kenneth Mwangi 11-1, 11-1, 11-4
(16m)
Pool
B:
[2] ENGLAND bt [15] CANADA 3/0 James Willstrop bt Dane Sharp 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 (19m) Daryl Selby bt David Letourneau 6-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-5
(36m) Nick Matthew bt Shawn Delierre 9-11, 11-1, 11-4, 11-6
(47m)
[17/20] COLOMBIA bt [29/31] NAMIBIA 3/0 Erick Herrera bt Andrew Forrest 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 (33m) Andres Vargas bt Danie Greeff 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 (28m) Miguel Angel Rodriguez bt Marco Becker 11-6, 11-5, 11-3
Pool
F:
[6] GERMANY bt [11] USA 2/1 Raphael Kandra bt Julian Illingworth 6-11, 13-11, 11-4
ret. (40m) Jens Schoor lost to Gilly Lane 8-11, 7-11, 11-7, 10-12
(58m) Simon Rosner bt Christopher Gordon 7-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-7
(57m)
[21/24] IRELAND bt [25/28] CZECH REPUBLIC 2/1 Derek Ryan lost to Petr Martin 11-6, 9-11, 9-11, 8-11
(61m) Steve Richardson bt Ondrej Uherka 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 (52m) Arthur Gaskin bt Ondrej Ertl 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6 (60m)
Pool
G:
[7] SOUTH AFRICA bt [10] HONG KONG CHINA 3/0 Shaun le Roux bt Leo Au 11-5, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9 (78m) Clinton Leeuw bt Yip Tsz Fung 6-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-4 (44m) Stephen Coppinger bt Max Lee 11-6, 11-6, 11-6
[25/28] JAPAN bt [21/24] AUSTRIA 2/1 Yuta Fukui bt Jakob Dirnberger 4-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-5
(37m) Ryosei Kobayashi bt Andreas Freudensprung 11-9, 11-8, 11-4
(30m) Shinnosuke Tsukue lost to Aqeel Rehman 11-9, 10-12 ret.
(25m)
Pool
H:
[8] INDIA bt [9] FINLAND 3/0 Ramit Tandon bt Henrik Mustonen 11-4, 11-6, 11-13, 11-4
(31m) Mahesh Mangaonkar bt Matias Tuomi 11-4, 11-7, 11-7 (28m) Saurav Ghosal bt Olli Tuominen 11-7, 11-2, 7-11, 11-9
(51m)
[21/24] ARGENTINA bt [25/28] VENEZUELA 3/0 Juan Pablo Roude bt Miguel Mendez 11-4, 11-4, 11-3 (28m) Leandro Romiglio bt Ricardo Teran 11-0, 11-2, 11-2 (15m) Hernan D'Arcangelo bt Gabriel Teran 11-6, 11-7, 11-3
RESULTS: WSF Men's World Team Championship, Mulhouse, France
Lincou
Leads Hosts France To Opening World Championship Win
Distinguished veteran Thierry Lincou, the former world number one
and world champion from France who is making his tenth successive
appearance in the biennial WSF Men's World Team Squash Championship,
led the hosts to a confident 3/0 win over Netherlands in today's
first qualifying rounds of the 24th staging of the event since 1967.
The
championships are being held across two venues in Mulhouse - the
Espace Squash 3000 Centre and the Palais Des Sports where, in
front of a packed and partisan crowd, France took centre stage on one of
three ASB all-glass showcourts spectacularly lined up side-by-side for
the first time (see picture below).
Second
string Lincou took just 35 minutes to overcome Dutchman Sebastiaan
Weenink 11-2, 12-10, 11-3 before French number one Gregory
Gaultier battled for 61 minutes to quash the challenge of eight-time
Dutch champion Laurens Jan Anjema 12-10, 4-11, 12-10, 11-3 to
confirm the French win. Third string Mathieu Castagnet made it a
clean sheet by beating Marc ter Sluis 11-4, 11-3, 11-7.
After
retiring from the PSA World Tour last year, 37-year-old Lincou made an
impressive comeback at last month's European Team Championships,
chalking up five wins out of five, including the scalp of England's
world No3 James Willstrop.
"I
really got back into shape for the Europeans - that was really the
tournament for me to show myself and my team-mates how good or bad I was
for a few matches," said the Boston-based Frenchman. "And it worked
pretty well, I feel.
"It
was good to be back with my friends - and I'm happy to keep this going
here."
When
asked how to describe his feeling about competing in every world team
championship since 1995, Lincou said: "My longevity makes me feel really
proud - I feel really good and I hope that my fitness at my age will be
an inspiration for the guys.
"I
think it's because I love the game - that's what keeps me going. I want
to keep re-living the moment - it's unique!"
Australian David Palmer was another former great making an
international comeback in Mulhouse. Like Lincou, 36-year-old Palmer is
also a former world number one and world champion - and gave fourth
seeds Australia a solid start against Switzerland with an
11-9, 11-7, 11-3 win over 3/0 Reiko Peter.
"I
didn't know much about my opponent, but the boys gave me some
background," said the US-based Aussie number two. "I must admit I was a
bit nervous, a bit edgy on there - but once it started I felt more
comfortable and got into a groove half way through the second.
"It
was important to get the team off to a good start - and take a little
pressure off Cam."
Team-mate Cameron Pilley went on to beat the highest-ranked Swiss
player of all-time Nicolas Mueller 11-6, 8-11, 11-3, 11-9, before
fellow New South Welshman Ryan Cuskelly wrapped up a 3/0 win for
the team.
But
Ong Beng Hee, the Malaysian number one who shares Lincou's tenth
successive championship appearance achievement, was not so fortunate in
his 2013 campaign opener. Fifth seeds Malaysia took on
championship debutants Botswana, seeded in the 21/24 group.
Mohd
Nafiizwan Adnan
put Malaysia into the lead with an 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 win over Lekgotla
Mosope - but minnows Botswana fought back when squad number one
Alister Walker, ranked 15 in the world, beat Beng Hee in straight
games.
In the
decider, experienced Muhd Asyraf Azan needed just 18 minutes to
beat tournament first-timer Koketso Ntshebe 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 to
give Malaysia a 2/1 victory.
Top
seeds Egypt were given a stern test by Kuwait before
beating the 17/20 seeds 3/0. Omar Mosaad, one of two members of
the squad making his world championship debut, beat Kuwaiti Ammar
Altamimi 11-9, 11-4, 11-5 before former world number one Karim
Darwish resisted the challenge of Kuwait's top-ranked Abdullah Al
Muzayen 11-9, 11-7, 11-8.
"It
was my first match of the tournament, which is always a bit special, so
it was good to get a win," said 31-year-old Darwish after beginning his
seventh world teams campaign. "Abdullah is one of the most gifted
players on the Tour - one of the up-and-coming players - and we know him
well as he comes to train with us in Egypt.
"It's
great to play for my country for the seventh time in the worlds - it
makes me very proud."
But a
major upset looked on the cards when 18-year-old Kuwaiti Yousif Nizar
Saleh twice led Tarek Momen, a late addition to the Egyptian
squad despite boasting a world No10 ranking. Momen ultimately prevailed
7-11, 11-5, 10-12, 11-5, 11-5 after 61 minutes.
"Yousif played really well and took me by surprise," explained the
25-year-old from Cairo afterwards. "He is so quick and good with his
racket - I really struggled. And I had no idea he was only 18!
"But I
wasn't expecting to be here - and took a 10-day vacation straight after
the British Open," Momen continued. "This was my first match since
playing Greg Gaultier in Hull.
"We
had to change the ball as the first was really bouncy - but then the
second was totally the opposite, all of which was quite challenging. But
I thought I played well enough to win."
Teenager Saleh was understandably delighted with his performance: "I am
very happy to have played that well - it was my first match against a
top ten player. I did my best - but I didn't expect to win two games!
"I
hope I can continue to play well for my country over the next few days -
but my focus is on next month's world juniors in Poland and I hope this
will be good training for that.
"It's
certainly the best match of my life so far," continued the world No 129.
"I want to thank the Kuwait Federation for helping me. I want to be the
best player in the world."
The
long opening day finished with a thriller when eighth seeds India
were forced to fight back from a match down to beat 21/24 seeds
Argentina. It was outsider Robertino Pezzota who rocked the
boat when the 30-year-old ranked 159 in the world recovered from 2/1
down to beat Indian number two Harinder Pal Sandhu - ranked
almost 90 places higher - 11-9, 2-11, 6-11, 13-11, 11-6 in a 99-minute
marathon.
It was
midway through the match that all the lights in the venue failed,
leaving the three glass courts in complete darkness.
"I was
really focussed on this match as we felt we had a chance - and needed to
win at two and three," said Pezzota, from Rosario. "We don't play
regularly on glass courts so that took some getting used to.
"I
didn't play well in the second and third games, but came back strongly
in the fourth, and saved two match balls before winning it 13-11 - just
before all the lights in the arena went out!
"It
was close to five-all in the fifth - then I raced away to win 11-6.
"It's
my third time in the world teams - but that was certainly my biggest
win.
"Living in Argentina, we're so far away from where the best squash is
played, so it's difficult. I've always thought I've been a good player,
but it's only recently - with funding from the government - that I have
been able to play more tournament, and get some good results."
[16]
SCOTLAND bt [29/31] KENYA 3/0 Douglas Kempsell bt Hartaj Bains 11-3, 11-1, 11-4 (20m) Alan Clyne bt Kenneth Mwangi 11-5, 11-5, 11-5 (26m) Chris Small bt Rajdeep Bains 11-3, 11-5, 11-3 (18m)
Pool
B:
[2] ENGLAND bt [17/20] COLOMBIA 3/0 Daryl Selby bt Erick Herrera 11-0, 11-0, 11-3 (18m) James Willstrop bt Miguel Angel Rodriguez 11-1, 11-3, 11-3
(27m) Adrian Grant bt Bernardo Samper 11-6, 11-5, 6-11, 11-9
(54m)
[15]
CANADA bt [29/31] NAMIBIA 3/0 Dane Sharp bt Norbert Dorgeloh 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 (36m) Shawn Delierre bt Marco Becker 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 (40m) Andrew Schnell bt Andrew Forrest 11-2, 11-5, 11-5 (26m)
Pool
C:
[3] FRANCE bt [17/20] NETHERLANDS 3/0 Thierry Lincou bt Sebastiaan Weenink 11-2, 12-10, 11-3
(35m) Gregory Gaultier bt Laurens Jan Anjema 12-10, 4-11, 12-10,
11-3 (61m) Mathieu Castagnet bt Marc ter Sluis 11-4, 11-3, 11-7 (25m)
[14]
PAKISTAN bt [29/31] RUSSIA 3/0 Farhan Zaman bt Aleksander Shilov 11-3, 11-2, 11-1 (16m) Nasir Iqbal bt Valery Litvinko 11-6, 11-1, 11-3 (20m) Muhammad Saqib Yousaf bt Dmitri Grishanin 11-7, 11-8, 11-5
(37m)
Pool
D:
[4] AUSTRALIA bt [17/20] SWITZERLAND 3/0 David Palmer bt Reiko Peter 11-9, 11-7, 11-3 (30m) Cameron Pilley bt Nicolas Mueller 11-6, 8-11, 11-3, 11-9
(47m) Ryan Cuskelly bt Jonas Daehler 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 (33m)
Pool
E:
[5] MALAYSIA bt [21/24] BOTSWANA 2/1 Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan bt Lekgotla Mosope 11-6, 11-4, 11-5
(19m) Ong Beng Hee lost to Alister Walker 11-13, 8-11, 9-11
(41m) Muhd Asyraf Azan bt Koketso Ntshebe 11-3, 11-4, 11-6 (18m)
[12]
NEW ZEALAND bt [25/28] POLAND 3/0 Evan Williams bt Marcin Karwowski 11-4, 11-4, 11-4 Martin Knight bt Wojtek Nowisz 11-1, 11-3, 11-5 Paul Coll bt Przemyslaw Atras 11-3, 11-5, 11-1
Pool
F:
[6] GERMANY bt [21/24] IRELAND 3/0 Raphael Kandra bt Brian O'Brion 11-2, 12-10, 11-4 (29m) Simon Rosner bt Arthur Gaskin 11-8, 11-5, 11-5 (37m) Jens Schoor bt Steve Richardson 11-6, 9-11, 11-6, 11-5
(50m)
[11]
USA bt [25/28] CZECH REPUBLIC 3/0 Gilly Lane bt Ondrej Uherka 12-10, 12-10, 11-5 (45m) Christopher Gordon bt Petr Martin 11-9, 11-3, 11-4 (34m) Dylan Murray bt Daniel Mekbib 11-4, 13-11, 11-6 (27m)
Pool
G:
[7] SOUTH AFRICA bt [21/24] AUSTRIA 3/0 Clinton Leeuw bt Jakob Dirnberger 11-7, 11-4, 11-3 (23m) Stephen Coppinger bt Aqeel Rehman 11-4, 11-8, 11-7 (27m) Rodney Durbach bt Marcus Greslehner 11-9, 11-7, 11-5 (22m)
[10]
HONG KONG CHINA bt [25/28] JAPAN 3/0 Leo Au bt Yuta Fukui 11-5, 11-9, 11-5 (27m) Max Lee bt Shinnosuke Tsukue 11-3, 11-7, 11-2 (26m) Yip Tsz Fung bt Ryosei Kobayashi 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 (15m)
Pool
H:
[8] INDIA bt [21/24] ARGENTINA 2/1 Harinder Pal Sandhu lost to Robertino Pezzota 9-11, 11-2,
11-6, 11-13, 6-11 (99m) Saurav Ghosal bt Hernan D'Arcangelo 11-7, 11-8, 11-2 (44m) Mahesh Mangaonkar bt Leandro Romiglio 8-11, 11-5, 11-6,
11-8 (51m)
[9]
FINLAND bt [25/28] VENEZUELA 3/0 Henrik Mustonen bt Miguel Mendez 11-3, 11-5, 11-2 (18m) Olli Tuominen bt Gabriel Teran 11-3, 11-1, 11-3 (17m) Matias Tuomi bt Miguel Vallennilla 11-3, 11-3, 11-9 (17m)
Palmer
'Excited' To Be Back In World Teams Action In France
On the
eve of the 24th staging of the WSF Men's World Team Squash
Championship in France, distinguished Australian David
Palmer admits that he is 'excited' to be representing his country
again almost two years after retiring from the game.
The
36-year-old from New South Wales, now based in Orlando, USA, led
Australia to world team championship title success in 2001 and 2003,
then into the final in 2007, and to bronze medal position in 2009 and
2011 - only losing six times in 26 appearances to date. On the PSA
World Tour, Palmer reached 55 finals and claimed 27 titles -
including four British Open and two World Championship
trophies.
"I'm
excited to be here," said Palmer, overlooking the three ASB all-glass
showcourts at the Palais Des Sports in Mulhouse, where 31
nations will compete for the premier title in team squash.
"I
felt it was right to make the decision to retire when I did - there were
lots of reasons, mostly family - but it didn't mean that I would never
play for Australia again, whether it's this event or the Commonwealth
Games," said the former world number one.
Since
retiring from the international circuit after the 2011 World
Championship in Amsterdam, Palmer has played on the Legends tour - but
mostly concentrated on coaching in Orlando. Since working with Palmer,
South African number one Stephen Coppinger has become the
highest-ranked player from his country for more than two decades and
Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez has become the second
highest-ranked South American ever.
"It's
fun to back amongst these guys - although I'm still involved with some
of them, coaching Steve, Miguel and team-mate Matt (Karwalski)."
Palmer
is the Australian number two, behind world No13 Cameron Pilley -
with Ryan Cuskelly and Matthew Karwalski, ranked 27 and
57, respectively, in the world, completing the squad.
"It's
important for the team to do well, for funding, etc, so I was glad to be
given the chance. I think I can add value and win some one-off matches.
I always think of Cameron as being young, but he's 30 now - and he's
rightly leading the team, in good form after a great British Open.
"I'm
also glad that Rod (Eyles) is back - he's still got so much passion for
the game and is a great coach. He's got so much experience and is a
great motivator, especially for the younger guys.
"Playing for Australia means everything to me - and it's unfortunate in
squash that we don't get many opportunities to do this, except for the
worlds and the Commonwealth Games. We had a great training session in my
old base at Herentals last week - and when Rod handed over the team
tracksuits to first-timers Ryan and Matt, it was a really special
occasion.
"Even
though I'm still heavily involved with squash, it's great to be back at
this event. Whilst Egypt, England and France are the obvious top three
nations, we're here to play up to our position by making the semis."
The
first ever staging of the men's world team championship in France comes
just a week after the sport was shortlisted by the IOC for consideration
for the 2020 Olympic Games.
"I've
been around since we first started trying to get into Olympics in
Sydney, but there is no question that this has been the most
professional campaign," said Palmer. "It's good to see everyone come
together in this one - before the players weren't really involved.
"Ramy
(Ashour) and Nicol (David) have been great ambassadors - the whole
presentation has really looked professional. If we don't make it, at
least we can look back and say we gave it our best chance.
"I
might not be able to play in the Olympics, but could be involved in a
coaching capacity - but somebody like Matt could play in it.
"It
would mean such a lot for the game. And if I think of some of the kids
I'm coaching in the US, I think 'you could be in the Olympics'!"
The
24th WSF Men's World Team Championship gets underway tomorrow (Sunday)
at both the Espace Squash 3000 Centre and the Palais Des
Sports, with the final taking place on Saturday (15 June).
Defending champions Egypt are seeded to retain the title after a
projected final meeting with former champions England in what
would be a repeat of the 2011 final.
The
full pool line-up is as follows (with seeding in brackets):
Pool A: [1] EGYPT, [16] SCOTLAND, [17/20] KUWAIT, [29/31] KENYA
Pool B: [2] ENGLAND, [15] CANADA, [17/20] COLOMBIA, [29/31] NAMIBIA
Pool C: [3] FRANCE, [14] PAKISTAN, [17/20] NETHERLANDS, [29/31] RUSSIA
Pool D: [4] AUSTRALIA, [13] MEXICO, [17/20] SWITZERLAND
Pool E: [5] MALAYSIA, [12] NEW ZEALAND, [21/24] BOTSWANA, [25/28] POLAND
Pool F: [6] GERMANY, [11] USA, [21/24] IRELAND, [25/28] CZECH REPUBLIC
Pool G: [7] SOUTH AFRICA, [10] HONG KONG CHINA, [21/24] AUSTRIA, [25/28]
JAPAN
Pool H: [8] INDIA, [9] FINLAND, [21/24] ARGENTINA, [25/28] VENEZUELA
Gaultier Going For Historic Home Dream
France's top-ranked squash player Gregory Gaultier is hoping to
fulfil a life-long dream when he leads his country in next week's WSF
Men's World Team Championship on home soil in Mulhouse.
Hosting the championship for the first time in its 46-year history,
France is seeded to reach the semi-finals - but, buoyed by a new
world number two ranking, Gaultier is hoping to take his team to the
final for the third time since 2003, and strike gold for the first time.
"It's
going to be nice to have the home support for once as we always play
away," said the 30-year-old on the eve of his eighth successive world
team championship campaign since 1999. "I'm looking forward to be
playing in Mulhouse as it is really close to where I started playing
squash and I have all my family there."
Gaultier has enjoyed a distinguished career on the PSA World Tour
- notching up 23 titles from more than 50 final appearances and becoming
the first Frenchman to win the British Open.
"I
think a team event is nicer than what I am used to on the Tour, which is
quite a lonely life. You play for your country and for your friends as
well - but the preparation is the same in terms of having to get ready
to compete and get the win for the team and yourself," explained the
former world number one.
The
French squad will include Gregoire Marche and Mathieu
Castagnet, ranked 29 & 30 in the world, respectively - and will be
boosted by the return of Thierry Lincou, the 37-year-old former
world number one and world champion who retired from the international
circuit last year.
"Having Thierry in the team is a big bonus," said Gaultier. "He is
really experienced and is a role model for everyone."
Gaultier has represented France with distinction in the world team
championship - playing 34 times, with success in all but eight matches.
"Winning the world teams title would be a dream," said the squad number
one. "We failed twice in the finals but had a lot of good times and
memories playing for France. Everybody will be up for it."
With
success in the Swedish Open in February and runners-up berths in
both the Tournament of Champions in New York and the British
Open last month, Gaultier is enjoying an excellent runs of form.
"I've
been trying to get back to the top for a while - being back at number
two is good, but number two is not my favourite number," added Gaultier.
"Ramy (Ashour) has been the best this year, but I keep working hard to
be able to get some wins in future and be back at number one.
"I've
been playing well and am full of confidence."
The
24th WSF Men's World Team Championship will be held from 9-15
June in Mulhouse, at both the Espace Squash 3000 Centre and the
Palais Des Sports - where action will take place on three
all-glass showcourts, with stunning presentation assured.
Defending champions Egypt are seeded to retain the title after a
projected final meeting with former champions England in what
would be a repeat of the 2011 final.
The
full pool line-up is as follows (with seeding in brackets):
Pool
A: [1] EGYPT, [16] SCOTLAND, [17/20] KUWAIT, [29/31] KENYA
Pool B: [2] ENGLAND, [15] CANADA, [17/20] COLOMBIA, [29/31] NAMIBIA
Pool C: [3] FRANCE, [14] PAKISTAN, [17/20] NETHERLANDS, [29/31] RUSSIA
Pool D: [4] AUSTRALIA, [13] MEXICO, [17/20] SWITZERLAND
Pool E: [5] MALAYSIA, [12] NEW ZEALAND, [21/24] BOTSWANA, [25/28] POLAND
Pool F: [6] GERMANY, [11] USA, [21/24] IRELAND, [25/28] CZECH REPUBLIC
Pool G: [7] SOUTH AFRICA, [10] HONG KONG CHINA, [21/24] AUSTRIA, [25/28]
JAPAN
Pool H: [8] INDIA, [9] FINLAND, [21/24] ARGENTINA, [25/28] VENEZUELA
Egypt Seeded To Win
Fourth World Team Title
Defending champions Egypt are
seeded to retain the WSF Men's World Team Squash Championship title next
month after a projected final meeting with former champions England in
what would be a repeat of the 2011 final.
Teams from 31 nations - with
representation from all five continents in the top sixteen alone - will contest
the biennial championships which will be held in France for the first
time in the event's 46-year history.
The 24th WSF Men's World Team
Championship, hosted by the Fédération Française de Squash, will be held
from 9-15 June in Mulhouse, at both the Espace Squash 3000 Centre
and the Palais Des Sports - where action will take place on three
all-glass showcourts, with stunning presentation assured.
With a squad featuring four players from
the PSA world top ten - led by world number one and world champion Ramy
Ashour - Egypt are firm favourites to win the title for the third time in a
row, and the fourth time since 1999.
However England - led by world No2 Nick
Matthew and also including fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop, the
world No4 - will be determined to make up for the disappointment of the 2011
defeat in Germany by taking the title for the fifth time since 1995.
Hosts France, runners-up in 2009
and led by world No3 Gregory Gaultier, are the event's No3 seeds, while
record eight-time champions Australia are the fourth seeds.
Botswana and Poland will
be making their first appearances in the championship.
The full pool line-up is as follows (with
seeding in brackets):
Pool A: [1] EGYPT, [16] SCOTLAND, [17/20]
KUWAIT, [29/32] KENYAPool B: [2] ENGLAND, [15] CANADA, [17/20] COLOMBIA, [29/32] NAMIBIAPool C: [3] FRANCE, [14] PAKISTAN, [17/20] NETHERLANDS, [29/32] RUSSIAPool D: [4] AUSTRALIA, [13] MEXICO, [17/20] SWITZERLANDPool E: [5] MALAYSIA, [12] NEW ZEALAND, [21/24] BOTSWANA, [25/28] POLANDPool F: [6] GERMANY, [11] USA, [21/24] IRELAND, [25/28] CZECH REPUBLICPool G: [7] SOUTH AFRICA, [10] HONG KONG CHINA, [21/24] AUSTRIA, [25/28] JAPANPool H: [8] INDIA, [9] FINLAND, [21/24] ARGENTINA, [25/28] VENEZUELA