World
No.14 Miguel Angel Rodriguez has become the first South American
player ever to win a PSA World Series tournament after the unseeded
Colombian stunned men's World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy to win the
iconic Allam British Open title inside Hull’s Airco Arena on a day
that also saw women’s World No.1 Nour El Sherbini down World
Champion Raneem El Welily to win her second title at the ‘Wimbledon
of Squash’.
Rodriguez, the first unseeded player in the modern era to win the
British Open, and ElShorbagy, a two-time British Open champion,
contested one of the most dramatic finals the tournament has ever
seen, with 32-year-old Rodriguez prevailing in a gladiatorial,
102-minute battle by an 11-7, 6-11, 8-11, 11-2, 11-9 scoreline.
ElShorbagy,
who prior to the final had spent almost an hour longer on court than
his opponent during this tournament, fought through the fatigue to
take a 2-1 lead but the Egyptian took just two points in the fourth
as he recharged his batteries for one last push in the fifth.
What followed was a stunning display of squash from both players,
with ElShorbagy sinking to the floor due to sheer exhaustion after a
particularly gruelling rally in the latter stages.
The reigning World Champion fought on manfully but he couldn’t deny
his opponent and, when the Colombian went match ball up and deceived
him with a well-disguised boast, he called an attempted pick-up to
be down to ensure that Rodriguez made history.
“I
think everything was mental, I dreamed it,” said Rodriguez after
claiming the 27th - and biggest - PSA World Tour title of his
career.
“I had emotions during the week but I am just speechless. I’m so
grateful for this opportunity to win this major tournament, the
greatest of all time. I’m so proud of myself, this is for my
parents, my family and Colombia.
“It’s huge, this is like winning the ‘Wimbledon of Squash’. No one
in South America has achieved this before, I’m a legend I think I
can say. I couldn’t believe that I was able to fight with a top
player like Mohamed, he has achieved so many titles. I can’t believe
that I am 32 years old and I just won the British Open.”
Women’s
World No.1 El Sherbini made it two British Open titles out of three
finals after the 22-year-old put in a scintillating performance to
overcome compatriot and World No.2 El Welily in straight games,
avenging her defeat to the 29-year-old in the final of last month’s
El Gouna International.
The pair were meeting in a fifth major final of the season with each
player taking two wins apiece prior to today’s final. El Sherbini
became the first female Egyptian to win the British Open in 2016 and
had also reached the final in 2012 at the age of just 16, while
29-year-old El Welily was contesting the title decider of the iconic
tournament for the first time in her career.
And it was the younger Egyptian who prevailed in Hull as she played
an immaculate brand of squash to record an 11-6, 11-9, 14-12 triumph
in 47 minutes to win her 16th PSA crown.
“The
British Open is the biggest tournament on tour, it was an honour to
win it once and now I have two and I’m really proud," El Sherbini
said.
"We always have very tough battles, it’s never an easy 3-0 and I’m
really glad it’s ended this way.
“I’m glad I came back and won the third. Every time we play, it gets
harder. We’re really good friends and I learn from her a lot and she
is a role model to any player. I hope this battle continues and we
keep playing each other in the finals.”
Both Rodriguez and El Sherbini take home over $24,000 in prize money
after the tournament offered up equal prize money for the second
year in succession.
The next stop for the world’s greatest squash players - including
all four British Open finalists - will be the ATCO PSA Dubai World
Series Finals, which will take place at Emirates Golf Club between
June 5-9.
World
No.14 Miguel Angel Rodriguez has become the first South American
squash player ever to reach a PSA World Series final after he ended
the giant-killing run of German qualifier Raphael Kandra to reach
the title decider of the prestigious Allam British Open on a day
that also saw the defending champions exit the event held at Hull’s
Airco Arena.
Rodriguez, the 32-year-old from Bogota, had followed up an opening
round scalp of 2013 champion Ramy Ashour with wins over Omar Mosaad
and World No.2 Ali Farag to reach the last four, but he was up
against one of stars of the tournament, with World No.37 Kandra
ending Nick Matthew’s final British Open in round two before
claiming a massive win over World No.3 Marwan ElShorbagy yesterday.
Kandra - the first German to reach the semi-finals of this
tournament - troubled Rodriguez at times during the opening stages
of the match until, with the scores poised at 1-1, the Colombian
former World No.4 took control and he completed an 11-5, 5-11, 11-4,
11-3 triumph to secure a top eight place on the PSA World Series
Standings, which sees him become the last player to qualify for next
month’s ATCO PSA Dubai World Series.
“I think we both didn’t have anything to lose,” said Rodriguez
following his win.
“I had a little bit of pressure, this is a World Series semi-final,
so the emotions you feel on court while you are playing are
difficult. The first two games were edgy but then I was moving much
better and I felt good physically, my shots were deeper, and I think
that was the key. I was patient and that helped.
“It’s huge [to be in the final], this is one of my dreams when I was
a kid and I told myself at the beginning of the year that I wanted
to reach a final, I have and I’m very proud."
Rodriguez
will be up against World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy in the final after
the Egyptian powerhouse overcame last year’s winner and three-time
British Open champion Gregory Gaultier to reach his third final at
the sport’s longest-running tournament.
Both ElShorbagy and Gaultier contested a highly-entertaining
five-game battle, with 27-year-old ElShorbagy’s physicality giving
him the edge over his French opponent, 35, to claim an 8-11, 11-6,
11-6, 3-11, 11-5 win which sees him book his place in a fifth World
Series final of the season.
“The first thing I told him after that match was that I absolutely
missed him throughout the whole season,” said ElShorbagy.
“There are players that can beat you on the day, great players, but
there are players who have the consistency to keep it going the
whole season. I miss playing against someone who does that, because
he has been injured most of the year, but we are the best two
players in the world."
Meanwhile,
World No.1 Nour El Sherbini and World Champion Raneem El Welily will
contest their fifth major final of the season after they achieved
wins over title holder Laura Massaro and 2015 winner Camille Serme,
respectively.
El Sherbini will appear in her third British Open final after she
bested her English opponent in 70 minutes by an 11-13, 11-4, 11-13,
11-7, 11-5 scoreline that saw her come back from 2-1 down to win.
The Egyptian - who became the first female Egyptian to win the
British Open in 2016 - will now compete in a fifth World Series
final of the season after avenging her defeat to Massaro in the
semi-finals of last year’s tournament.
“I’m really happy to win this match,” said the 22-year-old Egyptian
following her win.
“It’s always really tough to play Laura in Hull, she was playing so
good here but I’m really happy that I managed to get back and win
the fourth and happy to be in another final.
“The British Open is one of the biggest tournaments we have on the
tour, it’s an honour to win it once and hopefully I can go on to do
it again.”
El
Welily has reached her maiden British Open final courtesy of a 3-1
victory over France’s Serme, winning 11-7, 4-11, 12-10, 11-6 in 43
minutes to complete a three-strong Egyptian presence across both the
men's and women's title deciders.
The World No.2 has claimed most of the big titles on the PSA World
Tour but the prestigious ‘Wimbledon of Squash’ is one of the few
missing from her expansive collection. El Welily took one step
closer to getting her hands on the iconic trophy today though after
taking a crucial tie-break in the third game en route to completing
the victory in four games.
“It’s very special and I’m very happy to be in my first final at the
British Open," El Welily said.
"I haven’t been very lucky in previous years and I’m a little bit
gutted to be missing Ramadan back home, but at least I’m in the
final and that will make up for it.”
The 2018 British Open finals begin at 15:00 local time (BST)
tomorrow (Sunday May 20) and live coverage will be shown live on
SQUASHTV (Rest of World), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and will be
broadcast on mainstream channels around the world, such as BT Sport,
beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia and Astro.
German
qualifier Raphael Kandra continued his giant-killing run at this
year’s Allam British Open as he followed up a second round victory
over three-time winner Nick Matthew with a stunning 3-2 win over
World No.3 Marwan ElShorbagy inside Hull’s Airco Arena - becoming
the first German in history to reach the semi-finals of the iconic
PSA World Series tournament.
Kandra made headlines in round two as he sent home favourite Matthew
packing in his final appearance at this tournament and he put in one
of the most remarkable performances the British Open has ever seen
as he sent ElShorbagy to a shock defeat.
The World No.37 from Paderborn had never before reached the
semi-finals of a World Series tournament but put in a display full
of grit and endeavour as he claimed a stunning 11-7, 11-13, 6-11,
13-11, 11-6 victory to send the crowd into raptures as he became the
first qualifier to reach the last four of the men’t tournament since
2001.
“I definitely enjoyed the crowd,” said the 27-year-old after the
biggest win of his career.
“I was just trying to enjoy my squash out there and the support of
the crowd was amazing. It was a spectacular match, it’s hard to say
but for me it probably wasn’t the best of Marwan’s squash today, but
you need those days.
“I’m fighting through, whoever comes, I don’t mind. Whoever it is,
if it’s Gregory Gaultier… or Mohamed ElShorbagy – I don’t mind.
These guys are just so impressive at the moment and they play so
well."
Kandra
will line up against Colombia’s former World No.4 Miguel Angel
Rodriguez after he upset World No.2 Ali Farag to reach the
semi-finals of this tournament for the first time since 2015 - a
result that sees him leapfrog Matthew into eighth place on the PSA
World Series Standings, which means that the Englishman is unable to
qualify for next month’s season-ending ATCO PSA Dubai World Series
Finals.
Matthew’s loss to Kandra means that the 37-year-old three-time World
Champion has now officially began his retirement after a glittering
20-year career and his place in Dubai will now be contested by
Rodriguez and Kandra, with the latter only able to qualify if he
goes on and wins the title.
“What a way to do it,” said Rodriguez.
“The last few seasons have been tough for me with injuries but I’m
back and I’m happy to be reaching semis again. I’m over the moon,
I’ve been working so hard since last year and today was difficult
because I’m sometimes too emotional, but I tried to be disciplined
today and it worked."
The other men’s semi-final will see defending champion Gregory
Gaultier and World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy lock horns for the 23rd
time on the PSA World Tour. Gaultier defeated Kandra’s compatriot -
World No.6 Simon Rösner - while ElShorbagy overcame New Zealand’s
World No.10 Paul Coll.
In
the women’s event, defending champion Laura Massaro took a step
closer to retaining her title after a hugely impressive 3-0 win over
the in-form Egyptian Nour El Tayeb.
Massaro is now the only English player left in the tournament after
compatriots Sarah-Jane Perry - the 2017 runner-up to Massaro - and
Alison Waters fell to Egyptian duo Raneem El Welily and Nour El
Sherbini, respectively.
The 34-year-old from Preston avenged her defeat to El Tayeb in
October’s U.S. Open as she put in a real masterclass to record an
11-9, 11-9, 11-6 victory that will see her take on World No.1 El
Sherbini in the last four as she appears in a sixth British Open
semi-final.
“I’ve done nothing but think about this match since I won the other
day and I’ve had my eye on it since the draw came out, without being
disrespectful to my two first round opponents, because you can’t
take it for granted," said two-time British Open champion Massaro.
“I’ve seen how Nour has been playing and how she has improved. She
is part of the reason that I’ve been training so hard because of how
she’s been playing and changing the game and what she’s doing to it.
“But, I also didn’t like the way she showboated and played so
amazing against me in the U.S. Open, it was borderline cocky, and I
wanted to get my own back for that, but she is bringing a whole
different flair and it is what the squash game needs."
Massaro will aim to end a three-match losing streak to World No.1 El
Sherbini in the semi-finals, while El Welily will clash with 2015
British Open champion Camille Serme after the Frenchwoman prevailed
in a thrilling five-game battle with Wales’ Tesni Evans.
Serme
went 2-1 down after some sublime squash from the Welsh player but
the physicality eventually took its toll on her opponent as she
ground out an 16-14, 7-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6 victory to bring an end
to an entertaining 72-minute clash.
"She has had an amazing season,” said 29-year-old Serme, who will
face World Champion Raneem El Welily in the next round.
“It was a big battle today and I was enjoying it while we were both
working really hard. It’s amazing to have all my staff and team
behind me. Greg had already played but stayed to watch me and I’m
very lucky.”
The semi-finals of the 2018 British Open begin at 13:00 tomorrow
(Saturday May 19) and will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of
World), Eurosport Player (Europe only) and mainstream broadcast
channels around the world, such as BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports
Australia and Astro.
Legendary
Englishman Nick Matthew has exited his final Allam British Open at the
second round stage after falling to a surprise defeat against German
qualifier Raphael Kandra inside Hull’s Airco Arena on day three of the
PSA World Series tournament.
Matthew - a three-time British Open winner - is one of the greatest
English players of all time and will retire either after this tournament
or after June’s ATCO PSA Dubai World Series Finals, although that will
depend on whether he can retain his place inside the top eight on the
PSA World Series Standings, which is under threat from Colombia’s Miguel
Angel Rodriguez and New Zealand’s Paul Coll, as that will see him
qualify for Dubai.
Kandra - who had upset World No.27 Mathieu Castagnet in round one -
proved too much for the 37-year-old Yorkshireman to handle and his 9-11,
11-7, 11-9, 11-8 triumph will see him join compatriot Simon Rösner in
the last eight in what will be the first time that two German players
have reached the quarter-finals of this tournament at the same time.
“I would like to congratulate Nick on an amazing career, he’s 37 and
he’s still playing at this level,” said Kandra.
“For me it was such a tough match because I was pushing through and he
is so experienced so was trying everything at the end.
“I just said yesterday when you expect to do well in a match you lose
for some reason and whenever you don’t expect anything you go on court
relaxed and there is no pressure on you, you enjoy it and that’s when
the best results come out. I was very happy and I’m really looking
forward to the quarter-finals.”
After
his last ever appearance at a ranking PSA World Tour event, Matthew
said: “I have so many good memories of playing in England and that’s why
I’m disappointed that I didn’t get on a bit further.
"Mentally I still have that desire and I know how to beat all the top
guys, but my body hates playing them now so maybe now is the right time
to go."
Kandra
will play World No.3 Marwan ElShorbagy in the last eight after the
Egyptian defeated Mexico’s Cesar Salazar in four games, while Colombia’s
former World No.4 Miguel Angel Rodriguez overcame World No.17 Omar
Mosaad in a win that could have a major impact on who qualifies for the
men’s event at the World Series Finals.
Rodriguez’s quarter-final berth in Hull has given him 25 points on the
PSA World Series Standings, which means he now sits 10 points behind
Matthew. A win over quarter-final opponent Ali Farag in the next round
would see Rodriguez amass 40 points instead which will see him leapfrog
Matthew to claim a place amongst the top eight in the final PSA World
Series tournament of the season.
However, New Zealand’s Coll is still in with a shout of qualifying but
he will need to reach the final if he is to make it to Dubai at the
expense of Matthew and Rodriguez.
"I’m happy with my performance so far and I’m enjoying the tour,
especially this year," said World No.14 Rodriguez
“It’s a privilege playing the British Open, I’m the only player from
South America in the quarters, I’m pushing myself and I’m happy with my
achievements so far.”
The
women’s event will feature four British quarter-finalists for the first
time since 2002 after Tesni Evans of Wales and England’s Sarah-Jane
Perry joined English duo Laura Massaro and Alison Waters - who played
yesterday - in the last eight.
Evans has become the first female Welsh player of all time to reach the
quarter-finals of the sport’s longest-running tournament as she put in
an immaculate performance to beat New Zealand’s Commonwealth Games gold
medallist Joelle King.
Rhyl-based Evans - who won a bronze medal of her own last month in
Australia - put the Kiwi on the back foot throughout the encounter and
she claimed an 11-9, 11-8, 11-6 victory to become the first Welsh player
since former World No.5 and current PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough to
qualify for the last eight.
“We have played so many times in practice, not so much on the PSA World
Tour but in practice we have and we both know each other so well, so it
was just going to be a case of who did it better today," said Evans.
"Fortunately, I did that but it was not an easy match at all, she is a
very good friend of mine, but someone had to win today.
“I’ve been able to play well in this tournament. I like playing in the
UK anyway and being home and it’s good to bring a Welsh person into the
quarter-finals again here.”
Evans will take on 2015 winner Camille Serme after she eased past
Australia’s Donna Urquhart - a win which sees her qualify for the World
Series Finals - while Perry claimed a win in straight games against Hong
Kong’s Annie Au.
Perry - a runner-up at last year’s tournament - will line up against
World Champion Raneem El Welily for a place in the semi-finals after she
came back from 2-0 down and three match balls down to avoid a shock loss
to England’s Victoria Lust.
El
Welily was staring down the barrel of defeat as World No.15 Lust hit
winners from all over the court to go two games ahead. However, El
Welily displayed strong mental resilience as she dug in to take the
third and fourth games - fighting back from 10-7 down in the latter -
before powering to an 11-4 triumph in the decider to book her place in
the last four.
"I wasn’t playing my best and was on my way back home but I’m really
happy to still be here and play again tomorrow," El Welily said.
“It’s a special tournament for me, I’ve never made it to the final and
I’ve only made it to the semis a few times, so I’m happy to be in the
quarters again this year and tomorrow I will fight again harder.”
The quarter-finals of the prestigious British Open begin tomorrow at
12:00 local time (BST), with coverage shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of
World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only).
World
No.10 Paul Coll today became the first male New Zealander in a quarter
of a century to reach the quarter-finals of the prestigious Allam
British Open after he upset former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad at
the PSA World Series tournament taking place in Hull’s Airco Arena.
Coll, the 26-year-old from Greymouth, edged a tight five-game battle
against Egypt’s Gawad as he came back from a one-game deficit on two
occasions to complete an 3-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-5, 11-5 victory.
That win means that Coll follows in the footsteps of compatriot Ross
Norman, who was the last male Kiwi to make it to the last eight of this
iconic tournament.
“It was a weird match, it's not one that I tend to enjoy,” said Coll
following his win.
“There wasn't much rhythm in the first few games, I wasn't consistent
with my targets and his hands are too good.
“But I'm happy with the last two, I just tried to take it early, hit my
corners and try to get a bit of rhythm going."
Coll’s
reward is a quarter-final meeting with World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy,
who was forced to come back from two games down to win for a second day
in a row.
The two-time British Open champion overturned a 2-0 deficit against
Peru’s Diego Elias to earn his place in round two and he was on the
brink of a shock exit once again today as he conceded the first two
games against French qualifier Gregoire Marche.
But ElShorbagy fought back once more as Marche caved in to the pressure
his Egyptian opponent was exerting on him and he took an 8-11, 4-11,
11-7, 11-7, 11-7 triumph to book his place in the last eight.
“He played so well the first two games,” said ElShorbagy.
“I lost a bit of focus in the first game when I was 7-4 up but all
credit to him, he played some incredible squash. We came together
through juniors and have shared a lot of memories together and it’s
great to see him playing well. He is a pleasure to watch and I’m really
pleased to see him playing well.
“I’m still in the tournament, it’s not over for me and I know that any
day I can beat anyone and I don’t think I can be written off yet. I’ve
had two tough matches but that’s what I train for and I’m just glad to
be in another quarters.”
Meanwhile, defending champion Gregory Gaultier is also through to the
quarter-finals after he defeated Egyptian World No.9 Mohamed Abouelghar
in straight games and he will face Germany’s Simon Rösner, who overcame
India’s Saurav Ghosal.
In
the women’s event, Laura Massaro is still on course for a third British
Open crown after she defeated Egyptian qualifier Yathreb Adel by a 3-0
margin.
The former World No.1 was in control for the majority of the match -
although she did have to fight back against her opponent to win a second
game tie-break - as she earned her place in the last eight where she
will take on World No.3 Nour El Tayeb.
“No matter what happened today, Hull would always hold happy memories in
my mind and whatever happens this year at the event that won’t change,"
said defending champion Massaro.
"To win two British Open titles is more than anyone could wish for. It’s
really nice to be back and I’m happy to be here.”
El
Tayeb is through to the quarter-finals of the sport’s longest-running
tournament for the first time in her career after edging former World
No.6 Amanda Sobhy in a dramatic five-game battle.
The Egyptian has enjoyed the best season of her career to date, taking
two World Series titles in the U.S. Open and Windy City Open, and El
Tayeb showed she had all the components it would take to add the iconic
British Open title to her ever-expanding collection as she prevailed in
a tough encounter against the American, winning 11-5 in the fifth after
Sobhy had come back from two games down to level.
“Amanda is really hard to play and we have been playing since juniors,”
said 25-year-old El Tayeb.
“It’s amazing how well she is coming back from injury. I’m not going to
say she is back 100% but she’s almost back so it was a hard game. I
thought at 2-0 up she was going to go slower a bit but she didn’t and I
was lucky to have Ali [Farag] and my coach Haitham [Effat] in my corner
to keep pushing me and to keep focused even when I lost the third and
fourth game."
The other winners on day two were England’s Alison Waters - who upset
World No.5 Nouran Gohar - and World No.1 Nour El Sherbini - who defeated
fellow Egyptian Salma Hany - and they will meet for a place in the
semi-finals.
Second round action from the British Open continues tomorrow at 12:00
local time (BST) with live action shown on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and
Eurosport Player (Europe only).
Three-time
Allam British Open champion Nick Matthew has put his retirement on hold
for another two days at least after the 37-year-old veteran rolled back
the years to dispatch World No.5 Tarek Momen in a gruelling five-game
epic on day one of the 2018 edition of the PSA World Series tournament
held at Airco Arena.
Matthew is appearing at his last ever British Open and will retire at
the end of this season. Whether or not his final professional match
takes place in Hull or not depends on whether he qualifies for next
month’s ATCO PSA Dubai World Series Finals but defeat to Momen would
have seen him pushed out of the top eight on the PSA World Series
Standings by former World No.3 Omar Mosaad, who would have qualified in
Matthew’s place.
But a thrilling 80-minute battle went the way of Sheffield’s Matthew,
who put in a valiant display that epitomised the grit and determination
that have been hallmarks of the three-time World Champion’s glittering
20-year career to mark his 700th PSA World Tour match with an 11-4,
10-12, 11-4, 8-11, 11-2.
“That was my final, I’m not used to not being seeded, it’s hard work,”
said Matthew, who will play Germany’s Raphael Kandra in the next round.
“Every first round is tough but it’s totally different when you’re not
seeded. It’s only this month that my ranking slipped out. I knew it was
going to be tough and I feel over the moon at the minute.
“The good thing is that I’ve got a day off tomorrow so I think that will
give me a chance to reset mentally as much as anything. That was a bit
emotional and it was potentially my last one, so I didn’t want to go out
on a Tuesday night. I want to go all the way to the weekend so fingers
crossed I can keep pushing and I’m sure the crowd will be behind me.”
Meanwhile,
World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy avoided a shock first round exit as he
came back from two games down to defeat Peru’s World No.12 Diego Elias
in five.
ElShorbagy, a two-time British Open winner, was in all sorts of trouble
as an out of sorts showing from the two-time winner saw him go two games
down against a composed Elias, but the Egyptian powerhouse came onto
court a completely different player in the third as he stepped up the
court and forced Elias into some brutal movements to record an 5-11,
6-11, 11-4, 11-8, 11-4 triumph.
"To be the best in any sport, you don’t win matches because you play
your best every match, you find ways to win when you’re not playing your
best and today I found a way to win," ElShorbagy said afterwards.
"The British Open is our ‘Wimbledon of Squash’ and you don’t want to
lose a match easily. If someone is going to take me out I’m going to
make sure that they have to be at their best."
Three-time runner-up James Willstrop exited the tournament after he lost
to World No.3 Marwan ElShorbagy, while 2013 winner Ramy Ashour is also
out after falling to Colombia’s Miguel Angel Rodriguez in four games.
There were also wins for the likes of second seed Ali Farag, defending
champion Gregory Gaultier, former World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad and
World No.10 Paul Coll, with the latter pair set to face off against each
other.
Elsewhere, World No.26 Cesar Salazar made history as he beat
Switzerland’s Nicolas Mueller to become the first Mexican man ever to
reach round two of the British Open.
In
the women’s event, title holder Laura Massaro earned her spot in the
last 16 courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Egyptian qualifier Mayar Hany
which will see her play Yathreb Adel in the next round.
34-year-old Massaro and Hany - 13 years Massaro's junior - had met at
the second round stage of last year’s British Open, with Massaro taking
a comfortable 3-0 win in just 29 minutes, while the pair met last month
at the El Gouna International, with Massaro again triumphing in straight
games.
While the scoreline was the same this time around, Massaro didn’t always
have it her own way as the two-time British Open champion was forced to
overturn three separate game balls in a dramatic 25-minute opener,
eventually prevailing 21-19, before following that up with 11-6
victories in each of the final two games.
"I haven’t won a World Series event this season but I’ve made the
semi-finals in all of them apart from Chicago I think, so my ranking
being at seven feels a little bit harsh because I feel like I’m making
regular semis," said Preston-based Massaro when asked about her season
so far.
"Having said that, the tour is as strong as ever and my level just
hasn’t been strong enough to win those titles this season.
"We’ve got this event to go and I’ll have to adapt as quickly as I can
over the summer ready for next season otherwise my ranking will be even
further down."
World
No.3 Nour El Tayeb began her attempts to lift a third World Series title
with a 3-0 win over Australia’s four-time champion Rachael Grinham, who
was appearing in her 21st consecutive British Open.
“She is a legend of my whole world, everyone around me knows how big of
a deal Rachael is to me,” said El Tayeb.
“I got most of my tricks from her and she’s the first professional
squash player I grew up watching. She was the World No.1 at the time and
she always played with me when I was around 12 back home in Cairo so I
look up to her in every aspect."
United States No.2 Amanda Sobhy awaits El Tayeb after beating fellow
American Olivia Blatchford at the University of Hull and Sports Fitness
Centre - which hosted 23 of the 32 first round matches - while World
No.1 Nour El Sherbini and World Champion Raneem El Welily beat Salma
Hany and Victoria Lust, respectively.
Second round action begins at 12:00 local time (BST) tomorrow (Wednesday
May 16) and action will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and
Eurosport Player (Europe only).
World
No.43 Joel Makin became the first Welshman in a decade to reach the main
draw of the prestigious Allam British Open after he defeated England’s
Tom Richards by a 3-2 margin in the final qualifying round of the PSA
World Series tournament.
The pair waged a gruelling battle at the University of Hull Sports &
Fitness Centre as 23-year-old Makin fought back from 2-1 down to
complete an 11-9, 4-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5 victory that will see him take
on World No.9 Mohamed Abouelghar in the first round of the main draw.
Makin’s triumph means that the British Open main draw will feature a
male player for the first time since 2008 when former World No.5 and
current PSA Chief Executive Alex Gough made it to round two of the
sport’s longest-running tournament.
Top qualifying seed Gregoire Marche is also through to the main draw
courtesy of a 3-0 win over Malaysia’s World No.46 Eain Yow Ng and his
reward is a first round match-up with Australia’s Ryan Cuskelly.
An English quartet also moved through to the main draw on home soil as
Adrian Waller, Chris Simpson, Ben Coleman and George Parker all claimed
wins on the final day of qualifying.
Hong Kong’s Max Lee lies in wait for Waller, while Simpson, Coleman and
Parker have lined up respective fixtures with World No.2 Ali Farag,
former World No.3 Omar Mosaad and World No.9 Paul Coll.
There were also wins for second qualifying seed Greg Lobban and
Germany’s Raphael Kandra. Lobban beat Frenchman Lucas Serme to set up a
first round match with India’s Saurav Ghosal, with Kandra beating Hong
Kong’s Tsz Fung Yip to ensure he will face World No.27 Mathieu Castagnet.
In the women’s draw, two successive qualifying round upsets have ensured
that World No.58 Alexandra Fuller has become the first South African to
earn her place in the main draw since 2015.
The 24-year-old followed up a 3-2 win over Egypt’s top qualifying seed
Nadine Shahin with a 3-0 victory over Japan’s Misaki Kobayashi to book a
main draw berth against World No.12 Tesni Evans.
Third seed Millie Tomlinson was the only English player in action as she
overcame Zeina Mickawy in four games and she will look forward to a
first round fixture with 2015 champion Camille Serme in the next round.
Mayar Hany and Yathreb Adel made it an Egyptian double courtesy of
respective wins over Danielle Letourneau and Nada Abbas. Hany has a
tough encounter against defending champion Laura Massaro in store, while
Adel will play Indian No.1 Joshna Chinappa.
Belgium’s Nele Gilis, Canada’s Samantha Cornett, Dutchwoman Milou van
der Heijden and New Zealand’s Amanda Landers-Murphy also booked their
places in the main draw.
The main draw of the 2018 Allam British takes place between Tuesday May
15 - Sunday May 20 at Hull’s Airco Arena, with the exception of 23 of
tomorrow’’s 32 first round matches, which will be staged at the
University of Hull Sports & Fitness Centre.
Tomorrow will feature a bumper day of English talent as three-time
winner Nick Matthew begins his final British Open against World No.5
Tarek Momen, while Commonwealth Games gold medalist James Willstrop,
Massaro, World No.23 Emily Whitlock and Chris Simpson are the other
English players in action.
Fans can book their tickets now to see the English quintet in action by
visiting Ticketmaster.
Fixtures staged on the glass court at the Airco Arena will be shown on
SQUASHTV and Eurosport Player throughout the tournament, while the
semi-finals and finals will be shown live on mainstream broadcast
channels around the world, such as BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports
Australia and Astro.
Legendary
Australian Sarah Fitz-Gerald has tipped Egyptian players to come out on
top at the 2018 edition of the Allam British Open - which begins
tomorrow (May 15) in Hull - and is looking forward to some exciting
battles at the ‘Wimbledon of Squash’ over the next six days.
The British Open is the sport’s longest-running tournament and some of
the greatest Egyptian players of all time, such as Ramy Ashour, Mohamed
ElShorbagy, Abdelfattah AbouTaleb and Nour El Sherbini have gotten their
hands on the prestigious title.
Last year’s British Open featured no Egyptians in either the men’s or
women’s final for the first time since 2014 but, after a season which
has seen all but one World Series title find its way into Egyptian
hands, Fitz-Gerald is expecting the nation to reign supreme once more in
Hull.
"It’s hard to look past any Egyptian in the men’s and women’s
[tournaments]," said the two-time British Open champion.
"And you sure can’t underestimate some of the previous title winners.
The British [Open] often produces mammoth performances.
"[SQUASHTV lead commentator] Joey Barrington had a good laugh with me
during the Commonwealth Games about ‘sitting on the fence’ regarding
predictions. All I know is my guesses are never right, but the
Egyptians, any of them [could win] and I will watch with curiosity [New
Zealand’s] Joelle King and [Wales’] Tesni Evans in the women’s."
Fitz-Gerald, 49, first won the British Open back in 2001 with victory
over New Zealand’s Carol Owens in the final and she followed that up
with a second successive win the following year, this time beating
England’s Tania Bailey.
In addition to those British Open titles, the Melbourne-based former
World No.1 has won the World Championship on five occasions and claimed
a Commonwealth Games gold medal - but she insists that the British Open
was the tournament that tested her the most.
"The British Open means a huge amount to me and still does," she said.
"I found it the most difficult title to win. It’s history and prestige
seemed to add a huge amount of pressure, when I did it, it was a huge
relief plus I wanted to win it for my English club, Caversham in
Reading, and coach, Mike Johnson.
"To have been on that trophy with the legends of the game was what was
important to me, it was the ‘Wimbledon of Squash’."
This year’s British Open looks set to be one of the most exciting yet,
with the likes of two-time winner Mohamed ElShorbagy, World No.2 Ali
Farag, 2016 champion Nour El Sherbini and World Champion Raneem El
Welily leading the Egyptian charge.
Three-time winner Nick Matthew also returns to Hull as he appears at his
final British Open and his opening round match with Tarek Momen on
Tuesday May 15 is one of four matches to feature English talent at the
Airco Arena, with Commonwealth Games gold medalist James Willstrop,
defending women’s champion Laura Massaro and World No.23 Emily Whitlock
all involved.
Fans can see the English quartet in action by purchasing tickets via
Ticketmaster.
Qualifying for the tournament takes place from May 13-14 at the
University of Hull Sports and Fitness Centre, while the main draw will
be held at the Airco Arena between May 15-20, bar 23 of the 32 first
round matches, which will be staged at the university on day one of the
main draw.
Matches held on the glass court at the Airco Arena will be shown on
SQUASHTV and Eurosport Player throughout the tournament, while the
semi-finals and finals will be shown live on mainstream broadcast
channels around the world, such as BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports
Australia and Astro.
Three-time
Allam British Open champion Nick Matthew has admitted that he will have
to work hard to keep the emotions at bay when he makes his final
appearance at the sport’s longest-running tournament next week at Hull’s
Airco Arena.
Taking place between May 15-20, the British Open will offer up one of
the sport's most coveted titles and Matthew has tasted title success at
this tournament on three occasions - 2006, 2009 and 2012 - with the
former seeing him become the first English-born player since 1938 to
capture the crown.
Matthew, the only Englishman to lift the trophy three times, made his
British Open debut back in 1998 but his association with the iconic
tournament goes back to the 80s when he regularly made the trip down
from Sheffield to London to watch the world’s greatest stars in action.
"It’s a tournament that holds special memories for me before I was even
old enough or good enough to take part in it," said the 37-year-old.
"The British Open at Wembley was an annual homage for myself and my
parents and watching the likes of Jahangir & Jansher Khan, Rodney and
Brett Martin and Susan Devoy inspired me to want to become a
professional player.
"To follow in the footsteps of my idols and lift that trophy was
something I could only have dreamed about. When I heard I had become the
first English [born] player to have won such a prestigious title… it
made an incredible moment even more surreal."
Those British Open triumphs, alongside three World Championship titles
and three Commonwealth Games gold medals, have ensured that Matthew is
one of the most successful players of the modern era, while his bitter
rivalry with fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop has been one of the
hallmarks of the sport over the last decade - with that rivalry stemming
from the 2009 British Open final between the pair.
The two-hour battle went all the way to the wire in a feisty affair
which, after Matthew had claimed a 12-10 victory in the decider, laid
the foundations for one of the most absorbing rivalries the sport has
ever seen.
"Obviously
it’s a match that has made headlines for all the wrong reasons over the
years which is a shame as it took some of the gloss off the achievement
and overshadowed what was a really great squash match," Matthew
reflected.
"It’s the match that really cemented the rivalry I’ve had with James
over the years."
Matthew lost out to World No.4 Gregory Gaultier in last year’s final and
will be up against it from the off this time around as he takes on the
in-form World No.5 Tarek Momen in a difficult first round fixture.
Depending on the result, that match could be Matthew’s final
professional appearance on home soil and, after falling to a
disappointing quarter-final exit at the Commonwealth Games last month in
Australia, the man known on tour as ‘The Wolf’ insists that he is
determined not to let those thoughts get to him in Hull.
"I made the mistake of building up the Commonwealth Games into the
potentially perfect fairytale-type scenario and ended up putting
unnecessary pressure on myself in the process," he said.
"I’m determined not to let this happen in Hull and trust myself to
perform as if it was any other day.
"We are all humans and despite the best laid plans there’s bound to be a
bit of nostalgia for me surrounding the event.
"It’s impossible not to be aware of it but I’m trying not to think about
it as much as I can and let my squash do the talking."
Matthew still has a chance of securing a top eight berth on the PSA
World Series Standings, which would see him qualify for next month’s
ATCO PSA Dubai World Series Finals, thus extending his career by another
month.
He currently occupies eighth spot on the standings and needs to equal or
surpass the result of Egypt’s Omar Mosaad, who sits at ninth place, to
earn his place in the season-ending tournament, which will be held
between June 5-9 at Emirates Golf Club.
Matthew’s match against Momen in Hull will take place at 18:30 local
time (BST) on Tuesday May 15 and will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of
World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only).
He headlines an English quartet in action at the Airco Arena that day as
Willstrop, defending women’s champion Laura Massaro and World No.23
Emily Whitlock all begin their tournaments.
Qualifying for the tournament takes place from May 13-14 at the
University of Hull Sports and Fitness Centre, while the main draw will
be held at the Airco Arena between May 15-20, with the exception of 23
of the 32 first round matches, which will be staged at the university on
the opening day of main draw action.
Matches held on the glass court at the Airco Arena will be shown on
SQUASHTV and Eurosport Player throughout the tournament, while the
semi-finals and finals will be shown live on mainstream broadcast
channels around the world, such as BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports
Australia and Astro.
Defending
Allam British Open women’s champion Laura Massaro is hungry for more
success on home soil when the tournament takes place May 15-20 at Hull’s
Airco Arena.
Massaro defeated compatriot Sarah-Jane Perry in last
year’s final to become the first Englishwoman since Janet Morgan in 1951
to lift the iconic title twice and the 34-year-old is eager to show that
she can still compete with the world’s best at next week’s tournament.
“It would mean the world to win the title again,” said
the two-time tournament winner, who faces a qualifier in round one.
“It means you are still there competing with the best in
the world. There are only a handful of players on tour who have won a
British Open and it’s a special thing to have achieved. I would love to
lift the trophy at home again!”
Former World No.1 Massaro has a strong affiliation with
the British Open having won it in 2012 for the first time in her career
when she defeated Malaysian icon Nicol David and the Lancastrian said
that the tournament holds special memories for her.
“It’s up there for me with the World Champs. Especially
for the British players, it’s so prestigious and it was an honour to win
it.
“I remember being so proud in 2012. Especially beating
Nicol in the final. To win a huge event like that at home with family
and friends there makes it even more special.
“It made it more special because she very rarely lost
back then. No one thought I would win but I knew I believed in myself.
It was a huge win and even bigger to do it in a final as well.”
Last year was a triumphant one for England squash as a
whole with two English female players battling it out for the title -
the first time that had happened since 1991 - and Massaro was pleased to
see her compatriots performing well on home turf.
“It was actually really hard to play SJ in the final.
Normally I’ve been used to having the whole crowd behind me but with two
English players in the final it had a different feel to it.
“Obviously, I wanted to win for me, but it was a huge
achievement for England squash to have two of us in the final.”
Massaro will face a qualifier in round one at Hull’s
Airco Arena in a tantalizing line-up of English talent on Tuesday May 15
with Nick Matthew and James Willstrop also in action during the evening
session.
Qualifying for the tournament takes place from May 13-14
at the University of Hull Sports and Fitness Centre, while the main draw
will take place at the Airco Arena between May 15-20, with the exception
of 23 of the 32 first round matches on May 15, which will be staged at
the university.
Matches held on the glass court at the Airco Arena will
be shown on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only)
while the semi-finals and finals will be shown live on mainstream
broadcast channels around the world, such as BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox
Sports Australia and Astro.
England’s Nick Matthew has been handed a difficult first round fixture
against Egypt’s World No.5 Tarek Momen at next month’s Allam British
Open, PSA World Series tournament as the 37-year-old from Sheffield gets
ready to appear at the prestigious ‘Wimbledon of Squash’ for the final
time.
Former World No.1 Matthew, a three-time British Open champion, will call
time on an illustrious career at the end of this season – meaning that
the British Open will be his last ranking PSA tournament – and he will
have a final shot at capturing the coveted title once more, although he
will have to defeat one of the most in-form players on the PSA World
Tour if he is to progress beyond the opening round.
Three tournament finals so far this season have seen Momen rise into the
world’s top five for the first time earlier this month and he beat
Matthew last time the two met in the quarter-finals of November’s Qatar
Classic. This year marks Matthew’s first unseeded appearance at the
tournament since 2003.
Matthew’s bitter rival and fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop, the
34-year-old who won a gold medal in the Commonwealth Games Singles event
earlier this week, also has tough Egyptian opposition in round one,
which comes in the form of World Championship runner-up Marwan
ElShorbagy.
Should Matthew and Willstrop both come through their first and second
round matches in Hull, then the pair will face off in the quarter-finals
in what could be the final meeting of one of the sport’s most
captivating rivalries – a rivalry which stems from a tempestuous meeting
between the two in final of the 2009 British Open which went the way of
Matthew.
Colchester-based Daryl Selby and Nottingham’s Declan James are the other
two Englishman involved in the main draw and they will take on 2016
World Champion Karim Abdel Gawad and Tournament of Champions winner
Simon Rösner, respectively.
Top seed Mohamed ElShorbagy will kick off his attempts to win a third
British Open crown against Peruvian two-time World Junior Champion Diego
Elias while the man he is seeded to meet in the final, U.S. Open
champion Ali Farag, gets under way against a qualifier.
Defending champion Gregory Gaultier – who beat Matthew in last year’s
final to become the sport’s oldest ever World No.1 – faces Australia’s
Cameron Pilley, with 2013 winner Ramy Ashour in action against former
World No.4 Miguel Angel Rodriguez in the opening round.
In the women’s draw, defending champion Laura Massaro is seeded seventh
and will face a qualifier in round one, with a potential quarter-final
meeting against World No.3 Nour El Tayeb in store.
England No.2 Sarah-Jane Perry, who together with Massaro contested the
first female all-English British Open final since 1991 last year, will
face Egypt’s Hania El Hammamy in round one as she looks to follow up her
silver medal at the Commonwealth Games earlier this week.
World No.1 Nour El Sherbini, the 2016 British Open champion, opens up
her tournament against England’s World No.19 Emily Whitlock, while World
Champion Raneem El Welily will line up against a qualifier in round one.
In-form New Zealander Joelle King, fresh off the back of winning a gold
medal on the Gold Coast this week, will pit her wits against a qualifier
in round one, with a second round fixture against Welsh bronze medalist
Tesni Evans in store if both players can come through their opening
round matches unscathed.
There is the potential for another mouthwatering second round clash with
five-time winner Nicol David and 2015 champion Camille Serme seeded to
meet in the last 16. David will do battle against Egypt’s Mariam
Metwally in round one, with France’s Serme set to meet a qualifier.
The British Open will give the players their last chance to win points
for the PSA World Series Standings, where only the top eight will
qualify for a place in June’s PSA World Series Finals.
The likes of Matthew, Gaultier, Gawad, Serme, Massaro and David are
still yet to book their place in the season-ending tournament so every
point will be crucial as the season nears its climax.
Qualifying for the tournament takes place from May 13-14 at the
University of Hull Sports and Fitness Centre, while the main draw will
be staged between May 15-20 on the glass showcourt at the Airco Arena.
While selected first round matches on May 15th will be held on the glass
court, the University of Hull Sports and Fitness Centre will host the
bulk of the round one action, with stars such as Ashour, Gawad, Massaro
and Perry beginning their tournaments on a day that will see the
university host 24 exciting matches.
Matches held on the glass court throughout the tournament will be shown
live on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and Eurosport Player (Europe only) with
the semi-finals and finals set to be shown live by mainstream
broadcasters around, such as BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox Sports Australia
and Astro.
Main Draw – Men’s 2018 Allam British Open [1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v Diego Elias (PER)
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v
Paul Coll (NZL) v
Daryl Selby (ENG) v [7] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
[6] Simon Rösner (GER) v [WC] Declan James (ENG)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) v
Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v
Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
[4] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) v James Willstrop (ENG)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
Borja Golan (ESP) v
Nick Matthew (ENG) v [5] Tarek Momen (EGY)
[8] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Omar Mosaad (EGY) v
Max Lee (HKG) v
v [2] Ali Farag (EGY)
Main Draw – Women’s 2018 Allam British Open [1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) v Emily Whitlock (ENG)
v [15] Omneya Abdel Kawy (EGY)
[10] Alison Waters (ENG) v Joey Chan (HKG)
Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) v [5] Nouran Gohar (EGY)
[7] Laura Massaro (ENG) v
v [14] Joshna Chinappa (IND)
[13] Olivia Blatchford (USA) v Donna Urquhart (AUS)
Salma Hany (EGY) v [3] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)
[4] Joelle King (NZL) v
v [12] Tesni Evans (WAL)
[9] Nicol David (MAS) v Mariam Metwally (EGY)
v [6] Camille Serme (FRA)
[8] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) v Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
v [11] Annie Au (HKG)
[16] Victoria Lust (ENG) v [WC] Fiona Moverley (ENG)
v [2] Raneem El Welily (EGY)
The
world’s greatest squash players will be on show at Hull’s Airco Arena
between May 15-20 when the 2018 edition of the Allam British Open - the
sport’s longest running tournament - takes place with a record prize
fund of $165,000 up for grabs in both the men’s and women’s events.
The prestigious World Series tournament will be staged in Hull for a
sixth year in succession and will feature a host of world-class talent
as the likes of men’s World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy, defending champion
Gregory Gaultier, women’s World No.1 Nour El Sherbini and World Champion
Raneem El Welily do battle for the title.
Meanwhile, all eyes will be on three-time winner Nick Matthew as he
makes his final appearance at the iconic tournament, with the
37-year-old veteran set to retire at the end of the season. Matthew has
enjoyed title success at this tournament in 2006, 2009 and 2012, with a
memorable final victory over fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop in 2009
sparking one of the most captivating rivalries squash has ever seen.
Women’s defending champion Laura Massaro will be one of three English
women currently inside the world’s top 10 to compete in Hull. The number
seven seed will be joined in the draw by compatriots Sarah-Jane Perry -
who together with Massaro contested the first female all-English final
since 1991 last year - and Alison Waters, while Victoria Lust and Emily
Whitlock are also involved.
Hull-based Fiona Moverley has been named as the wildcard in the women's
draw, while Nottingham's World No.25 Declan James claims the men's
wildcard spot.
In addition to offering up one of the most coveted titles in
professional squash, the British Open will also give players a final
opportunity to gain points on the PSA World Series Standings as they aim
to secure a top eight berth which will guarantee qualification for
June’s PSA World Series Finals.
The University of Hull Sports and Fitness Centre will host the
qualification rounds between May 13-14 and selected main draw matches
from the first round on May 15.
Glass court matches from May 15-20 will be staged at the Airco Arena and
will be shown live on SQUASHTV (Rest of World) and Eurosport Player
(Europe only) with the semi-finals and finals being shown live on
broadcast channels across the globe, such as BT Sport, beIN Sports, Fox
Sports Australia and Astro.
For all of the latest news on the 2018 British Open, please visit
www.allambritishopen.com or
follow the tournament on Twitter: @BritOpenSquash