Top Seeds Matthew and Willstrop Set Canary Wharf Finals Matchup by Alan Thatcher
photo courtesy Squashpics.com
March 27, 2014
- Top seeds Nick Matthew and James Willstrop resume their intense
rivalry in what promises to be an epic battle in the final of the
Canary Wharf Classic.
Both swept aside their
semi-final rivals in straight games, meaning that both players have
reached the final without dropping a game all week.
Willstrop almost
slipped up in the first game against England team-mate Peter Barker as
his opponent drew level from 10-8 down, but the number two seed
recovered to win 12-10.
The second game was
actually longer, although the 11-2 scoreline reflected the number of
errors from Barker as he attempted to bring massive rallies to a
conclusion with ambitious shots that frequently clipped the edge of the
tin.
Barker led 4-2 in the
third and his fans in a sell-out crowd at the East Wintergarden were
willing him to make an impact on the match, but Willstrop strung five
points together with some devastating drop shots on both sides of the
court to regain the ascendancy.
Barker fought bravely but Willstrop closed out the match to reach his seventh Canary Wharf final.
He lost in the final
to Matthew two years ago and the two great Yorkshire rivals produced
one of the greatest matches in the history of the sport when they
contested a two-hour battle in 2010 that ended with Willstrop lying in
a heap in the back left corner after an attack of cramp.
Matthew had taken just
39 minutes to see off the challenge of acrobatic Colombian Miguel Angel
Rodriguez, winning 11-4, 11-2, 11-3 in just 39 minutes.
The 33-year-old world
champion knew he had to be mobile around the front of the court to
combat the Colombian’s trickery, and his fast-paced attacking game
prevented his opponent from building any momentum.
Rodriguez played
several astonishing shots between his legs but Matthew was finding all
the corners of the court as he dominated proceedings throughout the
match.
He said: “It’s nice to
know that people think I’m speeding up as I get older, so these days it
can sometimes be a relief to lose early in a tournament so that you can
give your body a rest and prepare for the next tournament.
“That happened when I
lost in the quarter-finals in New York and then won the Swedish Open
and the British Nationals. You don’t always have much time to prepare
between events.
“I have felt good on court this week and I was pleased to contain Miguel to just the one dive tonight when I was on match ball.”
Willstrop hates anyone
bringing up the subject of his long losing run against Matthew in PSA
events. He said: “It might be something that everybody outside this
glass court wants to talk about but in reality it’s just the kind of
thing that sport throws up.
“Naturally I hope it
comes to an end on this court, where I also ended a similar run against
Lee Beachill a few years ago. I have enjoyed some great moments on this
court, and naturally hope to put on another good performance in the
final.
“It’s been a great
week for English squash with Laura Massaro winning the world title at
the age of 30 and gaining a deserved reward for her years of hard work
and dedicated training.
“With Nick as world
champion and England the world men’s team champions it has been a
magnificent period for squash in this country.
“I am sure the crowd
will be looking forward to another all-English battle between Nick and
me. We’re both playing well and it should be a great match.”
Canary Wharf Classic, East Wintergarden, Canary Wharf, London, England.
Semi-Finals:
(1) Nick Matthew (Eng) bt (8) Miguel Rodriguez (Col) 11-4, 11-2, 11-9 (39 min)
(2) James Willstrop (Eng) bt (3) Peter Barker (Eng) 12-10, 11-2, 11-7 (50 min)
