Momen Motors Into British Open Quarters by Howard Harding
photo courtesy squashpics.com
22 May 2013
- English hope Peter Barker became the biggest seeding casualty in the
Allam British Open Squash Championships after unseeded Egyptian Tarek
Momen claimed a shock four-game victory over last year's semi-finalist,
the No7 seed, in today's second round of the PSA World Series event at
the KC Stadium in Hull in the English county of Yorkshire.
On the cold open-air court sited on the turf of the soon-to-be Premier
League football club, the pair (pictured in action below) were facing
each other for the first time. Underdog Momen raced into a 6-1 lead to
take the London-born left-hander by surprise.
World No7 Barker managed to get back into the game, attempting to
extend the rallies and keep the ball away from Momen's dangerous volley.
Barker clinched the opening game, but the 25-year-old from Cairo - who
had never previously progressed beyond the event's first round -
started to be more adventurous with his shot choice, and it paid off.
"I'm over the moon," said the beaming Momen after his 9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-9 upset in 43 minutes.
"At crucial times I played well - my shots that usually go into the tin worked!" exclaimed the first-time quarter-finalist.
Momen will now face former champion Gregory Gaultier after the fourth
seed from France recorded a four-game victory over Indian number one
Saurav Ghosal.
It was far from straightforward for the 30-year-old from
Aix-en-Provence who was up against the renowned speed and agility of
the Kolkata-born, but Yorkshire-based, Ghosal. There were some
entertaining rallies for the lively crowd with plenty of retrieval and
both players looking to take the ball in short.
"Playing Saurav in those conditions, with his touch, is a real
nightmare," said a relieved Gaultier after his 11-8, 11-13, 11-7, 11-0
win in 61 minutes. "He keeps retrieving everything, and made it
difficult for me to get to the front corners."
Reigning champion Nick Matthew, the world No2 from Yorkshire, stormed
through his second round match. England's top-seeded player beat
Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema 11-6, 11-3, 11-4 in a masterful display of
squash that lasted just 38 minutes.
The victory takes the 32-year-old from Sheffield one step closer to
winning his third consecutive British Open title and fourth in total.
Matthew dominated from the start, never allowing his opponent to settle
into his game. His aggressive approach forced Anjema into making a
series of errors from which the world No17 could not recover.
Speaking later, Matthew said the win had bolstered his confidence as he hadn't been playing too well recently.
"There's not been too much pressure on me this week - people have been
talking about the other players who have been in better form than me.
"But as long as I can keep performing like that then hopefully I won't be far off again this year."
Matthew will face Karim Darwish in the quarter-finals after the
Egyptian beat England's Daryl Selby 11-9, 11-5, 11-6 in the evening's
final match.
RESULTS: PSA World Series Allam British Open, Hull, England