US Open Day 8 Report: Wee Wern Over El Weleily; Matthew, Willstrop Massaro Advance
by Steve Cubbins







October 16, 2013 - The quarter-finals concluded in Philadelphia with four matches in the bottom halves of the men's and women's draws - offering equal prize money for the first time ever in a World Series event - in Drexel University's John A. Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia.

The women's quarters saw a major upset as Malaysia's Low Wee Wern, seeded six, beat world number three and last year's runner-up Raneem El Weleily in a thrilling five-setter, while second seed and 2011 champion Laura Massaro came from a game down to beat Kasey Brown in mirror image of their the 2011 final.

The men's matches produced two English winners as second and third seeds James Willstrop and Nick Matthew both looked to be cruising to victory but were made to fight hard for 3-1 wins against Simon Rosner and Peter Barker.

Wee Wern wins at last

Low Wee Wern couldn't have picked a better time to tecord her first win against Raneem El Weleily, the world number three and finalist here last year, as the Malaysian came through a five-game thriller to clinch a place in the semi-finals.

It wasn't a hit-or-miss winner-or-tin affair like El Weleily's all-Egyptian match in he previous round, this was all about building rallied, probing for a weakness and taking opportunities when they came. Both players covered the court well, varied the play, and there was rarely more than a couple of points between them in the first four games.

El Weleily pulled away from 7-all to take the lead 11-7, Low edged ahead from 4-all in the second and stayed ahead to level 11-8, and from 7-all in the third it was the Egyptian who again finished the better.

El Weleily looked on course for the semis as she led 7-4 in the fourth, but Low hung in, won some lengthy exchanges and got the verdict in a video review to level at 8-all. From 9-all two strokes levelled the match.

Up to this point El Weleily's error count had been Low, but she hit the tin five times at the start of the decider as Low took a 6-1 advantage. Cutting out the errors, the Egyptian worked her way back, and edged ahead at 8-7. It was in her own hands as Low, as well as she was playing, was effectively relying on El Weleily to make errors.

And the errors returned, one to make it 8-all, a let that Low successfully appealed into a stroke for 9-8, then two more errors and Low was into the semis.

"I feel like going back on for another game, the rallies were so hard it doesn't feel like it's all over!" Said a delighted winner.

"It's definitely one of my best wins, but there was no pressure on me going into the match, so I just had to stick in and that seemed to work in my favour today."

Laura repeats at Drexel

Just as she did the 2011 final here, Laura Massaro came from a game down to beat Kasey Brown, but this time the prize was a place in the semi-final.

Brown started strongly, hitting powerfully, moving well and hunting down balls all over the court. The Australian led 5-2 and 7-3, but Massaro started to find her game and almost made it back - she levelled at 8-all, even had a game ball but she lost out on a video review and Brown seized the chance, taking the lead 12-10.

Massaro came out strongly from the outset of the second, kept her opponent on the move, and essentially controlled the next three game.

From 6-2 she took the second 11-4, then 7-3 in the second and the same in the third were enough. Brown threatened to close up in both, but a determined Massaro wasn't going to let that happen as she closed out the match 11-8, 11-5.

"We hadn't played for a couple of years, so I had to get used to how Kasey plays, and she's playing well at the moment. She's very strong down the middle so I had to adjust my game to counter that and I'm happy with how I played the last three games."

James Magic for Three

James Willstrop played awesome squash for three games tonight, and Simon Rosner simply couldn't get near him. It wasn't that the big German was playing badly, far from it, but Willstrop was outmaneuvering  outhitting, and outdropping him with a superb display.

Willstrop went up 6-1 then 8-22 in the first, taking it 11-5. From 4-2 in the second he eased away again, taking seven points in a row for 11-2. The trend continued up to 6-2 in the third, and it looked for all the world
as if the match was over.

But Rosner, frustrated at not being able to make an impression, simply refused to go quietly. He fought back to 6-all, forcing some errors from Willstrop's racket at last, and punching away some winners of his own, again at last. The crowd loved it, and when Rosner took the third (his first game against Willstrop in five matches)11-8 they roared.

Willstrop quietened them again with more controlled squash to go 6-2 up again. Rosner dug in, again, and got back to 6-9, then to 9-all and the crowd were loving the prospect of a decider. It wasn't to be though, Wills
trop squeezed a tin out of his opponent, then got in front in the final rally, smacking away a low crosscourt that Rosner somehow got back, then smacking away another that he couldn't for 1--9 and a place in the semis.

Three games of virtually perfect squash from Willstrop then, it just happened to come in four parts.

"It's not easy to put three games of that quality together in a row," admitted Willstrop, "if you can it would be pretty magic, but I was pleased to be able to di it for the first two games.

"It's tough, especially when you get blamed all the time," said Willstrop in reference to the several warnings he'd received from the central referee about clearing his shots better. "We're both big guys and I certainly don't think I was entirely to blame. I see it happening in other matches without them being warned, but maybe it is me, maybe I need to find a way to solve it.

"Anyway, I'm happy I managed to find a way to close out the win and it should be a good all-English match tomorrow, whoever I play."

Matthew toughs it out

Nick Matthew set up an all-English semi-final with Willstrop as he beat compatriot Peter Barker in a match that, like Willstrop's, started off comfortably for the higher seeds but ended up being a real scrap.

Matthew was well in charge in the first two games, controlling the rallies wit precise volleys, punching the ball deep into the corners, with Barker seemingly unable to do much about it and he trailed 11-5, 11-4.

From the start of the third though Barker was more aggressive, firing in a couple of spectacular volley kills as he opened up a 5-1 lead. Matthew closed, to 3-5 and 6-7, but a determined Barker stayed ahead, for a while at least. Matthew levelled at 8-all, led 9-8 and then 10-9 but lost that first match ball with a scuffed shot off the sidewall.

At 10-all there were three lets, Barker hoped for more on each of them but didn't appeal. He saved another match ball at 11-12, lost a game ball at 12-11, but finally got the break at 13-12 as Matthew tinned at the end of another fast-paced rally.

Matthew regrouped, took a quick 6-2 lead in the fourth, and although the rallies were unrelentingly tough, he held Barker off to take it 11-6 - finishing with two lovely winners - and set up another all-English match.

"I saw how the last match went, with James cruising at 6-2 in the third," said Matthew, "so I was on my guard against that happening to me but he played really well at the start of the third and suddenly I was 5-1 down and
he was becoming confident.

"It got a bit scrappy and bitty after that, a lot of lets and bumps, but I just had to tough it out and I'm pleased how I was able to do that."

Women's Quarter-Finals:

[6] Low Wee Wern (Mas) bt [3] Raneem El Weleily (Egy) 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8 (66m)
[2] Laura Massaro (Eng) bt Kasey Brown (Aus) 10-12, 11-4, 11-8, 11-5 (55m)

Men's Quarter-Finals:

[2] James Willstrop (Eng) bt Simon Rosner (Ger) 11-5, 11-2, 8-11, 11-9 (59m)
[3] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [6] Peter Barker (Eng) 11-5, 11-4, 12-14, 11-6 (76m)