Marathon Exchanges Get World Championship Underway
by Howard Harding











photos courtesy Steve Cubbins

28 October 2013 - Over 30 hours of wall-to-wall squash brought the 64-man field of the AJ Bell PSA World Squash Championship down to 32 players after the completion of today's action-packed first round of the sport's biggest event of the year at the National Squash Centre in Manchester.

16 nations will be represented in the second round - led by eight Egyptians and five Englishmen.

Home hero Nick Matthew recorded one of the earliest wins. The No4 seed from Sheffield, bidding to become England's first three-time winner of the title, despatched event debutant Zahed Mohamed, a 21-year-old qualifier from Egypt, 11-5, 11-4, 11-4.

The former world number one, now ranked four in the world, admitted later that he knew nothing of his opponent - and spent last night searching the internet for some background. But he later confided: "I feel in the best shape of my career."

Fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop, the third seed, also had a convincing opening win over a qualifier - beating compatriot Joel Hinds 11-4, 11-4, 13-11. England team-mates Matthew and Willstrop, who contested the 2010 final, are drawn in opposing halves of the draw.

All eyes were on top seed Ramy Ashour, the world number one from Egypt who is looking to win the title for a second time in Manchester. In a tough first round clash, Ashour faced Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema, the world No18.

The assured left-hander from The Hague (pictured above in action with Ashour) took the opening game and had game-balls for a surprise 2/0 lead.

But the irrepressible Ashour stepped up his game to win 10-12, 13-11, 11-3, 11-4 after 65 minutes - and extend his unbeaten Tour run to 46 matches since May 2012!

"In my opinion, the turning point of the match was at 10-8 in the second, when I played two stupid shots, I was too inaccurate," explained Anjema later. "But then again, even if I had managed to get to 2/0 up, I wouldn't have had the match won - it can be very difficult to win from that position.

"I'm happy with the way I played - I've been enjoying my squash recently, I've changed a few things in my game during training, but I don't think about that when I play matches. Actually, tactics are overrated: I just try and go on there empty-headed (which is not as easy as it looks). I try and meditate before the match, to get into that 'stay in the moment' feel."

Ashour will now face a fellow countryman after event first-timer Fares Mohamed Dessouki continued his giant-killing run in the event by fighting back from two games down to upset world No32 Alan Clyne.

It was after two shock victories over higher-ranked opponents in the qualifiers that 19-year-old Dessouki (pictured above in action with Clyne) become not only the youngest qualifier - but also the lowest-ranked.

But the determined world No 111 from Alexandria rose to the occasion by defeating top-ranked Scot Clyne 9-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9 in 82 minutes to reach the second round.

"I'm really happy to have won the game coming from two games down," said the delighted Dessouki afterwards. "I'm having a great time here and looking forward to playing Ramy tomorrow."

16 years after making his first appearance in the event's qualifying competition for the first time - ahead of any other player in the 2013 draw - Malaysia's 33-year-old Ong Beng Hee rolled back the years by beating higher-ranked Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad, 11 years his junior, 11-9, 11-9, 2-11, 10-12, 11-8 in 70 minutes.

"I think I played well in the first two, then went into my usual hibernation mode for two games - well, one and a half games," said former world No7 from Penang. "I woke up at 7-1 in the fourth, thinking 'you're going to lose that one if you don't do something fast'.

"It was nice to play somebody my ranking, at least I have a 50/50 chance," added the Malaysian number one, now in the second round for the first time in four years. "But it's still a strong quarters with Mosaad and Matthew. But with the baby due in April, I'd better win a few more!"

Two all-left-handed clashes produced mixed results for the hosts: Early in the day, in-form Londoner Adrian Grant took on Egyptian maestro Amr Shabana, the No8 seed who is a four-time winner of the trophy.

The 34-year-old from Cairo is making his first PSA Tour appearance since March - and showed his class with an 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 win over Grant to extend his career head-to-head record over the Englishman to 11-1.

But fellow London left-hander Peter Barker took his anticipated place in the second round after beating Ryan Cuskelly. But the seventh seed was taken to four games before taking out the Australian 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-5 in 72 minutes.

"I started pretty well, to be honest - I knew it was going to be a tough match, he's had a few good results and he's knocking on the door of top 20 so he's fresh, said Barker, a semi-finalist three years ago. "You just can't take anyone for granted. I'm good mates with him as well, we shared at the last tournament, the US Open so I was well aware of him. He played really well in the second, I nearly got it back but then the third and fourth were good from my point of view.

"I had a really up and down year last year but I managed to stay in the top eight which was the bare minimum but hopefully I can push on this year. I've had a couple of decent tournament wins but physically I feel good and just enjoying being able to run."

Spain's ninth seed Borja Golan survived one of the longest matches in the history of the championship when he outlasted England's Chris Simpson 11-9, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5 in 110 minutes.

It was a courageous performance by Guernsey-born Simpson, the world No21, who had never before taken a game from the Spanish world No9 in two previous encounters.

"I played well, had my chances in the fourth and the first," explained underdog Simpson later. "Think it came down to the fourth really - I was quite tired in the fifth, bit disappointed with how I faded physically. So obviously very disappointed at the moment, hopefully I can take some positives out of it.

"I played him about three weeks ago and lost in three so it's encouraging to do a bit better - but, like any athlete, it's hard to see that right now."

There was another brave performance from an up-and-coming Englishman later when Londoner Adrian Waller established a 2/1 lead over sixth-seeded Egyptian Mohamed Elshorbagy, last year's runner-up.

But world No6 Elshorbagy showed his class when he upped his game to close out the match 11-6, 6-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7 in 84 minutes.

"I am reading a book at the moment, called Winning Ugly - written by a tennis coach that never was a top player but knew how tactically to switch from losing to winning," said the UK-based Egyptian. "And the first page of his book says 'do you prefer to win ugly or to lose pretty???'

"Today, I know I didn't win pretty. I won ugly, but I'm not taking a plane home tomorrow. And that's what counts. I'm pretty proud of what I did, happy to get myself out of this situation.

"I had seen him play at the US Open, I knew so what to expect. I really put myself under tremendous pressure for this event. I was very nervous, and he was very clever, he slowed down the pace. And the more he slowed down the pace, the more I was nervous.

"So in the fourth, I just tried to make myself angry. Not against him. But I used all the opportunities I could to try and fire myself up. That's what the book told me really!"

Waller, a tall 23-year-old from Enfield, added: "Played quite well tonight. It's always difficult to play someone highly-ranked in the world, top 10 in the world. Got to a winning positions which was good to feel but just disappointed not to convert. Feel like I can complete with the top guys in the world - but it's just having the opportunity to do that on a regular basis."

A second qualifier later made it through to the second round when Australia's Matthew Karwalski upset Egypt's world No43 Mohd Ali Anwar Reda 11-2, 11-5, 11-5.

The world No54 from New South Wales now faces in-form Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, the No2 seed who defeated Danish qualifier Kristian Frost Olesen 11-7, 11-8, 11-6.

RESULTS: AJ Bell PSA World Squash Championship, Manchester, England

1st round:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) 10-12, 13-11, 11-3, 11-4 (65m)
[Q] Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 9-11, 4-11, 11-8, 11-7, 11-9 (82m)
Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Mazen Hesham Ga Sabry (EGY) 11-8, 12-10, 4-11, 8-11, 13-11 (79m)
[14] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Campbell Grayson (NZL) 12-10, 11-8, 11-9 (48m)
[15] Alister Walker (BOT) bt [Q] Shaun le Roux (RSA) 11-8, 11-5, 13-11 (49m)
Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Joe Lee (ENG) 11-5, 12-10, 11-3 (48m)
Henrik Mustonen (FIN) bt [Q] Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) 7-11, 11-8, 7-11, 12-10, 11-8 (84m)
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 11-4, 8-11, 11-4, 11-5 (72m)
[8] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Adrian Grant (ENG) 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (38m)
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) 11-3, 10-12, 11-4, 7-11, 11-4 (78m)
Leo Au (HKG) bt [Q] Shahier Razik (CAN) 11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 11-9 (90m)
[16] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt Gregoire Marche (FRA) 11-6, 11-7, 4-11, 11-9 (75m)
[11] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Christopher Gordon (USA) 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 (34m)
Ong Beng Hee (MAS) bt Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 11-9, 11-9, 2-11, 10-12, 11-8 (70m)
Max Lee (HKG) bt Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 11-7, 13-11, 12-10 (39m)
[4] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [Q] Zahed Mohamed (EGY) 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 (39m)
[3] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [Q] Joel Hinds (ENG) 11-4, 11-4, 13-11 (35m)
Tom Richards (ENG) bt Ben Coleman (ENG) 11-8, 11-7, 11-9 (53m)
Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt [Q] Steven Finitsis (AUS) 11-8, 4-11, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9 (75m)
[9] Borja Golan (ESP) bt Chris Simpson (ENG) 11-9, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5 (110m)
[12] Simon Rosner (GER) bt [Q] Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-5, 11-5, 11-9 (57m)
Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) bt [Q] Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) 11-9, 11-8, 12-10 (47m)
Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) bt Julian Illingworth (USA) 11-8, 11-7, 11-7 (45m)
[6] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) bt Adrian Waller (ENG) 11-6, 6-11, 6-11, 11-7, 11-7 (84m)
[5] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [Q] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) 11-9, 11-6, 11-5 (28m)
Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt [Q] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 11-5, 4-11, 8-11, 11-8, 14-12 (74m)
Stephen Coppinger (RSA) bt [Q] Ammar Altamimi (KUW) 11-5, 11-5, 11-4 (30m)
[13] Daryl Selby (ENG) bt [Q] Charles Sharpes (ENG) 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 (35m)
[10] Tarek Momen (EGY) bt [Q] Eddie Charlton (ENG) 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (39m)
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt Marwan Elshorbagy (EGY) 7-11, 12-10, 11-5, 12-10 (52m)
[Q] Matthew Karwalski (AUS) bt Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY) 11-2, 11-5, 11-5 (32m)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [Q] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 (47m)

2nd round line-up:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [Q] Fares Mohamed Dessouki (EGY)
[14] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS)
[15] Alister Walker (BOT) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[7] Peter Barker (ENG) v Henrik Mustonen (FIN)
[8] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Mathieu Castagnet (FRA)
[16] Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) v Leo Au (HKG)
[11] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v Ong Beng Hee (MAS)
[4] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Max Lee (HKG)
[3] James Willstrop (ENG) v Tom Richards (ENG)
[9] Borja Golan (ESP) v Cesar Salazar (MEX)
[12] Simon Rosner (GER) v Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW)
[6] Mohamed Elshorbagy (EGY) v Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY)
[5] Karim Darwish (EGY) v Olli Tuominen (FIN)
[13] Daryl Selby (ENG) v Stephen Coppinger (RSA)
[10] Tarek Momen (EGY) v Nicolas Mueller (SUI)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [Q] Matthew Karwalski (AUS)