Matthew and Willstrop On Track to Clash In Canary Wharf 2014 by Alan Thatcher February 11, 2014 - SQUASH rivals Nick Matthew and James Willstrop are seeded to meet in the final of next month’s sold-out Canary Wharf Classic.
The two English stars
have dominated London’s most popular squash tournament, with reigning
champion Willstrop claiming four titles and Matthew three.
This PSA World Tour
International 50 event takes place at the stunning East Wintergarden
venue from March 24-28 and the prospect of another high-quality
all-English showdown resulted in every ticket being snapped up eight
weeks in advance.
However, Matthew and
Willstrop face a number of daunting obstacles in every round, with a
strong international field lying in wait. In the top half of the draw,
Matthew faces Scottish wild card Alan Clyne in the first round, with
the winner facing an Egyptian after world No.13 Omar Mosaad was drawn
against compatriot Karim Abdel Gawad.
Matthew began the
month as joint world number one with French ace Gregory Gaultier, but
his triumph over Ramy Ashour in Sunday’s Swedish Open final, following
victory over Gaultier in the semi-finals, means that he will be
undisputed number one in the March rankings.
Karim Darwish is
another celebrated Egyptian making his debut appearance at Canary
Wharf. He faces a qualifier in the first round, with a mouthwatering
second round clash in prospect against either Londoner Adrian Grant or
the hugely popular Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez. The world No.14 is
one of the most agile and athletic players on the PSA Tour.
There is a strong
domestic presence in the bottom half of the draw, with Willstrop and
world No.10 Daryl Selby both meeting qualifiers in the first round
before a scheduled clash in the quarter-finals.
No.3 seed Peter
Barker, the world No.7 from Essex, faces a difficult first round tie
against Indian No.1 Saurav Ghosal, one of the quickest players in the
game, before a seeded quarter-final clash with Germany’s Simon Rosner.
The tall world No.11 faces a qualifier in the first round. CANARY WHARF SQUASH CLASSIC 2014
FIRST ROUND DRAW Monday March 24: 5.30pm: (8) Miguel Angel Rodriguez (Col) v Adrian Grant (Eng) 6.15pm: (4) Karim Darwish (Egy) v Qualifier 8.15pm: (1) Nick Matthew (Eng) v Alan Clyne (Sco) 9.00pm: (7) Omar Mosaad (Egy) v Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) Tuesday March 25: 5.30pm: (5) Daryl Selby (Eng) v Qualifier 6.15pm: (2) James Willstrop (Eng) v Qualifier 8.15pm: (3) Peter Barker (Eng) v Saurav Ghosal (Ind) 9.00pm: (6) Simon Rosner (Ger) v Qualifier
TICKETS: With all tickets sold
out, a waiting list is being set up should any tickets be returned. To
add your name to this list, please email cw@eventis-sports.com
CORPORATE HOSPITALITY: The fabulous East
Wintergarden offers superb opportunities for corporate hospitality,
with the gallery restaurant offering “the best view of squash anywhere
in the world” according to former world champion Peter Nicol. Superb
packages are available, enabling spectators to wine, dine and watch all
the gripping squash action from the Gallery restaurant. Full details from Tim Garner at Eventis Sports Marketing Telephone: 07973 817468. Email: tgarner@eventis-sports.com
QUALIFYING COMPETITION: The qualifying
competition takes place at Wimbledon Racquets and Fitness Club over the
weekend of March 22-23 with four winners joining the top 12 seeds in
the main draw.
Event website: www.canarywharfsquash.com
Host Sponsor: Canary Wharf Group plc
The Canary Wharf Squash Classic at the East Wintergarden is jointly promoted by Eventis Sports Marketing and SquashUK.
Tournament Dates: March 24-28, 2014
Venue: East Wintergarden, Bank Street, Canary Wharf, E14
Media information from Alan Thatcher
Text or telephone: 07971 639829. Email: alan@squashuk.com
