'Pressure Is On' For Matthew Ahead Of British Open by Sean Reuthe
photo PSA
March 16, 2017
- England's number one Nick Matthew says the pressure is on ahead of
next week's Allam British Open as the three time tournament winner aims
to peak for the 2017 staging of the 'Wimbledon of Squash' whilst also
securing vital points on the PSA Road To Dubai Standings.
36-year-old Matthew, the 2006, 2009 and 2012 champion, goes into the
event as the oldest player in the draw and is hoping experience will be
on his side as he bids for title number four. A run deep into the
tournament will also help the Sheffield-man to cement a place in Dubai
to compete at the PSA Dubai World Series Finals - the season-ending
event where only the top eight players compete.
"The British Open is the tournament with all the history - it's the oldest event on Tour," said Matthew.
"And I'm the oldest player on Tour, so hopefully those two things will come together in my favour this week!
"I'm really looking forward to the event. I've been focusing on that
one in training over the past month or so and it's also an important
event on the Road to Dubai and one of the last events to get points at.
"I'm in sixth place at the moment, so the pressure is on to qualify.
I've promised my family a holiday out there at the end of the year, so
I need to up my game and secure that spot - so this year the British
Open is a big one for a number of reasons."
First Round Draw - 2017 Men's Allam British Open
[1] Mohamed ElShorbagy (EGY) v Fares Dessouky (EGY)
Daryl Selby (ENG) v [Qualifier]
Stephen Coppinger (RSA) v [Qualifier]
Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v [7] Ali Farag (EGY)
[8] Tarek Momen (EGY) v [Qualifier]
Paul Coll (NZL) v [WC] Declan James (ENG)
Simon Rösner (GER) v [Qualifier]
Borja Golan (ESP) v [4] Nick Matthew (ENG)
[3] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL)
Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [Qualifier]
Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) v James Willstrop (ENG)
Max Lee (HKG) v [6] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY)
[5] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [Qualifier]
Diego Elias (PER) v [Qualifier]
Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) v [Qualifier]
Omar Mosaad (EGY) v [2] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY)
The 2017 Allam British Open takes place at the Airco Arena, Hull from
March 21-26. Tickets are available to purchase from £7.50 by visiting https://allambritishopensquash2017.com/
