Pilley & Ashour Move Closer To Semi Clash In Canberra from PSA Media
photo Australian Open media
14 August 2012
- Australian number one Cameron Pilley moved a step closer to a
semi-final against Egypt's defending champion Ramy Ashour when he
downed fellow countryman Matthew Karwalski in today's first round of
the Hi-Tec Australian Open in Canberra.
Pilley had too much
experience for the improving Karwalski, winning in straight games 11-7,
11-5, 11-7 to claim a place in the second round of the PSA World Tour
International 70 squash event at the Royal Theatre.
Top seed Ashour, the
23-year-old world No4 from Cairo, closed out the first round with a
typically flamboyant 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 win over New Zealand qualifier
Kashif Shuja to get his title defence underway.
"Kashif's a legend of
the tour, he's been around for a long time and I think we put on a good
show," Ashour said, adding that he was in great shape for the start of
the new season.
"I've been working a
lot on my body, which I haven't always done in the past," he said.
"It's more mental than physical but I feel great."
Ashour will play young Englishman Olivier Pett who was impressive in his 11-4, 11-5 11-7 win over Hong Kong's Dick Lau.
Pilley was always
ahead of Karwalski, who has moved to Florida to train with former
Australian number one David Palmer. The fourth seed took early leads in
the first two games, then from 3-6 down in the third, he won eight of
the next nine points to clinch the match.
"Matt's improved a lot
in the last 12-18 months, training with Palmer has definitely helped,"
Pilley said. "He's trying to replicate the way Dave plays and trains,
so it was a good hit-out.
"It's been a while
since I played a proper competitive match so I wasn't too sure how I
was going to feel or hit it, so I was quite pleased. I've had worse
first round results than that before."
Pilley now takes on Zac Alexander, who beat wildcard Rex Hedrick in another all-Australian clash.
After trading two
tight opening games, Alexander changed tactics at the start of the
third and went on the attack, wrapping up the last two to take the
contest 11-8, 7-11, 11-2, 11-3.
"I wasn't even really
playing, I was just trying to feel my way into it," Alexander said
later. "Rex is so steady and fit and patient, he'd do that all day. The
problems I've had in the last season are because I'm not playing enough
attacking squash, I've been trying to play a length game and beat
people by doing nothing with the ball.
"I think I can move the ball around pretty well so I have to be more aggressive and more positive.
"If I can be more
aggressive and open up the court more it gives me chances to end the
rallies - I'm not a grinder so I have to take matters into my own
hands."
Earlier, sixth-seeded
Swiss player Nicolas Mueller ended Australian qualifier Aaron
Frankcomb's tournament with a highly entertaining 11-5, 11-7, 11-6
victory.
Eighth seed Mohd
Nafiizwan Adnan joined fellow Malaysian Ong Beng Hee in the second
round with a straightforward 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 win over Gonzalo Miranda.
Adnan was never in any
trouble as he downed the qualifier from Argentina in just 25 minutes.
"I played him a few weeks ago at the Victorian Open in Melbourne and I
beat him comfortably there," Adnan said. "I was quite confident coming
into the match because I knew how to play against him."
Adnan will next take on Egyptian Omar Abdel Aziz, who beat New Zealand's Campbell Grayson 11-3, 2-11, 11-7, 11-7.
Aziz beat Adnan at their last outing, in Qatar last November, but the Malaysian said he was confident of gaining revenge.
"I've been training
really hard over the past few months and I have improved a lot," he
said. "My confidence is good and my fitness is good so I'm really
looking forward to it."
Hong Kong's Leo Au prevailed over Austrian qualifier Aqeel Rehman 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6.
RESULTS: PSA International 70 Hi-Tec Australian Open, Canberra, Australia
1st round (top half of draw): [1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [Q] Kashif Shuja (NZL) 11-6, 11-6, 11-6 Olivier Pett (ENG) bt [Q] Dick Lau (HKG) 11-4, 11-5, 11-7 (29m) Leo Au (HKG) bt [Q] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 11-7, 11-7, 10-12, 11-6 (47m) [6] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt [Q] Aaron Frankcomb (AUS) 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (38m) [8] Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt [Q] Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 (25m) Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) bt Campbell Grayson (NZL) 11-3, 2-11, 11-7, 11-7 (52m) Zac Alexander (AUS) bt Rex Hedrick (AUS) 11-8, 7-11, 11-2, 11-3 (51m) [4] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Matthew Karwalski (AUS) 11-7, 11-5, 11-7 (34m)
2nd round line-up: [1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Olivier Pett (ENG) [6] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) v Leo Au (HKG) [8] Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) v Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) [4] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Zac Alexander (AUS) [3] Tom Richards (ENG) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) [7] Alan Clyne (SCO) v Martin Knight (NZL) [5] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) v Amr Khaled Khalifa (EGY) [2] Omar Mosaad (EGY) v Jan Koukal (CZE)