January 2012

Favorites made the semis at Queen’s!

Day 3 of the ATCO World Series Finals is the last day of the group stages. Those who haven’t yet cemented a place in the semis have to dig in for a result, and those with no chance of qualifying play purely for pride. Australian Donna Urquhart destroyed French hopes, as she beat Camille Serme 9-11, 11-8, 11-8 to put Serme to 3rd place in the group, just missing out on the qualification spot.

As Malaysian Nicol David overcame Irish Madeline Perry 11-6, 12-10, it was David and Perry (on count back) who took the semi-final spots.

In Group B England’s Jenny Duncalf has been through already caused by the retirement of Rachael Grinhan (AUS) and it was Laura Massaro (pic ri) who secured further English interest by beating Low Wee Wern (pic le, MAS) 11-3, 11-4 to make the last semi-final place.

3rd pool round: Friday 6th January 2012
Pool A
[8] Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [6] Camille Serme (FRA) 9-11, 11-8, 11-8
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [3] Madeline Perry (IRL) 11-6, 12-10

Pool B
[5] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt [7] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-3, 11-4
[2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [4] Rachael Grinham (AUS) / walk over as Grinham retired

Day four WSA Semi final line-up:
Semi-final 1: [1] Nicol David (MAS) v [5] Laura Massaro (ENG)
Semi-final 2: [2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) v [3] Madeline Perry (IRL)


PSA secures Sky Sports live at Queen’s!

Live coverage of the semi-finals and finals from the ATCO PSA World Series Finals on Sky TV is the latest breakthrough for SquashTV, the Professional Squash Association’s dedicated online and TV operation. The Sky programme will be hosted by Sky Sports presenter Tony Wrighton and the MC for the event is Natalie Pinkham (pic right, together with World No1 James Willstrop), known for her role in the channel’s Formula 1 coverage.

PSA CEO Alex Gough said: “We have been talking to Sky Sports for a few years about live coverage and we are delighted that they have now allowed us to broadcast our flagship event. The SquashTV team that we have built up over the last two years is now able to showcase the World Series Finals in full HD and will also produce a full Sky Sports Studio presentation.”

In addition to the Sky Sports feed, SquashTV is producing coverage for a separate world feed throughout the event on www.psasquashtv.com

“In our bid to enter the Olympics in 2020, this full HD show, with both men’s and women’s finals, is another milestone in an ambition that we feel is drawing ever closer. Furthermore, we will also be using an ‘Extreme Super SloMo’ in this coverage to highlight the incredible athleticism and finesse of our great athletes. It is going to be spectacular”, Gough added.

Saudi businessman Ziad Al-Turki, Chairman of the PSA, has been the driving force behind many of the sport’s initiatives since becoming involved in 2005. Vice-president of ATCO, the industrial conglomerate owned by his father which sponsors the unique PSA Tour event in London, Al-Turki will be at Queen’s Club this week to oversee the best eight men and women compete for their end-of-year titles.

“We didn’t really start with anything,” said Al-Turki. “We had to work hard to change people’s minds about squash but we now have the tools in place to succeed. Sky covering it is a step of approval, too.”

Since its formation in January 2010, SquashTV has covered over 20 major events and has over 50,000 unique visitors a month, in addition to distribution to 20 broadcasters worldwide, with a potential reach of 340 million viewers.

Sky Sports 2 transmission details:
Saturday: 14.00-17.30
Sunday: 14.00- 17.00


Shabana makes 6th World Series Finals semi!

A straight games victory (11-5, 11-4) over Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema in the 2nd pool round of the World Series Squash Finals in London has guaranteed Egypt’s Amr Shabana a place in the semi-finals of event for the 6th year in a row. His 2nd win in a row ensures his place in Saturday’s semi-finals – but 1st he will face group 2 rival Greg Gaultier tomorrow to decide the group winner.

Frenchman Gaultier (pic) notched up his 2nd pool win after beating Londoner Peter Barker 14-12, 11-6 in 44 minutes. James Willstrop kept home hopes alive in group 1, as he had an impressive 11-7, 11-6 win over 20-year-old World Series Finals debutant Mohamed El Shorbagy. In the opening match, Karim Darwish of Egypt earned his 1st win of the event when he beat Malaysian Azlan Iskandar 11-4, 8-11, 11-5.

Group 1
James Willstrop (England, WR 1) – 2 wins
Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egypt, WR 6) – 1 win
Karim Darwish (Egypt, WR 5) – 1 win
Mohd Azlan Iskandar (Malaysia, WR 10)

Group 2
Gregory Gaultier (France, WR 3) – 2 wins
Amr Shabana (Egypt, WR 8) – 2 wins
Peter Barker (England, WR 7)
Laurens Jan Anjema (Netherlands, WR 9)

Friday 6th January 2012 – schedule of the last group matches:
Group 1 – James Willstrop v Azlan Iskandar
Group 1 – Mohamed El Shorbagy v Karim Darwish
Group 2 – Peter Barker v Laurens Jan Anjema
Group 2 – Greg Gaultier v Amr Shabana


Grinham out as David and Duncalf maintain focus!

Rachael Grinham was forced to retire from the competition early this morning, due to an injury the Australian obtained in yesterday’s match against Low Wee Wern. Group B will now be comprised of just three 3. First match in group A saw a major upset as French World No9 Camille Serme (pic ri) beat Irish World No3 Madeline Perry (pic le) 11-6, 5-11, 11-7.

Favorite Nicol David of Malaysia continued her progression through the group stages with a controlled 2-0 win (11-4, 11-4 ) over Australian Donna Urquhart. Due to Grinham’s withdrawal, Jenny Duncalf played the final women’s match of the today. England’s World No2 was in control of Low Wee Wern (MAS) to take the 11-7, 11-8 victory.

Day2 WSA World Series Finals results:
Pool A
[6] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [3] Madeline Perry (IRL) 11-6, 5-11, 11-7 (30m)
[1] Nicol David (MAS) bt [8] Donna Urquhart (AUS) 11-4, 11-4 (15m)

Pool B
[2] Jenny Duncalf (ENG) bt [7] Low Wee Wern (MAS) 11-7, 11-8 (27m)

Laura Massaro (ENG) bt Rachael Grinham (AUS) by walk over as Grinham withdraws from competition due to injury

Day 3 schedule:
Camille Serme (FRA) vs Donna Urquhart (AUS)
Laura Massaro (ENG) vs Low Wee Wern (MAS)
Nicol David (MAS) vs Madeline Perry (IRL)


Top ranked women on form at day1 in Queen’s!

In its 1st appearance of the World Series Final since 2004, the top 8 women battled it out in the 1st round of group stage matches. Group A pairing, Madeline Perry and Donna Urquhart was over in 18 minutes as the Irishwoman beat Australia’s Urquhart 11-7, 11-6. Also in Group A, World Champion Nicol David showed great form as she eased through with a 17-minutes victory (11-6, 11-6) over Camille Serme of France.

The 1st Group B match was an all-English affair, as Jenny Duncalf beat Laura Massaro in 3 games (5-11, 11-6, 11-6). In the last match of the women’s day 1 action, experienced Australian Rachel Grinham (pic ri) fought back from 1 game down to beat Low Wee Wern (pic le) of Malaysia 9-11, 11-8, 11-9.

Day 2 schedule:
Group A – Madeline Perry v Camille Serme
Group A – Nicol David v Donna Urquhart
Group B – Jenny Duncalf v Low Wee Wern
Group B – Rachael Grinham v Laura Massaro


Top two seeds starting well at Queen’s!

England’s James Willstrop (pic le) celebrated his new World No1 ranking in perfect style in London by beating Egyptian Karim Darwish (pic ri) 11-6, 11-5 in 25 minutes in the 1st pool round of the ATCO PSA World Series Squash Finals at The Queen’s Club. In the other Group 2 match, 2nd seed World No3 Greg Gaultier demonstrated some excellent squash to overcome his Dutch opponent Laurens Jan Anjema 11-5, 13-11 in 40 minutes.

The flagship PSA World Tour event, which features the 8 players who earned the most points from the nine PSA World Series championships in 2011, will play 3 days of pool matches leading to the semi-finals on Saturday and grand final on Sunday.

In his first match since topping the World Rankings for the 1st time at the beginning of this month, Englishman James Willstrop gave a convincing display to overcome James Darwish, the world No5 from Egypt 11-6, 11-5 in 25 minutes.

“It’s phenomenal to be World No1,” said the 28-year-old from Leeds after his tenth straight Tour win over the Egyptian since 2006. “The way I played at the end of 2011 to earn the ranking – I couldn’t have hoped for more. To get this first threat out of the way and do so well is a great start.”

In the other match in Group 1, Egyptian Mohamed El Shorbagy despatched fellow World Series Finals newcomer Mohd Azlan Iskandar, the world No10 from Malaysia, 11-7, 11-5 in just 22 minutes. The 20-year-old world No6 from Alexandria is a student at the University of the West of England – and had to sit an exam this afternoon in Bristol before racing back to London to play his opening match! “Can’t believe how well I played…it’s just one of those days where everything was just coming your way”, El Shorbagy said.

There was further Egyptian success later in the evening when four-time world champion Amr Shabana fought back from game down to beat Londoner Peter Barker, the world No7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7 in 45 minutes. Shabana, at 32 the oldest player in the field, is making his eighth successive appearance in the World Series Finals. Despite reaching the final both in 2008 and 2011, the mercurial former world No1 is looking for his first title – and success at Queen’s would mark his first ever title triumph in England.

In the other Group 2 match, Greg Gaultier demonstrated some excellent pressure squash early on in the first game and had Dutch opponent Laurens Jan Anjema struggling right from the start. The Frenchman’s powerful lengths were forcing loose balls from the Dutchman, and Gaultier looked under no pressure to give up his comfortable spot on the tee. The second game was closer however, and Anjema was able to force Gaultier to a tie-break but the World No3 closed out the match 11-5, 13-11 after 40 minutes.

1st pool round:
Group 1:
[7] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [6] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 11-7, 11-5 (22m)
[1] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [3] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-6, 11-5 (25m)

Group 2:
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [8] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) 11-5, 13-11 (40m)
[4] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [5] Peter Barker (ENG) 7-11, 11-8, 11-7 (45m)

Group 1:
James Willstrop (England, WR 2) – 1 win
Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egypt, WR 8) – 1 win
Karim Darwish (Egypt, WR 5)
Mohd Azlan Iskandar (Malaysia, WR 10)

Group 2:
Gregory Gaultier (France, WR 3) – 1 win
Amr Shabana (Egypt, WR 6) – 1 win
Peter Barker (England, WR 7)
Laurens Jan Anjema (Netherlands, WR 9)


Nick Matthew out of World Series Finals!

England’s world champion Nick Matthew admitted today that he will be unable to compete in this week’s ATCO PSA World Series Finals in London’s Queen’s Club (4-8 January). The 31-year-old is still undergoing treatment for the adductor injury sustained during last year’s Kuwait PSA Cup – and which later caused him to pull out of the Punj Lloyd PSA Masters, the last World Series event of the year in India in December.

Matthew will be replaced by Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema from The Hague who will be making his debut in the championship. The World No9 will begin his campaign against Greg Gaultier (pic le), the world No3 from France.

“Worst kept secret in Squash – but have officially decided to withdraw from the World Series Finals this week in London,” tweeted Matthew this afternoon.

“The injury, however, is coming along nicely & I hope to be 100% by the Tournament of Champions in New York c/20th Jan,” added the world number two, who reached the final of the 2010 World Series Finals at Queen’s.

“Just got the message that due to Nick Matthew’s injury, I will be playing the World Series in London on Thursday,” Anjema said on Twitter. “Very excited!!”

Matthew’s announcement follows last week’s news that former champion Ramy Ashour will also be on the sidelines as the result of a hamstring injury. The 24-year-old from Cairo, champion in 2007, finished in third place in the 2011 Dunlop PSA World Series Standings after winning three World Series titles in the year.

First Pool round line-up (Wednesday 4th January):
18.00: Group 1 – James Willstrop (ENG) v Karim Darwish (EGY)
18.45: Group 1 – Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS)
20.20: Group 2 – Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v Gregory Gaultier (FRA)
21.00: Group 2 – Amr Shabana (EGY) v Peter Barker (ENG)


James Willstrop new World No1!

The top of the PSA Men’s World Squash Rankings will feature a new look with the England’s James Willstrop (pic) makes his debut as World No1 in the first list of 2012, published on New Year’s Day by the Professional Squash Association. The 28-year-old succeeds England team-mate Nick Matthew, who has headed the world rankings since January 2011.

It was a stunning end-of-year run on the PSA World Tour that led Willstrop to overtake his great rival and become the 17th World No1 of all-time – and the 4th Englishman, following Matthew, Lee Beachill, and Peter Nicol.

Willstrop completed the best four-week run of his career this month in India when he won the PSA Masters in New Delhi – immediately following World Series title triumphs at the Hong Kong Open and the Kuwait PSA Cup. “It’s been a tremendous week since India,” said the new World No1. “It came at a good time as it gave me the opportunity to think about it, to celebrate it and enjoy it.

Willstrop competes in his 1st event as World No1 next week at The Queen’s Club in London, where he is the top seed in the ATCO PSA World Series Finals – the flagship PSA event which features the 8 players who have earned the most points from the 9 PSA World Series championships in 2011. “Being introduced as World No1′ at my first event next week in my home country will be very special – I can’t pretend otherwise,” added Willstrop.

Matthew is at 2 in the January rankings, ahead of Frenchman Greg Gaultier at No3, and a trio of Egyptians Ramy Ashour, Karim Darwish and Mohamed El Shorbagy, who is celebrating a career-high No6 ranking in the new list.

Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema and Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar have both moved up to career-high-equalling positions of 9 and 10, respectively. But also in the list are Egyptian Tarek Momen, who moves up two places to a best-ever No18, and two top 20 debutants Simon Rosner and Tom Richards.

Rosner leaps an impressive five places to take up 19th place – thus becoming Germany’s first top 20 player for more than 16 years. The five-time German champion achieved last 16 finishes in the last 2 World Series events of the year, and at the Kuwait PSA Cup claimed one of the best scalps of his career when he beat Egypt’s Amr Shabana in straight games.

Richards leads the next wave of top England players and made his senior international debut in 2011. The 25-year-old from Surrey made the second round of the PSA Masters after upsetting Egypt’s Hisham Mohamed Ashour.

January 2012 top 20 (incl. points average):
1 [2] James Willstrop ENG 1,373
2 [1] Nick Matthew ENG 1,299
3 [3] Gregory Gaultier FRA 1,159
4 [4] Ramy Ashour EGY 1,073
5 [5] Karim Darwish EGY 981
6 [8] Mohamed El Shorbagy EGY 672
7 [7] Peter Barker ENG 644
8 [6] Amr Shabana EGY 616
9 [12] Laurens Jan Anjema NED 498
10 [10] Mohd Azlan Iskandar MAS 465
11 [16] Daryl Selby ENG 370
12 [11] Thierry Lincou FRA 369
13 [15] Omar Mosaad EGY 368
14 [13] Hisham Mohamed Ashour EGY 348
15 [17] Alister Walker BOT 337
16 [18] Cameron Pilley AUS 320
17 [19] Adrian Grant ENG 311
18 [20] Tarek Momen EGY 290
19 [24] Simon Rosner GER 277
20 [21] Tom Richards ENG 276