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Top two seeds meet in Kuwait quarters!

November 27, 2011 • Tags: , , , • Categories: all posts, tournaments

The random draw method for the quarter-finals of the Kuwait PSA Cup has been made the 1st time in professional squash and it saw the top 2 seeds Nick Matthew (pic le) and Karim Darwish (pic ri) drawn to play each. The draw took place during the gala dinner held at Kuwait Towers, with Sheikha Fadya Al Sabah pulling the 1st numbered ball out of the bowl.

It was Stewart Boswell, and the Aussie drew his own opponent, Gregory Gaultier. Next out was an all-English match between Peter Barker and James Willstrop, and when Darwish was next out of the hat there was a one-in-3 chance that the top 2 seeds playing each other. Darwish duly pulled out ball No1, and the ‘dream quarter-final’ was set. That left Mohamed El Shorbagy and Laurens Jan Anjema.

Anjema beat Lincou to make Kuwait quarters!

November 25, 2011 • Tags: , , , , , • Categories: all posts, tournaments

It was Laurens Jan Anjema (pic ri) who produced the only upset in the 3rd round of the Kuwait Cup. The 10th seed Dutchman won in 5 tough games (11-9, 3-11, 10-12, 11-2, 11-9) against 8th seed Frenchman Thierry Lincou (pic le) to reach the quarters.

Further 3rd round results: [1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [13] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 (52m); [7] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [9] Daryl Selby (ENG) 11-7, 11-7, 5-11, 11-8 (50m); [3] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [16] Alister Walker (BOT) 11-7, 11-5, 11-3 (34m); [15] Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Simon Rosner (GER) 7-11, 11-5, 12-10, 12-10 (67m); [5] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [12] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) 11-4, 11-7, 11-5 (50m); [6] Peter Barker (ENG) bt [14] Adrian Grant (ENG) 11-6, 11-5, 11-1 (55m); [2] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [11] Omar Mosaad (EGY) 11-5, 11-5, 11-7 (34m).

Rosner downs Shabana in Kuwait!

November 24, 2011 • Tags: , , , , , • Categories: all posts, tournaments

It was Germany’s Simon Rosner (pic ri) who earned the biggest scalp in the 2nd round of the Kuwait Cup. The World No24 beat the 4-time World Champion Amr Shabana (pic le) in straight games 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 to claim a place in the last 16 of a World Series event for the 1st time in his career.

Except this major upset all seeded players have gone through with more or less problems. Daryl Selby (ENG), Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY), Alister Walker (BOT) and Adrian Grant (ENG) had to go for the full distance to overcome their opponents Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW), Borja Golan (ESP), Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) and Ryan Cuskelly (AUS).

2nd round results:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 11-6, 11-3, 11-1 (29m)
[13] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Chris Ryder (ENG) 11-8, 11-9, 11-6 (58m)
[9] Daryl Selby (ENG) bt Abdullah Al Muzayen (KUW) 9-11, 11-3, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9 (66m)
[7] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) bt Borja Golan (ESP) 12-10, 11-7, 5-11, 2-11, 12-10 (85m)
[8] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Olli Tuominen (FIN) 11-6, 13-11, 11-6 (47m)
[10] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-5, 9-11, 12-10, 11-2 (70m)
[16] Alister Walker (BOT) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 6-11, 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-8 (85m)
[3] James Willstrop (ENG) bt Chris Simpson (ENG) 11-0, 11-8, 11-9 (27m)
Simon Rosner (GER) bt [4] Amr Shabana (EGY) 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 (22m)
[15] Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Stephen Coppinger (RSA) 11-5, 11-6, 11-6 (40m)
[12] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt Jonathan Kemp (ENG) 11-3, 11-4, 11-9 (18m)
[5] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) 11-7, 11-2, 11-6 (34m)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) bt Jan Koukal (CZE) 11-5, 11-6, 11-7 (42m)
[14] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 11-6, 11-13, 5-11, 11-4, 11-3 (76m)
[11] Omar Mosaad (EGY) bt Max Lee (HKG) 11-8, 11-13, 11-7, 11-5 (67m)
[2] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt Mohammed Abbas (EGY) 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 (28m)

3rd round line-up:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v [13] Cameron Pilley (AUS)
[9] Daryl Selby (ENG) v [7] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY)
[8] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v [10] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED)
[3] James Willstrop (ENG) v [16] Alister Walker (BOT)
[15] Stewart Boswell (AUS) v Simon Rosner (GER)
[5] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [12] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS)
[6] Peter Barker (ENG) v [14] Adrian Grant (ENG)
[2] Karim Darwish (EGY) v [11] Omar Mosaad (EGY)

2012 ATCO World Series Finals returns to Queen’s!

November 23, 2011 • Tags: , , , , , • Categories: all posts, associations, tournaments

The ATCO World Series Finals will return to The Queen’s Club in London (4-8 January 2012). The flagship PSA event, which celebrates its 18th staging since 1993, will feature the top 8 players from the 2011 World Series standings in this year’s 9 PSA World Series events (2 of which have yet to be completed).

But new for 2012 will be the simultaneous staging of the WISPA World Series Finals – featuring the top 8 women in the now-completed 2011 WISPA World Series, led by Malaysia’s record 6-time world champion Nicol David. The women’s event, launched in 1998, has not been staged since 2004. It will be run alongside the men’s championship for the 1st time.

Here come the girls!

November 22, 2011 • Tags: , , • Categories: all posts, tournaments

Check out the December issue of InternationalSquashMagazine – favourite story: Here come the girls, including world most famous female squash player’s pics of Vicky Botwright. “Nothing has come close to the ‘Thong’ photographs taken of former England International …”

PSA launches innovative draw in Kuwait!

November 21, 2011 • Tags: , , , • Categories: all posts, associations, tournaments

A brand new event format, reflecting the open draw style of English football’s prestigious FA Cup, will be launched by the Professional Squash Association this week at the Kuwait PSA Cup which will feature the top 48 players in the world.

But the draw for the quarter-finals will be made (drawn randomly out of the hat) at a Gala Dinner in Kuwait once the line-up has been resolved – with the highest-ranked player drawing his opponent, then the remaining highest player is drawing next his opponnent, etc, until the quarters are confirmed. That means that No1 and No2 are able to meet in the quarters. What do you think about the new draw system?

Walker powers to Pittsburgh prize!

November 21, 2011 • Tags: , , , , , • Categories: all posts, players, tournaments

Alister Walker (pic le) earned Botswana its 2nd international title in a week when he upset top-seeded Englishman Adrian Grant in the final of the Pittsburgh Open. Based in England for much of his life, Botswana-born Walker moved to New York in January this year and the 29-year-old world No20 switched his allegiance to the country of his birth.

After his 11-7, 6-11, 11-4, 15-17, 11-2 triumph in 100 minutes, a delighted Walker said: “It was a great final and rounded up two weeks of good performances for me. With 5 PSA titles now to his credit, Walker heads for Kuwait where both he and Grant will compete in the inaugural Kuwait PSA Cup.

David and Willstrop new Hong Kong Champions!

November 20, 2011 • Tags: , , , , , , , , • Categories: all posts, players, tournaments

It’s Malaysian World Champion Nicol David (pic le) and English World No3 James Willstrop (pic ri) who took the Hong Kong crown this year. As Nicol David beat Egyptian Ranem El Weleily 11-5, 11-4, 11-9 in just 30 minutes, she took her 6th Hong Kong open title in a row.

James Willstrop made all effort to beat Egyptian 2nd seed Karim Darwish 11-5, 11-9, 11-4 to take his 1st title in the Asian metropolis.