Category: "tournaments"

The world’s top two squash players seeded to meet!

The world’s top two squash players Nick Matthew and Ramy Ashour (pic) are seeded to meet in the final of the ROWE British Grand Prix, to be staged at the National Squash Centre in Manchester from 15-20 September. But, according to the draw the standout to be the predicted quarter-final clash between career-long English rivals Nick Matthew and James Willstrop. Nick Matthew, who became England’s first world number one for six years in June, leads a star-studded field which boasts eight players from the current world’s top 10 and five former world number ones. The complete draw is provided at the official website.
ROWE British Grand Prix Manchester 2010 –
www.britishsquashgrandprix.com
internationalSPORTgroup Ltd No. 4 The Spinney Chester Road Poynton Cheshire SK12 1HB England EMAIL: info@isportgroup.com


Down Under doubles time!

How to bridge the gap between the Australian Open and the Hong Kong Open (starting at the 25th of August), that might be the question for most of the players. Some of them are already on the way to Hong Kong, may be looking for some shopping opportunities, other still stay in Australia to play some doubles at the Australian Championships in Melbourne. New Australian Open Champion Nick Matthew (pic) also did so and find himself with doubles partner Adrian Grant in the semi-final: Semi-finals: Nick Matthew & Adrian Grant (ENG) v Cameron Pilley & Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) and David Palmer & Stewart Boswell (AUS) v Peter Barker & Daryl Selby (ENG).

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“Quick Nick” downed Ashour to take Australian title!

England’s Nick Matthew (pic le) showed just why he is ranked world no.1 when he downed Egypt’s Ramy Ashour (pic ri) in straight games after 58 dramatic minutes of the Australian Open in Canberra. The end of 1st game was the crucial point of the match, when Matthew stuck with Ashour through the Egyptian’s periods of brilliance. Matthew saved five game points to take the game on his 1st occasion 16-14. Matthew managed to stay on top and extended the lead. Ashour stepped up the pace in the 3rd to be 8:5 ahead, when the English world no. 1 fought back to force the tiebreak. Again Matthew stayed strong and took his first Australian Open title.

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Madeline Perry won the Australian Open!

Irish girl Madeline Perry (pic ri) won the Australian Open against England’s Alison Waters (pic, le) in the 5th game on extra points to claim her biggest tournament victory and her 7th overall title on the WISPA Tour. Perry was two games ahead when Waters fought herself back into the match to equal the score. In the crucial moments of the 5th and final game Perry always found the better and took the biggest prize money cheque was ever supplied at a Women’s Australian Open.

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World top two to content into Canberra final!

Top seeds Nick Matthew and Ramy Ashour (pic ri) will fight out the Australian Open final after contrasting semi-finals. Nick Matthew celebrated a straight games win (11-7, 11-8, 11-8) over fellow Englishman James Willstrop. Matthew looked incredibly relaxed in his 25th win over Willstrop. Ashour, the 2nd ranked Egyptian, beat Frenchman Gregory Gaultier (pic le) in a fantastic encounter 5-11, 11-6, 9-11, 11-7, 11-7. Ashour and Gaultier entertained the enthusiastic crowd at Canberra’s Royal Theatre with spectacular squash. Both brought everything into the match what makes squash exciting and entertaining. Finals prediction might be difficult. Ashour won 6 of the 10 meetings, but Matthew won their last encounter at the final of the Tournament of Champions in New York in February.

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All-British climax at the Australian Open!

Both top seeds fell in today’s semi-finals as 4th seed Madeline Perry and 3rd seed Alison Waters (pic) set up an all-British final of the Grays Women’s Australian Open. Englishwoman Alison Waters survived a magnificent fight back (11-7, 11-8, 10-12, 9-11, 11-9) from 2nd-seeded Australian Rachael Grinham to make the 13th Tour final of her career. Perry, the world no.6 from Belfast, recovered from losing the first game to win 7-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 over England’s world no.2. Both, Perry and Waters will meet in the final with an equal 7:7 head to head record. Perry will look for her 7th tour victory, while Waters could go on her 5th tour title of her career.

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Gaultier and Ashour in spectacular form!

The last two quarter-finals of the Australian Open saw French Greg Gaultier (piv ri) and Egypt’s Ramy Ashour playing immaculate matches beating Karim Darwish (EGY, pic le) and Thierry Lincou (FRA) to take the last to semi-final spots. Right from the beginning the 5th seed Gaultier was powering through to a two games lead against Karim Darwish. The Egyptian managed to stay in the match by taking the 3rd but Gaultier was able to close down in the 4th game. His semi-final opponent will be World Champion 2008 Ramy Ashour who produced unbelievable shoots to down former World Champion (2004) Thierry Lincou in straight games.

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British Australian Women’s semis down under!

Experienced 33-year-old Rachael Grinham (pic) triumphed in straight games over 11-year-younger fellow Australian Donna Urquhart, in the quarter-finals of Australian Open in Canberra to take on 3rd seed Alison Waters of England who reached the final four with an 11-5, 11-9, 11-7 win over New Zealand’s Jaclyn Hawkes. England’s top-seed Jenny Duncalf earlier downed Australia’s Kasey Brown in four games 11-5, 11-8, 11-13, 11-5 to set up her semi-final against Irish Madeline Perry. Perry recovered from a disastrous start to overcome another English player, Laura Massaro (2-11, 11-6, 11-5, 12-10).

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