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Davenport Professional Squash Championship 2008,
Richmond, Virginia, USA
Final:
[4] James Willstrop
(ENG) bt [2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 11-6, 6-11, 11-9, 8-11,
11-4 (83m)
Willstrop Wins Richmond Title
England's James Willstrop has extended his best-ever run on
the international squash circuit by beating French rival Gregory
Gaultier in a dramatic five-game final of the Davenport
Professional Squash Championship at the University of
Richmond in Virginia, USA, to win the third title in his
fourth successive final appearance in a PSA Tour event.
 It
was a see-saw climax to the $77,500 PSA Super Series event in
which Gaultier, the world No3, twice pegged back leads by the new
world number four before Willstrop clinched the last game for the
loss of just four points to claim the title after 83 minutes with an
11-6, 6-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-4 scoreline.
The
win marks Willstrop's tenth PSA Tour title - and his third PSA Super
Series trophy.
The
Virginia triumph caps a sensational twelve months for the
24-year-old Yorkshireman who failed to reach a single PSA final in
2006 - then began his winning Tour run in March last year with
success in the ISS Canary Wharf Classic in London. The
England number one followed this with title victories in the
Prince English Grand Prix and the Mamut English Open and
a runner-up berth in the US Open.
After leading England to a successful defence of the World Team
Championship title in India in December, Willstrop continued his
Tour run by reaching the Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions
climax in New York in January, before lifting the Case Swedish
Open crown last month - when he also had time to retain his
British National Championship title in Manchester.
29-Feb, Semi-finals:
[4] James Willstrop
(ENG) bt [6] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-4, 11-10 (3-1), 11-1 (39m)
[2] Gregory Gaultier
(FRA) bt [7] John White (SCO) 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 (41m)
Willstrop & Gaultier In Richmond Final
Gregory Gaultier and James
Willstrop - ranked three and four, respectively, in the world -
will contest the final of the 2008 Davenport Professional Squash
Championship after impressive semi-final performances in the
$77,500 PSA Super Series event at the University of
Richmond in Virginia, USA.
 In-form
Englishman Willstrop swept through to his fourth Tour final in a row
when he beat a tired Karim Darwish, clearly still feeling the
effects of his marathon upset over fellow Egyptian Ramy Ashour
in the previous round.
Often a slow starter, Willstrop was into his stride right away -
catching sixth seed Darwish unawares as he piled up the points with
gusto.
"The
March world rankings pushed Willstrop up to number four in the world
- and he played like it," said an event spokesman. "Darwish simply
had no answer to Willstrop’s superb length and his ability to take
the ball early."
After running away with the first game in just over ten minutes,
Willstrop was given more of a contest in the second as Darwish built
up a 5-2 lead. Willstrop was not fazed and continued to attack,
always on the lookout for winners. This was now evenly-matched high
quality squash which drew the capacity crowd into the drama of the
game. At seven-all it looked as though this could go to five games.
Willstrop got to game ball 10-8 but Darwish did not give up and hit
a backhand winner of his own to save the first game ball and was
given the second when Willstrop’s volley drop hit the tin to force a
tie break. The next really ended when the referees denied Darwish a
let – but Willstrop snatched at a shot and sent the ball into the
tin to make the score 11-all. Another backhand chop drop put
Willstrop at game ball again and when the ball took a strange bounce
in the back left corner Darwish was cruelly foxed and hit the ball
into the tin to finish an entertaining 20-minute game.
Sadly, when he came back for the third game Darwish quickly showed
that his gas tank was empty as the fourth-seeded Yorkshireman ran
through to wrap up an 11-4, 11-10 (3-1), 11-1 victory in 39 minutes.
 The
win takes England number one Willstrop through to his 15th PSA Tour
final - and comes hot on the heels of his Tour title success in the
Swedish Open last month, followed closely by his domestic
triumph in the British National Championship.
The
second semi was a bit of an anti-climax; Scot John White, who
recorded a stunning quarter-final victory over giant-killing Finn
Olli Tuominen, was prevented from matching his achievement over
second seed Gregory Gaultier.
The
French star moved up several gears and everything he tried at the
front of the court came off. White admitted later that he was unable
to do anything: “When you come up against someone playing as well
as Gregory, there is really nothing you can do. It’s very
frustrating. Yesterday was great. Today was not.”
Gaultier's 11-7, 11-4, 11-7 victory over the seventh seed in 41
minutes takes the 25-year-old from Aix-en-Provence through to his
26th PSA Tour final - but his first since finishing as runner-up in
the World Open in Bermuda in December.
28-Feb, Quarter-finals:
[6] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) 11-4, 6-11, 4-11,
11-5, 11-8 (59m)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [8] Wael El Hindi (EGY) 6-11, 11-5,
11-0, 11-4 (56m)
[7] John White (SCO) bt [11] Olli Tuominen (FIN) 11-9, 11-7, 11-6
(30m)
[2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [5] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 11-5, 11-9,
6-11, 7-11, 11-3 (54m)
Darwish Despatches Ashour In Davenport Duel
 Young
Egyptian star Ramy Ashour, the 20-year-old world No2 from Cairo,
finally ran out of legs and was beaten in an engrossing five-game
match by fellow countryman Karim Darwish in the quarter-finals of
the 2008 Davenport Professional Squash Championship, played at the
University of Richmond in Virginia, USA.
Top seed Ashour has played almost non-stop for the last 22 days –
tournaments and exhibitions - and this match for a place in the
semi-finals of the $77,500 PSA Super Series event finally sapped his
energy, his accuracy - and his will. Darwish played well, slowing
the pace down to take control in the first game, but Ashour forced
himself back into competition mode and the winners started sparking
off his racket as he effortlessly took the next two.
The fourth game was a disaster when, at 4-4, Ashour committed a
string of six unforced errors to put Darwish at game ball - and the
26-year-old sixth seed made no mistake in taking the game to force a
decider.
Darwish led from the beginning of the fifth and it was obvious that
Ashour simply could not summon up the energy to attain his normal
standard. Darwish ran out the surprising 11-4, 6-11, 4-11, 11-5,
11-8 winner after 59 suspenseful minutes.
 The
former world junior champion will now meet James Willstrop, the
world number six and also a one-time world junior champion. The
Englishman came through to win a match marked by drama and
controversy as Wael El Hindi of Egypt became enraged by the
referee’s decision in the third game to penalise him a point for
dangerous play.
El Hindi had swung his racket, deliberately missing the ball, to
demonstrate that - had he hit it - the ball would have struck his
opponent. "It was an inexplicable decision and although El Hindi had
won the first game - showing superb style - and lost the second, he
threw the third away 0-11 and despite recovering some composure,
could not get back on track and lost the fourth 11-4," said a
spokesman for the event.
"I was full of rage, I thought I would burst," said the eighth seed
from Giza after the match. "I thought the referee was disrespectful
in the way he spoke to me. For the last few months I have been
playing good squash but I was so angry it affected my movement."
John White of Scotland, the seventh seed, took on the second round
giant-killer Olli Tuominen and gave him a lesson in fast, accurate
racket work. White was in sizzling form and effortlessly slotted in
the winners while all the Finn could do was chase shadows. It was a
short, sharp 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 execution - taking just 30 minutes - a
performance that White judged later was nine-and-a-half on a scale
of one-to-ten!
When the US-based 34-year-old was asked what he was thinking during
one very long rally, he replied: “He was doing all the running, I
was just standing there hitting the ball, so I was quite happy.“
 After
the all-Egyptian match there was the all-French match as Thierry
Lincou tried to get revenge over Gregory Gaultier, who had beaten
him
in the British Open last year. It was a ding-dong battle which kept
the spectators in their seats to the last point. Second seed
Gaultier seemed to have it all under control as he took the first
two games, but Lincou, the fifth seed, knew how to subdue the tricky
Gaultier, slowing the ball down and using the lob. It paid off as
the new ten times French National champion took the next two games,
forcing a deciding fifth game.
Gaultier opened up a lead – but it wasn’t easy; the rallies were
long and there was a real battle in the front corners as they traded
counter drops. However, Gaultier maintained his supremacy to take
the game and emerge the 11-5, 11-9, 6-11, 7-11, 11-3 victor after 54
minutes.
"I knew Thierry still had yesterday’s hard games in his legs, so I
was making him work. He came back very well when he slowed the game,
but I think he finally got tired,” Gaultier said between gasps of
breath after the match. He will now meet John White in the
semi-finals.
2nd
round:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY)
bt Julian Illingworth (USA) 11-6, 11-10 (3-1), 11-10
(2-0) (53m)
[6] Karim Darwish (EGY)
bt [12] Alex Gough (WAL) 11-8, 11-9, 11-5 (40m)
[4] James Willstrop
(ENG) bt [9] Lee Beachill (ENG) 11-5, 11-8, 11-6 (43m)
[8] Wael El Hindi (EGY)
bt [13] Shahier Razik (CAN) 11-9, 7-3 ret. (29m)
[7] John White (SCO) bt
[16] Renan Lavigne (FRA) 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5 (45m)
[11] Olli Tuominen
(FIN) bt [3] David Palmer (AUS) 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (49m)
[5] Thierry Lincou
(FRA) bt [10] Mohammed Abbas (EGY) 7-11, 9-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-6,
11-5 (79m)
[2] Gregory Gaultier
(FRA) bt [15] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-5, 11-6, 11-3 (38m)
Tuominen Topples Palmer In Richmond Rout
 Australia's
third seed David Palmer suffered a shock defeat at the hands
of 11th seed Olli Tuominen of Finland in the second round of
the 2008 Davenport Professional Squash Championship at the
University of Richmond in Virginia, USA. This was the
second bad result in as many weeks, Palmer having to bow out of the
Canadian Classic two weeks ago because of lower back
problems.
But
the Australian's problem in the last sixteen of the $77,500 PSA
Super Series event was not his back, but the sizzling run of
form that Tuominen produced to bamboozle him. The Finn was playing
at his very best, pasting the ball tight to the walls and getting to
everything that Palmer hit. There is no hiding place for the ball
when Tuominen is in this form, which hasn't happened very often
lately. He was truly the Flying Finn - and there was very little
Palmer could do about it!
"Palmer also found some of the decisions from the three-referee
panel not to his liking and the Palmer temper started boiling," said
an event spokesman. The 28-year-old from Helsinki won the first
game but Palmer asserted his authority to lead the second game 8-3 -
which is when the decisions started to irk Palmer. Unbelievably
Tuominen put together a run of eight points to win the game 11-8,
the final decision of the game left Palmer fuming.
In
the third game, the former world champion's concentration was broken
and although he managed to pull back from 3-9 to 8-10, Tuominen's
drive, determination and pace was always going to win the day and he
took the game for a shock 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 victory.
Tuominen tackles John White in the quarter-finals after the
seventh-seeded Scot beat Frenchman Renan Lavigne, the 16th
seed, 11-8, 11-8, 9-11, 11-5.
 Egyptian
Mohammed Abbas is now ranked 13 in the world - his highest
ever ranking - and may not get higher unless he overcomes the
jitters that visit him when about to beat one of the top ten. It
happened again in Richman when he outplayed fifth-seeded Frenchman
Thierry Lincou for three games and stood at match ball 10-7
when the referees called a Lincou shot up when Abbas was convinced
it had hit the tin.
The
Egyptian fumed and fumed, but the decision stayed. From then on,
Abbas simply cold not get his concentration back again. He lost the
game 12-10 in the tie break and his nerve and determination
diminished in the final two games to allow Lincou to escape with a
victory that he should never have had.
"I
just kept running, running after the ball," said Lincou later. "In
the first two games, he just outplayed me and I couldn't do
anything. I was always behind him on the court. In the third I
finally managed to get in front of him. I am just relieved to have
won."
 Top
seed Ramy Ashour of Egypt got a little revenge from Julian
Illingworth, the unseeded American who had knocked out the
favourite's elder brother Hisham in the first round in one of the
shock wins of the tournament. Illingworth gave a very good account
of himself and although he went down in straight games, he forced a
tie-break in both the second and third games, to show that he is
good enough not be outclassed by the best player in the world today.
It was a well-contested match with a high standard of squash, with
Illingworth shooting in his share of winners. But the Ashour speed
is startling and eventually overwhelms his opponent.
James Willstrop and Lee Beachill
repeated their performance of last week's British National
Championship final when Willstrop beat his training partner to
retain the title. The two Yorkshireman put on a startling display of
speed squash in Richmond which was pure entertainment. The ball was
cracked with accuracy down the walls and into the nicks. This was
squash of a very high order: the standard and speed were maintained
for 43 minutes before fourth seed Willstrop emerged an 11-5, 11-8,
11-6 victor. It wasn't that Beachill played badly; it was that
24-year-old Willstrop played so well.
1st
round (top half of draw):
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY)
bt [Q] David Phillips (CAN) 11-5, 11-7, 11-9 (28m)
Julian Illingworth
(USA) bt [14] Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) 11-7, 11-10 (5-3), 4-11,
11-7 (51m)
[6] Karim Darwish (EGY)
bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 6-11, 10-11 (1-3), 11-7, 11-6, 11-4
(55m)
[12] Alex Gough (WAL)
bt [Q] Tom Richards (ENG) 11-6, 11-9, 11-10 (2-0)
(43m)
[4] James Willstrop
(ENG) bt [Q] Jethro Binns (WAL) 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 (30m)
[9] Lee Beachill (ENG)
bt [Q] Yann Perrin (FRA) 11-8, 11-2, 11-5 (27m)
[8] Wael El Hindi (EGY)
bt Aaron Frankcomb (AUS) 11-7, 11-10 (2-0), 11-3
(38m)
[13] Shahier Razik
(CAN) bt Shawn Delierre (CAN) 11-2, 11-6, 11-10 (2-0)
(38m)
Illingworth Becomes New
American Hero In Richmond
The
final match on the second day of first round action in the 2008
Davenport Professional Squash Championship brought the $77,500
PSA Super Series
event at the University of Richmond to life as unseeded US
player Julian Illingworth delivered a stunning display of
creative intelligent squash that deservedly brought him a shock
four-game victory over Egypt's 14th seed Hisham Ashour,
ranked 17 places above him.
Illingworth, in the view of some observers, played the match of his
life to earn a place in the second round where he will now meet his
opponent's younger brother Ramy Ashour, the world number two.
Illingworth started full of confidence and took the game to the very
talented Ashour. More surprisingly he outplayed Ashour, a master
shot maker, at the front of the court - which is where most
Egyptians excel. While Illingworth was hitting sublime winners,
Ashour, in his usual impetuous search for winners, was making errors
– five in all. This was quality squash and the 24-year-old from
Portland looked thoroughly at home. Illingworth won the first game
11-7, and showed great poise in saving two game balls in the second
to force an extended tie-break which he won 15-13 after much
suspense.
It
all fell apart for the American in the third game, after some
strange bounces in the back corner made him miss-hit, and he lost
the game 11-4 in under five minutes. The fourth started badly with
Ashour taking a quick 3-0 lead but Illingworth settled down to
regain his form to gradually claw his way back in. There were some
stunning rallies with both players stretched to their fullest. It
was Illingworth’s concentration and cool demeanour that won the day
and he took the game to clinch the match 11-7, 11-10 (5-3), 4-11,
11-7 in 51 minutes - thus becoming the only unseeded player to reach
the second round.
Egyptian glamour boy Wael El Hindi took on the young
Australian Aaron Frankcomb. Although the score shows a
straight games victory for the UK-based eighth seed, it wasn’t that
straightforward. Frankcomb displayed a fine all-round game and, if
there had been any justice, should have taken the second game which
he led most of the way. He showed that he could attack with the
best of them and reaped the dividends of El Hindi’s lackadaisical
attitude when he thought he had the match won. Frankcomb held game
ball at 10-9 but El Hindi hit a perfect length to force a tiebreak
and the impetuous Australian put a drop shot into the tin to give El
Hindi game ball. The Egyptian made no mistake with a fine forehand
slam to length to win 12-10.
In
the third game El Hindi was a little more circumspect in his
approach to the game while Frankcomb took his foot off the pedal to
allow his opponent to cruise home 11-3 to end the 38-minute
encounter.
"I
was happy that I was going forward well and with my general play,
but I was disappointed in the way I went down in the third game,”
said Frankcomb, who is ranked 48 in the world.
Young Saurav Ghosal of India, ranked 49, gave the world
number eight Karim Darwish a real fright by taking the first
two games in just 21 minutes. This perilous situation was a very
real wake-up call for the Egyptian who finally got going in the
third game and corrected the situation by taking the next three
games fairly easily.
"I
was asleep,” admitted Darwish, winner of last week's Oregon Open
in Portland. "He started very quickly and played well. I got
up at nine o’clock this morning which is really not early enough for
a one o’clock game,” he said with obvious relief in his voice.
Darwish will not be able to sleep for a game, or even a point, in
the next round when he meets Alex Gough. The 37-year-old
world number 20 took no chances when playing qualifier Tom
Richards of England. The Welshman won the first two games but
had to fight hard in the third as Richards, who has just returned to
action after eight months out due to injury, showed his potential
and speed. Qualifier Richards had climbed to 54 in the world before
the injury and is now ranked 121, but his play suggested he is
mended and should soon start climbing back up.
Gough, fresh from his efforts in the British National championships
said that he didn’t take the result for granted. "I haven’t played
for a week, while Richards has been through qualifying and would be
played in, so I had to be careful. I’m just please to have won in
three,” he said.
Canadian team-mates Shahier Razik and Shawn Delierre
were drawn to play each other, their eighth meeting with Razik ahead
5-2 on the head-to-head.
DeLierre was far from motivated in the first two games but picked
his game up in the third to force a tie break, fighting to save
three match balls before finally going down. Razik will now play El
Hindi in the second round which will be played at a very different
pace with a much higher level of commitment.
Former British champion Lee Beachill produced one of the most
efficient performances of the day in despatching young Frenchman
Yann Perrin in 27 minutes. Beachill had been operated on for a
double hernia in December, but he looked good as new as he went for
the jugular with every shot, at a pace that the Frenchman could not
live with. Beachill now plays fellow Englishman James Willstrop
who took a little longer to beat Welshman Jethro Binns in
straight games.
25-Feb, 1st round (bottom half of draw):
[16]
Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt [Q] Liam Kenny (IRL) 11-6,
8-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-10 (3-1)
[7]
John White (SCO) bt [Q] Wade Johnstone (AUS) 11-8, 11-9,
9-11, 11-7 (38m)
[11]
Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt Rafael F Alarcon (BRA) 11-8, 10-11
(1-3), 8-11, 11-6, 11-5 (56m)
[3]
David Palmer (AUS) bt Eric Galvez (MEX) 11-5,
11-3, 9-11, 11-5 (47m)
[10]
Mohammed Abbas (EGY) bt [Q] Julien Balbo (FRA) 11-7, 11-5, 11-3
(37m)
[5]
Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [Q] Robbie Temple (ENG) 11-6, 11-8,
11-9 (31m)
[15]
Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) 11-8, 11-5,
11-10 (2-0) (40m)
[2]
Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt Yasser El Halaby (EGY) 11-8, 11-5,
11-6 (33m)
Lavigne Survives While
Chifunda Cheered In Virginia
The
first round of the 2008 Davenport Professional Squash
Championship held at the University of Richmond provided
a mixed bag of players and competition. In the most competitive
match of the day in the $77,500 PSA Tour event in its fifth
year in the US state of Virginia, Renan Lavigne of France
survive a spirited comeback from Ireland’s Liam Kenny, who
pushed the Frenchman to a tie break in the fifth game.
Despite the gap in rankings – Lavigne is world number 26 while Kenny
has slipped to 52 - the players were equal in most things and played
a similar game, matching each other in both defence and attack.
Kenny looked the better armed and always seemed on the brink of
breaking away, but Lavigne always managed to contain Kenny’s
spirited attacking. In the decider, Kenny came back from 0-3 down
to lead 6-4 - but the 30-year-old from Dublin could not stop
Lavigne’s constant supply of energy.
Kenny saved two match balls, then got to match ball himself at
11-10, but it was Lavigne who persevered that little bit more to win
11-6, 8-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-10 (3-1) in 88 minutes.
It
took Patrick Chifunda, a wild card local entry, to get the
crowd roaring - even before he’d struck a ball. Born in Zambia,
educated in South Africa, Chifunda now coaches at the Country Club
of Richmond. His popularity had the packed galleries roaring him on
as he tried to bamboozle world number 26 Cameron Pilley, a
lanky Australian. Chifunda’s speed and acrobatics almost paid off
in the third game as he led 7-4 and then was tied at 9-9 with a real
chance at taking the game. But an error put Pilley at match ball
and he took the final point with a backhand drop. The players left
the court to more roars of approval.
“I
just play my best squash and don’t worry about the rankings,” said
the smiling 32-year-old Zambian. “I just like to hassle these
players as much as I can and try enjoy myself.”
English qualifier Robbie Temple managed to give Thierry
Lincou a bit of a fright in their first round match. Temple had
knocked out the up and coming Ryan Cuskelly of Australia in
the qualifying round - a good win for a player who has just entered
the top 100. Left-handed Temple plays his backhand with two hands,
a la Peter Marshall - and like Marshall, can keep his
opponents guessing as to which way the ball is going.
Lincou, now ranked seven in the world, had it all his own way in the
first two games - but suddenly found himself 6-1 down in the third. The Frenchman managed to climb back into the game only because
Temple made four unforced errors which allowed Lincou to draw level
and then go on to take the game to close out the match 11-6, 11-8,
11-9 in 31 minutes.
“Concentration,” responded Lincou when asked what happened in the
third game. “I just lost my concentration and when he got five quick
points, I panicked.”
Australia's David Palmer, who now lives in Boston, cruised to
a two game lead over Mexican Eric Galvez, ranked 36 in the
world. But the world number four and former world champion suddenly
lost his flowing game in the third to allow his opponent to hustle
and bustle his way to win it 11-9. One of the most experienced men
on the circuit, Palmer firmly shut the door on the Mexican in the
fourth to win 11-5, 11-3, 9-11, 11-5 and assure his second round
berth.
Outstanding 1st round matches:
[1]
Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [Q] David Phillips (CAN)
[14]
Hisham Mohd Ashour (EGY) v Julian Illingworth (USA)
[6]
Karim Darwish (EGY) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[12]
Alex Gough (WAL) v [Q] Tom Richards (ENG)
[4]
James Willstrop (ENG) v [Q] Jethro Binns (WAL)
[9]
Lee Beachill (ENG) v [Q] Yann Perrin (FRA)
[8]
Wael El Hindi (EGY) v Aaron Frankcomb (AUS)
[13]
Shahier Razik (CAN) v Shawn Delierre (CAN)
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