WORLD TOUR ROUND-UP
NICKMATTHEWWINS AUSTRALIANOPEN
England’s Nick Matthew clinched his fifth successive Professional Squash Association (PSA) World Tour title and demonstrated in the most empathic style just why he is the world’s highest ranked player, when he defeated Egyptian Ramy Ashour in straight games in the final of the CSR Viridian Australian Open, the fourth PSA Super Series championship of the year, in Canberra.
Matthew stuck with Ashour through the Egyptian’s periods of brilliance, then slowly squeezed the challenge out of the World No.2 as he eased to a 16-14 11-7 12-10 victory to become the first Englishman to win the Australian title since Gawain Briars in 1978.
“You have to go through the patches when he’s just too good for you,” Matthew conceded. “He’s brilliant - you just have to get through those moments.”
Matthew and Ashour went point for point in the first game until 9-9 when Ashour reached the first of five game balls. But every time he took the advantage, usually through an outrageous winner, Matthew somehow managed to fight his way back, until 14-14 when an Ashour error gave Matthew game ball.
The 30-year-old Englishman needed no second invitation and took an epic first game 16-14, then came out firing at the start of the second to seize control of the final.
Matthew wrapped up the second game and fought back from 10-7 down in the third. Although the third was close Matthew always looked the most likely to win it particularly when Ashour began struggling with a foot injury late in the game.
“I think at the time we could both feel that while saving five game balls may not have been a match-winning scenario, obviously the first game is so important and then when I got a good start in the second, in hindsight that was a massively crucial part of the game,” Matthew said.
“The temptation when he’s hit a few good winners is to panic, but you have
to really stay patient, because he hits shots no one else can play and he plays at pace.
“You sometimes have to hold your hands up and say ‘all right, what can I do better, what can I do to impose my game on him?’. I think I managed to do that, but in three games I never got an easy point.”
Matthew said he still had room for a lot of improvement: “I’m only just 30 and I still feel that although I’ve not got the attacking game of Ramy, I’m always working and becoming better and better.
“If you stand still, other people catch up and overtake you, so you’ve always got to keep working to improve.”
In the women’s final, Madeline Perry became the first Irishwoman to win the Australian Open when she beat England’s Alison Waters in a thrilling five-game final. The 33-year-old from Belfast saved two match balls in the fifth game to win the biggest tournament of her career 11-5 12-10 6-11 4-11 13-11 on the all-glass court at Canberra’s Royal Theatre.
Australian Open, Canberra, Australia
Men’s Final: [1] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) 16-14, 11-7, 12-10
Women’s Final: [4] Madeline Perry (IRL) bt [3] Alison Waters (ENG) 11-5, 12-10, 6-11, 4-11, 13-11
PROFESSIONAL SQUASH ASSOCIATION (PSA) MEN’S WORLD RANKINGS
1 2
3 4 5
1 2
3 4 5
World Tour titles: 15 Highest World Ranking: 1
NICK MATTHEW
World Tour titles: 15 Highest World Ranking: 1
RAMY ASHOUR
SHABANA World Tour titles: 26
Highest World Ranking: 1
AMR
DARWISH World Tour titles: 17
Highest World Ranking: 1
KARIM
World Tour titles: 17 Highest World Ranking: 1
GREGORY GAULTIER
ALISON WATERS
WISPA WOMEN’S WORLD RANKINGS
World Tour titles: 46 Highest World Ranking: 1
NICOL DAVID
World Tour titles:7 Highest World Ranking: 2
JENNY DUNCALF
World Tour titles: 30 Highest World Ranking: 1
RACHAEL GRINHAM
World Tour titles: 4 Highest World Ranking: 4
ALISON WATERS
World Tour titles: 7 Highest World Ranking: 5
OMNEYA ABDEL KAWY
INTERNATIONALSQUASHMAGAZINE September 2010 | 29
www.isportgroup.com/InternationalSquashMagazine
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