24/07/2009
Nicol David & Nick Matthew Strike Gold
Favourites Nick Matthew and Nicol David secured the gold medals in the World Games Squash championships today ...
World Games, Kaohsiung, Chinese Taipei Favourites Nick Matthew and Nicol David secured the gold medals in the World Games Squash championships today after straight games victories in the men's and women's finals, respectively, at the Chung Cheng Martial Arts Stadium in the Chinese Taipei city of Kaohsiung.
The finals, both of which featured the events' top two seeds, brought to a climax the Squash competition in the 2009 Kaohsiung World Games - the eighth edition of the multi-sport event, staged under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which featured over4,000 athletes competing in more than 30 sports not currently on the programme of the Olympic Games.
When asked earlier in the tournament about her chances in a possible encounter with top seed and world number one Nicol David, second-seeded Natalie Grinham, ranked three in the world, believed she would have a chance.
But in the final of the World Games women's squash event, David - who has topped the world rankings for the past three years unchallenged - proved once again today that she is clearly the best in the game.
Grinham, who needed a gutsy comeback from two games down in the semi-final against Great Britain's Alison Waters 24 hours earlier, scored more points against the Malaysian than any of her other victims this week - but David still triumphed in straight games 11-6, 11-8, 11-6 in 35 minutes.
David never trailed in the match and, after failing to concede a single game throughout the entire tournament, went on to make history by becoming the first player to successfully defend a World Games Squash title.
The 31-year-old from the Netherlands had lost eight consecutive times to David on the WISPA World Tour - but had hoped to draw inspiration from the last time they met in a non-tour event, in the Commonwealth Games in2006, when she defeated David in five sets before going on to win a record three gold medals.
In the women's bronze-medal match, David's semi-final victim Omneya Abdel Kawy dealt fourth seeded Waters her second consecutive five-game defeat.
The fifth-seeded Egyptian rallied from a two sets to one deficit and delivered when it mattered after the final game went to ten-all to beat Waters 8-11, 11-7, 6-11, 11-8, 12-10 in 51 minutes and capture the bronze.
The men's climax was an all-British affair – between two England and Yorkshire county team-mates Nick Matthew and James Willstrop.Matthew, who will celebrate his 29th birthday tomorrow (Saturday), is enjoying a fine run on the international circuit where he stands at a career-high world number five ranking – yet reached the final after surviving a 90-minute marathon against third seed Mohd Azlan Iskandar, in which he saved a match ball against the Malaysian!
By contrast, second seed Willstrop has slipped to 12 in the rankings - from a best-ever world number two – and was making his international comeback after undergoing ankle surgery in April.But, the 25-year-old from Leeds barely broke sweat in his semi-final clash when long-time Tour rival Stewart Boswell, from Australia, retired with a back injury after just 10 minutes into the first game.
"I felt bad for Stewart," said Willstrop after the match."We seem to be bad luck charms for each other as we always seem to get injured playing each other. I did my ankle playing him, and he did his rib playing me two or three years back!"
But it was nip and tuck in the first game of the final, before Matthew pulled ahead from 9-8 to take a 1/0 lead.The Sheffield man built up a 6-0 lead in the second before Willstrop got off the mark and pulled back the deficit to 7-4, before Matthew extended his lead to 2/0.
Willstrop took the early lead in the third, but it was short-lived as Matthew bounded back to maintain the lead through the game before recording his 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 title triumph in 42 minutes – and the World Games gold medal for the first time.
Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar claimed the men's bronze medal after gaining a walkover from the injured Boswell.
Men's final:
[1] Nick Matthew (GBR) bt [2] James Willstrop (GBR) 11-8, 11-6, 11-5 (42m)
Bronze medal play-off:
[3] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt [5] Stewart Boswell (AUS) w/o
The top two seeds will meet in the men's and women's finals of the World Games Squash championships – but both pairs of finalists survived today's (Thursday) semi-finals in contrasting styles at the Chung Cheng Martial Arts Stadium in the Chinese Taipei city of Kaohsiung.
Staged under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), the 2009 Kaohsiung World Games is the eighth edition of the multi-sport event which features sports not currently on the programme of the Olympic Games – in which over 4,000 athletes are competing in more than 30 sports.
Malaysia's Nicol David, who has been the women's world No1 in the sport for three years and is the defending World Games champion, won her fourth consecutive match in Kaohsiung in straight games in defeating fifth seed Omneya Abdel Kawy of Egypt 11-4, 11-3, 11-6 in just 25 minutes.
David has appeared dominant throughout the tournament, losing no more than seven points in any single game so far.The victory was David's 13th in a row over the world No7 from Cairo since March 2002.
The Malaysian will face Natalie Grinham of the Netherlands for the gold medal, after the Australian-born world No3 and second seed at the World Games pulled off an amazing comeback.
Grinham looked finished after falling two games down to fourth seed Alison Waters of Great Britain in the best-of-five match. The match favourite failed to score a single point in the second game – marking a shock first for Grinham in any match played since the women's 'PAR to 11 points per game' scoring system was introduced a year ago!
Londoner Waters – who is yet to beat Grinham in eight meetings since July 2006 – dropped the third game but continued her relentless charge in the fourth, building up a 5-3 lead before being a point away from match ball at 9-9.
But the 31-year-old Dutch star again fought back to clinch the fourth, then maintained the upper hand to carve out an extraordinary 8-11, 0-11, 11-4, 11-9, 11-6 victory after 61 minutes.
Grinham, with eight successive Tour defeats to David, will be the underdog in the final – but it was the former Australian who prevailed the last time they met off the Tour, when Grinham defeated the 25-year-old from Penang in an 85-minute, five-game marathon en-route to winning a record three gold medals in the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
The first men's semi-final produced the longest match of the tournament when favourite Nick Matthew, the world No5 from Great Britain, recovered from two games down – then saved a match ball in the decider – to beat third-seeded Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar 7-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-7, 13-11 in 90 minutes.
Matthew, the 28-year-old from Sheffield who was a beaten World Games semi-finalist four years ago in Duisburg, will now meet fellow Briton and fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop – also a semi-finalist in 2005.
But Willstrop, the second seed from Leeds, could not have claimed his place in the final in more contrasting circumstances – when fifth-seeded opponent Stewart Boswell retired injured after just ten minutes, with the score standing at 7-5 in the Australian's favour.
The men's final is sure to be a close-fought affair – with the England team-mates pair having clashed 21 times in a variety of national and international clashes since 2001, with Matthew currently boasting a 12-9 head-to-head advantage.
Men's quarter-finals:
[1] Nick Matthew (GBR) bt [8] Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-4, 11-13, 11-9, 11-6 (61m)
[3] Mohd Azlan Iskandar (MAS) bt [6] Cameron Pilley (AUS) 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 (44m)
Abdel Kawy Ditches Duncalf To Make World Games Semis
Egypt'sOmneya Abdel Kawycaused the only upset in today's (Wednesday) quarter-finals of theWorld Games Squashchampionships when she beat England's third seedJenny Duncalfto earn an unexpected place in the semi-finals of the women's competition at theChung Cheng Martial Arts Stadiumin theChinese Taipeicity ofKaohsiung.
Staged under the patronage of theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC), the 2009Kaohsiung World Gamesis the eighth edition of the multi-sport event which features sports not currently on the programme of theOlympic Games– in which over 4,000 athletes are competing in more than 30 sports.
The fifth seed from Cairo, ranked two places below world No5 Duncalf, has long been the English player's nemesis:After taking the first game, Duncalf led 10-3 in the second and 8-2 in the third – with a total of 11 game balls across both games – but was unable to convert either.
Abdel Kawy's 6-11, 13-11, 14-12, 11-8 victory in 46 minutes marked her seventh successive win over Duncalf since September 2005.
The 23-year-old Egyptian will now meet top seedNicol Davidof Malaysia, who celebrated her third complete year as world No1 this month.Title-holder David coasted past unseededJoey Chanof Hong Kong 11-2, 11-3, 11-3, and is on course to make history by becoming the first player to successfully defend a World Games Squash title.
But Australian-bornNatalie Grinhamof the Netherlands - the tournament's second seed, who reached the semi-finals with an 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 win over Australia'sKasey Brown -was not conceding anything though she refused to look ahead.
"I don't really predict stuff," she said when asked about a possible gold medal confrontation with David."All the players here are really good," added the 31-year-old world number three who claimed a record three gold medals in the 2006Commonwealth Games.
Grinham says that with the calibre of players participating, the World Games tournament has every bit the feel of a tour event, with one big difference:"Here I'm representing Holland," said the recent Dutch national – who also described the World Games as being "as significant as other major tournaments".
Grinham believes anything can happen, even against the world No1, but she was more focused on her upcoming semi-final match against fourth-seededAlison Watersof Great Britain.The 25-year-old from London reached the semis by defeatingSamantha Teranof Mexico 7-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7.
England's Alison Waters, making her debut in the World Games and also making her first appearances in a 'Great Britain' shirt, commented:"It feels good to be part of an event like this and to see other athletes from other sports and countries.We have watched fistball, which was good fun, and we have racquetball and billiards in the same centre as the Squash.
"Our thoughts are focussed on Squash's bid to get into the Olympic Games," added Waters."Playing in an event like this, and having played at the Commonwealths, it would be so special to have Squash in the Olympics!Fingers crossed in a few weeks time!"
In the men's tournament, top seed and world No5Nick Matthewof Great Britain fought pastSaurav Ghosalof India 11-4, 11-13, 11-9, 11-6 in 61 minutes – the longest of the four quarter-finals.
Third seedMohd Azlan Iskandaralso advanced to the semis with an 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 win overCameron Pilleyof Australia.
Iskandar, ranked 13 in the world, said he felt the World Games tournament offered more than the typical tour event."The big difference is that you can see many different sports being played here," said the 27-year-old Malaysian."It is still a major world event after all."
In the other quarter-finals,Stewart Boswellof Australia toppedJulien Balboof France and while second seedJames Willstropof Great Britain survived in four games overOmar Mosaadof Egypt.
The 25-year-old Yorkshireman, a former world number two, is in competitive action for the first time since undergoing ankle surgery in April – and was forced to save game balls in both the second and fourth games before prevailing 11-6, 12-10, 4-11, 12-10 in 54 minutes.
Chan In The Chase For World Games Glory
Hong Kong'sJoey Chanbecame the only unseeded player to claim a place in the quarter-finals of theWorld Games Squashchampionships after beating Australia'sAmelia Pittockin today's (Tuesday) second round of the women's competition in theChinese Taipeicity ofKaohsiung.
Staged under the patronage of theInternational Olympic Committee (IOC), the 2009Kaohsiung World Gamesis the eighth edition of the multi-sport event which features sports not currently on the programme of theOlympic Games– in which over 4,000 athletes are competing in more than 30 sports.
Chan, the 21-year-old world No37, made her breakthrough in the first round where she beat Ireland's 16th seedAisling Blakein straight games.Pittock also secured an unexpected place in the second round after overcomingIsabelle Stoehr, the sixth seed from France, in five games.
After leading 2/1 in games in the second round match, the 25-year-old from Dromana moved 7-2 up in the fourth before reaching match ball at 10-9.But Chan fought back to clinch the game and went on to seal the match 11-5, 10-12, 6-11, 12-10, 11-9 after 43 minutes to earn a surprise place in the last eight.
Chan will now face top seedNicol David, the world number one from Malaysia who is set to make history by becoming the first player to successfully defend a World Games squash title.David beat India'sJoshna Chinappa11-2, 11-7, 11-3 – bringing to an end the brave run of the unseeded 22-year-old from Chennai who upsetSharon Wee, the 15th seed from Malaysia, in the opening round.
There were further upsets in the women's event whenSamantha TeranandKasey Brown– seeded 11 and 9, respectively – claimed unexpected places in the last eight.Mexican Teran despatched eighth seedVanessa Atkinson, the former world champion from the Netherlands, 9-11, 11-9, 11-7, 11-7 – while
Brown recovered from two games down, and saved two match balls in the third game, before beating seventh-seeded New ZealanderShelley Kitchen1-11, 8-11, 16-14, 11-6, 11-2 in 54 minutes.
France'sJulien Balboscored a notable upset in the men's event, beating Malaysia's No4 seedOng Beng Heein straight games.The world No14 from Kuala Lumpur led in all three games, but 13th seed Balbo, the world No51 from Chambery, maintained his focus to win 12-10, 11-7, 12-10 in 48 minutes.
BritonsNick MatthewandJames Willstrop, seeded one and two, respectively, are on course to meet in Friday's final – but Willstrop, in his first tournament since undergoing ankle surgery in April, was taken the full distance before beating Germany's 14th seedSimon Rosner8-11, 11-6, 8-11, 11-5, 11-3.
Matthew strolled to an 11-4, 11-2, 11-4 win over Malaysia's No15 seedMohd Nafiizwan Adnan– and will now face India'sSaurav Ghosal, the No8 seed, who beat tired FrenchmanRenan Lavigne11-7, 11-3, 11-5 in 36 minutes.In his earlier first round match, ninth seed Lavigne had been stretched to five games byMax Leebefore finally overcoming the Hong Kong 21-year-old 11-5, 13-11, 7-11, 5-11, 11-8 in 81 minutes.
The day began with a simple yet elegant opening ceremony for Squash, which was held at the centre court.All participants marched in, accompanied by local girls in colourful dresses.MrHuang Chao Hui, Director General of Civil Affairs Bureau, Kaohsiung City Government, welcomed all participants. Nicol David took the oath on behalf of the athletes andMunir Shahfor the referees, before WSF Vice PresidentHeather Deaytondeclared the championships open.
Men's 1st round:
[1] Nick Matthew (GBR) bt Joe Chapman (IVB) 11-3, 11-2, 11-1 (22m)
[15] Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) bt Scott Arnold (AUS) 11-9, 6-11, 11-9, 11-9 (53m)
[9] Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt Max Lee (HKG) 11-5, 13-11, 7-11, 5-11, 11-8 (81m)
The finals, both of which featured the events' top two seeds, brought to a climax the Squash competition in the 2009 Kaohsiung World Games - the eighth edition of the multi-sport event, staged under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which featured over 4,000 athletes competing in more than 30 sports not currently on the programme of the Olympic Games.
The men's climax was an all-British affair – between two England and Yorkshire county team-mates Nick Matthew and James Willstrop.
The top two seeds will meet in the men's and women's finals of the World Games Squash championships – but both pairs of finalists survived today's (Thursday) semi-finals in contrasting styles at the Chung Cheng Martial Arts Stadium in the Chinese Taipei city of Kaohsiung.
The Malaysian will face Natalie Grinham of the Netherlands for the gold medal, after the Australian-born world No3 and second seed at the World Games pulled off an amazing comeback.
The first men's semi-final produced the longest match of the tournament when favourite Nick Matthew, the world No5 from Great Britain, recovered from two games down – then saved a match ball in the decider – to beat third-seeded Malaysian Mohd Azlan Iskandar 7-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-7, 13-11 in 90 minutes.