21/05/2010
Lincou Battles Through To Sky Open Semis

Veteran Frenchman Thierry Lincou claimed his first semi-final berth in a Super Series event since November 2008 ...

Sky Open, Cairo, Egypt

Quarter-finals:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [5] James Willstrop (ENG) 11-6, 11-9, 13-11 (39m)
[4] Karim Darwish (EGY) bt [6] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) 11-5, 11-9, 11-4 (33m)
[7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt [12] Wael El Hindi (EGY) 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 (54m)
[2] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [8] Peter Barker (ENG) 12-10, 11-4, 11-6 (44m)

Lincou Battles Through To Sky Open Semis

Veteran Frenchman Thierry Lincou claimed his first semi-final berth in a PSA Super Series ranking event since November 2008 when he beat Wael El Hindi in the quarter-finals of the $150,000 Sky Open - the third, and biggest so far this year,PSA Super Series 2010 squash event at the Sky Resort in the Egyptian capital Cairo.

The seventh seed went into the match boasting a 4/1 career head-to-head lead over No12 seed El Hindi - but the Egyptian's one win was achieved at last year's Sky Open after a bruising 110-minute second round encounter.

Former world champion Lincou - at 34, the oldest competitor in the tournament - dropped the opening game against his Cairo-born opponent, but battled back to take the next three to earn an impressive 7-11, 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 victory after 54 minutes.

In an all-European semi-final at the bottom of the draw, the Marseille man will take on England's Nick Matthew, the second seed.

Winner of the previous PSA Super Series event, the North American Open in Virginia in February, world number two Matthew has his sights on the world number one ranking - and knows that a better finish in Cairo than Egyptian rival Ramy Ashour, his opponent in the US final, could achieve this.

The 29-year-old from Sheffield despatched England team-mate Peter Barker, the No8 seed, 12-10, 11-4, 11-6 in 44 minutes - extending his straight-games-match-winning-run in the event.

The other semi-final will be an all-Egyptian affair - and a repeat of last month's Egyptian National Championship final - between top seed Ramy Ashour and fourth seed Karim Darwish, both from Cairo.

Ashour, the world number one, beat his quarter-final opponent James Willstrop at the same stage in the event last year - since when the Englishman gained his revenge in the final of the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York to win the first Super Series event of the year.

But Ashour was on top on the all-glass court in front of his home crowd, beating fifth seed Willstrop 11-6, 11-9, 13-11 in 39 minutes - a defeat which sees the Englishman lose his position at the top of the 2010 PSA Super Series Rankings.

Defending champion Darwish's battle against sixth seed Gregory Gaultier was a repeat of last year's Sky Open final. And again the Egyptian had the measure of the Frenchman - but this time was able to progress in straight games, winning 11-5, 11-9, 11-4 in 33 minutes.