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12 Oct 2016

Willstrop And David Triumph In Five-Game Battles To Secure US Open Last Eight Berths




Former Men’s World No.1 James Willstrop and eight-time Women’s World Champion Nicol David held off an Egyptian charge to come through testing five-game battles in their 2016 Delaware Investments U.S. Open second round encounters and secure a place in the quarter-finals of the second PSA World Series tournament of the 2016/17 season.

World No.19 Willstrop, who produced a masterclass performance to eliminate World No.3 Omar Mosaad in the first round, had to call on all his experience to get the better of World No.20 Mohamed Abouelghar in a gruelling 70 minute encounter that saw the 23-year-old playing with fearless attacking intent that unsettled WIllstrop from the off.

But the 33-year-old showed why he’s considered one of the finest squash tacticians around as he managed to counter everything Abouelghar threw at him to keep his tournament hopes in tact.

“That was an hour and a bit of frantic intensity,” said Willstrop. “Hats off to him, he made me work so hard.

“I couldn’t get the ball off his racket in the middle area and he was playing excellent shots across me and that got me on edge. I had to play very, very well to beat him.

“I’m just so pleased to get through. I want to keep on playing - I don’t want to stop. I feel in a bit of a groove so I was so pleased to get through at the end and hopefully I can keep progressing.”

Willstrop will now go up against South African Stephen Coppinger for a place in the semi-finals after the 32-year-old - who’s place at the tournament was cast in doubt due to Hurricane Matthew wreaking havoc in his current home state of Florida - came out on the winning side of a huge 82 minute match with Malaysian qualifier Nafiizwan Adnan.

Adnan secured one of the biggest wins of his career when he took out Miguel Angel Rodriguez in the first round but his run came to an end as Coppinger powered through a series of dramatic exchanges in the fifth to secure his place in the last eight of a PSA World Series tournament for the first time since 2013.

“I’m lucky to be here in the first place, let alone be competing in a second match so I’m thrilled to get the win,” said Coppinger.

“I have plenty to work on squash wise but I’m in there and that’s what counts at this point. He’s ranked below me and on paper I should have won easier - but what it says on paper and reality is different, so I’m just very pleased to win.”

The winner of their encounter will face either World No.1 Mohamed ElShorbagy or his younger brother Marwan, the World No.7, after they came through their second round fixtures to set up a last eight head-to-head while in the Women’s draw three-time U.S. Open champion Nicol David came back from the brink to keep her campaign alive and defeat 2015 runner-up Nour El Tayeb.

David was caught flat footed in the first two games as El Tayeb dictated the play, hitting winners for fun, with David looking powerless to resist the charge but the experienced star - who has won a total of 80 PSA Tour titles - managed to turn the match around in the third and launch a comeback that was completed after 53 minutes when she sealed the win 4-11, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6, 11-7.

“I wasn’t firing in the first game and a half and she made it very hard for me,” said David.

“I knew I had to fight all the way. I trained really hard over the summer during the off season and I wasn’t going to go down without a fight - I pushed to the limit and I’m really pleased to win that 3-2.

“I didn’t let up - I knew I wanted to keep going until the very end and that’s what I did.”

David will now take on former World No.1 Raneem El Welily in the quarter-finals, after she saw off the challenge of New Zealand’s Joelle King, while current World No.1 incumbent Nour El Sherbini will take on Alison Waters after the Englishwoman edged Egyptian qualifier Salma Hany Ibrahim.

Waters required 63 minutes, and a fifth game tie-break, to get the better of th

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