We're on site for day three of the 2018 J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions – which sees the men's event enter the second round while the women's event gets underway with round one action inside one of the most iconic locations in squash – New York's Grand Central Terminal.
Amongst those in action on the all-glass court today will be defending champion Karim Abdel Gawad, with the Egyptian going up against Nicolas Mueller while Gregory Gaultier will continue his tournament against against Tom Richard.
Then the men's action comes to a crescendo with the all-English rivalry of James Willstrop v Nick Matthew. The two met at the same stage last year, with Willstrop ending a 10-year losing streak to Matthew – but with Matthew competing here for the last time in his career he'll be keen to gain one last revenge over Willstrop.
On the women's side, World No.1 Nour El Sherbini is the star name in action but there is double home interest as Wildcard Marina Stefanoni takes on Nouran Gohar before current top ranked US woman Olivia Blatchford takes on Liu Tsz-Ling of Hong Kong.
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Here's the Order of Play
(All times are local GMT-5)
(All times are local GMT-5)
Massaro Digs In To Defeat Moverley
England's
Laura Massaro was forced to call on all her experience and grit to come
through a difficult encounter with compatriot Fiona Moverley in the
opening match of the third day at the 2018 Tournament of Champions – and
the first match of the women's main draw – with the former World No.1
eventually edging an 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8 scoreline.
Despite sitting 16 places below Massaro in the rankings Moverley looked every inch a player capable of competing at the very highest of levels. The 30-year-old from Yorkshire recovered from losing the opening exchanges to come back strong in the first game, and while she couldn't recover from the early deficit she went on to control proceedings throughout the second, playing with an attacking ability and tactical awareness that made life very difficult for Lancashire's Massaro.
After levelling the match Moverley then only had herself to blame when, after continuing to control the game throughout the third, she found herself behind on the scoreline once again courtesy of a series of costly errors.
But she continued to play the better squash of the pair through the fourth and while she too often followed up a well constructed winner with an error that handed the initiative back to Massaro, she managed to stay firm through a tight tie-break to take the match to a decisive fifth that continued to follow the tone of what had went before, with little to separate the pair.
Then, with the scores at 8-9 in the fifth, it was Massaro who struck a perfect width to get the first match ball opportunity, which she duly converted to keep her tournament aspirations alive.
“It was very difficult to keep her at bay today,” said Massaro.
“I thought she played well. and she's very clinical, as soon as I played short I was at the wrong end of the rally. Over the course of the match you get critical of yourself and when I was just a little bit off she was able to get on top.
“In the end it was just a gutsy performance to get over the line
“I've had some mixed results here over the year but I think I speak for all the players when I say we love coming here and it's an amazing venue for a squash court and the New York crowd is one that we all love. We all love it when the crowd here really get into it and the louder the better.”
Result
[4] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt Fiona Moverley (ENG) 3-2: 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8 (65m)
Mueller Stuns Defending Champion Gawad
Despite sitting 16 places below Massaro in the rankings Moverley looked every inch a player capable of competing at the very highest of levels. The 30-year-old from Yorkshire recovered from losing the opening exchanges to come back strong in the first game, and while she couldn't recover from the early deficit she went on to control proceedings throughout the second, playing with an attacking ability and tactical awareness that made life very difficult for Lancashire's Massaro.
After levelling the match Moverley then only had herself to blame when, after continuing to control the game throughout the third, she found herself behind on the scoreline once again courtesy of a series of costly errors.
But she continued to play the better squash of the pair through the fourth and while she too often followed up a well constructed winner with an error that handed the initiative back to Massaro, she managed to stay firm through a tight tie-break to take the match to a decisive fifth that continued to follow the tone of what had went before, with little to separate the pair.
Then, with the scores at 8-9 in the fifth, it was Massaro who struck a perfect width to get the first match ball opportunity, which she duly converted to keep her tournament aspirations alive.
“It was very difficult to keep her at bay today,” said Massaro.
“I thought she played well. and she's very clinical, as soon as I played short I was at the wrong end of the rally. Over the course of the match you get critical of yourself and when I was just a little bit off she was able to get on top.
“In the end it was just a gutsy performance to get over the line
“I've had some mixed results here over the year but I think I speak for all the players when I say we love coming here and it's an amazing venue for a squash court and the New York crowd is one that we all love. We all love it when the crowd here really get into it and the louder the better.”
Result
[4] Laura Massaro (ENG) bt Fiona Moverley (ENG) 3-2: 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8 (65m)
Mueller Stuns Defending Champion Gawad
Switzerland's
Nicolas Mueller secured the biggest win of his career as he dumped 2017
tournament winner Karim Abdel Gawad, the World No.4, out of the 2018
J.P. Morgan Tournament of Champions courtesy of a spell-binding second
round display.
The 28-year-old from Zurich came through a tense five-game match with England's Adrian Waller to reach the second round and could have been forgiven for feeling less than fresh for today's encounter, but he put in one of the best displays of his career as he dominated and controlled the court from the off, taking Gawad out of his comfort zone and playing a high-tempo attacking game that saw him take the first two games untroubled.
The World No.27 then found himself with match ball in hand to complete an unexpected 3-0 victory, but the tension told as he snatched at a golden opportunity at 11-10 up, allowing Gawad back in to punish him and take the match to a fourth game.
And the 2016 World Champion moved through the gears to take the fourth game, cutting down Mueller's lead, and it looked like the match was swinging his way as he got off to a better start in the fifth. But credit to Mueller, who has been searching for a major win throughout the past few seasons, as the Swiss Rocket refused to give in, managing to stick with Gawad and get momentum back on his side to move ahead 10-6.
With nerves telling, Gawad clawed his way back to 9-10, but Mueller finally saw it out to secure a huge win that he dedicated to his mother.
“I'm really over the moon,” said Mueller afterwards. “That's one of best matches that I have played in a long time and it is one of the biggest wins of my career.
“To knock out the defending champion here in New York, inside Grand Central, is pretty special.
“I thought I'd thrown it away in the third with that match ball. I hit a perfect winner the point before and went for the same shot again at match ball and I thought the match was over. It then took me a game to get my head back on, during the fourth I just wasn't there.
“But I'm super happy with how I came out in the fifth. I tried to stay positive and use the belief that I have in myself. I've put in a lot of hard work over Christmas and for the first time for many years I've been injury free for quite a long time, so I'm confident that the background work is there.
“I've got a day off to rest now and recover and come back for another big match. I love playing here and I feed off a vocal crowd, which is exactly what we get in New York, so I'm excited.”
Result
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-2: 11-6, 11-6, 11-13, 3-11, 11-9 (71m)
Perry Powers Past Adel
The 28-year-old from Zurich came through a tense five-game match with England's Adrian Waller to reach the second round and could have been forgiven for feeling less than fresh for today's encounter, but he put in one of the best displays of his career as he dominated and controlled the court from the off, taking Gawad out of his comfort zone and playing a high-tempo attacking game that saw him take the first two games untroubled.
The World No.27 then found himself with match ball in hand to complete an unexpected 3-0 victory, but the tension told as he snatched at a golden opportunity at 11-10 up, allowing Gawad back in to punish him and take the match to a fourth game.
And the 2016 World Champion moved through the gears to take the fourth game, cutting down Mueller's lead, and it looked like the match was swinging his way as he got off to a better start in the fifth. But credit to Mueller, who has been searching for a major win throughout the past few seasons, as the Swiss Rocket refused to give in, managing to stick with Gawad and get momentum back on his side to move ahead 10-6.
With nerves telling, Gawad clawed his way back to 9-10, but Mueller finally saw it out to secure a huge win that he dedicated to his mother.
“I'm really over the moon,” said Mueller afterwards. “That's one of best matches that I have played in a long time and it is one of the biggest wins of my career.
“To knock out the defending champion here in New York, inside Grand Central, is pretty special.
“I thought I'd thrown it away in the third with that match ball. I hit a perfect winner the point before and went for the same shot again at match ball and I thought the match was over. It then took me a game to get my head back on, during the fourth I just wasn't there.
“But I'm super happy with how I came out in the fifth. I tried to stay positive and use the belief that I have in myself. I've put in a lot of hard work over Christmas and for the first time for many years I've been injury free for quite a long time, so I'm confident that the background work is there.
“I've got a day off to rest now and recover and come back for another big match. I love playing here and I feed off a vocal crowd, which is exactly what we get in New York, so I'm excited.”
Result
Nicolas Mueller (SUI) bt [4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) 3-2: 11-6, 11-6, 11-13, 3-11, 11-9 (71m)
Perry Powers Past Adel
Sarah-Jane
Perry became the second Englishwoman to book a place in the second
round of the Tournament of Champions as she got past Egyptian qualifier
Yathreb Adel 3-1.
It was Adel who had won the only previous meeting between the two back in 2014, but since then Perry has worked tirelessly on her game and developed into one of the top players on Tour and that transition was evident as she controlled the encounter this time around to thwart any hopes Adel had of causing an upset.
“She stops you getting a rhythm going and I had to try and contain her today and I'm happy I did that,” said Perry.
Result
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [Q] Yathreb Adel (EGY) 3-1: 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8 (39m)
Rösner Halts ElShorbagy In Five
It was Adel who had won the only previous meeting between the two back in 2014, but since then Perry has worked tirelessly on her game and developed into one of the top players on Tour and that transition was evident as she controlled the encounter this time around to thwart any hopes Adel had of causing an upset.
“She stops you getting a rhythm going and I had to try and contain her today and I'm happy I did that,” said Perry.
Result
[7] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) bt [Q] Yathreb Adel (EGY) 3-1: 11-5, 11-5, 8-11, 11-8 (39m)
Rösner Halts ElShorbagy In Five
Simon
Rösner came through a scrappy up and down five-game affair to record
his second straight win over World Championship runner-up Marwan
ElShorbagy and book a berth in the quarter-finals of the Tournament of
Champions.
Rösner thwarted ElShorbagy last time out when the pair met in the last eight of the Qatar Classic in what was a breakthrough win for the man from Paderborn, and he kept his winning streak up after twice coming from behind to prevail under the chandeliers inside New York's Grand Central Terminal.
Things began poorly for the 30-year-old as he fell to an early 1-6 deficit in the first game courtesy of an error-strewn period of play that allowed ElShorbagy to profit easily. Rösner managed to find some momentum to string together his own period of success, but it wasn't enough to recover the early damage as he fell to a first game defeat.
The opening game set the pattern for what was to follow, with both players enjoying periods of untroubled success before succumbing to error-strewn periods – with the two rarely playing their best simultaneously. As a result the scoreboard fluctuated back and forth all the way until a fourth game tie-break that finally saw the pair produce the kind of squash their rankings and abilities are capable of.
After sneaking the fourth game 15-13, Rösner then managed to keep his composure as the fifth game went all the way to the wire, sealing the match with a wonderfully struck trickle boats to take it at the second time of asking.
“It was difficult today,” said Rösner.
“I was just trying to push myself hard and keep fighting. I don't think the quality of the match today was that high but the fighting spirit was very high between both of us.
“I'm just very glad that I was able to get through that match and get the win.
“When I was 2-1 down I tried to take the pace off the ball. The quality wasn't there in my hitting in the third, but when I did that I started to get back into the corners and got him behind me which I think was the key to the match in the end.”
Result
Simon Rösner (GER) bt [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-2: 8-11, 11-8, 4-11, 15-13, 12-10 (76m)
El Sherbini Claims First Round Victory Over Chan
Rösner thwarted ElShorbagy last time out when the pair met in the last eight of the Qatar Classic in what was a breakthrough win for the man from Paderborn, and he kept his winning streak up after twice coming from behind to prevail under the chandeliers inside New York's Grand Central Terminal.
Things began poorly for the 30-year-old as he fell to an early 1-6 deficit in the first game courtesy of an error-strewn period of play that allowed ElShorbagy to profit easily. Rösner managed to find some momentum to string together his own period of success, but it wasn't enough to recover the early damage as he fell to a first game defeat.
The opening game set the pattern for what was to follow, with both players enjoying periods of untroubled success before succumbing to error-strewn periods – with the two rarely playing their best simultaneously. As a result the scoreboard fluctuated back and forth all the way until a fourth game tie-break that finally saw the pair produce the kind of squash their rankings and abilities are capable of.
After sneaking the fourth game 15-13, Rösner then managed to keep his composure as the fifth game went all the way to the wire, sealing the match with a wonderfully struck trickle boats to take it at the second time of asking.
“It was difficult today,” said Rösner.
“I was just trying to push myself hard and keep fighting. I don't think the quality of the match today was that high but the fighting spirit was very high between both of us.
“I'm just very glad that I was able to get through that match and get the win.
“When I was 2-1 down I tried to take the pace off the ball. The quality wasn't there in my hitting in the third, but when I did that I started to get back into the corners and got him behind me which I think was the key to the match in the end.”
Result
Simon Rösner (GER) bt [5] Marwan ElShorbagy (EGY) 3-2: 8-11, 11-8, 4-11, 15-13, 12-10 (76m)
El Sherbini Claims First Round Victory Over Chan
Nour El Sherbini (right) v Joey Chan (left)
World
No.1 Nour El Sherbini began her 2018 Tournament of Champions campaign
with a comfortable 3-0 win over Hong Kong’s Joey Chan to book her second
round berth as she eyes a second successive PSA World Series title after her victory at the inaugural Saudi PSA Women’s Masters earlier this month.
The two had met at the same stage of last year’s tournament, with El Sherbini making it three wins from three matches against Chan with a similarly dominant 3-0 win inside half an hour.
The 22-year-old Egyptian set about her task quickly and dominated the middle of the court as she put away nine winners and made no errors during a quick-fire first game that finished 11-5 in El Sherbini’s favour.
And it didn’t take long for the 2016 Tournament of Champions winner to double her lead, dropping six points in the second, but Chan looked to have found something of a foothold in the third after battling back form 5-2 down to restore parity.
However, some lethal volleys from El Sherbini saw her cut off Chan’s resurgence and the pressure soon told as she wrapped up an 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 victory to claim a fourth win in a row over the woman from Hong Kong.
“Joey is a very tricky first round, so I was trying to put her deep in the back of the court,” said El Sherbini, who will face compatriot Mariam Metwally in the next round.
“In the first game I was doing well, I hit zero errors, but after that she was playing better and I found the tin more. But I’m really happy to finish it in three and I’m looking forward to the next round.
“I’m getting more confident and I’m playing better, I’m enjoying my squash at the moment and I’m really hoping that this tournament will go well.”
Result
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Joey Chan (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (29m)
French General Gaultier Marches Past Richards to Book Last Eight Spot
The two had met at the same stage of last year’s tournament, with El Sherbini making it three wins from three matches against Chan with a similarly dominant 3-0 win inside half an hour.
The 22-year-old Egyptian set about her task quickly and dominated the middle of the court as she put away nine winners and made no errors during a quick-fire first game that finished 11-5 in El Sherbini’s favour.
And it didn’t take long for the 2016 Tournament of Champions winner to double her lead, dropping six points in the second, but Chan looked to have found something of a foothold in the third after battling back form 5-2 down to restore parity.
However, some lethal volleys from El Sherbini saw her cut off Chan’s resurgence and the pressure soon told as she wrapped up an 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 victory to claim a fourth win in a row over the woman from Hong Kong.
“Joey is a very tricky first round, so I was trying to put her deep in the back of the court,” said El Sherbini, who will face compatriot Mariam Metwally in the next round.
“In the first game I was doing well, I hit zero errors, but after that she was playing better and I found the tin more. But I’m really happy to finish it in three and I’m looking forward to the next round.
“I’m getting more confident and I’m playing better, I’m enjoying my squash at the moment and I’m really hoping that this tournament will go well.”
Result
[1] Nour El Sherbini (EGY) bt Joey Chan (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (29m)
French General Gaultier Marches Past Richards to Book Last Eight Spot
Gregory Gaultier (right) v Tom Richards (left)
World
No.1 Gregory Gaultier lived up to his ‘General’ moniker as the
35-year-old put England’s Tom Richards to the sword in a virtuoso
display from last year’s runner-up.
The charismatic Frenchman has struggled with both an ankle injury and a lung issue this season, which has prevented him from displaying the kind of form that saw him capture six PSA World Tour titles on the bounce in the first half of 2017.
But he looks to have put those troubles behind him after following up a dominant round one win over United States No.1 Todd Harrity with an equally impressive showing against World No.40 Richards, who had come through qualifying before upsetting India’s World No.16 Saurav Ghosal in the opening round.
Gaultier marched around court and put Richards under pressure time and time again as he strode to an 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 win in 33 minutes to book his quarter-final berth, where either Nick Matthew or James Willstrop will await, with the two Englishmen set to face off later today.
“Tom gave me a tough job to do today,” said Gaultier.
“He had two five-setters in qualifying and a tough first round against Saurav, so maybe there is a lot of energy that was damaged from all of these tough games he had.
“He had a good run and he managed to push me today. I had to work pretty hard in every rally to win the points and I’m happy to get away with a win and hopefully I improve in the next round.
“I’ve been playing here for almost 20 years now and I like the atmosphere with the crowd. The people here have a good knowledge of our sport and I know they like a show, so maybe I’ll return with something special this week.”
Result
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [Q] Tom Richards (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 (33m)
Gohar Beats US Up-and-Comer Stefanoni
The charismatic Frenchman has struggled with both an ankle injury and a lung issue this season, which has prevented him from displaying the kind of form that saw him capture six PSA World Tour titles on the bounce in the first half of 2017.
But he looks to have put those troubles behind him after following up a dominant round one win over United States No.1 Todd Harrity with an equally impressive showing against World No.40 Richards, who had come through qualifying before upsetting India’s World No.16 Saurav Ghosal in the opening round.
Gaultier marched around court and put Richards under pressure time and time again as he strode to an 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 win in 33 minutes to book his quarter-final berth, where either Nick Matthew or James Willstrop will await, with the two Englishmen set to face off later today.
“Tom gave me a tough job to do today,” said Gaultier.
“He had two five-setters in qualifying and a tough first round against Saurav, so maybe there is a lot of energy that was damaged from all of these tough games he had.
“He had a good run and he managed to push me today. I had to work pretty hard in every rally to win the points and I’m happy to get away with a win and hopefully I improve in the next round.
“I’ve been playing here for almost 20 years now and I like the atmosphere with the crowd. The people here have a good knowledge of our sport and I know they like a show, so maybe I’ll return with something special this week.”
Result
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [Q] Tom Richards (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 (33m)
Gohar Beats US Up-and-Comer Stefanoni
Nouran Gohar (right) v Marina Stefanoni (left)
Egypt’s
World No.5 Nouran Gohar defeated 15-year-old American Marina Stefanoni
to advance to the quarter-finals of the women’s tournament.
Connecticut-born Stefanoni was making history as the youngest player ever to compete at the Tournament of Champions and is one of four US women involved in the main draw – the first time this has happened at a PSA World Tour event.
Stefanoni, who won the US Junior Open Girls U19 title last month, showed a mixture of some deft touches and vicious driving which belied her tender years and each point she put on the board was greeted with a roar from the partizan home support inside Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall.
But Gohar, a two-time World Junior Champion and five years Stefanoni’s senior, had too much for the American teenager as her pace of hitting and superior experience saw her take an 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 triumph in 23 minutes and she will meet 2015 runner-up Alison Waters in round two.
“She’s only 15 years old, I feel so much older,” said Gohar.
“I’ve been in her place and at the last World Juniors I was watching her and I knew that she would be one of the best players in the US and on the Tour. I’m pretty sure she will be in the top five, maybe World No.1 in the future.”
Stefanoni said: “This was a great opportunity, I’ve watched this tournament, have always wanted to play it and I never thought it would be this soon. I watched her [Nouran] at the World Juniors two years ago and her style of game is so fast and so strong.
“I was happy when I saw I would be playing her as she’s one of the ones closest to my age and hopefully I can be like her.”
Result
[5] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [WC] Marina Stefanoni (USA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 (23m)
Matthew Defeats Rival Willstrop in Battle of Yorkshire
Connecticut-born Stefanoni was making history as the youngest player ever to compete at the Tournament of Champions and is one of four US women involved in the main draw – the first time this has happened at a PSA World Tour event.
Stefanoni, who won the US Junior Open Girls U19 title last month, showed a mixture of some deft touches and vicious driving which belied her tender years and each point she put on the board was greeted with a roar from the partizan home support inside Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall.
But Gohar, a two-time World Junior Champion and five years Stefanoni’s senior, had too much for the American teenager as her pace of hitting and superior experience saw her take an 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 triumph in 23 minutes and she will meet 2015 runner-up Alison Waters in round two.
“She’s only 15 years old, I feel so much older,” said Gohar.
“I’ve been in her place and at the last World Juniors I was watching her and I knew that she would be one of the best players in the US and on the Tour. I’m pretty sure she will be in the top five, maybe World No.1 in the future.”
Stefanoni said: “This was a great opportunity, I’ve watched this tournament, have always wanted to play it and I never thought it would be this soon. I watched her [Nouran] at the World Juniors two years ago and her style of game is so fast and so strong.
“I was happy when I saw I would be playing her as she’s one of the ones closest to my age and hopefully I can be like her.”
Result
[5] Nouran Gohar (EGY) bt [WC] Marina Stefanoni (USA) 3-0: 11-5, 11-8, 11-5 (23m)
Matthew Defeats Rival Willstrop in Battle of Yorkshire
Nick Matthew (right) v James Willstrop (left)
2012
winner Nick Matthew got the better of long-term domestic rival James
Willstrop after prevailing by a 3-1 margin against his fellow
Yorkshireman to avenge his defeat to Willstrop at the same stage of last
year’s tournament.
The duo have contested one of the sport’s most captivating rivalries ever but it was a rivalry dominated by Matthew between 2007-2017 as he struck up 19 consecutive wins against his compatriot until a momentous win for Willstrop in New York last January.
However, this time around it was 37-year-old Matthew – appearing at his last Tournament of Champions after announcing that he will retire at the end of this season – who rose to victory under the chandelier-adorned roof of Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall in a match of supreme quality.
It was first blood to Matthew after he closed down the court superbly and hit his lines to take an 11-8 victory in the opener and it was nip and tuck in the second until Willstrop showcased his trademark accuracy at the front of the court to rack up a succession of points towards the end of the game to draw level.
There were some truly brutal rallies in the third game as Matthew went for the jugular, giving Willstrop barely any time to get back to the ’T’ as he sent the 34-year-old into all four corners of the court and he was rewarded with victory in the third to restore his lead.
There was no let up for Willstrop in the fourth as Matthew kept up the assault, while Willstrop’s touch deserted him at the crucial moments as Matthew moved ahead to match ball.
A superb counter-drop from Matthew then sealed the win for the World No.6 from Sheffield by an 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6 scoreline and he will take on World No.1 Gregory Gaultier in the last eight.
“When James is moving the ball around the court like that, you’ve really got to move well, but that’s not enough on its own, you’ve got to really hit the four corners and try to make him play those shots from bad positions,” said Matthew.
“I went through a stage when he was really dominating me down the backhand side. I felt like tonight was more of a mental battle then a physical battle. In that last game, both of us were getting edgy, it seemed like whoever hit a loose shot made an error.
“I was relieved to get over the line there and progress in this great tournament. I read before the match that this was the 60th time [including 36 PSA World Tour meetings] that James and I have played and that’s an absolutely incredible statistic.
“I’ve never felt relaxed playing him once and in that second game I was 1-0 up and 7-4 up and I relaxed for one second and it felt like he won six straight points, won the game and I was back under pressure again.
“No matter whether it’s the first time or 60th time, James is an incredible player and hopefully there will be one or two more chapters left yet.”
Result
[6] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt James Willstrop (ENG) 3-1: 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6 (68m)
Blatchford Sweeps Past Liu
The duo have contested one of the sport’s most captivating rivalries ever but it was a rivalry dominated by Matthew between 2007-2017 as he struck up 19 consecutive wins against his compatriot until a momentous win for Willstrop in New York last January.
However, this time around it was 37-year-old Matthew – appearing at his last Tournament of Champions after announcing that he will retire at the end of this season – who rose to victory under the chandelier-adorned roof of Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall in a match of supreme quality.
It was first blood to Matthew after he closed down the court superbly and hit his lines to take an 11-8 victory in the opener and it was nip and tuck in the second until Willstrop showcased his trademark accuracy at the front of the court to rack up a succession of points towards the end of the game to draw level.
There were some truly brutal rallies in the third game as Matthew went for the jugular, giving Willstrop barely any time to get back to the ’T’ as he sent the 34-year-old into all four corners of the court and he was rewarded with victory in the third to restore his lead.
There was no let up for Willstrop in the fourth as Matthew kept up the assault, while Willstrop’s touch deserted him at the crucial moments as Matthew moved ahead to match ball.
A superb counter-drop from Matthew then sealed the win for the World No.6 from Sheffield by an 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6 scoreline and he will take on World No.1 Gregory Gaultier in the last eight.
“When James is moving the ball around the court like that, you’ve really got to move well, but that’s not enough on its own, you’ve got to really hit the four corners and try to make him play those shots from bad positions,” said Matthew.
“I went through a stage when he was really dominating me down the backhand side. I felt like tonight was more of a mental battle then a physical battle. In that last game, both of us were getting edgy, it seemed like whoever hit a loose shot made an error.
“I was relieved to get over the line there and progress in this great tournament. I read before the match that this was the 60th time [including 36 PSA World Tour meetings] that James and I have played and that’s an absolutely incredible statistic.
“I’ve never felt relaxed playing him once and in that second game I was 1-0 up and 7-4 up and I relaxed for one second and it felt like he won six straight points, won the game and I was back under pressure again.
“No matter whether it’s the first time or 60th time, James is an incredible player and hopefully there will be one or two more chapters left yet.”
Result
[6] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt James Willstrop (ENG) 3-1: 11-8, 8-11, 11-8, 11-6 (68m)
Blatchford Sweeps Past Liu
Olivia Blatchford (right) v Liu Tsz-Ling (left)
United
States No.1 Olivia Blatchford booked her place in the second round of
the Tournament of Champions for the first time in her career after a
solid display from the 24-year-old saw her down Hong Kong’s Liu Tsz-Ling
in straight games.
Blatchford dominated proceedings at Grand Central Terminal in a polished display that saw her take her chances well and limit the opportunities for Liu to go two games ahead.
Liu briefly threatened a comeback in the third game, going 9-8 up but, backed to the hilt by her home crowd, Blatchford came back fighting and took the next three points in succession to claim her first ever main draw win at this tournament.
“Being out here is incredible, I’ve been watching this [in the crowd] since I was in diapers, so to have a win on this court is massive for me,” said Blatchford, who is one of four American women in the main draw of a PSA World Tour event for the first time in history.
“Playing for my country is one of the biggest honours and privileges that I have ever had in my life. I know how good the US is and I’m proud that the ladies are leading the way and I feel very blessed to be a part of it.
“Each one of those ladies is a fantastic player, so to count myself on the same team as them is phenomenal, so we’re a force to be reckoned with. We’re coming after the whole world.”
Result
[13] Olivia Blatchford (USA) bt [Q] Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-9 (24m)
Blatchford dominated proceedings at Grand Central Terminal in a polished display that saw her take her chances well and limit the opportunities for Liu to go two games ahead.
Liu briefly threatened a comeback in the third game, going 9-8 up but, backed to the hilt by her home crowd, Blatchford came back fighting and took the next three points in succession to claim her first ever main draw win at this tournament.
“Being out here is incredible, I’ve been watching this [in the crowd] since I was in diapers, so to have a win on this court is massive for me,” said Blatchford, who is one of four American women in the main draw of a PSA World Tour event for the first time in history.
“Playing for my country is one of the biggest honours and privileges that I have ever had in my life. I know how good the US is and I’m proud that the ladies are leading the way and I feel very blessed to be a part of it.
“Each one of those ladies is a fantastic player, so to count myself on the same team as them is phenomenal, so we’re a force to be reckoned with. We’re coming after the whole world.”
Result
[13] Olivia Blatchford (USA) bt [Q] Liu Tsz-Ling (HKG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-9 (24m)
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