RESULTS: JP Morgan Tournament of Champions, New York, USA
Semi-finals:
[6] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [1] Karim Darwish (EGY) 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 (37m)
[5] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [4] Nick Matthew (ENG) 11-8, 6-11, 11-2, 11-3 (49m)
The JP Morgan Tournament of Champions will climax in a surprise final after England's James Willstrop and Egyptian Ramy Ashour defeated higher-seeded opponents in the semi-finals of the $97,500 PSA World Tour Super Series event at Grand Central Terminal in New York.
Fifth seed Ramy Ashour was at his dominating best as he eliminated world No2 Nick Matthew, the fourth seed from England, in four games.
"I kept myself in the zone as much as I could," said the world number one from Cairo after his 11-8, 6-11, 11-2, 11-3 victory in 49 minutes. "And the cross court nick was working well today."
In fact, all of Ashour’s shots were working well and he kept the pressure on the Yorkshireman from start to finish. Matthew, who had not really been tested in the tournament prior to this match, particularly had to adjust to the young Egyptian's blistering pace. Regrouping in the second, Matthew handled the Ashour intensity well enough to take the game to draw level.
Ashour responded by allowing Matthew just two points in the third. By the fourth, there was nothing the Englishman could do to stem the Egyptian tide.
"When Ramy’s playing his best, it shows why he is world number one," said England national coach David Pearson. "The other players have quite a job on their hands."
Ashour will meet sixth seed James Willstrop in the final. The elegant Englishman was as dominating in his match as Ashour was against Matthew, deposing top seed Karim Darwish 11-6, 11-5, 11-8. In Willstrop’s case, it was pinpoint accuracy rather than pace that kept Darwish from ever really getting into the match.
In the first two games, it was all Willstrop, who won the first point and never relinquished the lead in either game. Former world number one Darwish came alive briefly in the third, taking a 6-2 lead - but Willstrop calmly rebounded, running off five consecutive points to go ahead 7-6. After allowing Darwish just one more point, the Yorkshireman closed out the match in just 37 minutes.
Willstrop, whose biggest challenge over the past few months has been regaining confidence after bone spur surgery in April, did have a moment of doubt when he slipped on court in the third game. There was no injury to the foot. "The good news is that I went from being uneasy to feeling good-really good –again," said the 26-year-old from Leeds.
Willstrop’s quiet confidence was evident on the court. “Darwish plays well when he’s confident and his racquet work can be deadly. Tonight his racquet work was off - which could have had something to do with the pressure I was putting on him," said the soft spoken Englishman.
The final between Ashour and Willstrop will be their third meeting at the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions. Ashour beat Willstrop for the title in 2008 and in the quarter-final round in 2007, a match that ranks in the annals of squash history as one of the best of all time.
When reminded of that match, Ashour grinned broadly and said: "Yes, yes … maybe I will have to watch a video of that before I play tomorrow."
Willstrop is celebrating his 20th appearance in a PSA World Tour final and looking for his 12th win. Ashour, 22, who boasts a 5-2 career head-to-head lead over the tall Englishman, is marking his 23rd Tour final, and is one match away from his 15th title triumph.