RESULTS: Australian Open, Canberra, Australia
Qualifying finals:
Julian Illingworth (USA) bt Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) 11-6, 9-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-5 (101m)
Max Lee (HKG) bt Gilly Lane (USA) 11-7, 12-10, 11-6 (44m)
Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS) bt Martin Knight (NZL) 17-15, 12-10, 7-11, 7-11, 11-8 (89m)
Kashif Shuja (NZL) bt Amr Swelim (ITA) 2-11, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 (66m)
Scott Arnold (AUS) bt Mohammed Abbas (EGY) 15-13, 11-9, 11-7 (38m)
Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt Alan Clyne (SCO) 14-12, 8-11, 16-14, 9-11, 11-5 (85m)
Matthew Karwalski (AUS) bt Aaron Frankcomb (AUS) 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 11-6 (80m)
Zac Alexander (AUS) bt Kamran Khan (MAS) 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 (40m)
Brisbane's Zac Alexander stormed into the main draw of the Australian Open with a straight games win over Malaysia's Kamran Khan in today's (Monday) qualifying finals of the $142,500 PSA World Tour squash event in Canberra - the fourth PSA Super Series championship of the year.
Alexander was the most impressive of all the final qualifiers as he cruised past Khan, son of Pakistan legend Jansher Khan, 11-7, 11-7, 11-3 - and into a first round clash with Mohamed El Shorbagy, the 14th seed from Egypt.
The 21-year-old was one of a trio of Australians who qualified for the main draw - including Sydney's Scott Arnold who stunned classy Egyptian Mohammed Abbas 15-13, 11-9, 11-7, and Matthew Karwalski, a 9-11, 11-9, 12-10, 8-11, 11-6 winner over fellow Australian Aaron Frankcomb.
"That's seven Australians in the main draw," a delighted Australian head coach Byron Davis said. "And we could have as many as 10 in the women's draw after their qualifying so it's a great day for Australian squash."
Alexander has risen to number 70 in the world and is certain to go higher now he has reached the main draw of a PSA Platinum tournament for the first time.
"I'm really happy - Kamran obviously played really well yesterday to take Nicolas Mueller out, and that helped me in a way because I was a lot more confident against Kamran than I would have been against Mueller," he said.
"I've played him four or five times and I've had the edge on him so I knew how to play against him.
"This is just massive."
Alexander has won two smaller tournaments on the Australian Squash Tour, in Darwin, Melbourne and Sydney, and said he knew he was in form heading into Canberra.
"I've been getting the confidence up in the smaller tournaments and now I get to test myself against the big boys so we'll see how I go - the first round should be interesting."
Arnold said he had never played better than during his win over former top 15 player Abbas, and credited his good form to a move back to his former coach Sue King in Sydney.
"When I came back from New York I was playing terribly but she was so patient and now I'm feeling a lot better about my squash."
Arnold will have to keep his form going as he goes up against fellow New South Welshman Cameron Pilley, while Karwalski plays Englishman James Willstrop.
Two of the three New Zealanders progressed after gruelling five game battles.
Kashif Shuja downed Italian Amr Swelim 2-11, 11-8, 11-7, 8-11, 11-9 while Campbell Grayson beat Scotsman Alan Clyne 14-12, 8-11, 16-14, 9-11, 11-5.
However the third Kiwi in action, Martin Knight, fell after yet another five game tussle with Muhd Asyraf Azan, the Malaysian winning 17-15, 12-10, 7-11, 7-11, 11-8.
Shuja, runner-up in 2008, was pushed to five games for the second day in a row.
"I tried my best not to go to five but Amr's a very good player and he's had the edge over me in the last couple of matches," Shuja said.
"I knew it was going to be a hard one. My body was a bit tired from yesterday and it took a while for me to warm up.
"I knew I was strong enough to push through. I was really feeling the pressure, but so was he."
Grayson was also left exhausted after his second long match in a row against one of the fittest players on the tour.
"I really wanted to win and that's what got me through," he said.
"He gets a lot back and he gets to the front really fast - I knew I had to be smart, and I knew it was going to be painful for both of us."
Azan, another who was taken the distance two days in a row, said he had to overcome a severe bout of nerves after letting a two game lead slip.
"In the first two games he didn't really know my game, but after the first two he began to work it out," Azan said.
"Then he got to two-all and I knew I had to play well - I had to focus on every single point.
"I was scared, I mean I was terrified the first three or four points of the fifth game but after a while I said to myself to try my best and not to be overcome."
However the longest match honours went to US number one Julian Illingworth, who overcame a tenacious Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan 11-6, 9-11, 13-11, 11-13, 11-5 in one hour, 41 minutes.
Illingworth thought he had blown it after letting three match balls slip in the fourth game.
"Once I lost that game I had to refocus and come out for the fifth game," he said. "The ball had gone really dead so I requested a new ball which I think helped me just to get it bouncing around and get some length and rhythm back in the game.
"The pressure's off once you make the main draw," he added. "Qualifying is so tough. If you lose you don't get any money, you don't get many points, so once you get in the first round the pressure's off.
"You get a chance to have a shot at one of the big boys and you get excited to see the glass court."
Fellow American Gilly Lane failed in his bid to join Illingworth in the main draw when he was surprised by Hong Kong's Max Lee 11-7, 12-10, 11-6.
The 22-year-old Lee said he tried not to think about making the first round.
"Before the match I didn't think about what would happen if I won," Lee said. "He's a good player who plays his shots - I knew I had to stay focused and keep moving well.
"This is the second time I've made it into a big tournament and it's a good opportunity for me."
Updated 1st round draw:
[1] Nick Matthew (ENG) v Joey Barrington (ENG)
[11] Wael El Hindi (EGY) v Simon Rosner (GER)
[8] Peter Barker (ENG) v [Q] Kashif Shuja (NZL)
[13] Adrian Grant (ENG) v [Q] Max Lee (HKG)
[3] Amr Shabana (EGY) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)
[15] Alister Walker (ENG) v Ong Beng Hee (MAS)
[6] James Willstrop (ENG) v [Q] Matthew Karwalski (AUS)
[10] David Palmer (AUS) v Saurav Ghosal (IND)
[9] Daryl Selby (ENG) v Tom Richards (ENG)
[5] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) v [Q] Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS)
[14] Mohamed El Shorbagy (EGY) v [Q] Zac Alexander (AUS)
[4] Karim Darwish (EGY) v [Q] Campbell Grayson (NZL)
[12] Laurens Jan Anjema (NED) v [Q] Julian Illingworth (USA)
[7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) v Stewart Boswell (AUS)
[16] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v [Q] Scott Arnold (AUS)
[2] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY)
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