Share this story!            

Englishman claims scalp of World Open top seed

KUWAIT CITY: Top-seeded Karim Darwish, one of the ‘big three’ Egyptians who are helping to give their country unprecedented dominance of world squash, was knocked out of the World Open here on Tuesday on a day of surprise and confusion.

Darwish, Amr Shabana and Ramy Ashour helped Egypt to succeed England as world team champions last month, but now the man who topped the rankings for the first nine months of the year was halted in four games by an old English adversary, James Willstrop who normally such a fluent shot-maker, was very patient in his 11-7, 11-7, 3-11, 11-9 win, and it was apparently a major upset that the eleventh seed should wrap up so fine a win in such well-ordered way. But Willstrop has succeeded against Darwish more often than not, having been victor in all of their four matches in the last three years.

Willstrop played tight and accurately and usually scored either when Darwish made a mistake, or played short, allowing him an opportunity to get in with a tight drop or quick kill. He also focussed well when it mattered, moving steadily from 5-6 to 11-7 in both the first two games, and working extremely hard to rescue the fourth game from a 4-7 deficit. The third game was all Darwish, who was ruthless with anything loose, scoring well with sharp low kills and three times with winners from very deep positions. He carried this momentum into the fourth, not only achieving a decent lead but also moving Willstrop around a lot.

It was a hard and tiring road back to parity, but once Willstrop got there he was rewarded with one or two more errors from Darwish, as the pressure grew on the top seed. And Willstrop played two great last rallies, returning to something nearer his more characteristic attacking style to close the contest out. “He (Darwish) was very dominating and so I had to react to his authority,” he said. “I was pleased with the way I came back. I did it well.”

Darwish might have claimed that all the confusion which surrounded the build-up to the match might have affected his mentality, but he refused to make that an excuse. First, a little rain and the forecast of more caused the tournament to be re-scheduled from the all-glass show court by the sea to a conventional indoor court at a local club – only for television chiefs to object, and the match to be returned to its outdoor venue. He now plays Thierry Lincou, the former world champion from France. Darwish’s defeat was followed by Shabana, three times the former world champion, and Ashour, the defending champion, both progressing without alarms, beating Daryl Selby of England and Laurens-Jan Anjema respectively. It increased the chances of Egypt again providing the champion, and certainly confidence has never been higher.

Egypt currently holds the 2009 men’s world team title, the 2009 women’s world junior team title, the 2009 men’s world junior title, the 2009 women’s world junior title, the 2008 women’s world team title, and the 2008 men’s World Open title. Shabana now plays his compatriot Wael El Hindi, Ashour meets Peter Barker of England, and the other quarter-final is between Gregory Gaultier, the second-seeded Frenchman, and Nick Matthew, the British Open champion from England. afp

Home | Sport

Share this story!