
Ashour Vs. Matthew in the Final
Thursday will witness a big squash night at Grand Central Terminal in New York, United States, when the second-seeded Egyptian champion Amr Shabana takes on his rival, first-seeded Englishman Nick Matthew, in the final of the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions.
Current world No. 2 and two-time title-holder Ashour reached the final after he got the full mark 3-0 in his semi-final match against fourth-seed James Willstrop, the title-holder from England.
“Ramy was superb tonight,” Willstrop said after losing to Ashour 11-4, 11-9, 11-8 in a reversal of last year’s final where the Yorkshireman defeated the Egyptian in three games.
“It was intense tonight but the last game especially was fun,” Ashour said after the 38-minute semi, adding “James is one of the most fair and talented players.”
The other semi-final match was dramatic for Egyptian Amr Shabana, as No. 1 Nick Matthew needed 80 minutes to win 3-2 (11-8, 11-4, 7-11, 12-14, 12-10).
“This match was a test at every level, of physical and mental capacity,” said the tired and satisfied Matthew, adding “but that wasn’t surprising, considering I was playing one of the best players of all time.”
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