Has Anyone Seen Ramy?

He is just 21 years old, after all, and our new champion showed his youth when he vanished shortly after the match ended, which made for an interesting two-tier awards ceremony. Nick Matthew came out and was extremely gracious in defeat, hitting all the right notes in his brief post-match comments, thanking the sponsors and praising the tournament organizers. 

Said the runner-up from Sheffield, England, "It was great that everyone got behind both of us. Thank you very much for your support, it made it a pleasure to play."

Ashour was eventually found, and made his apologies for his tardiness to the awards ceremony. He first thanked his opponent and joked that he never thought the match would go so long. He then said, "I’m really happy winning this match. I think I’m back on track and have my confidence back."

So Ramy Ashour is your 2009 Davenport North American Open champion, winning 11-8, 13-11, 10-12, 5-11, 11-8 in 91 minutes.

Thanks for being with us these past few days on the official tournament blog... we'll look forward to seeing you again next year for the 7th edition of what has become the 2nd largest squash tournament in North America.

Good night from Richmond...

And Your Champion is...

...#3 seed Ramy Ashour of Egypt, by scores of 11-8, 13-11, 10-12, 5-11, 11-8 in 91 minutes of scintillating squash. His touch was the difference in the end, as he continued to relentlessly apply pressure on Nick Matthew in the front court, including on the last point of the match, when another Ashour drop landed just beyond the outstretched Englishman to give Ashour his first title since he won his first World Open title last October in Manchester.

2 match balls to Ashour after a nifty drop. 10-8 in the final game. 

Ashour Up 4-2 in Final Game

Now at 8-all after a stroke to Matthew as Ramy gets trapped in the front of the court...

Ashour now leads 6-5...

Ashour Up 4-2 in Final Game

Matthew just tinned a backhand drop in the left corner and Ramy's up 4-2, seven points from victory here.

One Game for All the Marbles

Nick Matthew, the #8 seed, has come all the way back from 0-2 down against the reigning World Champion, #3 seed Ramy Ashour to knot matters at 2-all after 73 minutes of play heading into a decisive 5th game in the finals of the 2009 Davenport North American Open.

Both players appear to be laboring a bit as they play their 5th match of the week. Matthew seemed to have some tightness in his hips or upper leg early in the 4th game and did some stretching on-court in an attempt to stay loose.

Fitness and sangfroid under pressure will determine who will bring home this coveted championship.

Stay tuned...

Going Five?

Matthew's just hit a forehand volley into the nick to go up 6-3 in the 4th game, carrying forward the momentum from his 12-10 win in the 3rd game.

Matthew Stays Alive... Down 1-2

Matthew had another game ball at 10-9 in the third, but Ashour saved it with a high-risk service return drop for a winner to get to 10-all. Matthew didn't waste his second game ball at 11-10, blasting a backhand drive past the sprawling Ashour to take the third game 12-10 to get to within 1-2 heading into the 4th game. The crowd's been getting into the match more as play has unfolded, even helping the three referees with stroke/let determinations. 

Ashour 3 points away...

...up 8-7 in the third game, leading 2-0.

Things Are Heating Up... Ashour Leads 2-0

With Ashour down 8-9, a long rally ensued before the two players backpedaled 15 feet or so into the back corner, hitting it with a loud "thud." Ashour was awarded a let and Matthew got into it with the referee, Mike Riley, before play resumed. 

The Brit won the following point to get to 10-8 and two game balls to him, and swatted the ball against the back wall after the point, still miffed about the let call on the previous point. Riley gave the Yorkshireman a warning for ball abuse, to which Matthew replied, "player abuse."

He then added, "the ball can cope!" to great comic effect, as the crowd burst out in laughter.

A beautiful backhand drop got Ashour to 10-all and he closed out the game 13-11 after 38 minutes of play with yet another dazzling drop volley into the nick.

Matthew Making Headway...

The Egyptian has tinned a couple of drops and finds himself trailing the #8 seed 7-4 in the second game of the match...

Ashour Leads 1-0

Ashour went up 8-4 and then 10-6 before Matthew pulled to within 10-8. Ashour then took the first game with a nifty forehand volley into the nick in the front right corner, 11-8 in 13 minutes. 

Ten minutes in and 11 points played, as the rallies have been prolonged... Ashour leads 7-4

It's Title Time...

The energy is crackling inside the University of Richmond's Millhiser Gymnasium as the final of the 2009 Davenport North American Open is just a few minutes away. Ramy Ashour of Egypt, the #3 seed, will be seeking his first PSA title since capturing the World Open title in Manchester last October, and standing in his way is #8 seed Nick Matthew of England, who's playing in his fourth consecutive final, including wins at the Swedish Open and the British Nationals.

Matthew holds a 3-2 advantage in the head-to-head competition between the players, including a semifinal win in January at the Tournament of Champions in New York. Ashour beat the Englishman in the quarters of the World Open on his way to hoisting the biggest trophy of his career.

The players are on court for the knock-up and we'll be getting underway shortly in Richmond...

Matthew's Through and Ashour Awaits...

Revenge is sweet indeed, certainly for England's Nick Matthew, who has avenged his January loss to France's Greg Gaultier in the final of the Tournament of Champions with a 14-12, 11-9, 6-11, 11-3 win after 83 minutes of high-caliber squash in tonight's second semifinal.

Matthew advances to play #3 seed Ramy Ashour of Egypt in Saturday afternoon's (3 p.m) final. 

"The first game was so tough," said #8 Matthew of the 32-minute opener that firmly established the fact that he was intent on making life difficult for #4 Gaultier, who bounced back in the third game before being distracted by an ongoing dialogue with the referee.  

"Greg had a few errors that I’m sure he wasn’t happy about. I had to stay focused the whole time," the winner said. 

Matthew will be contesting his 4th consecutive final, a streak that includes wins at the the British Nationals and the Swedish Open. Ashour had not made a final since winning the World Open title last October in Manchester.

Matthew leads the head-to-head with the Egyptian 3-2 and has won their last two meetings. But he's far from overconfident looking ahead to Saturday's final.

"Ramy’s an incredible player. He plays fantastic shots you don’t even see sometimes."

Saturday will see the final chapter written and we'll look forward to keeping you updated throughout.

Good night from Richmond...

Not So Fast, Nick...

Gaultier changed up his tactics in the 3rd game, playing more three-wall-boasts from the front of the court, and he's clawing his way back into the match, taking the third game 11-6. The players have been on-court for more than 70 minutes at this point and fitness could eventually begin to be a factor...

Matthew a Game Away

Fifty-four minutes in, and Matthew finds himself on the verge of avenging his loss to Gaultier in the final of the Tournament of Champions in New York in January. A couple of uncharacteristic errors from the #4 seed here allowed the Brit to take the 2nd game and he now leads 14-12, 11-9, a game away from a spot in the final against Ramy Ashour.

This Could Take a While...

It took 32 minutes and 26 points, but #8 seed Nick Matthew (ENG) has gone up 1-0 on the #4 seed Gregory Gaultier (FRA) by a first-game score of 14-12. Matthew went up 4-0 and 8-6, then got to 9-8 when Gaultier tinned a forehand after an extended rally. A backhand error from the Frenchman gave Matthew two game balls at 10-8. Gaultier got to 10-all when the Englishman came up short on a backhand drop. Then it was 11-all after a lengthy exchange went to the French no. 1. 

Things then got frosty on the following point when Matthew's appeal for a let was denied, and the players appeared to gesture to one another as the gamesmanship commenced. A couple of breathless side-to-side rallies later, Gaultier was unable to come up with an answer for a chipped backhand drop from Matthew, and the Englishman has taken an early 1-0 lead. 

#3 Ramy Ashour (EGY) awaits the winner of this match in Saturday afternoon's final.

Ashour Through to Final in Five...

In the best match of the tournament thus far, #3 seed Ramy Ashour (EGY) has reached the final, coming back from 1-6 down in the fifth game to upend the tournament's top seed, his countryman Karim Darwish, 8-11, 11-7, 11-7, 6-11, 11-7 in 74 minutes.

Said a breathless Ashour afterwards, "After all this running, I can hardly talk. At times I lost my concentration, it's not always easy to keep my focus on the court."

The final stanza was really a tale of two games. Darwish kept up the momentum from his 4th-game win at the outset, racing out in front 6-1. But his movement seemed hampered from that point on, the accumulation of too many long rallies and fully-stretched lunges for Ashour's clever boasts and drops, and the younger Egyptian's legs helped him win 9 consecutive points to get to 10-6 up, a point away from the win.

Darwish won his last point to get to within 7-10 when Ashour dumped a forehand volley in the tin, before the 2008 World Open champion (beating Darwish in a 4-game final) won the final point with a forehand drive that Darwish had no answer for.

Said the winner, "I was actually thinking a bit about Manchester [during the match]. I lost against him last year on this court (in the QFs)... I can’t really analyze how it happens on the court—I just do it.

Just did it, indeed, and Ashour is into Saturday's final, where he awaits the winner of tonight's second semifinal between Gregory Gaultier and Nick Matthew. That match gets underway momentarily.

Darwish appears to be limited in his movement, and Ashour has reeled off 7 consecutive points to take a 9-6 lead... just 2 points away from the match.

Darwish is quickly up 6-3 in the decisive 5th game and Ashour will need to summon his best or find himself eliminated...

Ready or Not...

Darwish is sporting a bandage on his left knee and the players have resumed play, the top seed leading 1-0 in the fifth.

Heading to a 5th Game...

The two Egyptians played a fantastic point with Darwish leading 8-6 in the fourth, a wall-to-wall rally featuring incredible pick-ups and a smattering of gasps from the crowd here, before Darwish won the point on an Ashour tin. The top seed closed out the game 11-6, and after 54 minutes, it will take a decisive 5th game to see who will earn a spot in tomorrow afternoon's final against the winner of the Gaultier-Matthew match, which follows this one.

Darwish is currently being treated for a bleeding cut on his knee and both players are off-court while he receives treatment.

Ashour A Game Away...

Ashour jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead in the 3rd game, got to 10-6, and then closed out the game with a clever three-wall-boast that Darwish couldn't counter to take  a 2-1 lead after 42 minutes. He's just a game away from contesting his first final at the Davenport North American Open. 

Ashour knots things at 1-all

Ramy Ashour, he of the great hands and nimble feet, has taken advantage of a slight lapse in focus from Karim Darwish and evened their semifinal at a game apiece with an 11-7 second-game win. Darwish objected to the officiating on more than one occasion in the second game and seemed to lose his way a bit. The third game, now underway, will be telling...

Important to note that Ashour and Darwish have played 8 times previously, with the 21-year-old Ashour holding a 5-3 head-to-head advantage, including a win last October in the final of the World Open in Manchester, England...

Darwish leads 1-0 over Ashour

Darwish hit a nifty forehand drop volley winner to go up 9-7 and then Ashour tinned a backhand to give Darwish a game ball at 10-8. The first game went to the top seed with another Ashour error, 11-8. 

First Semifinal about to Get Underway...

Top-seeded Karim Darwish, the world no. 1, and world no. 3 Ramy Ashour are about to step on to court for the knock-up as the semifinals of the 2009 Davenport North American Open get underway at the University of Richmond's Millhiser Gymnasium.

The night's second match, pitting #4 Gregory Gaultier (FRA) against #8 Nick Matthew (ENG) follows at the conclusion of Ashour-Darwish.

Ashour, as always full of abundant pep, will need to channel his energy against the more experienced Darwish, who projects a calm aura on court, rarely flustered but always in control of his game.

We'll update you regularly throughout the night...

Matthew Through to Semis as Shabana Retires...

Nick Matthew has beaten Amr Shabana 11-9, 11-7, 5-3 (ret.), to advance to Friday's semifinals as the Egyptian was forced to retire midway through the third game of a quarterfinal that began on a promising note, with a very high level of play, but unfortunately ended with a whimper.

"Clearly, Amr's not the type of guy to pull out unless something's really wrong," said Matthew. "We're all striving to be like him... he's won three world championships. I'd give anything to have one of those."

Shabana injured his left knee two months ago, and said afterwards that he still isn't feeling 100% and didn't want to risk incurring further injury and so decided to abandon the match.

Tomorrow evening's semifinal match-ups are set:

6 p.m. #1 Karim Darwish (EGY) vs. #3 Ramy Ashour (EGY)

7 p.m. #4 Gregory Gaultier (FRA) vs. #8 Nick Matthew (ENG)

Matthew Pulling Away...

The Englishman kept up his high level of play from the opening game, but Shabana's level has dropped a bit and the result is that Matthew is just a game away from a reprise of his recent Tournament of Champions final against Greg Gaultier. Matthew leads the Egyptian no. 2 seed 11-9, 11-7 after 35 minutes of play...

Matthew and Shabana Dazzling So Far..

Nineteen minutes in, #8 Nick Matthew has taken a one-game lead over #2 seed Amr Shabana, 11-9, in what promises to be the most closely contested of the four quarterfinal matches at the University of Richmond's Millhiser Gymnasium. A lot of long rallies so far, and that indicates that fitness and conditioning will likely play a large role in the outcome should the match extend past the minimum 3 games.

Stay tuned....

Gaultier Cruises into the Semis

An in-form Greg Gaultier just steamrolled his good friend Wael El Hindi 11-5, 11-8, 11-1 in 45 minutes to set up a semifinal showdown with the winner of tonight's last quarterfinal between #8 Nick Matthew of England (whom Gaultier beat to win the recent Tournament of Champions in New York) and 3-time World Open champion Amr Shabana (EGY), the no. 2 seed here.

Said Gaultier afterwards, "It gave me a lot of confidence winning the T of C. I had 10 hard days of preparation afterwards and I'm playing well again. I had to be really sharp in the front of the court and volley as much as possible tonight against Wael."

Gaultier was a runner-up here last year, falling to James Willstrop in a 5-game final, but appears poised to go one step further this year and potentially hoist the winner's trophy Saturday afternoon.

Gaultier Fast Out of the Gate

Greg Gaultier has taken the early lead against Wael El Hindi, jumping out to an early 10-2 lead before closing out the first game of their quarterfinal 11-5 in 13 minutes with an unreturnable backhand drive.

Ashour sets up semifinal meeting with Darwish

#3 Ramy Ashour will meet fellow Egyptian Karim Darwish in Friday night's semifinals in Richmond after a fairly pedestrian 11-8, 11-4, 11-9 quarterfinal win in 36 minutes over #6 Thierry Lincou. Ashour's blazing court speed and lightning-quick hands were the primary instruments of the Frenchman's demise. 

"I didn't think about anything at all out there," said Ashour. "No matter if I was feeling tired I just tried to keep pushing my hardest and be keen about every shot."

Ashour and world no. 1 Darwish have played seven previous times on tour, with Ashour holding a 4-3 edge. "It's tough to play him but I'll do my best against him," said the 21-year-old from Cairo.

Next on court in tonight's 3rd quarterfinal:

#4 Gregory Gaultier (FRA) vs. #7 Wael El Hindi (EGY)

So far, so good for Ashour

Ramy Ashour is having his way so far with the veteran Thierry Lincou, up 11-8, 11-4 in their quarterfinal match.

Darwish through to Semifinals

Karim Darwish, the world no. 1 from Egypt, is through to the last four of the 2009 Davenport North American Open, trouncing former world no. 1 David Palmer 11-4, 11-5, 11-7 in 45 minutes in tonight's first quarterfinal. Palmer looked to be getting back into the match early in the second game, leading 5-3, but the Egyptian ran off 8 consecutive points to race out to a 2-0 lead and then methodically wore down the Aussie in the third game to close out the match. 

Next on court: a match-up of two World Open champions—21-year-old #3 seed Ramy Ashour of Egypt and 32-year-old #6 seed Thierry Lincou of France. It will be interesting to see the dichotomy between the Egyptian's youthful legs and the Frenchman's vast experience in this one, and we'll update you a little later...

Top-seeded Karim Darwish (EGY) has taken a 1-0 lead over #5 seed David Palmer (AUS) in the first of tonight's  four quarterfinals, winning the first game handily, 11-4. Palmer is playing with a wrap on his right knee after sustaining a cut in his win yesterday over Saurav Ghosal of India. Darwish has played steady squash from the outset of the match.

We'll update you at regular intervals this evening...

Shabana escapes upset bid, into last 8

Amr Shabana has found a way through against the upset-minded Daryl Selby, recovering from 1-2 down to take the last two games and earn a spot in the quarterfinals, 11-9, 6-11, 3-11, 11-6, 11-5 in 71 minutes.

#2 Shabana joins fellow Egyptians #1 Karim Darwish, #3 Ramy Ashour and #7 Wael El Hindi in the last eight, as the seedings have completely held to form thus far.

Tomorrow's quarterfinal lineup is as follows:

5 p.m. #1 Karim Darwish vs. #5 David Palmer

6 p.m. #3 Ramy Ashour vs. #6 Thierry Lincou

7 p.m. #7 Wael El Hindi vs. #4 Gregory Gaultier

8 p.m. #8 Nick Matthew vs. #2 Amr Shabana

Look for more tomorrow right here... good night from Richmond...

#2 seed Amr Shabana has won the fourth game 11-6 and is headed to a fifth and decisive game against Daryl Selby for a spot in the last 8...

World no. 2 Amr Shabana is in danger of being bounced out of the tournament by world no. 26 Daryl Selby of England, who took the third game 11-3  to go up 2-1 in this best-of-five match. A spot in the quarterfinals is at stake. Selby has taken a quick 3-2 lead in the fourth game. Stay tuned...

Two-time PSA Player of the Year Amr Shabana of Egypt is currently on court, playing the Englishman Daryl Selby for the last available spot in the last 8 at the Davenport North American Open.

The winner of this match will face #8 Nick Matthew (ENG) Thursday evening in the quarterfinals. Matthew advanced with a routine 11-8, 11-4, 11-5 win over fellow Englishman Tom Richards, the world no. 44. Earlier, #7 seed Wael El Hindi (EGY) and #4 Gregory Gaultier (FRA), recent winner of the Tournament of Champions in New York, set up a meeting in the final 8 with straight-game wins over, respectively, #10 Olli Tuominen (FIN) and #9 Cameron Pilley (AUS) in second-round play.

More to follow after the conclusion of tonight's last match...

Round 2 - Wednesday February 25th, 2009

Frenchman Thierry Lincou, World Open champion in 2004, has made quick work of Colombian Miguel Angel Rodriguez, 11-8, 11-4, 11-4 in 36 minutes to advance to a quarterfinal showdown Thursday with fellow World Open titleist (2008) Ramy Ashour of Egypt.
Lincou will be ceding 11 years to his opponent but should benefit from an equivalent edge in experience. 

The evening session kicks off in approximately 30 minutes with four more second-round matches, featuring 2-time World Open champion Amr Shabana of Egypt and last year's finalist here, world no. 3 Gregory Gaultier of France.

We'll update you a bit later as we get into the evening's matches...