Third seed Ramy Ashour defeated compatriot and former world No.1 Amr Shabana 11-9 13-15 11-8 11-2 in a Punj Lloyd PSA Masters match at the Bombay Gymkhana on Wednesday.
The game had its share of great moments with both Egyptians playing some brilliant squash that enthralled the crowd. The first set was tight but Ramy played well on the crucial point to win the first game 11-9. The second that had Shabana up 9-4 at one point saw Ramy closing in after his rival committed a lot of unforced errors. Shabana held on though to win the second 15-1.
The third set was again a tight one with both players neck and neck till 8-8 before Ramy picked up the pace to win 10-8. The fourth set, much to the crowd’s disappointment, saw Ramy in total control and Shabana hardly making an effort to make a match of it. The final set read 11-2 with the tie finishing in 44 minutes.
An elated Ramy said after the match, “it was a tough match and I was playing the world champion...I needed to be on my toes all the time. It was a special match for me as I came ahead and was tighter on crucial points.”
In the second semifinal between Englishmen Nick Matthew and Peter Barker, the former won in straight sets 13-11 11- 11-5. The match saw a long first set that lasted half-an-hour with Parker taking the attack to his opponent and moving into 8-point lead before Nick rallied to claw his way back into the first set.
Thereafter, there was no turning back for Matthew as he hardly faced any resistance from Parker. Nick hasn’t dropped a set during the entire tournament.
After the match, the Briton said: “I was delighted to go through 3-0. The first game was crucial...If he had won it would have been a long night ahead for us.” On facing Ramy in the final, he said: “We have met a few times before and hopefully I can win tomorrow. The last time I played him he beat me.” Ramy sounded cautious. “Nick is a tough player and one of the really big players but this is a very important game for me as the winner will move up to No.1 in the world.”
Results:
3-Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt
2-Amr Shabana (EGY) 11-9 15-1 11-8 11-2, 4-Nick Matthew (ENG) bt 8-Peter Barker (ENG) 13-11 11- 11-5
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