1. Ramy Ashour Vs James Willstrop
In this match Ramy and James displayed some of the most extraordinary squash we've had the chance to film in recent years. It's no secret to anyone that reigning World Champion Ramy is the fastest "executioner" on tour at the moment. He routinely cuts his opponents reaction time down to milliseconds by hitting balls faster that the human eye can see. And when speed isn't enough to intimidate and force those opponents into early submission, he'll increase the pressure on them an extra notch through a devastating mix of attacks from all areas of the court.
James had been on the receiving end of Ramy's beatings and had lost their last 4 tour encounters before this match. And as if that knowledge wasn't enough to shake his confidence to the core, other nagging thoughts were nibbling at his spirit as he prepared for this one. Because he had struggled on tour over the last few months, some media and a few followers were now questioning his resolve & future on the pro circuit. Not sure how he managed to set the negative aside, or if he used the rants as motivation, but from the way he played this match it's clear that a few people will have to retract their comments.
What makes this match so special is what we saw in it from James; for the first time in the longest time, if not ever, he gave Ramy a taste of his own medicine. He executed flicks, counter drops, trickle boasts and devastating lengths at speeds we never suspected he was capable of. In typical fashion and because playing afraid isn't his thing, Ramy responded by increasing the match tempo even more, but shockingly James shifted to another gear that made the spectators gasp in a mix of shock and delight. Even our expert commentators, including Nick Matthew, were blown away and fell short of adjectives to describe the bullet-like pace of rallies and the creativity both players displayed.
2. Gregory Gaultier Vs Karim Darwish
Based on the consistency of their performances, these are the players of the hour. Greg has been within the top 5 ranked player in the world since Nov. 06 while Karim has been in the top 8 since Nov. 07 then # 2 & # 1 since Nov. 08. Within the last 3 months Karim had beaten Greg at the Saudi International for the richest prize money ever but Greg had taken his revenge 5 weeks later at the iconic Tournament of Champions in NY. They are injury-free and their confidence is at its peak. Both can strike balls nick at will, but they are also extremely disciplined and can rally up and down those walls for minutes on end if needed until they get their openings. They are in a similar place emotionally and both publicly admit enjoying their lives and their squash more than ever.
It isn't too often that two players have been so evenly matched mentally and in skills at around the same time & place in their career. If there was a turning point in this match as there are in most, we are still looking for it. Starting with this clash, but certainly not excluding others involving Ramy, James & Amr, we are treated to thrills similar to those Power Vs Nicol gave us at the peak of their rivalries. In the history of the sport and in terms of show value, these have to be greatest times ever.
3. Amr Shabana Vs James Willstrop
Don't know what you got till you lose it is Amr's story these day. Having dominated the world tour since early 2006 he only won 4 events from the 13 he entered since early 08 and retired from 3 of those due to a nagging knee injury. As a result he lost his # 1 spot and isn't too happy about it as he believes he still has a lot more to give & to prove. However, Amr is a player who strikes balls by feel, meaning that he doesn't think his shots through but lets them flow instinctively. To have a chance to get back in the game he knows he has to address the issues that interfere with his natural flow head on. First he must address that knee problem, and then he must block out from mind his counter performances of the last few months and draw on the memories of the good ones from the last 3 years to feed his psyche.
James had physical and mental issues of his own to tackle on the long term but he was in high spirit coming out of the great performance he delivered on the previous day Vs the young reigning World Champion Ramy. Amr had struggled against a Lincou in top form in his first round robin match so it was likely that James would have the psychological edge in this match. One thing was certain for Amr though, he had to pull all tricks out of his bag of experience or he would be out of contention in this event.
The stage was set; the one everyone in & out of squash circles refers to as prince of Egypt Vs Jimbo the gentle giant. Amr, the very player who does the most incredible things with his racquet and squash balls in a match, all with disarming ease but not always knowing exactly how he does it. His opponent e Jimbo in counterpart is the most intellectual player on tour, in appearance at least. He seemingly knows what strokes he will execute as well why he will play it here or there because he will have thought things through beforehand. Even if only within the milliseconds he is afforded in the middle of rallies, he will have calculated what his odds will be to winning the point.
Clash of style, creativity at its best whether instinctive or analytical; this match produced absolutely brilliant squash.
4. Karem Darwish Vs Wael ElHindi
Karim & Wael know each other's game so well for having spent the last 2 decades in the same training team that they could just about play each other blindfolded. Despite appearances however, that they knew in advance what shot the other would hit didn't make things any easier for them. Indeed, they had to force themselves to think through their rallies and strokes as oppose to relying on what instinctively came natural to them, anything less would invariably cost them crucial points.
In addition, Karim knew he'd have to fight hard for his "lets" given his opponent's unorthodox clearing style. Wael on the other hand knew he'd have to keep Karim away from the T and as well out of his newly found comfort zone. Indeed, since around the time he got married a few months earlier, somewhat of a coincidence surely, Karim has played with an uncommon level of confidence. He appears more relaxed regardless of game circumstances or scores; as a result his trademark killer shots are more lethal than ever.
Wael had beaten Karim on their last two encounters and he wasn't intimidated by his recent ascension to the top but was rather psyched by it. By adding a 3rd victory to the sequence he'd prove to everyone that he also has what it takes to rule the men's tour, including an incredible desire to win.Fabulous match until the inevitable breaking point.
5. James Willstrop Vs Thierry Lincou
Imagine a 14th of a 15-round boxing match with both opponents having given it all they had and barely capable of lifting their arms to deliver the final blow, well there simply is no better to describe this battle and what these two star athletes poured into it. What would happen in this match would determine which of the two would advance to the finals so it's no wonder they gave it all they had.
It's well known that between two competitors entering an event, the one whose desire to win is the strongest will actually win more often than not. But what happens when both contenders's desire to win is equally as strong? And to make matters even more complicated, when their skill levels on challenge day are a perfect match? Well this is one of those.
Former number one Thierry is one of the tour's most seasoned players; his cat-like movement around the court is a good as ever. His metronomic closed style of games leaves very little for his opponents to work with; the largest majority of balls he hits cling to walls and he is as fit as he is patient. James knew that to win this match he'd have to be equally as patient, though willing to take his chances at opportune times to create openings that would hopefully tire Thierry's "older" legs out for easier points.. eventually!
While the plan definitely worked for long stretches, a few tricky situations occurred that made this match different that most. It started when one player got accidentally hit in the face and almost had to default the match as a result of the bleeding rule. Then after having done the hard work early in the match and with the finish line & a place in the final in sight, a questionable call royally ticked his opponent and psyched him back in the fight. The match energy intensified from that point all the way to its crescendo and heartbreaking conclusion, one that will leave you in awe and admiration for these two champions.
6. Karim Darwish Vs David Palmer
In the 100 + matches from our library, you won't find a single one that has a player throwing his body to so many full length dives. Except maybe for one or two other matches that featured Palmer, Power & White in the past, you won't find any other in which a player put his personal safety on the line to try saving as many points. We thought we had used up all qualitative to describe David's endurance and resiliency on tour in earlier match writes ups, but he outdid himself once again in this one by taking things to a whole new level. Unfortunately, any adjective that exists that could tell the story of this match and David's effort in it wouldn't do it justice, but we'll try anyway.
As game rules allows, David took a straight path to the balls he wanted to strike, however, given the court size and his own, he was inevitably going to meet Karim on the way there. In this particular match though, it's not likely that the world # 1 expected David to run through him as hard as he did almost knocking his bones out of sockets time and again.
Although Karim had a few "payback" contact moments of his own in the course of the match, the physical game isn't his thing. If only to survive figuratively, and very possibly effectively as well, he had to change his game plan by hitting balls as far away from himself as he could. He would also extend rallies by two or three deeper strokes than is usual for him pushing David on his heels, and then he would go for his trademark short kills, drop-holds or trickle boasts -- or one more length. Even if bruised a little, David drew all tricks he could from his bag of experience and threw them all at Karim. He had decided he wouldn't go down quietly no matter what, and true to himself, he never did.
A career first, Gregory Gaultier joined our expert commentators Nick Matthew and Robert Edwards for part of the match and, lucky us, for what turned out to be some of the most intense moments recorded on television. So know that for this one, two of the hottest players on tour will be giving you insights and witty one-liners on two others, and on one of the gutsiest performances you've ever seen.
7. Ramy Ashour Vs Thierry Lincou
Even in hindsight, summarizing what happened in this match with absolute clarity in an impossible task, all we know from an overview perspective is that it was an almost perfect match for one player. and a perfect storm for the other.
Either one player hit the proverbial "zone" playing flawless squash for just about the whole match thus preventing the other from finding his rhythm and getting into it, or this other player was so off-synch that he actually made it easy for his opponent to look as good as he did. Determining which is which can be anyone's guess, but one thing is certain, everyone watching this one will pick up tips on aspects of psychology and how one can neutralize an opponent's greatest strengths through disarmingly simple tactics. Only one other such perfect match from our library can compare with this one (at least for one of the two players that is); it took place 6 years earlier during the Super Series Finals 2003.
Coincidently Lincou was also involved in that one but this time Vs a Peter Nicol at the top of his game.
It's no secret to anyone that reigning World Champ Ramy is the most talented player on tour at the moment, and it's also well know that former # 1 Thierry is the most consistent and most enduring player on the circuit together with David Palmer. 11 years in age separates the two. Youth & talent Vs experience & consistency; which would prevail? The stage is set, savour the brilliance.
8. Gregory Gaultier Vs Thierry Lincou
No player on tour is as hungry for the number one spot as Gregory is. While he came close to it a few times since March of 07, the number continuously eluded him. All experts predict that if he remains healthy and continues to perform as well as he did in recent times, he will inevitably reach his dream. However, and similarly to Jahangir and Jansher who prevented the Martin brothers, Dittmar and Robertson from reaching that spot for most of their career, other modern players in the likes of Karim, Ramy, James, Amr, Nick and a few other rising stars could certainly have a say on the matter because they want it just as badly.
Thierry on the other hand is in a different frame of mind altogether; he's been there & done that. These days he's cruising from event to event taking it all in enjoying every point & passing moments, and it's paying unexpected dividends. Peter Nicol put it best in words when in 2003-04 he attributed his own career-end successes on something Thierry may be experiencing right now. Having achieved just about every goal he had set for himself, and of course having put the years of hard training into it as well, he had taken all pressure off his shoulders allowing himself to enjoy every passing moments on court and on tour. Surprisingly, and despite that he no longer trained, he kept on winning as many matches as before, and for months on end.
How delicate a balance must these guys reach knowing that to succeed they should enjoy what they do, but all the while recognizing that they must also push themselves to the limit on & off court while riding the waves of their ambition?
It was Thierry's 4th appearance at this stage of a Super Series Finals and it was Greg's second, the student challenging his mentor. One impetuous and daring, the other steady as a rock, they just don't come any better.
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