The Star Online: Sports
The Star Online: Sports |
- Injured Murray withdraws from French Open
- Ramy wins fiery battle of words and deeds
- Low Wee Wern fails to clear opening round again in British Open
| Injured Murray withdraws from French Open Posted: 21 May 2013 06:30 PM PDT LONDON: Andy Murray will miss the French Open with the back injury that flared up at the Rome Masters, the world number two announced on Tuesday. After meeting with medical specialists Murray has decided to skip the second Grand Slam of the year at Roland Garros to ensure he is fully fit for Wimbledon. "It's a really tough decision and I love playing in Paris, but after seeking medical advice, I am not fit to compete," the US Open and Olympic champion explained in a statement to Britain's Press Association. "After consultation with his team and medical specialists, Andy has reluctantly withdrawn from the French Open and will instead focus on preparation for the grass court season," the statement added. Murray had raised the possibility of his absence from the French Open after retiring with the back problem in his second-round match against Spain's Marcel Granollers at the Rome Masters last week. "I'd be very surprised if I was playing in Paris," a subdued Murray said then. This will be the first Grand Slam he has missed since Wimbledon in 2007. The injury was the same one which required him to take a pain-killing injection in order to play Roland Garros last year where he reached the quarter-finals. Murray will now aim to return for the start of the grasscourt season at Queens Club on June 10. "(The back) has not been perfect for a long period, I want it to start feeling good again. Everyone goes into matches with niggles, but this is very frustrating," added Murray after his Rome retirement. "I don't want to go into details, but I've got a disc problem, it changes week to week. It's been an issue for a while, but I want to make sure it goes away. "I don't want to be playing with it long-term, it's not enjoyable at all." The French Open begins on Sunday. -AFP |
| Ramy wins fiery battle of words and deeds Posted: 21 May 2013 06:29 PM PDT HULL, United Kingdom: World number one Ramy Ashour won a fierce battle of words as well as deeds with his compatriot Omar Mosaad during a hot-tempered opening win in the British Open on Tuesday. A dispute over a let decision in the second game of a 11-4, 11-9, 11-6 victory appeared to fuel Ashour's annoyance, and the match ended with the two men arguing at length in the front of the court. They then did so again by the door of the court - delaying the customary post-match interview in front of the crowd - and then a third time afterwards in the changing room. It was an oddly fiery end in very cold conditions to the first step in Ashour's bid to become the first Egyptian in nearly 50 years to win the world's oldest title. At issue appeared to be an Ashour belief that the bigger and taller Mosaad - who was close to bullying him to defeat at the World Open in Doha in December - had not been allowing him sufficient room to play the ball. "Is everything all right?" said the master of ceremonies with nice irony as she eventually manoeuvred her way in to speak with the unpredictable but popular Ashour. His response was perfect. "Someone had to pay for lunch today," he said, with equal irony. "And he had to pay today, and I will pay tomorrow, so that was the discussion," he said, making some of the crowd chortle. Despite all the contention Ashour never really looked in difficulties, partly perhaps because Mosaad, who conceded two early penalty points with mistimed shots, seemed much more subdued than during their previous meeting. Mosaad also let slip his one real chance of causing damage, when he led 6-1 and 8-6 in the important second game, but lapsed into tin-hitting errors. It was then that the differences between the two first became apparent, with Ashour becoming aggravated during an unusually long pause by the officials in dealing with a let appeal. It was then that the two men started grumbling at each other. Ashour also stormed off court, ostensibly to get another racket, during the delay. From 8-8 to the end of that game there were six more let decisions which stoked up the emotional temperature further. Mosaad led again, by 6-3 in the third game, but won no more rallies on the match, conceding two more penalty points in the process. He finished looking obstinate and cross. Despite all this Ashour often played well in none-too-easy conditions, but did not want to consider whether it was well enough to complete the bit of Egyptian history. "My colleagues Karim Darwish (the former world number one) and Mohammed El Shorbagy (the world runner-up) could just as easily do it, so I don't want to think about it," he said generously. If Ashour were to succeed, it would strip away the last major accolade of the titleholder Nick Matthew, the first Englishman ever to win the British Open three times. Ashour took away Matthew's world title and his world number one spot last year, and is a strong favourite to do the same with this title too. Matthew on Monday started his defence with a straight games win over Henrik Mustonen, a Finnish qualifier, and on Wednesday faces Laurens Jan Anjema, the top ten Dutchman. Ashour, who lost to Matthew in last year's final, will play his second round on Thursday, against another Englishman, Chris Simpson, who scored a good win over Nicolas Mueller, the top 20 Swiss player. -AFP |
| Low Wee Wern fails to clear opening round again in British Open Posted: 21 May 2013 05:40 PM PDT PETALING JAYA: World No. 7 Low Wee Wern's dream of playing in Hull City's KC Stadium was dashed after she crashed out in the first round of the British Open squash championships at Pontefract. The national No. 2 suffered a rude shock when England's world No. 18 Sarah-Jane Perry packed her off with a stunning 11-7, 13-11, 7-11, 11-9 upset in 62 minutes yesterday. Wee Wern blamed her loss on Perry's physically aggressive approach but the reality was that the Englishwoman displayed great racquet skills and oozed confidence. The Penangite deserved credit for hauling back the third set 11-7 despite playing with her back against the wall and she also looked well on course to sending the match into a fifth set when she led 6-2 in the fourth. But the taller and bigger Perry regained her composure and focus to level the set at 7-7 before surging home 11-7 to secure a spot in the second round, where she will take on 12th seed Kasey Brown of Australia. "It was a joke. The match was way too physical and Sarah kept blocking and running into me," claimed a dejected Wee Wern, who also lost in the first round last year. "I went from the T to the back wall more often than not because she was so huge and kept pushing me. "Of course I'm disappointed. It's always tough when you lose ... but losing in the first round again of the British Open is just brutal. "Although I'm disappointed, there's nothing much I can do and I'll head home today to regroup and start afresh for the second half of the year," added Wee Wern, who also lost in the final of the Asian Individual Championships earlier this month. On Monday, national No. 3 Delia Arnold played superb squash to earn a spot in the main draw. The 27-year-old Delia took just 15 minutes to dispose of Austria's Birgit Coufal 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 in the final qualifying round. She is, however, not expected to progress further as she faces world No. 3 Raneem El Weleily in the first round. With Wee Wern's loss, Malaysia's challenge will again fall on the shoulders of four-time winner Nicol David, who faces India's Joshna Chinappa in the opening round. The world No. 1 should have no problems dispatching India's No. 2, having already beaten Joshna when they met in the Malaysian Open last year. In another match, Australian veteran Rachael Grinham staged an amazing comeback from two sets down to beat a tenacious Nicolette Fernandes of Guyana 10-12, 1-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8. In the men's event, Yorkshire native and defending champion Nick Matthew stayed in the hunt for his fourth British Open title with an emphatic 11-8, 11-7, 11-3 win over Finnish qualifier Henrik Mustonen. RESULTS QUALIFYING Second round: Joshna Chinappa (Ind) bt Deon Saffery (Wal) 11-13, 11-9, 11-9, 11-5; Emma Beddoes (Eng) bt Nada Elkalaawy (Eng) 11-4, 11-5, 11-6; Lauren Briggs (Eng) bt Melody Francis (Aus) 11-3, 11-5, 11-7; Samantha Cornett (Can) bt Olga Ertlova (Cze) 11-6, 11-5, 11-5; Nicolette Fernandes (Guy) bt Lucie Fialova (Cze) 11-8, 11-2, 11-9; Latasha Khan (US) bt Misaki Kobayashi (Jpn) 11-8, 15-13, 9-11, 7-11, 17-15; Delia Arnold (Mas) bt Birgit Coufal (Aut) 11-5, 11-5, 11-6; Amanda Sobhy (US) bt Lisa Aitken (Sco) 13-11, 11-4, 5-11, 11-3. MAIN TOURNAMENT Men's first round: Saurav Ghosal (Ind) bt Jonathan Kemp (Eng) 11-9, 11-6, 11-6; Tarek Momen (Egy) bt Marwan El Shorbagy (Egy) 11-9, 11-9, 11-4; Peter Barker (Eng) bt Ali Anwar Reda (Egy) 12-10, 11-9, 11-4; Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt Ryan Cuskelly (Aus) 11-3, 11-6, 10-12, 11-6; Gregory Gaultier (Fra) bt Alister Walker (Bot) 11-6, 11-9, 11-1; Daryl Selby (Eng) bt Olli Tuominen (Fin) 11-7, 11-9, 13-11; Nick Matthew (Eng) bt Henrik Mustonen (Fin) 11-8, 11-7, 11-3; Karim Darwish (Egy) bt Andrew Wagih (Egy) 11-4, 11-9, 11-3; Chris Simpson (Eng) bt Nicolas Mueller (Swi) 7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-4; Karim Abdel Gawad (Egy) bt Joe Lee (Eng) 12-10, 11-4, 2-11, 11-8. Women's first round: Sarah-Jane Perry (Eng) bt Low Wee Wern (Mas) 11-7, 13-11, 7-11, 11-9; Kasey Brown (Aus) bt Lauren Briggs (Eng) 11-6, 11-5, 11-7; Alison Waters (Eng) bt Emily Whitlock (Eng) 11-13, 11-7, 11-7, 11-9; Rachael Grinham (Aus) bt Nicolette Fernandes (Guy) 10-12, 1-11, 11-7, 11-9, 11-8; Joelle King (Nzl) bt Samantha Cornett (Can) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8. |
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