NAO: Richmond Reflections
PSA World Series North American Open a huge success at The Country Club of Virginia and The Westwood Club.
Richmond raises the bar in staging a superlative squash “Major”
By Alan Thatcher
Photos by Patricia Lyons/PatriciaLyonsPhotography.com
Minutes after receiving his winner’s trophy, for a second year in a row, world squash champion Nick Matthew had one more important job to fulfill at the Westwood Club in Richmond, Virginia.
Having just overcome the astonishing talents of the mercurial Egyptian, Ramy Ashour, to retain the North American Open title and maintain his position at the top of the PSA world rankings, Matthew welcomed a group of Richmond School children on to the spectacular McWil glass court set up in one of two spacious tennis halls at the new venue for this PSA World Series “Major.”
There, with the presentation ceremony over and the photographers having taken a multitude of pictures, Matthew happily signed autographs for his burgeoning Richmond fan club.
Then, to the delight of the children, he threw half a dozen autographed white squash balls into the air. The youngsters scrambled for possession of a valuable lifetime keepsake of a tournament that brings the world’s best squash players to Richmond on an annual basis.
“Those kids are the most important people at the tournament,” he said. “They are the future of this sport and it was great to see so many of them getting involved and cheering for their favorite players.
“In the final it seemed that everyone was cheering for Ramy when I went ahead by two games to love but I won’t hold it against them, I promise.
“It was a packed-out crowd and I know that they wanted the match to go on for much longer. I think I was the only person who wanted it over three-love because I know how dangerous Ramy can be if you don’t play tight, controlled squash. And Ramy gave them what they wanted by the way he fought back so strongly in the third and fourth games.”
Matthew led by two games to love and was just three points away from a straight-games victory when Ashour produced a crucial run of points to win the third game. That inspired him to attack more in the fourth and the crowd went wild as he took the match to a deciding fifth game.
That was when Matthew reasserted his control to triumph in the second squash Major of the year, after 85 minutes of spellbinding, attacking, athletic play that enthralled the crowd and a new community of viewers on ESPN3.com, who took a live feed from the PSA live web-streaming production team.
“It’s all about growing the game here in America,” added Matthew, who had lost to Ashour in the final of the first PSA World Series event of the year, the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in New York.
“Gus Cook, the promoter in Richmond, has done a magnificent job in developing this tournament year after year and he has a dedicated group of volunteers who work so hard throughout the week to make it a success.
“Moving the main draw to a new venue, the Westwood Club, was an outstanding success and the players were looked after superbly throughout the whole week. We had a full house for the final and the atmosphere was electric.
“Ultimately, the one thing the organizers and supporters of this tournament want to see is the addition of more squash courts in Virginia to build on the success of this event and grow the game even more.” Matthew and Ashour have contested three finals in a row in Richmond. The Egyptian won in 2009, in a final lasting more than 95 minutes, while it was Matthew’s turn in 2010. He was leading by two games to love and was ahead in the third when his opponent conceded, hobbled by a hamstring injury.
This year the competition was brutal. Amr Shabana was tested by both Jonathan Kemp of England and Azlan Iskandar of Malaysia before falling to Matthew in the semifinals.
Ashour was also desperately close to a shock defeat against England’s rising star, Tom Richards, in the quarterfinals before producing a decisive run of points to escape from disaster.
Richmond proved a battleground venue that more than lived up to its historic reputation. The colourful McWil glass court found a superb new home at the Westwood Club, and the cool conditions favored the shot-makers, those masters of precision who could fade in drops and volley-drops that clung to the side walls, boasts that stayed at the front of the court, and the often outrageous and extravagant talent of shooters like Ramy.
The first major casualty to fall was new British national champion, Daryl Selby. Having beaten Matthew in Manchester a week earlier, he was steamrollered by the resurgent Iskandar, who is improving steadily under the watchful eye of emerging coach, Peter Genever, in London.
The new PSA seeding system, with fewer protected places in the draw for the big guns, also threw up a tantalizing first round encounter between New York-based No. 8 seed Wael El Hindi and Australia’s Orlando-based former world champion, David Palmer.
The 34-year-old Palmer showed that he is still capable of turning on the style and chopped England’s Alister Walker, who has also moved across the pond to resurrect his career in New York after becoming disillusioned with life in England.
That run of results confirmed Palmer as the most successful squash player resident in the United States. But his surge ended with a limp in the quarterfinals.
Sadly, he rolled his ankle while leading 9-8 in the first game of his quarterfinal against Matthew and was forced to concede as the swelling made it impossible for him to continue.
Matthew, who had been the only one to complain about a slippery floor in the first round, as he struggled to get the better of US No. 1 Julian Illingworth, improved markedly as the week progressed.
After beating Shabana in the semifinals, Matthew thanked Pearson for helping him to “clear the demons” in his head, a sure sign that carrying the mantle of World No. 1 generates more than its fair share of headaches.
Just ask Gregory Gaultier. He suffered a stress attack after reaching the number one position 15 months earlier, and took a break from the game to address the issues.
This year in Richmond, the Frenchman returned to the PSA Tour after an injury suffered in the World Open in Saudi Arabia and he made Ashour work hard for his victory in the quarterfinals.
“He has come back looking stronger than he did before,” admitted Ashour. The celebrated Richmond photographer, Patricia Lyons, captured an enduring image of squash camaraderie and respect as these two players left the court, their arms draped around each others’ shoulders, as the crowd rose to give them a standing ovation at the end of an absorbing quarterfinal match where their skills transcended genius.
In the same half of the draw, James Willstrop was quietly and comprehensively mopping up the opposition, playing devastating squash on a cool court early in the week, and he provided a formidable threat when he faced Ashour in one of two semifinals that pitted Englishmen against Egyptians in fascinating battles between the sport’s two super-powers.
However, having lost the opening game, he wasted a major opportunity when he held game ball in the second and allowed Ashour to fight back to win on a tiebreak.
Willstrop won the third game in stylish fashion with a spell of squash perfection but could not create a repeat and so it was Ashour who faced Matthew in the final for a third year in succession.
The crowd responded to calls to arrive early to have everything looking spick and span for the live TV coverage, but I was just beginning my introduction to the occasion when they spotted the players arriving at courtside and a loud, spontaneous roar deafened my announcements.
All I could do was smile and wait for a lull to continue where I had left off. No matter. That kind of enthusiasm proved that Richmond has garnered solid local support to show that it is more than capable of punching above its weight to stage one of the world’s leading squash tournaments.
Gus Cook, the Head Squash Professional and Program Director at the Country Club of Virginia, aided by Commonwealth stalwarts David Hetherington and Winston Price, plus a willing and enthusiastic army of volunteers, have grown this tournament into one of the world’s leading squash showpieces.
They deserve every ounce of admiration from an appreciative Virginia squash community who bask in the warm glow of sharing ten days in the company of the world’s leading players.
Long may it continue.
