Matthew Upsets Willstrop To Reach Tournament of Champions Semis

Tenth seed Nick Matthew upset James Willstrop, the fifth seed, in the quarter-finals of the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions in a victory which not only levelled Matthew's career head-to-head record over his Yorkshire rival, but took the former world number five into the semi-finals of the $117,500 PSA Tour Super Series Gold squash event at Grand Central Terminal in New York for the first time for three years.

It was a seesaw match - with underdog Matthews taking the first two games and world No5 Willstrop fighting back to take the third for just a single point.

The fourth saw several lengthy points in which both players moved the ball to the four corners of the court, but Matthew had the upper hand as he moved Willstrop up and back and side-to-side, forcing the higher-seeded player to retrieve the ball when he would have preferred to be shooting it.

"I wanted to make him play three or four extra shots on every rally," Matthew commented after taking the pair's Tour head-to-head tally to eight-all. "In the end, James made just a few more errors on the day."

Willstrop felt the match was more level than the score suggested: "I actually felt like I controlled a lot of points. But Nick was very patient and made it difficult for me in the back of the court," explained the 25-year-old from Leeds.

The other quarter-final featured the artistry of 21-year-old world champion Ramy Ashour and the strength and tenacity of former world number one Thierry Lincou, aged 32-year-old.

After losing the first game, Ashour dominated in the second. "I think Thierry might have taken a little rest there," commented the Egyptian later. Ahead 9-5 in the third, Lincou had his first game ball at 10-6 and his fourth at 13-12 - but it was Ashour who won the game 15-13.

The fourth was squash at its best - with both players stretched to the corners. A fifth game looked on the cards when the Frenchman went ahead 10-8. But Ashour's shot-making did not desert him and on a rare error by Lincou - a forehand into the tin - the exuberant Egyptian earned his spot in the semi-finals.

"After this match, my confidence improves," said the defending champion after his 12-14, 11-2, 15-13, 12-10 victory. "I really enjoyed playing out there tonight. When you can feel the people enjoying your playing, it gives you extra energy."

Referring to Ashour's amazing shot-making talents, Lincou exclaimed: "He was doing his magic out there!"

Quarter-finals (top half of draw):
[10] Nick Matthew (ENG) bt [5] James Willstrop (ENG) 11-9, 11-6, 1-11, 11-7 (70m)
[3] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [7] Thierry Lincou (FRA) 12-14, 11-2, 15-13, 12-10 (68m)