England star dedicates win to EIS staff who got him fit again
By NATHAN CLARKE – Squash Mad PSA Correspondent
England’s Adrian Grant picked up his 21st career PSA World Tour title after he overcame Egypt’s Karim Ali Fathi in the final of the 2014 Lagos International Squash Classic, PSA International 25 event taking place in Lagos, Nigeria.
Grant dedicated his title win to the staff of the English Institute of Sport who had helped him recover from a recent injury.
After seeing off Pakistan’s Farhan Zaman in the semi-final stage, Grant, the number one seed, continued his run of form to ease past number five seed Fathi, who earned his place in the final after an impressive 3-1 win over Omar Abdel Meguid, putting in a dominant display to take the match and the trophy with an 11-9, 11-6, 11-2 victory and complete a week of action that saw him drop just one game en route to the title.
It was Pakistan’s Danish Atlas Khan that caused Grant the most difficulty during their quarter-final match-up, after he breezed past qualifier Jonas Daehler in the opening round, as the 34-year-old Londoner stormed through the field to win his first tournament since the 2013 Coronation London Open.
Victory ensures that the World No.30 goes into the 2014 Qatar PSA World Championship, which begins this week in Doha, in fine form and he’ll be aiming to capitalise on that when he begins his campaign against a qualifier on Friday November 14.
Grant told his Facebook followers: “Being a pro athlete can be a lonely journey, so when an injury creeps up on us there is nothing worse than not being able to compete or do what we love. My team at The English institute of sport (EIS) is the reason this was possible – the people behind the scenes that don’t get enough praise or mention for their work.
“Their patience, guidance and advice in getting me back to fitness efficiently wasn’t luck but carefully planned. Without that, knowing me, I’d have done even more damage rushing back into doing what I love. Thank you Mark Campbell, Wendy Hilton and Dan Brown – this is yours!”
Lagos International Squash Classic 2014, Lagos, Nigeria
Final:
[1] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt [5] Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-2 [33m]
Semi-finals:
[1] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt [6] Farhan Zaman (PAK) 3-0: 12-10, 11-9, 11-9
[5] Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) bt [2] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) 3-1: 12-10, 11-7, 7-11, 12-10 Â
Picture by  KIM ROBERTS