Delierre Downs Knight In Nash Cup Upset
24 September 2011
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 Nash Cup, London, Ontario, Canada
Semi-finals:
[3] Shawn Delierre (CAN) bt [1] Martin Knight (NZL) 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6 (88m)
[2] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) 11-9, 9-11, 7-11, 12-10, 13-11 (79m)
Third seed Shawn Delierre carried unexpected domestic interest into the final of the Nash Cup in Canada after upsetting top seed Martin Knight in an 88-minute semi-final marathon in the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 event at London Squash Racquets Club in London, Ontario.
The 29-year-old from Montreal had to be at the top of his game to grind out an 11-9, 11-7, 7-11, 11-6 victory over higher-ranked New Zealander Knight.
“This match had everything and was a battle from start to finish,” said event spokesman Dave Morrish. “Delierre is an extraordinary athlete and after taking the sting out of Knight he used his working boast to punishing effect.
“It was a great match which thrilled the crowd and at the end of the day squash was the winner.”
Now in his 14th PSA World Tour final, the world No54 will face title-holder Jan Koukal, the second seed from the Czech Republic.
Koukal ended Andrew Wagih Shoukry‘s run, saving a match-ball against the unseeded Egyptian in the fourth game before going on to clinch a narrow 11-9, 9-11, 7-11, 12-10, 13-11 victory in 79 minutes.
“It was a very intense and aggressive match,” said Koukal, who is celebrating his sixth Tour final of the year, and the 29th of his career. “I deserved the first and he definitely deserved the second. I felt I gifted him the third and had a bad start in the fourth but was lucky to hang in there and scrape it.
“The fifth was pretty close all the way and I eventually got a little lead,” continued the 28-year-old world No48. “I didn’t feel I played better than him today – I was just a little more patient with the big points.
“He has improved a lot in the past few months, especially his fitness. He impressed me.”
Shoukry Shoots Through To Nash Cup Semis
23 September 2011
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 Nash Cup, London, Ontario, Canada
1st round:
[1] Martin Knight (NZL) bt Scott Arnold (AUS) 11-4, 11-6, 9-11, 11-1 (56m)
[Q] David Letourneau (CAN) bt Charles Sharpes (ENG) 10-12, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 (57m)
[Q] Eddie Charlton (ENG) bt Zac Alexander (AUS) 11-9, 13-11, 20-18 (60m)
[3] Shawn Delierre (CAN) bt Yann Perrin (FRA) 11-9, 11-8, 11-4 (62m)
Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) bt [4] Joe Lee (ENG) 5-11, 11-6, 11-9, 11-4 (45m)
Olivier Pett (ENG) bt Alfredo Avila (MEX) 7-11, 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 (38m)
Andrew Schnell (CAN) bt [Q] Stefan Casteleyn (BEL) 5-5 ret.
[2] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [Q] Geoffrey Demont (FRA) 11-6, 11-2, 9-11, 11-0 (39m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Martin Knight (NZL) bt [Q] David Letourneau (CAN) 11-4, 11-2, 11-4 (41m)
[3] Shawn Delierre (CAN) bt [Q] Eddie Charlton (ENG) 9-11, 11-8, 11-3 ret. (44m)
Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) bt Olivier Pett (ENG) 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 (78m)
[2] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt Andrew Schnell (CAN) 11-9, 11-8, 11-8 (33m)
Egypt’s Andrew Wagih Shoukry became the only unseeded player to make the semi-finals of the Nash Cup in Canada after a five-game quarter-final victory in the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 squash event at London Squash Rackets Club in London, Ontario.
It was in the opening round that the 20-year-old from Cairo made his breakthrough – upsetting fourth-seeded EnglishmanJoe Lee in four games.
But Shoukry then had to fight back from two games down to take out a second Englishman, Olivier Pett 9-11, 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 in 78 minutes.
“I have done a lot of work on my fitness and feel like I can compete with the better players now,” explained the world No71. “My coach Hossam has done some great work with me and I thank him for that. I felt I made far too many errors in the first games but Oli played well and forced me to try things.
“Oli doesn’t play your typical English game – he plays more like us (Egyptians). He moves the ball around well. I’m very happy and can’t wait for tomorrow!”
Shoukry now faces Jan Koukal, the No2 seed from the Czech Republic. The Czech champion beat rising Canadian starAndrew Schnell 11-9, 11-8, 11-8.
“I watched Andrew play in the world teams and he played well so I knew I needed to be on my game tonight,” said world No48 Koukal. “It was tough and there were a lot of hard rallies. There was not a great deal of difference between us tonight. I just felt I played the big points better.”
There is local interest in the other semi-final where third seed Shawn Delierre takes on top-seeded New Zealander Martin Knight.
Delierre, the world No54 from Montreal, survived his quarter-final when English qualifier Eddie Charlton conceded the match at 9-11, 11-8, 11-3.
“I was up all night vomiting and felt really weak going into the match – I couldn’t even warm up properly,” explained Charlton later. “I sneaked the first by slowing the game down and was close in the second but then I was spent.
“I hate retiring from a match as I believe that when you step on court, you should see it through but I really had nothing left and didn’t want to make it worse. Credit to Shawn though, he is looking good.”
Knight despatched Canadian qualifier David Letourneau 11-4, 11-2, 11-4.
Semi-final line-up:
[1] Martin Knight (NZL) v [3] Shawn Delierre (CAN)
[2] Jan Koukal (CZE) v Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY)