US Open Daily Update - September 5, 2009

RAMPANT RAMY ROARS INTO LAST FOUR OF AON US OPEN

Aon US Open Squash Championship. Pioneer Court, Chicago:

Quarter-final results:

(3) David Palmer (Aus) beat Olli Tuominen (Fin) 14-12, 11-6, 11-8 (46 mins)

(7) James Willstrop (Eng) beat (4) Peter Barker (Eng) 11-8, 13-15, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8 (85 mins)

(1) Ramy Ashour (Egypt) beat (6) Wael El Hindi (Egypt) 11-4, 11-6, 13-11 (38 mins)

(2) Amr Shabana (Egypt) beat (5) Adrian Grant (Eng) 11-5, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8 (48 mins)

By ALAN THATCHER in Chicago

Top seed Ramy Ashour was in devastating form as he powered into the semi-finals of the Aon US Open in Chicago. The 21-year-old world champion produced a dazzling array of spectacular winners to beat fellow Egyptian Wael El Hindi in straight games in the quarter-finals.

Ashour launched a blistering attack from the start of the match and won the opening two games in quick fashion with a succession of unplayable shots.

El Hindi led for much of the third game but Ashour clinched the tiebreak 13-11 to book a place in the last four against Australia's David Palmer.

Ashour said: "I was very happy with the way I played and I hope it was entertaining for the crowd. I am still learning new ways to play the game and I always enjoy trying new shots."

Palmer, the 2002 US Open champion, also won in straight-games against Olli Tuominen of Finland. It was a repeat of Palmer's semi-final victory over the same opponent as he won last week's Colombian Open in Bogota.

This time Tuominen started strongly but he wasted several game balls as Palmer took the opening encounter 14-12 on a tiebreak after 20 minutes of physical play littered with lets and penalty strokes.

Palmer dominated play in the second and third games to book his place in the last four against Ashour and said: "I knew it would be tough because I have played Olli so many times and knew what to expect. We seem to play each other seven or eight times a season so I'm not quite sure what's happening with the PSA computer.

"I was very pleased to beat Olli on a plaster court at altitude in Colombia last week because I thought those conditions might favour his game, but I like playing on this glass court and always felt conditions this week would favour me."

No.7 seed James Willstrop triumphed against fellow Englishman Peter Barker in the longest match of the night in front of a sell-out crowd around the open-air glass court off Michigan Avenue.

Willstrop won a brutal battle 11-8, 13-15, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8 in 85 minutes of high-quality squash against the No.4 seed Barker, who won last year's Sweet Home Chicago Open at the same stunning venue.

The result left Barker still seeking his first win against Willstrop after 15 defeats, but this was one of their closest ever encounters as Barker won two tiebreaks to take the match the full distance.

After closing out the first game, Willstrop wasted four game balls in the second before Barker won the tiebreak 15-13. Willstrop edged the third but Barker hit back again to win the fourth game tiebreak. Willstrop started the fifth game strongly and withstood a spirited recovery by his international team-mate to reach the semi-finals.

Willstrop, who played the game with his right ankle heavily strapped, admitted: "This is such a crazy game. The damage we do to our bodies is ridiculous. We throw ourselves all over court, we wake up the next day with aching bodies, and then we show up the next night and do it all again."

Willstrop faces No.2 seed Amr Shabana in the semi-finals after the three-time world champion from Cairo overcame England's Adrian Grant.

Grant tried to match Shabana's shot-making ability but fell in four games of high-quality squash.

Shabana said: "Adrian looked on fire tonight, He is a very good player and was attacking a lot more than usual. James and I always have crazy matches and it should be a very entertaining semi-final."

With another sell-out guaranteed for the semi-finals, organisers were looking into the possibility of installing more temporary seating before tonight's programme gets under way.

Aon US Open Semi-finals:

Shabana v Willstrop 6.30pm

Palmer v Ashour 7.30pm

Follow the action live on www.psalive.tv

Tournament website: www.usopen-squash.com