RESULTS: Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions, New York, USA

Semi-finals:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [3] David Palmer (AUS)  11-4, 7-11, 11-3, 11-10 (5-3) (65m)
[4] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [2] Gregory Gaultier (FRA)  11-9, 11-2, 11-1 (28m)


England's James Willstrop upset second-seeded Frenchman Gregory Gaultier in straight games to set up a clash with top seed Ramy Ashour, the world No2 from Egypt, in the final of the Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions at Grand Central Terminal in New York. 

Ashour raised his game to another higher level of play as he defeated third seed David Palmer in four games in front of yet another sell-out crowd at the established PSA Super Series event.  The first game was over in a flash – the 20-year-old Egyptian coming out of the starting gate at full throttle, jumping out to a 4-0 and then an 8-3 lead, before winning the game 11-4. 

“I was confident in the first game,” said the world’s second-ranked player.  "But I also knew that Palmer would be tough.”  Indeed, the three-time Tournament of Champions semi-finalist stepped up his attack in the second game, winning it 11-7 to even the match.

“I did start to feel pressured today,” said Ashour.  "But my brother Hisham told me between the second and third game to get all the negative thoughts out of my head – to play my own game.”   Play his own game is exactly what Ashour did in the third – changing the pace, using the quick attack and moving the ball around the entire court to blister through the third game 11-3.  

But Palmer, a two-time World Open champion who makes his opponents work hard to win their matches, was not ready to walk off the court so quickly.  After a seesaw exchange of leads, the match went into a tie break at ten-all.  Up 11-10, Ashour hit a rare tin.  Great length by Palmer and some well-placed drop shots gave the 31-year-old Australian his one game ball.  But the extraordinarily talented Egyptian reeled off three nick winners in a row to earn a place in his first Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions final.

“He just plays so fast,” Palmer commented after the match. “And there’s not much you can do against three rolling nicks at the end of a game.”
 
Ashour added:  “I was desperate to make the final here."

James Willstrop, the 24-year-old fourth seed, defeated Gaultier 11-9, 11-2, 11-1 in three very quick games.  Although Gaultier finished the match, the wrist injury he had been nursing all week finally became intolerable. Willstrop, who has played strong confident squash throughout the tournament is looking forward to the playing the young Ashour.

“Hopefully we can reproduce the match we played here last year,” said the Englishman, referring to the 2007 Tournament of Champions quarter-final in which he and Ashour played one of the most spectacular matches in the tournament’s history.  “He’s a good lad and a fair player.”

Ashour is celebrating his 12th PSA Tour final appearance, while Willstrop is marking his 13th.