RESULTS: Aon US Open Squash Championship, Chicago, USA
1st round (lower half of draw):
[7] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [Q] Julian Illingworth (USA) 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9 (63m)
[4] Peter Barker (ENG) bt Gilly Lane (USA) 12-10, 11-6, 12-10 (44m)
[5] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-8, 11-9, 12-10 (46m)
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt Shahier Razik (CAN) 11-9, 11-3, 11-4 (26m)
England's James Willstrop, returning to competition at the Aon US Open after an ankle operation in the summer, survived an injury scare and a phenomenal challenge from American qualifier Julian Illingworth to reach the quarter-finals of the $52,500 5-star PSA World Tour squash event in Chicago.
Seventh seed Willstrop, who had a four-month layoff after playing the ISS Canary Wharf Classic in London in March, won 11-9, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9 in 63 minutes of physically demanding combat and admitted: "I was very relieved to get off court with a win in my first match back. You never know how you are going to shape up in your first match of the season, especially after being out of action for so long.
"First round matches can sometimes be one-sided but I knew that was never going to be the case with Julian. He played out of his skin and showed what a good player he can be. The crowd were on his side and Julian gave them plenty to cheer," added the world number nine from Leeds.
Willstrop entered the open-air glass court with his right ankle heavily strapped and within a handful of rallies he was limping after an accidental collision in mid-court. Willstrop said: "Julian's knee caught me in the calf and the last thing you want is a dead-leg that early in any match, let alone in your first match back after injury."
The match featured several astonishing twists and turns as Willstrop hit back from 6-3 down in the first game and 6-1 down in the second to open up a two-game advantage. The effort seemed to take its toll as Illingworth won the third game but Willstrop hit back solidly to lead 8-2 in the fourth.
Then it was Illingworth's turn to mount a spectacular recovery and he won six points in a row to draw level after a succession of brutal rallies. However, he failed to press home the advantage and some tired mistakes gifted the match to Willstrop. The home crowd immediately rose to their feet to give both players a thoroughly deserved standing ovation.
Illingworth said: "I was disappointed not to do better but it seemed that James was putting me under huge pressure for most of the match, and I was unable to do the same to him."
Willstrop faces England team-mate Peter Barker in the quarter-finals after the left-hander from London removed the second American in the main draw. Wild card Gilly Lane, from Philadelphia, was 10-6 up in the third game but produced a succession of errors to give Barker a straight games victory.
World number 77 Lane said: "It was always going to be difficult against a player like Peter and I just got a bit over-excited at the end of that third game. I was pleased with the way I played and it was a wonderful experience to appear on the glass court against such a good player."
Adrian Grant made it three Englishmen in the quarter-finals after beating Indian No1 Saurav Ghosal 11-8, 11-9, 12-10. The 28-year-old Londoner now faces the prospect of meeting fellow left-hander Amr Shabana, the three-time world champion who was in devastating form as he achieved a lightning-quick victory over Canadian No1 Shahier Razik.
Top seed Ramy Ashour meets fellow Egyptian Wael El Hindi and former world champion David Palmer meets Finland's Olli Tuominen.
Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [6] Wael El Hindi (EGY)
[3] David Palmer (AUS) v [8] Olli Tuominen (FIN)
[4] Peter Barker (ENG) v [7] James Willstrop (ENG)
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [5] Adrian Grant (ENG)
Tournament website: www.usopen-squash.com