RESULTS:    Aon US Open Squash Championship, Chicago, USA

Quarter-finals:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) bt [6] Wael El Hindi (EGY) 11-4, 11-6, 13-11 (38m)
[3] David Palmer (AUS) bt [8] Olli Tuominen (FIN) 14-12, 11-6, 11-8 (46m)
[7] James Willstrop (ENG) bt [4] Peter Barker (ENG) 11-8, 13-15, 11-9, 11-13, 11-8 (85m)
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) bt [5] Adrian Grant (ENG) 11-5, 5-11, 11-8, 11-8 (48m)


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 of the $52,500 5-star PSA World Tour squash event staged on an all-glass court set up in the open air in downtown Chicago.

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.

Sixth seed 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.

"I was very happy with the way I played and I hope it was entertaining for the crowd," said Ashour.  "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 eighth seed Olli Tuominen.  It was a repeat of Palmer's semi-final victory over the Finn en-route to winning 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.

Third seed 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."

In the day's only upset, No7 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 fourth 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 tie-breaks 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 tie-break. 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 No2 seed Amr Shabana in the semi-finals after the three-time world champion from Cairo overcame England's Adrian Grant.

Grant tried to match fellow left-hander 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.

Semi-final line-up:
[1] Ramy Ashour (EGY) v [3] David Palmer (AUS)
[2] Amr Shabana (EGY) v [7] James Willstrop (ENG)


Tournament website: www.usopen-squash.com