U.S. Open Squash

Massaro and Shabana dominate U.S. Open Finals

Laura Massaro and Amr Shabana are the Delaware Investments U.S. Open Champions after both turned in dominant performances in tonight's finals at Drexel University's Daskalakis Athletic Centre in Philadelphia. Massaro came back strongly to dominate affairs after Kasey Brown had taken the first game, while Shabana was in scintillating form against a struggling opponent after the first two games were shared.

Women's Final: [5] Laura Massaro (Eng) bt [6] Kasey Brown (Aus)   5/11, 11/5, 11/3, 11/5 (56m) Men's Final: [3] Amr Shabana (Egy) bt [1] Nick Matthew (Eng)  11/9, 8/11, 11/2, 11/4 (51m)

Massaro dominant

Laura Massaro made a good enough start to the Delaware Investments U.S. Open women's final, as she and Kasey Brown traded patient rallies to open proceedings on the glass court at the Daskalakis Athletic Centre at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Getti ng to two-all in that opening game took a few minutes, and you certainly couldn't pick a winner at that point. But as the game wore on it was the Australian who began to take charge of the rallies more, and, helped by several unforced errors from Massaro, she moved ahead to 6/3, then 9/4, and took the lead 11/5 with a dropshot that left Massaro a long way back in the court. After that though, the fifth seed from Lancashire was, in truth, dominant. The rallies were still there, the movement and shotmaking from both were good, but it was Brown who was being rushed, and Massaro who was making the most of the openings she waited patiently for. That new favourite shot, the deceptive little crosscourt flick from the front left corner was working well, and more than a few points were earned with it. In the second game Massaro went ahead 4/2, 7/4, 10/5 and won it with a drive to the deep that was too tight. The third saw her lead 9/1 in a flash with Brown hitting tin after tin. The first two games took 14 and 19 minutes, 11/3 in the third came after just 7. Brown did lead the fourth, 2/1, but Massaro was soon back on top, controlling play again as she went ahead 5/2, then 10/4. Kasey saved one match ball with a straight drive, but Laura put paid to hopes of a comeback with a another wrongfooting boast, and the new U.S. Open champion raiser her hand in the air …

"Kasey come out strong in the first and I just couldn't get in front of her, she was putting me under pressure and I was making mistakes. It was the sort of match where whoever got in front was winning, so I really had to work on it to get in front from the second game. "At the start I didn't feel as comfortable as I had in the previ0us matches, my legs felt heavy and I felt a little sluggish, but I just told myself I had to forget that. I got a few good rallies together and I felt good and played well after that. "I can't believe I won, it's been a great year for me with three major victories. The Nationals is always up there and I was very proud to be the first Lancashire woman to win it, beating Nicol in Cleveland was big, but this is the biggest of them, a major event on a glass court, they don't come much bigger than this! Laura Massaro

Shabana irresistible

Amr Shabana claimed a second U.S. Open title within three years with a scintillating performance to beat top seed Nick Matthew in four fast-paced games. The Egyptian third seed made a tremendous start, thrilling the Philadelphia crowd with a series of winning shots that left Matthew struggling. Coming backk from 6/1 down was a tall order, but the Englishman almost made it, getting to 8/9 but then having a let decision turned into a no let as Shabana appealed to the video ref. Shabana then took the game 11/9 on another winning volley drop after 19 minutes. The second was a carbon copy in reverse - Matthew dominant now, cutting off Shabana's shots to race to an 8/1 lead, only to see Shabana fight his way back. From 9/4 down Shabana rediscovered his touch, got to 8/9 and this time it was he who was annoyed not to complete the comeback as Matthew levelled 11/8. That second game used up just 10 minutes on the clock as both went for their shots, and the next two games were just as quick, 8 and then 7 minutes. Shabana was totally dominant in both of them, reeling off winning volley drops and dropshots almost at will. Matthew was by now clearly struggling with his movement and simply had no answer, scoring just five more points and three of those were late in the fourth game. There was no big celebration as Shabana put in one last dropshot, but the Prince of Cairo will have felt deep satisfaction at winning another major title. Matthew will put this one down to experience, and he;ll be back.

"It was a good match, and it's such a relief to win a major tournament again. It's been a tough couple of years, at times I thought I might never win again but I've been playing well this week and my body held up which is the important thing. "I'm just glad you were all here to witness me winning again and I hope I can carry on playing well and win some more!" Amr Shabana "I'm disappointed that my body let met down a little tonight, I was struggling to push off on my foot, but I gave it a good go and you have to be good enough to cope with these problems. It feels different from coming off court having given everything you have, but that's not taking anything away from Amr, he played really well. "His shots were firing in from all over tonight,  and even at 100% I would have been struggling to cope with him, he was all over me by the end, and could have probably played some of those dropshots with his right hand, they were so good! Nick Matthew

Finals Photo Gallery

Preview, for posterity

First up is the women's final, with the fifth and sixth seeds battling it out for the crown. Laura Massaro and Kasey Brown may not be the players most expected to see in the final - not at the start of the event, at any rate -  but as the only players to have beaten world number one Nicol David this year, it's somehow fitting that they should contest this major final. For both it would be their biggest-ever WISPA win, Massaro has won eight times, Brown eleven, but both have other achievements to call on, notably Massaro's Nation Championship win and Brown's World Teams and Commonwealth medals. They have met five times, Brown winning three of those but Massaro taking the honours last time they met. On this year's matches they each have a four-game win, both taking 65 minutes to complete. A close on? You bet ... Nick Matthew and Amr Shabana have both won this title before, in 2007 and 2009, but the paycheque for today's winner will be bigger than either of those, and he will also take the momentum of winning a PSA World Series event into the hectic autumn schedule that is coming up. The Englishman leads 10-8 in PSA meetings (11-8 overall), including each of the last three, all in semi-finals of World Series events in New York, Richmond and Manchester. It's Shabana who leads on PSA titles though, 26 compared to Matthew's 20, and four World Opens to Matthew's one. Of course, they should have contested the final of the World Series Finals at a blustery Queen's club back in January. The winner will only get one trophy tonight, but that will be enough to be going on with ...  

Surprise Women's Final as Matthew and Shabana set up Grand Prix rematch

The semi-finals of the Delaware Investments U.S. Open at the Daskalakis Athletic Center in Philadelphia's Drexel University saw two women's upsets and two enthralling but contrasting men's matches. Australia's Kasey Brown, seeded six, powered to a four game win over third seed Madeline Perry, while fifth seed Laura Massaro prevailed in straight games in an all-English encounter with world number two Jenny Duncalf. For both, appearing in a WISPA World Series Final will be one of their career highlights to date.

The first men's semi-final was also all-English, and in an often brutal encounter world number one and top seed Nick Matthew extended his run of victories over James Willstrop, winning in four games to reach a third consecutive PSA World Series Final this season.

Matthew's opponent will be third seed Amr Shabana, after the Egyptian four-time world champion also won in four games, although his match against France's Thierry Lincou was a much quicker affair, taking  just over half the time of Matthew's.

Women's Semi-Finals: [6] Kasey Brown (Aus)  bt [3] Madeline Perry (Irl) 12/10, 6/11, 11/6, 11/6 (67m) [5] Laura Massaro (Eng) bt [2] Jenny Duncalf (Eng)  13/11, 11/5, 13/11 (60m) Men's Semi-Finals: [1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [3] James Willstrop (Eng)   11/9, 11/7, 7/11, 11/7 (86m) [3] Amr Shabana (Egy) bt [6] Thierry Lincou (Fra)  11/1, 9/11, 11/6, 11/7 (48m)

Kasey pulls into the final When Kasey Brown raced into a 6/1 lead in the first game of the first women's semi-final, the prospect of a nightmare like that experienced by Rachael Grinham last night reared its head. Northern Irish fans will have been reassured though as Madeline Perry put that start behind her, extended the rallies and started to pin her Australian opponent to the back of the court, as she does so well. Brown got as far as 8/3 ahead, but Perry was into her game now and not only levelled but went 9/8 ahead. A stroke took her to 10/9, but then three fortunate point in a row for Brown - Perry clean missed a simple drive, Brown's mishit boast nicked and Perry mishit a simple return - and the Aussie had escaped to lead one-nil. The next three games were all close, for the first half of them at least. Perry pulled clear from 5-all in the second to equalise 11/6, Brown did exactly the same in the third to regain the lead, 11/6. The fourth was delicately poised too, but from 4-all the Irishwoman made three quick errors in a row and Brown had broken clear. She filled her boots, so to speak, with three winners of her own and in a flash she was 10/4 up. Perry pulled a couple of points back, but a comeback of that scale was never likely, and after running hard to stay in the final rally Kasey finally got a loose ball which she drove into the deep to reach the final.

"I started well then stepped off it a bit in the first and she started to get in front of me, she's so hard to play if you let her do that. "I scraped through that one but lost the second as my length dropped of. I had to try and get it back in the third, which I did, and when she made three errors in a row in the fourth I said 'thank god for that'! I knew it wasn't over but I managed to pull clear from there. "It's been a fantastic time for me living in America, working with my coach Rod Martin, everything's coming together and it feels just great to be in a major final like this!" Kasey Brown

Massaro maintains her grip

Having beaten her higher-ranked compatriot Jenny Duncalf twice in a row, Laura Massaro made it three out of three tonight with an assured performance that saw her move into the final with a straight-game win. It could easily have been different though, as Duncalf, seeded two, raced into a 5/0 lead in the first, but Massaro settled, levelled at  8-all and saved two game balls before taking it on her own secod chance, 13/11. She was well on top in the second, quickly ahead, 5/1 and 8/3 with Duncalf looking less than happy with proceedings - she was on the wrong end of most of the video appeals too, which didn't help - while Massaro maintained an outward calm and got on with the job, impressively so. At 4/9 Duncalf, from deep in the back corner, hit an overhead backhand crosscourt volley drop into to next to bring up a big roar from the crowd. Massaro replied instantly, plopping Duncalf's server into the nick then taking the game, and a 2-0 lead, 11/5 on a stroke. The third was close all the way, but Massaro always seemed to have the slight edge - if she went to the front she was liable to put the ball away, whereas Duncalf was for the most part being drawn there by her opponent and having to defend. Massaro edged ahead, 5/3, 6/4 and 8/5, 9/6 and 10/7 with another service return winner. Now it was Duncalf's trun to fight back, four point in a row saw her to game ball, but then she was drawn to the front three times, and three times Massaro drove the ball deep into the back corners to take an impressive win, 13/11.

"She hit a few good shots at the start, but you always want to win the first, so I tried my best to turn it round sooner rather than later and thankfully I managed to get back into it and take that one. "It's tough when you're the seed, you always feel the pressure more, I jiust went on to play my game plan as well as I could and today it was good enough - it's close at the top and anyone can beat anyone on the day. "I've had a really good year and a half, mainly thanks to my coach Phil Whitlock who's made me much more aware of what I'm doing on court. "Kasey and I always have tough matches, it should be a good final but I'm happy with how I played so I'm just going to try to carry on like that …" Laura Massaro

Matthew still on top

They've had some classic battles, have Nick Matthew and James Willstrop, as you would expect from two wonderful players who have met so often, and tonight's first men's semi-final was up there with the best of them as Nick Matthew continued his winning run over his Yorkshire rival in a top quality, gruelling and at times brutal four game encounter. As Matthew said at the end, it's been a good few months since they played, so it was like starting afresh, and Willstrop certainly didn't come into the match with any sort of inferiority complex. The first game was as tough and as close as they come, never more than a point or two between them, never an easy rally. It took 26 minutes for Matthew to take the lead, although the end came quickly as at 9-all Willstrop snatched at, and tinned, a volley in the middle of the court, and Matthew followed up with an unexpected angle at the front to close it out. The second started in the same vein, but from 5/6 down Matthew enjoyed a spell of relative dominance, going ahead 10/7 and doubling his lead 11/7 in 17 minutes  after pushing Willstrop from corner to corner before finally getting a loose ball to pounce on. Matthew has worn Willstrop down before, notably in the World Open final last December,  but James wasn't done yet, not this time, and he came out strongly in the third, from 3-all moved ahead to 7/3, and although Matthew recovered to as close as 7/8, Willstrop took advantage of a couple of rare Matthew mistakes to pull a game back 11/7. That one took 14 minutes. The fourth was brutal. 22 minutes  it took, and once again there was nothing to choose between them - 4-all, 5-all, 6-all, 7-all. Then Matthew got two stokes, the type he gets a lot of against Willstrop in that front left corner, to go 9/7 ahead. A monumental rally ended in a let, then Matthew's basic length died in the back corner for match ball, and on the next rally a boast out of the blue left Willstrop stranded and Matthew in the final.

"We haven't played since last January, so there was no carryover into this match, it was like starting afresh which is probably why it was so tough tonight. "When I was 2-0 we were talking in the corner, about how James is renowned for his racket skills, but he's also one of the gustiest players and fiercest competitors you can ever meet, so there was no question of easing up or thinking the job had been done. "He came out really well in the third, and it was all credit to him for winning it rather than anything I did wrong. "James's racket skills are as good as they've ever been so I'm delighted to have managed to win that one, and looking forward to what should be a fantastic final." Nick Matthew

Shabana sets up Matthew rematch

It would have taken some match to follow that Yorkshire battle, and although Amr Shabana and Thierry Lincou both showed patches of exquisite play, their match was something of an anticlimax, as it was bound to be, compared to what had gone before. It was still four games, but it took just over half the time to complete. After winning his quarter-final last night the Frenchman declared anything more would be a bonus, but when he slumped to an 11/1 first game loss it didn't look as if any bonus was coming his way tonight. To his credit, from the outset of the second game Lincou cut out the errors, lengthened the rallies and stopped the flow of winners from Shabana's racket. He took a 6/3 lead and although Shabana closed he could never quite get there. The Egyptian looked visibly annoyed at letting the game slip, but let it slip he did, making a couple of careless errors at the end. He wasn't about to let that happen again though, and Shabana was well on top in the next two games, moving swiftly, hitting some sublime winners, and pulling clear to 9/5 in the third and 10/4 in the fourth, finishing them off 11/6 and 11/7 to set up another meeting with Matthew, after their British Grand Prix semi-final just over a week ago.

"It was a good match - Thierry is one of the best of all time at controlling the T, so I knew I had to work hard to try to get him to the back of the court if I was going to have any chance to win, even if it was going to hurt. "Thankfully it all worked out right in the end, now I need to get myself prepared for Nick again. He's had a wonderful spell over the last two years and is playing great squash, I'll need to raise my level to really challenge him tomorrow …" Amr Shabana

Preview - for posterity

First up is Northern Ireland's Madeline Perry, aged 34, against Aussie Kasey Brown, 26, who took out top seed Nicol David in the quarter-finals. Currently ranked #4 and #6 in the world, they have met eight times, tied at four-all but Brown has won the last three of those, including their only meeting this year in Greenwich. Englishwomen Jenny Duncalf, 28, and Laura Massaro, 27, are no strangers either, having met 15 times in all events but just six times in WISPA competition. Duncalf leads 11-4 overall and 4-2 in WISPA meetings, but Massaro has won the least two clashes, in the Cleveland Classic and the final of the British Nationals, both in February this year. When it comes to long running rivalries, few can match that ofNick Matthew, 31, and James Willstrop, 28, England's top two who meet in the first men's semi-final. Both from Yorkshire, they have met 38 times in total, going back to a British Open qualifier in 2001, and 26 of those have been PSA matches. Matthew leads both, 29-9 overall and 18-8 in PSA. More importantly, Matthew's last defeat to Willstrop was back in the English Open final of 2007, and after that he has gone on to win every one of their last 16 meetings, a sequence which includes finals of the British Nationals, the British Open, Commonwealth Games and the World Open last year in Saudi Arabia. The final match of the day features two players approaching Veteran status in Egypt's Amr Shabana and France's Thierry Lincou. Both have been world number one and world champion, but Shabana was at the top for longer - 33 months compared to 13 - has won more world titles - four to one - and is the younger of the two, 32 versus 35. Shabana leads the head to head too, but only by 13-12 (12-10 in PSA), and although he has had the better of things in recent years it was Lincou who won their last meeting, 2010 in El Gouna. So four matches, each with their own history and a real treat in store tonight for the Philly squash faithful ...

Shabana and Lincou through as Massaro and Duncalf set up all-English semi

The second night of quarter-final action in the Delaware Investments U.S. Open at the Daskalakis Athletic Center at Drexel University provided the Philadelphia crowd with a somewhat mixed bag of matches. The in-form British National Champion Laura Massaro eased past an out of sorts Rachael Grinham, the Aussie fourth seed unable to find anything like her true form, giving Massaro, in her own words, an easy 3/0 win. Second seed Jenny Duncalf looked on course for a similarly straightforward win when she stood at 11/3, 10/5 against Annie Au, but a dramatic recovery as the Hong Kong youngster started to find her range meant that the English world number two had to work hard for a four-game win in a match that could easily have gone the distance. Dutchman Laurens Jan Anjema, having already created an upset to reach the quarters, really took the game to third seed Amr Shabana, but the Egyptian fought back brilliantly from a game down, eventually getting the better of a tense and exciting finish to an extended fourth game. The final match of the round was a more low key affair as sixth-seeded Frenchman Thierry Lincou also came from a game down to beat unseeded Malaysian Azlan Iskandar.

Quarter-Finals (bottom half): [5] Laura Massaro (Eng) bt [4] Rachael Grinham (Aus)   11/3, 11/3, 11/7 (29m) [2] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt Annie Au (Hkg)  11/3, 10/12, 11/8, 11/8 (49m) [4] Amr Shabana (Egy) bt Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned)   5/11, 11/6, 11/4, 15/13 (78m) [6] Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt Azlan Iskandar (Mas) 6/11, 11/5, 11/5, 11/8 (56m)

One of those days for Rachael

Laura Massaro played well tonight, in the first quarter-final of the evening, that's for sure. But even she admitted that it was "an easy win" against an out of sorts Rachael Grinham who struggled to get any sort of foothold in the match. Normally the Aussie puts the ball deep into the four corners with a variety of flicks, lobs, and angles, but for the most part tonight those shots were finishing nearer the centre of the court, or out, or in the tin. Massaro took advantage, made virtually no errors herself and picked off the loose balls she was presented with. Only in the middle of the third did Grinham threaten to make a real contest of it with a trio of decent rallies, but that still left her 8/5 down, and a couple more errors made any prospect of a comeback remote. The first game took 5 minutes, the second 7, the third 10, and in less than half an hour Massaro was through to the semi-finals.

"I thought I played pretty well, but she was a bit off today. "I was trying to use all four corners of the court, and was moving pretty well. I've been playing well all year so I wasn't about to let losing one match in Brooklyn last week get me down. "Still, I'll take my easy win and be ready for a tough match with her next time, like it usually is, but for now I'm just really pleased to be in the semi-finals." Laura Massaro "I was just really struggling to time the ball, it felt really heavy on the racket and I couldn't control it at all. "I was just getting more and more frustrated out there, I thought I was getting into it a couple of times but it just went away again. "I’ll just have to put it down as one of those days to forget and put it behind me …" Rachael Grinham

Not so easy for Duncalf

With the world number two leading 11/3, 10/5 you would have put any money on a fairly quick straight-game win for Jenny Duncalf. It wasn't as if Annie Au was playing badly, but she was up against an opponent who was moving well and striking the ball smoothly,  and the Hong Kong youngster's game, based on the accuracy of her drops, lobs, boasts and flicks, wasn't quite firing as she made a few too many errors to seriously trouble the Englishwoman. After taking the first comfortably, Duncalf extended a 7/4 lead in the second to 10/5, helped by three tins from Au. On the next seven points though she managed to put the ball just above the tin, and from out of nowhere, with Duncalf doing nothing wrong, it was one game all. You could see the thought-bubble as she left court, "how did that happen?". Thoughts of an easy win were gone, as Annie was definitely into the match now, and the next two games were close with Duncalf having to be on her toes all the time ready for the next attack. From 5-all in the second she eked out a bit of a lead to take it, was pulled back to 8-all but managed to take it 11/8, putting away two of Annnie's not-quite-low-enough drops. Again in the fourth, Duncalf held marginal control at 8/5, but at 8-all anything could have happened. Fortunately for her she was presented with another couple of loose dropshots which she capitalised on, then put in her own to finish the match. Phew.

"I was playing well and then I think I just relaxed a bit at the end of the second and gave her a look into the match. After that it got tougher, the ball got deader and deader as she slowed things down. "In those last rallies at the end of the games I was just trying to knuckle down try not to give anything away - it got a bit flicky droppy and too much at the front, which is th game she likes, if you leave anything loose she's deadly, so I had to try to pin her to the back. "I'm happy I managed to get it back, it should be a good semi-final with Laura, we know each other's games well enough ..." Jenny Duncalf

Shabana and LJ entertain Philadelphians

Laurens Jan Anjema was looking cool, calm, and in control in the first game of the first men's quarter-final of the night. The big Dutchman was keeping a tight rein on his illustrious opponent, with Amr Shabana unable to get Anema off the 'T' or out of his rhythm. Always in front, it was 11/5 to Anjema. But as the second game got under way the Egyptian seemed to be picking the pace up. He was moving well - fast - now, and although there were still some of the patient rallies of the first game, Anjema was starting to be hurried and harried. From 2-all Shabana moved ahead - not easily, but still he reached 7/4 then 10/5, and took it 11/6. Shabana was buzzing in the third, moving effortlessly and playing some amazing shots. Anjema was definitely doing the chasing now, trying to put his finger in the dam, so to speak, and not having much success at it as the Egyptian went 5/1 and 8/3 ahead, taking it 11/4 on two forced errors from Anjema. He was still having to hurry in the fourth, but Anjema was staying in the rallies better, and he eked out leads of 4/2 and 6/4  - again, not easily, it was getting pretty tough by now.  Shabana kept on attacking, finally levelled at 7-all and went ahead 9/7 with three winners but LJ struck back with two of his own to make it 9-all. A perfect length, much to LJ's annoyance brought up match ball, which heralded a tremendous rally, both trading volleys at the front of the court but LJ had the last laugh laugh - despite Shabana's mock-throttling - and we were into extra points. It was all at breakneck speed now, high quality and great to watch. Shabana had another match ball at 11/10, LJ two game balls at 12/11 and 13/12. Shabana saved that with his favourite return of serve into the nick, put a dropshot too tight to bring up a third matchball, and volleyed into the nick one final time to bring everyone's enjoyment to an end.

"Well that was a good warmup! "Sometimes things don't happen the way you want - he started well, the crowd got behind him and got him pumped up, so I needed to focus, regroup and do it all the hard way. "I got back into it, he changed his game plan so I had to come up with new one myself, it was like a chess game, but it was very tough at the end. "Now the crowd favourite is out, maybe I'll be their favourite tomorrow …" Amr Shabana

Lincou wraps up the last spot

The second men's match of the evening was a less lively affair than the one that preceded it, Thierry Lincou and Azlan Iskandar serving up a match that never really ignited, with a mixture of some good quality squash interspersed with periods  of patchy play, neither able to take control. Iskandar played well enough to take the first, always ahead for 11/6, but Lincou is a known slow starter, and the Frenchman tightened up in the second and third, with some assistance from Iskandar who was finding the tin when not under pressure too frequently for his own good. Good starts in both games were consolidated without any undue scares, and at 11/5, 11/5 the tide had definitely turned. Azlan cut out the errors to make the fourth more competitive, the rallies were longer and tougher, and there was no more than a point between them up to 7-all. It was the Frenchman who seemed to want it more at the end though, and it was a final unforced error from Azlan that put Thierry through to an all-thirty-something semi-final with Shabana.

"I felt pretty comfortable in the second and third games, I wasn't sure if something was wrong with Azlan as he was very up and down, didn't seem really fired up and was giving me a few easy points which boosted my confidence. I knew I still had to try to keep the ball as straight a I could though, he's very explosive on attacking the crosscourts. "He played better in the fourth, I think I was trying to finish it off a bit too quickly and froze a little. "It should be a good match with Shabana. Once you get to these later rounds the pressure is off, you still want to win but you know you've  reached where you should, everything's a bonus after that. Thierry Lincou

Brown KO's David as Matthew and Willstrop guarantee English finalist

The first day of quarter-final action in the Delaware Investments U.S. Open at the Daskalakis Athletic Center at Drexel University in Philadelphia saw a sensational upset in the women's WISPA World Series draw and the guarantee of an English finalist in the men's PSA World Series event. First up, Ireland's third seed Madeline Perry met Camille Serme, the eighth seed who came from two games down to beat the USA's Latasha Khan yesterday, and Perry continued her impressive record against the French champion, winning 11/6, 11/7, 11/7. Top seed and world number one Nicol David, will have to wait at least another year to add one of the few major titles missing from her record as she was sensationally beaten 11/9, 6/11, 11/9, 11/4 by Australia's Kasey Brown, the sixth seed. The Malaysian, five times World Champion and world number one for almost six unbroken years, had won all nine of their previous encounters and the victory was certainly the best of Brown's burgeoning WISPA career to date. Three Englishmen featured in the men's quarter-finals. First, top seed, world champion and world number one Nick Matthew who won the U.S. Open title in 2007, beat Mohamed El Shorbagy, the two-time world junior champion who has broken into the upper echelons of the senior rankings 11/5, 9/11, 11/3, 11/6  in 65 minutes. An all-English matchup followed, as third seed James Willstrop met Peter Barker, the fifth seed. The pair have met many times in junior and senior events - they contested the World Junior final in 2002 - with Willstrop holding the upper hand, leading 12-1 in their PSA tour meetings. The tall Yorkshireman added one more to that tally as he won 7/11, 11/5, 11/6, 11/7 to set up an all-English semi-final with Matthew.

Results: [3] Madeline Perry (Irl) bt [8] Camille Serme (Fra) 11/6, 11/7, 11/7 (42m) [6] Kasey Brown (Aus) bt [1] Nicol David (Mas)    11/9, 6/11, 11/9, 11/4  (59m) [1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt [7] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy)  11/5, 9/11, 11/3, 11/6 (65m) [3] James Willstrop (Eng) bt [5] Peter Barker (Eng)  7/11, 11/5, 11/6, 11/7 (63m)

Perry first into the semis

Madeline Perry became the first player to reach the semi-finals of the Delaware Investments U.S. Open with a solid straight-game win over France's Camille Serme at the Daskalskis Athletic Center at Drexel University in Philadelphia. The Irish third seed made the better start, taking an early 3/0 lead, and with the French champion committing too many unforced errors, she extended it to 8/4, taking the game 11/5 with a volley into the deep. With forays to the front of the court infrequent, the pattern continued in the second, with Perry generally holding the upper hand in the rallies. A 3/1 lead was extended to 6/3,  then 10/4, and although Serme pulled a few [points back another deep volley from Perry saw her advantage doubled. The third game was the most competitive of all, with numerous testing rallies. Serme started the better, leading 2/0, 5/3 and 6/4, but Perry levelled at 7-all, reached match ball with three crosscourt winners and a final drive into the tin sealed Serme's fate.

"It was a pretty fast game. I started well which obviously helped, I was hitting good length to stop her being able to attack me, and I felt relaxed and confident in my movement too. "I'm very happy with that, I feel I'm playing some of my best squash at the moment, I hope I can carry on in that vein for the rest of the tournament." Madeline Perry

Kasey pulls off biggest upset

The second women's semi-final saw Kasey Brown pull off the biggest win of her career as she sensationally beat top seed Nicol David in four games in just under an hour of enthralling play. From the outset the match was much more varied than the Perry/Serme match, both players covering all four corners of the court and not hesitating to put the ball short when the chance arose. There was little to choose between them in the first, but a handful of uncharacteristic errors from the Malaysian's racket handed the advantage to Brown and she moved ahead from 6-all to take the lead 10/7, and the game 11/9. David steadied in the second, the rallies lengthened and it wasn't until she was already 9/5 ahead that she made her first, and only, unforced error of the game, taking it 11/6 to level. Often Nicol will steam ahead in this sort of situation, but Kasey wasn't finished, and the third game was just as competitive as the first. From 9-all two drives glued to the wall produced a stroke and a winner and the Australian was back in front. And then, in a flash, she was 8/0 up in the fourth. Five tins from Nicol, three winners from Kasey, and the upset was more than on the cards. A volley error from Kasey gave Nicol her first point, and, steadying again, she won three more before another dropshot error put Kasey on match ball. One was all it took, a loose return from Nicol was powered away deep into the backcourt and the Australian camp was celebrating a famous win.

"I started well, then got a bit passive in the second. I knew I had to come out and attack again in the third, then did the same in the fourth where everything just came off for me. "She got a few points back, and I told myself to just keep steady and not change the game that had got me there - I know I have a bit of a reputation as a choker, so I was determined not to let it happen. "Today was all down to my coach Rodney Martin, he's been working with me for eight years now, and in the past year or so we've been working here in America with a really good group. Without him I wouldn't have been here, and I certainly wouldn't have won that match ... it feels great when everything you've been working on comes together!" Kasey Brown

Matthew squeezes out Shorbagy

If you look at the three games that top seed Nick Matthew won, the scoreline looks pretty convincing. Add to that the fact that the world number one was clearly annoyed with himself at letting the second game slip, and you could be forgiven for thinking that this was a comfortable victory over Mohamed El Shorbagy, the seventh seeded Egyptian. Far from it, as Matthew himself attested after the match, declaring that Shorbagy had at times made him feel "old and slow".  That's not true either, but you get the idea, that although Matthew hard control of the rallies and the match for the most part, he had to work hard to maintain that control. Errors were the Egyptian's undoing in the early part of the match as he fell behind 11/5, but he rallied well, taking a marginal lead from the middle of the second and taking it 11/9 as he squeezed a couple of errors from the Englishman at the end. For the rest of the match it was Shorbagy himself who was being squeezed though, always behind in the score, always under  the pressure that Matthew's pace and early taking of the ball puts his opponents under. Matthew ran out the winner 11/3, 11/6 to move 2-1 ahead in their head to head series, but he certainly knew he'd been in a match.

"He seemed to decide he could take me on down the backhand wall, and he got the better of that battle in the second, but that effort maybe took something out of him, he wasn't able to press as hard after that. "He's like all the Egyptians though, they can score two or three quick points out of nowhere, whereas we English like to build the rallies more, so you have to be on your toes all the time. "I managed to keep the momentum for most of the match, and he was having to work harder than me, but he still managed to make me feel old and slow at times! He'll be around for a long time, well after I've gone, and he'll be a nightmare to play ..." Nick Matthew

Willstrop makes all-English semi

James Willstrop and Peter Barker are certainly no strangers to each other, having played countless times as Juniors, and prior to tonight had contested a baker's dozen (that's 13) PSA matches. The only one of those that Barker won was the last one, earlier this year in Canary Wharf, so both had extra reason to want to win tonight, as if making the semi-finals of a World Series event wasn't enough. As you would expect, between the third and fifth seeds, there was never a lot in it. Willstrop made a good start, going 5/1 and then 7/3 up in the first, but Barker struck back with eight points in a row to take the lead 11/7. From 3-all in the second it was Willstrop's turn to string points together as he pulled away to 7/4, finishing it off 11/5. Another 5/1 lead in the third for Willstrop, who was beginning to patrol the 'T' more effectively now, and although Barker battled back he could never close the gap as Willstrop regained the lead 11/6. After a tight opening to the fourth it was Willstrop's advantage again, from 2/3 down he pulled clear to 7/3 with an outrageous volley kill, but four points in a row from Barker threatened to take us into a decider. Not to be though, Barker snatched at a  volley kill, tinned it, floored another one at 9/7 down before Willstrop manoeuvred him out of position opening up an easy put away deep to take the match 11/7.

"It was just a tough, hard, game. You can't expect to win 3/0 every time so when I lost the first I just kept on playing my game. "You have to work it out, it's a mental and a physical battle, we were both getting control of the 'T' at times and matches like that come down to very fine margins but I managed to take the important points tonight. "I'm feeling pretty fit at the moment, but then we've had a Summer's training and the season's only just begun, if you don't feel fit at the moment you've got no chance …" James Willstrop

Anjema ousts Palmer, Rachael ends Raneem's run ...

It was the last sixteen round of both the men's and women's championships today at the Daskalakis Athletic Center at Drexel University in Philadelphia, with eight matches in a row - upstairs on the glass court for the men, and downstairs on the traditional court for the women. There was a strong England v Egypt flavour to the men's draw with fully half of the matches featuring one player from each nation, and honours were shared as Mohamed El Shorbagy, Nick Matthew, Peter Barker and Amr Shabana all progressed, as the seedings predicted they would. James Willstrop made it three Englishmen in the last eight as he beat compatriot Daryl Selby, and an English semi-finalist is assured with Willstrop set to meet Barker in the quarters while Matthew faces El Shorbagy. In the bottom half of the draw Shabana will meet Dutchman LJ Anjema, who was delighted to upset the seedings in recording his first PSA victory over veteran Australian David Palmer, the eighth seed. The remaining quarter-final will be between France's sixth seed Thierry Lincou, who narrowly escaped being taken to four ames by speedy Colombian Miguel Angel Rodrigues, and unseeded Malaysian Azlan Iskandar, who consolidated his win over injured second seed Karim Darwish yesterday with a straight-games win over Swiss qualifier Nicolas Mueller. There was just one upset in the women's draw as Hong Kong's Annie Au eased past a struggling Omneya Abdel Kawy, the seventh seed from Egypt, but none of the remaining seven seeds had it all their own way. In the opening match of the day France's eighth-seeded Camille Serme had to battle back from two games down to US veteran Latasha Khan, while third seeded Australian Rachael Grinham also came from two games down and saved match balls in the process of beating in-form Egyptian Raneem El Weleily 14/12 in the fifth. In the quarter-finals Au faces second seed Jenny Duncalf, who ended home interest with a straight-game defeat of Amanda Sobhy, while Grinham also meets English opposition in the form of Laura Massaro, who beat qualifier Delia Arnold after dropping the first game. In the top half of the draw, Serme will play Ireland's third seeded Madeline Perry, and top seed Nicol David meets Australia's Kasey Brown for the fifth time in little over a year.

Men's Round Two : [7] Mohamed El Shorbagy (Egy) bt Tom Richards (Eng)   11/2, 11/6, 8/11, 11/4 (53m) [1] Nick Matthew (Eng) bt Omar Mosaad (Egy)   11/8, 11/3, 11/5 (49m) [5] Peter Barker (Eng) bt Hisham Ashour (Egy) 11/9, 11/6, 11/4 (40m) [3] James Willstrop (Eng) bt Daryl Selby (Eng)   11/7, 11/5, 11/6 (48m) Laurens Jan Anjema (Ned) bt [8] David Palmer (Aus)   7/11, 11/5, 11/3, 11/9 (76m) [4] Amr Shabana (Egy) bt  Adrian Grant (Eng) 6/11, 11/6, 11/5, 11/7 (51m) [6] Thierry Lincou (Fra) bt Miguel Angel Rodriguez (Col) 7/11, 11/6, 11/4, 13/11 (69m) Azlan Iskandar (Mas) bt [Q] Nicolas Mueller (Sui)  11/6, 11/7, 11/3 (42m)

Women's Round One: [1] Nicol David (Mas) bt Joelle King (Nzl)   11/13, 11/8, 11/6, 11/5 (55m) [6] Kasey Brown (Aus) bt [Q] Dipika Pallikal (Ind)   11/8, 11/8, 11/6 (44m) [8] Camille Serme (Fra) bt Latasha Khan (Usa)   10/12, 3/11, 11/9, 11/7, 118 (67m) [3] Madeline Perry (Irl) bt [Q] Donna Urquhart (Aus)  11/6, 13/11, 8/11, 11/5 (52m) [4] Rachael Grinham (Aus) bt Raneem El Weleily (Egy)  8/11, 5/11, 11/9, 11/9, 14/12 (58m) [5] Laura Massaro (Eng) bt [Q] Delia Arnold (Mas) 11/13, 11/4, 11/6, 11/4 (46m) Annie Au (Hkg)  bt [7] Omneya Abdel Kawy (Egy)  11/1, 11/1, 11/3 (17m) [2] Jenny Duncalf (Eng) bt  [Q] Amanda Sobhy (Usa) 12/10, 11/6, 11/5 (27m)

Shorbagy regains his focus

After a very good opening from Mohamed El Shorbagy, Tom Richards started to get into this first of three consecutive Egypt v England matches to open the men's second round at the Dalsalkis Athletic Centre in Drexel University, Philadelphia. The Egyptian took the first game comfortably, 11/2, the second less so but still with something to spare, 11/6. Richards was getting frustrated with himself and the bounce of the ball, and got a conduct warning for dropping his racket at the end of the second, while Shorbagy was getting frustrated with some of the refereeing decisions. Not really sure why - he asked for a video review on an obvious decision, which was upheld, and the review system had to be explained to him, which seemed strange. The Englishman took advantage to pull a game back, clearing away from 7-all in the third, but Shorbagy reasserted in the fourth to take it with something to spare and reach the quarter-finals.

Hisham cut short

Peter Barker was already ahead in the second of the England v Egypt clashes, taking an early lead in his first game against Hisham Ashour and fending off the Egyptian's attempted comeback to take it 11/9. It was shaping to be a good contest, was this repeat of their World Team final encounter in Paderborn, but mid-way through the second Ashour lunged for the ball and something clearly 'went', the pain on his face and his restricted movement for the rest of the match told the story. Barker went on to win 11/6, 11/4 and paid credit to his opponent in carrying on where many would have stopped.

Matthew and Willstrop make it an English afternoon

Not that it will be any consolation for the reverse in the World Team final a few weeks ago, but Nick Matthew made it 2-1 to England in the final match of a trio of English versus Egyptian players to open proceedings on the glass court. Omar Mosaad fully tested the world number one in the opening game, holding a few points' lead before Matthew finally closed it out with some typically solid play in the final few points to take it 11/8. That game lasted for just about half of the 49 minute duration, which serves to say that the Englishman, while not completely dominant, was definitely in control of proceedings as he finished the match off  11/3, 11/5. "The first game was long and drawn out, he came with a strategy and stuck to it well," said Matthew.  It wasn't physically demanding as such, more a mental battle with lots of slow raiiles. I was a bit sluggish at the start and left too many things hanging out on his forehand. "I managed to claw back the few points lead he had and was more comfortable after that." James Willstrop made it three out of four Englishman through to the quarters in the top half of the draw as he beat compatriot Daryl Selby in straight games. The third seed pulled clear from the middle of the 20-minute first game, took a 6/0 lead on the way to doubling his advantage in the 12-minute second, and took five points in a row in the third with Selby losing interest in the last couple of points to finish it off  in 48 minutes.

LJ gets his win

Laurens Jan Anjema had beaten David Palmer in a playoff match in the World Teams in Paderborn a few weeks ago, but the veteran Aussie had always had the edge over the Dutchman in PSA encounters. And if the first game was anything to go by, it looked as though that run would continue as Palmer controlled proceedings to take it 11/7 with a fun of six points after being 5/7 down. He took a 5/2 lead in the second too, but then the momentum swung and it was Anjema on top and in control as he took the second 11/6, finished off a 7/0 start in the third 11/3, and at 7/2 in the fourth it looked all over. But Palmer dug in, as he does, and slowly but surely brought it back to 7-all. There were a few decisions required of the referees and Palmer in particular wished he hadn't used up his video review early in the game. It was an edgy finish, but after losing his first match ball chance, at 10/9 LJ chanced his arm, hit the nick, and raised both arms in the air … "I just tried to play my own game and not panic after losing the first. I was pleased to have recovered so well, but it was nerve-wracking at the end, getting those last five points. "He was one of my idols when I was growing up, so to beat him for the first time in PSA is pretty special. It was a mental victory tonight, I decided to take a risk at the end and thankfully it came off. I hope I can be a bit steadier for the whole match next round …"

Shabana shows his class

The fourth Egypt-England clash of the day was a repeat of Amr Shabana and Adrian Grant's encounter at the quarter-final stage of the British Grand Prix a week ago. The Egyptian won that one in three close games, Grant threatening to take each one, but this he did more than threaten as he took the lead 11/6. Thereafter though, Shabana showed why he's a four-time world champion,  generally controlling the play without looking overly troubled or hurried, and try as he might Grant couldn't knock him out of his stride as the Egyptian took the next three games 11/6, 11/5, 11/7 to move into a quarter-final with Anjema. "I just played him a few days ago, and he upped his pace right from the start which took me a little by surprise," said Shabana. "He has good touch too so it's tricky to hold him off, so it was good to be able to take those three games. "I'm just trying to stay healthy and listen to my body, I'll take the rest day tomorrow and hopefully be ready for the rest of the tournament."  

Azlan takes advantage, Lincou keeps Rodrigues at bay

The final matches of the day saw the two favoured players go through, both calling on their experience to keep potentially tricky opponents at bay. Azlan Iskandar, having had the benefit of taking on an injured second seed yesterday, was in no mood to let the opportunity of progressing deep into the draw slip as he kept young Swiss Nicolas Mueller on a tight rein, winning 11/6, 11/7, 11/3 in 42 minutes. "Hats off to him, he's improved a lot in the last year and is beginning to really push the top guys," Iskandar said of his opponent. "But I went in with a game plan and stuck to it." Thierry Lincou also had to keep a watchful eye on his opponent, speedy Colombian Miguel Angel Rodrigues. That's easier said than done of course, as Miguel chases the ball and plays it from and into positions like no other. The Frenchman kept a lid on those antics pretty well after losing the first game 7/11, taking the lead with games of 11/6 and 11/4 and restricting the Colombian's opportunities to put his foot down by pinning him to the back corners. Rodrigues managed to eke out an advantage in the fourth though, and a couple of French errors helped him to extend it to 10/6. Lincou has far too much experience to panic in these situations though, and in a series of long, patient rallies - you could sense the Colombian just waiting for an opportunity to launch himself at something, anything, but the opportunities never came - he saved five game balls then took the match on his own first opportunity, putting in a clinging dropshot that Rodrigues' racket could only brush into the floor. "He's a very unusual opponent," said a relieved Frenchman, "so fast and such an exciting style of play. You think you've hit a winner and it comes back, you have to start all over again, and you have to be alert all the time, on every shot. I really had to use my experience to counter him."

Serme Scrapes past Khan

Hosts USA very nearly had a big upset to celebrate in the first women's match, when veteran and many-time US champion Latasha Khan held a two-game lead over the seventh seeded Camille Serme. The Frenchwoman was making a lot of uncharacteristic unforced errors, yes, but Khan was playing well, you really couldn't tell who was 'supposed' to win. Having taken a close first game 12/10 on her third game ball, Khan breezed through the second 11/3 and in a point-for-point third game got as close as 8-all before Serme managed to calm her nerves taking it 11/9. Camille seemed to have past the crisis as she built a lead in the fourth, but those careless errors were still there, but she held on to take it 11/7 and force the decider. At 7/3 it looked all over for Latasha, but she fought back well, taking it to 8-all before a very relieved Camille took the final three points. "Terrible," was Camille's instant verdict. "She played really well, played the right game and outplayed me tactically for the first two games. I was so nervous, and made so many easy mistakes, I had to fight myself before I could even think about fighting my opponent. "It happens sometimes, I'm just glad I managed to win in the end and I hope I can play better in the next round …"

Nicol finds her stride

"It's not as if I made a slow start," said women's top seed Nicol David after completing a 3/1 win over New Zealand's Joelle King, "but she came out at 100 miles an hour in the first and it took me a little while to adjust." King took that first 13/11, having come from 3/6 down to earn game balls at 10/9 and 11/10, but she never led in the next two games as the Malaysian who has dominated the women's game for half a decade took them 11/8, 11/6 to take the lead. King led 4/2 in the fourth, but David, well into her comfort zone by now, reeled off eight points in a row before winning the match on her second match ball.

Kasey dashes Dipika's hopes

After a long nailbititer in yesterday's qualifying finals it would have been asking a lot of Dipika Pallikal to do much more than make it hard for sixth seed Kasey Brown, but the Indian youngster certainly did that, making the Aussie work hard for her straight-game, 11/8, 11/8, 11/6 win. Pallikal led in the first, 5/3 then 8/5, but after Brown had picked off six in a row to take the lead she was generally, not that it was ever easy with Pallikal always likely to find an unlikely winner form somewhere. "Yesterday's match maybe took a little out of her, but sShe can hit some amazing winners," admitted Brown. "You have to try to match her and take it in short first  if you can, which I think I was doing fairly well today. "I think there's something wrong with the WISPA computer, I've been drawn to play Nicol in the quarters five times recently! Still, I'll be trying to put into practice a few things I've been working on with my coach, and see if I can put a stop to that run of defeats …"

Perry avoids Donna repeat

"I probably should have won that in three," said a relieved Madeline Perry after beating Australian qualifier Donna Urquhart 3/1 in the fourth women's match of the day. The Northern Irish woman took the first comfortably enough 11/6, came from 10/8 down to win the second on extra points 13/11, but then lost five points in a row from 8/6 up in the third as Urquhart threatened to make the sort of comeback she did against Perry in the Cayman Islands. Perry avoided the potential crisis though, quickly going 6/2 up in the third before finishing it off 11/5 to set up a quarter-final with Camille Serme. "I thought I had it at 8/6 in the third," she admitted, "but she took a few quick points and suddenly we were into another game. It was always in the back of my mind that I lost to her from two-nil up in Cayman, so I made sure I came out fast at the start of the third and felt pretty comfortable after I got a lead."

Rachael ends Raneem's run

Raneem El Weleily had beaten four top ten players in a row in winning the Carol Weymuller title in Brooklyn a week ago, so world number three Rachael Grinham was well within the sights of the rising young Egyptian's radar, especially when  Raneem took the first two games 11/8, 11/5. "I knew she had fantastic shots," admitted Grinham after the match, "so I started off trying to keep it tight and play a bit safer than I normally would. "But that wasn't working, so I though I'd just have to go for it." Go for it she did, and what resulted was a feast of attacking squash from both players that the crowd on the traditional courts, two floors below the glass court which they were both trying to book their next match on, watched with thorough enjoyment and at times disbelief. There was never anything approaching a decent lead for either of them throughout the five games, as the Australian took the next two 11/9, 11/9, and the fifth went point for point up to 9-all. Raneem got a matchball 10/9, then another at 11/10, and a third at 12/11 as both players scampered around the court at breakneck speed. Rachael's opportunity came at 13/12 and she took it with a delicate wrongfooting crosscourt dropshot to finally put an end to Raneem's run - for now, at least. "I can't believe that was just a first round match," said a relieved but delighted Rachael at the end. "I'll be as sore as hell tomorrow, but I enjoyed that, probably more so because it's the first close match I've won in a long time. I'll be glad of that rest day tomorrow …" Watch the last few rallies

Duncalf ends USA interest, Au takes out last Egyptian

It was far from the 'destruction' that Amanda Sobhy reckoned Jenny Duncalf had inflicted on her in their only other meeting, last year in Australia, but once the English second seed had recovered from a 5/9 deficit in the first to take it 12/10, she was resolutely in control of the match, taking the next two 11/6, 11/5 to finish the match in under half an hour. The same was true for Duncalf's quarter-final opponent Annie Au, who beat seventh seed Omneya Addel Kawy with plenty in reserve, 11/1, 11.1, 11/3 in just 17 minutes. I didn't see any of it but, by all accounts, the Egyptian was carrying an injury and the Hong Kong youngster took full advantage. "She wasn't right," admitted Annie, "but I've seen her come back to win matches from two-nil down so I knew I had to just keep on pressing and not give her the chance to come back into it."

Laura rounds it off

The women's quarter-fin als were completed when Laura Massaro doubled English interest in the bottom half of the draw as she beat Malaysia's Delia Arnold in four games 11/13, 11/4, 11/6, 11/4. "I was disappointed to lose the first after being 10/7 up," admitted Massaro, "but it was a tough game all through, we had some long rallies in all the games. It felt like I played pretty well for most of the match, I did what I needed to do . "I'll have a go on the big court now, so it's good to have a rest day to get some practice on there, it's always very different conditions on the glass court."