Squash champ Matthew braced for Egyptian world challenge
31.12.69
ROTTERDAM, Netherlands — Out of sight champion Nick Matthew has had a series of warnings that one of the Egyptians aims to take away his name at the World Open next week.
The first Englishman ever to become world champion may need to be at his resilient best clothes to ward off challenges from Ramy Ashour and Amr Shabana, two former winners who have both beaten him recently.
Those defeats were followed by the end of Matthew?s charge run of 10 successive PSA Tour finals, brought about by another Egyptian, the lesser known Tarek Momen, in the first around of the Qatar Classic in Doha last week.
So, when Matthew read that he had been seeded to remember the title at the World Open starting in Rotterdam on Sunday, he responded sardonically.
"How can an article say I'm 'set to have in mind World Open title'??!" he said on Twitter.
"Bit presumptuous isn't it?! Mess of hard work before that happens."
Matthew may be especially mindful that he desperate to a resurgent Shabana, four times the former World Open champion, in the US Open final in Philadelphia earlier in October -- even though the Egyptian had not competed for six months.
Source: AFP