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World Open 2014: Coppinger's Report
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Top Story: World Open 2014 (Report by Stephen Coppinger)
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Report: What a week in Doha it was for the Men’s World Squash Championships. High drama from start to finish as Ramy Ashour regained the title in a repeat final of the 2012 edition. Few, if any, could have predicted his performance given his recent history of injury and lack of tournament play but; seemingly learning and improving every round he unambiguously declared himself the most remarkable player the sport has ever seen. It was a unique privilege to be able to witness one of the defining matches of the modern era from the courtside.
I was fortunate enough to play my own part in the tournament too as I was able to claim 2 of my biggest scalps to date with wins over Daryl Selby and Tarek Momen (World Ranked 11 & 9 respectively) on route to the Quarter Finals. Along with a tricky 2nd round victory over Malaysian Ong Beng Hee last week was my career’s best tournament result so far. It was especially satisfying given the manner of my victories and how close I was to bombing out in the very first round.
Match vs Selby: 1st Round
Going into the match never having recorded a victory against Daryl in 3 attempts, including last year’s edition of the same tournament, was indeed a little daunting as I had thrown everything I had at him and yet he was still able to emerge on top. This time however, I was armed with a subtle change of strategy and a belief instilled in me by coach: David Palmer. I played 2 and a half perfect games to reach 2-0 & 8-5 ahead, 3 points from upsetting the 8th seed, before it all came crumbling down and I got steamrolled: only winning 3 of the next 20 points for him to level at 2 games all. It took stern words from Palmer urging me to refocus and start the 5th fresh during the interval to get me back on track. The 5th was a fantastic turn around for me as I was able once again to control the coveted ‘T’ position and pounce whenever opportunities presented themselves. Aided by a lucky bounce on the final point of the match I secured my place in the last 32 and one of my best wins.
Match vs Momen: Last 16
Tarek Momen is one of the speediest in the business with incredible touch and dexterity at the front of the court. This match was a rematch from the 1st round of the Qatar World Open 2012 where Tarek beat me in a closely fought 5 setter. Before that match I had worked hard with David on a drill specifically aimed at countering Tarek’s strengths, so despite Tarek’s recent assault on the top players my game plan remained the same and I was quick to lock into it this time around. The first 3 games we were joined at the hip with only 2 points separating the victor each game. I was encouraged to win the 3rd game in a draining tie break to give me a 2-1 advantage and put me within striking distance of the finish line. It felt like everything was falling into place too perfectly as I raced to a lead of 8-2, again within 3 points of victory and a shock quarter final place. Once again I watched my lead evaporate and within minutes we were starting the 5th all square. Having escaped the huge momentum shift in my 1st round I tried to focus everything I had once again on quality squash rather than ruing my missed chances of the previous game. Another pointed message from David helped me to a good start in the 5th before Tarek took the initiative to take a 7-4 lead. A few more frantic rallies and loose cross courts from his racquet enabled me to claw back and eek ahead to find myself with 2 match balls. I felt as if I played at least 5 winning shots in that rally alone only to see Tarek absolutely flying around the court desperate to keep the ball in play, it ended in a let and a chance to refocus once more. A cautious rally followed from both, unwilling to give away position or take unnecessary risks before finally and much to my relief Tarek found the tin on a volley drop and the match was mine.
Match vs El Shorbagy: Quarter-Finals
The next day I was proud of my performance against the current world number 1 Mohamed El Shorbagy as I made him work for every point and never backed down as you so often see after someone has had a great result. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to convert that form into games this time but I hope to be able to use the next couple of months to train hard and give myself a chance at winning matches against players like himself at the top of our sport. My next outing is the Tournament of Champions in the iconic Grand Central Terminal in New York where I have good memories to call upon having also made the Quarter Finals there two years ago. Doha was a great way to finish the year but it only really counts if I can build on that result and mount serious challenges in the New Year. Bring on 2015!!!
