DUBAI: The season-ending PSA Dubai World Series Finals reached a thrilling climax Saturday night as two new champions were crowned before a packed house in Burj Park, downtown Dubai.
England’s Laura Massaro capped a superb week by defeating world No. 3 Raneem El Welily in a dramatic five-game thriller 9-11, 11-6, 5-11, 12-10, 11-5, while Frenchman Gregory Gaultier ensured his 2015-16 PSA World Tour season ended on the most positive of notes as he downed Cameron Pilley 3-0.
After downing world No.1 Nour El Sherbini in the last four to avenge last month’s World Championship final defeat, Massaro, the world No.2, continued to play some of her best squash in what was a back-and-forth encounter to come through and collect one of the biggest titles of her career.
“I’m so pleased with my form all week. It was really tough coming off the back of a loss at the World Championship, and it was a big effort to keep training after that. I’m just so pleased that it’s paid off – you go through so much pain and hard work as a squash player. Moments like this make it all worth it.”
The first game saw the pair trade points with El Welily edging it 11-9, before Massaro altered her tactics and played with greater purpose and depth in the second, taking El Welily’s prodigious shot-making skills out of contention.
With the scoreboard tied it was El Welily who upped her game to take the third 5-11, before Massaro hit back to level the match in a tense forth game tie-break. The decisive fifth saw Massaro get out to a string 4-1 lead before she played a sweetly struck backhand winner that set her up for the sprint finish and with the line in sight she hammered home to take the fifth 11-5 and claim the title.
“I told myself it was the final match of the season, and coming on for that fifth game I just told myself it was one game to go,” she said.
“I thought to myself, right finish the year with a title, I just wanted to get my name on a trophy and there was a big reward at the end of it so I’m really happy that it came off.”
“I’m feeling physically in the best shape of my life and mentally, when I’m enjoying my squash then everything else flows. If I’m winning titles and making finals of World Champs then I must be close to my best.
Victory sees Massaro collect over $40,000 in prize money, the single largest prize ever awarded to a female squash player, as part of a tournament that became just the fourth major event to the calendar to offer prize money parity.
“It’s been a privilege to play here all week,” said the 32-year-old.
“We feel a little bit like superstars, we’ve been spoilt, the court is amazing, the venue is amazing, Dubai is amazing. To have equal prize money for the women and to be on a level par with the men in these big events now, the women feel like we deserve it, and I hope that today showed that we do.”
Just four months after suffering an horrific ankle injury that threatened to keep him away from the game for an extended period of time, World Champion Gregory Gaultier , who also won this tournament in 2008 and 2009, was competing without an ankle brace for the first time since his comeback in last March and was in superb form all week, playing a high-pace brand of squash that saw him sweep aside all opposition to claim the 33rd title of his illustrious career.
“I started the season in a great dynamic, winning events such as the US Open and World Championship and was the maybe best player on Tour before the nightmare hit with injury in January,” said Gaultier.
“I had a few months where I didn’t even hit a squash ball until the British Open, when I didn’t even expect I would be back, but my team did a great job. It was only in El Gouna that I felt I was getting back into it and this week I was able to play without tape and move fluently and to end this half of the year with this title is a really positive note, something I’m really pleased with.”
In the opening two games the World No.2 was in commanding form, keeping Pilley at bay despite the Australian playing solid and secure squash.
The third saw Pilley enjoy his best spell of the match as he began to assert himself on the match and take Gaultier’s pace and power away from him, and he managed to keep the match alive by closing it out 11-8. The huge efforts took their toll though as he fell away in the early stages of the fourth to allow Gaultier back in, and the ‘French General’ wasted no time in sealing the title.
“I may be 33 but I still feel young. I’m so much more experienced and I’m professional and disciplined than ever before and I think that makes the difference.
“Now I’m looking to start up again in August in Hong Kong and do what I can now to keep winning major titles. There is no pressure on me anymore, I’m just enjoying it, and I think when there is no stress I play ever better.
“I’m very thankful to Ziad Al-Turki, who has been putting so much effort and bringing the sport up, and the PSA, who have been doing such a fantastic job. We’ve been increasing the prize money, we’ve been adding a lot of tournaments everywhere in the world and it’s fantastic to have such a prestigious event in Dubai finally – we’re really happy for the work those guys do.”
England’s Laura Massaro capped a superb week by defeating world No. 3 Raneem El Welily in a dramatic five-game thriller 9-11, 11-6, 5-11, 12-10, 11-5, while Frenchman Gregory Gaultier ensured his 2015-16 PSA World Tour season ended on the most positive of notes as he downed Cameron Pilley 3-0.
After downing world No.1 Nour El Sherbini in the last four to avenge last month’s World Championship final defeat, Massaro, the world No.2, continued to play some of her best squash in what was a back-and-forth encounter to come through and collect one of the biggest titles of her career.
“I’m so pleased with my form all week. It was really tough coming off the back of a loss at the World Championship, and it was a big effort to keep training after that. I’m just so pleased that it’s paid off – you go through so much pain and hard work as a squash player. Moments like this make it all worth it.”
The first game saw the pair trade points with El Welily edging it 11-9, before Massaro altered her tactics and played with greater purpose and depth in the second, taking El Welily’s prodigious shot-making skills out of contention.
With the scoreboard tied it was El Welily who upped her game to take the third 5-11, before Massaro hit back to level the match in a tense forth game tie-break. The decisive fifth saw Massaro get out to a string 4-1 lead before she played a sweetly struck backhand winner that set her up for the sprint finish and with the line in sight she hammered home to take the fifth 11-5 and claim the title.
“I told myself it was the final match of the season, and coming on for that fifth game I just told myself it was one game to go,” she said.
“I thought to myself, right finish the year with a title, I just wanted to get my name on a trophy and there was a big reward at the end of it so I’m really happy that it came off.”
“I’m feeling physically in the best shape of my life and mentally, when I’m enjoying my squash then everything else flows. If I’m winning titles and making finals of World Champs then I must be close to my best.
Victory sees Massaro collect over $40,000 in prize money, the single largest prize ever awarded to a female squash player, as part of a tournament that became just the fourth major event to the calendar to offer prize money parity.
“It’s been a privilege to play here all week,” said the 32-year-old.
“We feel a little bit like superstars, we’ve been spoilt, the court is amazing, the venue is amazing, Dubai is amazing. To have equal prize money for the women and to be on a level par with the men in these big events now, the women feel like we deserve it, and I hope that today showed that we do.”
Just four months after suffering an horrific ankle injury that threatened to keep him away from the game for an extended period of time, World Champion Gregory Gaultier , who also won this tournament in 2008 and 2009, was competing without an ankle brace for the first time since his comeback in last March and was in superb form all week, playing a high-pace brand of squash that saw him sweep aside all opposition to claim the 33rd title of his illustrious career.
“I started the season in a great dynamic, winning events such as the US Open and World Championship and was the maybe best player on Tour before the nightmare hit with injury in January,” said Gaultier.
“I had a few months where I didn’t even hit a squash ball until the British Open, when I didn’t even expect I would be back, but my team did a great job. It was only in El Gouna that I felt I was getting back into it and this week I was able to play without tape and move fluently and to end this half of the year with this title is a really positive note, something I’m really pleased with.”
In the opening two games the World No.2 was in commanding form, keeping Pilley at bay despite the Australian playing solid and secure squash.
The third saw Pilley enjoy his best spell of the match as he began to assert himself on the match and take Gaultier’s pace and power away from him, and he managed to keep the match alive by closing it out 11-8. The huge efforts took their toll though as he fell away in the early stages of the fourth to allow Gaultier back in, and the ‘French General’ wasted no time in sealing the title.
“I may be 33 but I still feel young. I’m so much more experienced and I’m professional and disciplined than ever before and I think that makes the difference.
“Now I’m looking to start up again in August in Hong Kong and do what I can now to keep winning major titles. There is no pressure on me anymore, I’m just enjoying it, and I think when there is no stress I play ever better.
“I’m very thankful to Ziad Al-Turki, who has been putting so much effort and bringing the sport up, and the PSA, who have been doing such a fantastic job. We’ve been increasing the prize money, we’ve been adding a lot of tournaments everywhere in the world and it’s fantastic to have such a prestigious event in Dubai finally – we’re really happy for the work those guys do.”
