Squash: Willstrop wins Hong Kong Open

HONG KONG: James Willstrop ended the five-year Egyptian stranglehold on the Sun Hung Kai Financial Hong Kong Open title by defeating Karim Darwish in straight games in the tournament’s final. The 28-year-old third-seed from Leeds had been in great form this week, reaching the final without dropping a game. Continuing his fine run, Willstrop dispatched second-seed Darwish 11-5, 11-9, 11-4 in 53 minutes to clinch his first Professional Squash Association (PSA) Tour title since January 2010 and end a run of five successive runner-up finishes over the period. Willstrop’s success also takes him up to third place in the latest 2011 Dunlop PSA World Series Standings.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 22^nd, 2011.