Matthew absorbs Qatar knock and prepares for his world title defence

SHEFFIELD’s Nick Matthew believes his early exit from the recent Qatar Classic could prove to be a “blessing in disguise” as he prepares to defend his World Open title.

The world No 1, from Sheffield, goes into the prestigious event as defending champion having beaten fellow Yorkshireman James Willstrop in Saudi Arabia last November to become the first Englishman to win the title.

Having spent the year as world No 1, Matthew is unsurprisingly the top seed going into the competition but knows from recent experience that will count for little when he begins his bid to retain his crown at Rotterdam’s Victoria Squash Club on Sunday.

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The 31-year-old found himself making an earlier-than-expected exit in last week’s Qatar Classic when – again as top seed – he was well-beaten in the second round by Egypt’s Tarek Momen, ranked 26th in the world.

But while there will have been obvious disappointment at having to take an early flight home, it has allowed Matthew to spend more time preparing for the year’s biggest event.

“Losing so early in Doha obviously wasn’t part of the plan, but it could well prove to be a blessing in disguise,” said Matthew. “It has enabled me to have more time at home preparing for the worlds. You need a reality check sometimes and perhaps mine was in Qatar.”

Matthew, who is again seeded to meet long-time rival Ramy Ashour in next Friday’s final, said he felt no added pressure going into the event as favourite, defending champion and the world’s leading player.

He added: “I don’t think that’s an issue really, particularly after Qatar. If anything, that result has probably taken a bit of pressure off me really.”