Matthew has Classic ambitions

WORLD No 2 Nick Matthew hopes to right some past wrongs by winning his first Canary Wharf Classic title – but he will probably have to find a way past three-time winner and Yorkshire rival James Willstrop to do it.

Although top seed at the East Wintergarden venue, 29-year-old Matthew, from Sheffield, has never won the PSA Super Series event and, if the draw goes according to seedings, can expect to meet Willstrop at the semi-final stage.

The pair have produced some memorable exchanges in recent months, most notably the epic British Open final in Manchester last September which saw Matthew lift the trophy for a second time.

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This year has seen Matthew repeat that success over Willstrop in the finals of the Swedish Open and the British Nationals as well as in the semi-finals at the North American Open.

But 26-year-old Willstrop, from Leeds, showed he has fully recovered from last year's four-month injury lay-off by lifting the first big trophy of 2010 at the Tournament of Champions in New York.

Willstrop faces Pontefract team-mate Saurav Ghosal, from India, in today's first round; Matthew takes on qualifier Chris Ryder, from Leamington Spa.

The big threat from the bottom of the draw will come from former world No 1 and second seed Gregory Gaultier, from France, who faces qualifier Nicholas Mulle (Switzerland).

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For Matthew, winning at Canary Wharf would boost his aim of closing the narrow gap on current world No 1 Ramy Ashour, who is not competing at the event having won the KL Open in Malaysia on Saturday. "I have seriously under-performed at Canary Wharf in the past," said Matthew. "I will be looking to put that right.

"James always does well at Canary Wharf. He has some great memories of victories there down the years and he will be looking to keep that momentum going."

Leeds-based Alister Walker, seeded seventh and world No 13, will face fellow Englishman Tom Richards tomorrow.

World No 1 Nicol David clinched the KL Open title on home turf in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur, winning 11-4 11-2 13-11 against Egypt's Omneya Abdel Kawy, who had defeated Harrogate's Jenny Duncalf in the semi-finals.

Listen to James Willstrop talk about his 2010 hopes at www.yorkshirepost.co.uk/squash.

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