Prospect of third British title drives on Matthew

NICK Matthew begins his bid to lift a third British Open title with an opening round test against Hong Kong’s up-and-coming Max Lee at the O2 Arena today.

By The Newsroom

Published 15th May 2012, 08:57 BST

The world No 2, from Sheffield, is third seed for the men’s draw as he looks to repeat his triumphs from 2006 and 2009.

The 31-year-old has had a fix on the prestigious event ever since it was announced it would be returning to the calendar for the first time since Matthew defeated fierce rival James Willstrop in a memorable final three years ago.

“It’s great to have this tournament back on the calendar,” said Matthew.

“It’s an event we circled at the start of the season to try and make sure I peaked for.”

No 1 seed Willstrop, from Leeds, last night eased into the second round by beating Germany’s Simon Rosner 11-3 11-5 11-7.

In the women’s draw, Harrogate’s world No 2 Jenny Duncalf also gets her campaign underway today, taking on Malaysia’s Delia Arnold, ranked 21 in the world.

Duncalf’s best performance in the event came in the final in 2008 when she lost 3-0 to Nicol David.