09 December 2004	Thursday	26 Shawwal 1425

ISLAMABAD, Dec 8: Thursday's semi-finals of the Pakistan Open will have no home representation after Shahid Zaman was knocked out by second seed Nick Matthew in an epic quarterfinal on a day that also saw the fall of two big guns - David Palmer and Amr Shabana.

Palmer, the tournament's top seed was sent packing by Canadian defending champion Jonathan Power who won 11-6, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7 while a sore knee forced Egyptian 3rd seed Shabana to concede his match against Englishman James Will strop in the third game losing 9-11, 7-11, 1-0.

Shahid and Matthew were on court for more than an hour at the Mushaf Squash Complex before the Englishman was able to carve out a 11-5, 7-11, 13-15, 11-3, 11-6 victory. The win put him in a semi-final with 8th seed Will strop with Power drawing Australia's Anthony Ricketts who defeated Frenchman Gregory Gaultier, the No 7 seed 11-7, 11-5, 5-11, 11-6. But for the hosts Shahid's elimination was indeed disappointing as he was the lone flag-bearer in the last eight after the defeats in the pre-quarterfinals Tuesday of Mansoor Zaman and Shamsul Islam Khan.

Shahid put up a fine show, bouncing back from a game down to win the next two but then made a big mistake. Instead of making an effort in the crucial fourth game, he just threw it away without a fight perhaps hoping he would leave his best for the last game. But Matthew had other ideas.

Although both players stood level at 4-4, the Englishman broke clear and never looked back, wrapping up the match for what was a well-deserved victory. Shahid, who made the quarterfinals by downing 9th seed Adrian Grant of England and 6th seed Australian Joseph Kneipp, could have made another big cache. That he didn't, he was only himself to blame.

As he did in his match with Kneipp on Tuesday, Shahid's retrieving and drop shots were a treat to watch but on the run of play he made crucial mistakes that allowed Matthew to get on top.

The third game was the best of the four. After falling behind 5- 8, Shahid hit back on an even keel at 8-8 following which it was a neck and neck struggle with scores tied five times, the last at 13-13. Matthew then conceded two quick points, bringing to a close, a game that was literally a thriller.

Pakistan coach Jamshed Gul said that although Shahid did well, it should not be forgotten that he was up against a far superior rival. Power, defending his title he won in 2002, made a stormy start to his quarterfinal with Palmer and led from start to finish in the opening game.

The second game was a mirror-image of the first as the Canadian wound it up in quick time, unleashing a variety of strokes in his arsenal. However, Palmer who had edged Pakistan No 1 Mansoor in the pre quarters, recovered somewhat by winning the third game quite comfortably although he could not keep up the good work and went down in the fourth to lose the match.

Shabana, who seemed to struggle because of his knee, said that he would be back in a big way in 2005. "I had a sore knee before the match and I did my best but to no avail. It was a disappointing year after losing the World Open in Qatar but I hope the next year will be better than this."

RESULTS (QUARTERFINALS): James Willstrop (Eng) bt Amr Shabana (Egy) 11-9, 11-7, 1-0 (retired), Anthony Ricketts (Aus) bt Gregory Gaultier (Fra) 11-7, 11-5, 5-11, 11-6, Nick Matthew (Eng) bt Shahid Zaman (Pak) 11-5, 7-11, 13-15, 11-3, 11-6, Jonathan Power (Can) bt David Palmer (Aus) 11-6, 11-7, 5-11, 11-7.

SEMIFINALS (THURSDAY): James Willstrop (Eng) v Nick Matthew (Eng) 15:00, Jonathan Power (Can) v Anthony Ricketts (Aus) 16:00.