ISLAMABAD, Dec 10: There were surprises no more at the fag end of the $65,000 Bank Alfalah Pakistan Open Squash Championship as eighth seed Englishman James Willstrop squeezed past Anthony Ricketts of Australia to lay his hands on the trophy on Friday.
The final of the high-profile championship played at the Mushaf Squash Complex was a tight affair but Willstrop's cool approach and intelligent execution of shots earned him a well-deserved 6-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-3 victory over his 10th seeded rival.
"It was a tough match and I am delighted to have won, it is such a big event, I am really happy," said Willstrop, the world No 13 who threw his arms up in triumph after his win that was achieved in just about an hour.
Both players made a cautious start to the first game which had to be stopped for a good five minutes with scores tied 3-3 after Ricketts, the world No 14, asked for the court to be mopped up.
As play resumed, Ricketts who conquered defending champion Jonathan Power in the semifinals built up a gradual lead and stayed ahead to take the game in a fine display.
Willstrop, a former world junior champion, made mistakes in the crucial second game hitting the tin quite a few times but recovered in time and pressed ahead after being tied 8-8 to square the match.
It was a neck and neck struggle in the third game and each time Willstrop took the lead, Ricketts bounced back. However, after being 7-7, the Englishman briefly fell behind only to come back and forced the game into a tie-break which he won, gaining a 2-1 advantage in the match.
Any hopes of the final being decided in five games were quickly dashed by Willstrop whose fine drop shots had his rival firmly on the back foot. A 6-1 lead was always going to be hard to wipe out and soon enough Ricketts' challenge came to an end.
Ricketts said he was exhausted having played gruelling games on way to the final. "I had to play matches against (Karim) Darwish and (Jonathan) Power that went to five games, so I was feeling physically flat today and was struggling in the third game."
"James played the right game, he took the ball early and I was playing loose balls." Willstrop said that Ricketts made it hard for him. "The pace of the match was high but I managed to stay in the game and kept playing my shots."
He said that following this victory, he would now hopefully make the top 10 while his opponent agreed that Willstrop had the ingredients to become a world champion. "Yes he has the potential but at the moment, there are six or seven players who can make it; right now there is no one shining through," Ricketts said.
The trophy was presented to Willstrop by Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz who witnessed the entire final which had to be delayed for 15 minutes because of his late arrival. He said on the occasion that it was a pleasure to watch the match and announced a donation of Rs 2 million for the promotion of the game.
The 20th edition of the Pakistan Open did not have a home player compete in the final for only the second time in the history of the tournament and it was also the second occasion that two foreigners featured in the decider.
RESULT (FINAL): James Willstrop (Eng) bt Anthony Ricketts (Aus) 6-11, 11-9, 13-11, 11-3.