Friday, January 27: The Morning After
To quote Mitt Romney, "This ain't beanbag." And to quote James Willstrop,"This game is so mental it's ridiculous." Last night's ToC final between Willstrop and Nick Matthew was a highly tense, fiercely competitive a battle, with Matthew demonstrating decisively that he was the fiercer competitor.
Thursday, January 26: Finals
What squash fans have been hoping for all week has come to pass: Yorkshiremen James Willstrop and Nick Matthew, the #1 and #2 ranked players in the world, are meeting tonight in the ToC final.
Wednesday, January 25: Semifinals
Semifinals night!
If you've followed the ToC in years past, you know that this is the night when you're most likely to see magic happen. The remaining players are full of confidence from their earlier wins and hungry to reach the final.
Tuesday, January 24
Women's and Men's Quarterfinals
First off, a word about last night: in my previous post I wrote about potential tensions in the match between Marwan El
Shorbagy and Daryl Selby.
Monday, January 23
Quarter Finals, Bottom Half
Go to our Facebook page to tell us what you think of Matthew's predictions...
There are only two matches in the men's draw tonight, as the women join the action at Grand Central. Let's hope they have a civilizing effect -- otherwise, things could get nasty. Here's a preview:
Sunday, January 22
Ah, yes. Squash junkies have gotten their first fix.
Yesterday evening's match between Miguel Rodriguez and Hisham Ashour was everything you could hope for from the ToC:
Saturday, January 21: Round One, Top Half
First, some thoughts on yesterday’s matches:
Here’s to the Losers. Sports at its best is full of “agony and ecstasy” drama, and we got a good dose of that yesterday. I’m sure the winners are all ecstatic to be moving on to the next round, but for me as a spectator agony had the upper hand.
A Squash Junkie's Daily Guide to the ToC
Friday, January 20: Round One, Bottom Half.
The opening day of the ToC gives us a chance to study in depth the contrasting styles of English and Egyptian squash, with four representatives of each scheduled to play.
Let the Games Begin!
January is the coolest month … especially if you’re a squash enthusiast in New York. Every year around this time you’ll find me with my nose pressed to the glass front wall of the court erected in Grand Central Station for the Tournament of Champions. It’s one of the highlights of my year.
