Willstrop falls to Zahed; Nantes semi-finals switch to best of five
By MATT COLES – Squash Mad Correspondent

New Zealand’s Paul Coll and England’s Sarah-Jane Perry are through to the semi finals of the Open de France – Nantes after both surviving scares in their last eight clashes at the Chateau des ducs de Bretagne.

The Kiwi played in the final match of the night at the PSA World Tour Silver event, with play going on past midnight. He overcame Frenchman Mathieu Castagnet, to the anguish of the partisan crowd that had gathered around the glass court at the Chateau.

The first game was tight all the way through, with both men having several game balls as it went into a tie-break. Castagnet was the man to take it 15-13 to take a lead in the match. However, the World No.6 battled back to take the second game, restricting the Frenchman to just three points, as he levelled the match at one game apiece.

The third and deciding game had a little bit of everything, as both the Kiwi and the home favourite put everything on the line for a place in the semi finals. Eventually, after an epic 63 minute battle, it would be ‘Superman’ that would take the victory. He won the third game 11-9 to seal the win, booking his place in the semi finals.

“I am very relieved to get through that. I thought it was quite high quality in the first [game]. I had my opportunities to close it out which would have been nice, and the I played well in the second,” Coll admitted.

“He [Castagnet] is such a fighter, and I always think that I have got him but he just keeps digging in. He looks like he is about to fall over but he keeps going. He is a real pain, but I loved the battle. It was amazing to hear the crowd and the atmosphere, as much as I didn’t enjoy it, I also absolutely loved it.

“I pushed my shoulders back and stood up a bit taller [in the third game]. I told myself to fight and take the last bit of the game to him. It was now or never if I was going to save it. I had a few mental words to myself to push myself to the finish line.

“It is best-of-five tomorrow so it is probably going to be even later than tonight. I am just going to have a good day tomorrow, sleep as long as possible after doing my recovery tonight. Just relax tomorrow, it is a long day because it is not until the evening that we play, so I will probably have a hit and then see what happens.”

Coll will now face Zahed Salem in the last four tonight as the tournament changes to the traditional best-of-five format. The Egyptian got the better of former World No.1 James Willstrop in straight games to make his way into the last four.

The first game saw Salem run out Ito a big lead, as he stayed focussed despite some of Willlstrop’s trademark shots. The Englishman saved four game balls, but Salem eventually got over the line to take it 11-8.

In the second, Willstrop came out fighting, but it would be the World No.14 that would go on to take the victory 11-7. 

“First of all, I want to say thank you to the sponsors because I love this tournament and I am so happy to be back. To be playing in front of this crowd, it is great to be playing for you guys,” Salem said.

“It is always a pleasure to play such a great player. It is not easy to play against him. I lost twice to him in the past, with one of those coming here in Nantes last year. It was five tough games, but today, I wanted to go for the win as we were playing best-of-three, so I pushed really hard to start with and the plan worked well.

“One of my plans was that I was going to give everything in the first game because if you win it, you only need one more push to win the match. I am happy that it worked well and I am proud of how I played. I worked really well in the summer and I am glad to be through to the semi finals.”

Meanwhile in the women’s draw, England’s World No.7 Sarah-Jane Perry had to come from behind to overcome compatriot Emily Whitlock 7-11, 11-8, 11-8 to book her place in the semi-finals in Nantes.

Birmingham-born Perry started off slowly, with Whitlock taking full advantage of her opponent’s start. In her 250th match on the PSA World Tour, she took the first game 11-7 to move into the lead. However, as the reigning Oracle Netsuite Open champion got into the match, her squash improved, and she was able to battle back to take the second and send the tie into a deciding game.

The third was a tight affair, with neither player wanting to give their opponent any ground. But the No.2 seed squeezed home.

“The crowds have been great all week and weirdly, it is really nice when your opponent plays a good rally and they clap, because you then know not to beat yourself up too much. The crowd were fantastic and every point at the end they were up,” Perry said.

“We played in a club match about six months ago and I am not sure that was actually the same player. She [Whitlock] has improved massively and she just came out firing. I watched her the other day and she did the same. It took me a game to get into it, despite telling myself not to do that.

“I had to really dig in there and in the end, I thought I was moving better than I expected to. I think that just about got me over the line in the end. I am happy to come through that because she is playing some really good squash.”

The Englishwoman will face off against US No.1 Amanda Sobhy in the semi-finals, after the World No.8 defeated fellow American Olivia Blatchford Clyne in three games in the opening match of the evening’s action. She began and finished strongly, winning both games by an 11-1 margin after Blatchford-Clyne had taken the second.



“I think that having such an amazing crowd helps, it was just the difficulty of having to play another US team-mate and good friend,” Sobhy admitted about the match.

“I had to just put that out of sight and try to focus on that she was just another opponent. I think we just wanted to come out and put on a good show for this amazing crowd, which I hope we did.

“Impressive is an understatement. This is definitely one of the best venues we are going to play at on tour, and I am just happy to be a part of it. I think that gives all of us a little added incentive because I don’t think any of us want to stop playing in front of this crowd!”

For once, with the Egyptian big guns missing, each semi-final group will feature players from four nations in action.

Open de France – Nantes, Chateau Des Ducs de Bretagne, Nantes, France.

Men’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half):
[4] Zahed Salem (EGY) bt [7] James Willstrop (ENG) 2-0: 11-8, 11-7 (29m)
[2] Paul Coll (NZL) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 2-1: 13-15, 11-3, 11-9 (63m)

Women’s Quarter-Finals (Bottom Half):
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) bt [7] Olivia Blatchford Clyne (USA) 2-1: 11-1, 6-11, 11-1 (25m)
[2] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) beats Emily Whitlock (ENG) 2-1: 7-11, 11-8, 11-8 (34m)

TODAY
Men’s Semi-Finals (Friday September 13):
[6] Gregoire Marche (FRA) v [3] Joel Makin (WAL)
[4] Zahed Salem (EGY) v [2] Paul Coll (NZL)
Women’s Semi-Finals (Friday September 13):
[1] Camille Serme (FRA) v [5] Hania El Hammamy (EGY)
[3] Amanda Sobhy (USA) v [2] Sarah-Jane Perry (ENG) 

Report by MATT COLES (PSA). Edited by ALAN THATCHER.

Pictures courtesy of PSA

Kevin Na had to wait a few extra months to defend his title at A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier, and he appears keen to keep his hands on the hardware.

Na broke a seven-year victory drought last year on the Old White TPC, blitzing the field in the final round for a five-shot win. He's since added another victory at Colonial, but with the revamped PGA Tour schedule he had to wait until September to defend the title he won at this event last July.

Na showed once again why he cruised to victory last year, opening the new wraparound season with a 6-under 64 that featured four birdies in a five-hole stretch on the back nine. It left him in a large tie for second after the opening round, two shots behind leader Robby Shelton.

"I have a lot of good memories here, and I'm excited to be back defending. Nice to see my picture up on the wall and have my own defending champion locker," Na told reporters. "But I played great today. Hit a lot of good shots, made some good putts. Gave myself plenty of opportunities."

Na has not played competitively since a final-round 80 at The Northern Trust nearly a month ago. He qualified for the BMW Championship but withdrew before the no-cut event began, opting to return home to be with his wife, Julianne, who was pregnant with the couple's second child. The couple welcomed a son, Leo, on Aug. 19, and the Nas have already begun adjusting to life as a family of 4.

"I've had a lot of help at home, which is great. I've had plenty of sleep," Na said. "You learn so much having kids. This is our second child, and you learn to appreciate things that you never even thought about. I'm very blessed, our family is very blessed to have two beautiful kids."

Jamaica Tallawahs' Andre Russell was stretchered off the ground by medical staff after a blow to his helmet in the first innings of Jamaica Tallawahs' clash against St Lucia Zouks at Sabina Park on Thursday.

The incident occurred in the 14th over, after Russell, batting on zero, failed to connect with a pull. Zouks pacer Hardus Viljoen had bowled a short ball, and the ball struck Russell's helmet near the right ear.

Russell immediately dropped to the ground and the Zouks fielders then removed his helmet. When the medical team rushed in to check on Russell, the batsman looked weary but stood up on his feet.

Russell was beginning to walk off, retired hurt, when he was made to stop. A stretcher was brought in, and Russell - with a neck brace on - was taken off. At first look, it appeared Russell's helmet did not have a neck guard.

Three overs after the incident, Tallawahs head coach Donovan Miller told the broadcasters that "there was no update on Russell just yet."

Tallawahs finished the first innings on 170 for 5, adding only 38 runs in the last six overs.

The NBA 2K League announced on Thursday that Heat Check Gaming power forward Basil "24K Dropoff" Rose was dismissed and disqualified from joining any of the league's teams for breaking the league's gambling policy.

In a release from the league, an investigation determined that Rose provided inside information to somebody he "knew was betting on NBA 2K League games."

The league maintains that the integrity of games was not compromised, stating: "The investigation did not find that Rose attempted to fix or otherwise improperly participate in any NBA 2K League game."

Rose helped Heat Check Gaming get to the finals of the 2018 playoffs. He was a third-round draft pick by Heat Check Gaming in 2018 and was retained by the team this year.

"Heat Check Gaming believes in the spirit and integrity of competition," the team said in a statement. "We stand behind the league and its ruling."

On Wednesday, Heat Check Gaming protected Stanley "MaJes7ic" Lebron and Juan "Hotshot" Gonzalez" ahead of the Sept. 26 expansion draft that will provide players to a new team for 2020, Hornets Venom GT.

In the 2019 season, Heat Check Gaming finished 17th out of 21 teams with a 6-10 record.

-- Field Level Media

LAS VEGAS -- Vegas Golden Knights defenseman Shea Theodore says he underwent surgery for testicular cancer during the offseason and is expected to make a full recovery.

Theodore revealed his cancer diagnosis and subsequent treatment in an essay Thursday in The Players' Tribune.

Theodore didn't indicate whether he will be ready for the start of training camp but did write that he "can't wait to be back doing what I love." Theodore, who was selected by the Knights in the expansion draft prior to their inaugural season, finished eighth on the team last season with 37 points.

A failed drug test while playing for Team Canada at the world championships in May led to the discovery of the cancer, he wrote.

After receiving his silver medal, he was approached by a man who asked Theodore to accompany him to an isolated room.

"There were four other guys in suits sitting there, waiting for me," he wrote. "That's when I thought, 'O.K. that's weird.' Then they told me the news. I'd failed the drug test that I'd taken before the quarterfinals."

The men told Theodore his sample showed elevated levels of the hormone hCG, which is found in women during pregnancy. Bodybuilders who take anabolic steroids, such as testosterone, will sometimes use hCG to prevent or reverse side effects caused by steroids, such as testicular shrinkage and infertility.

For Theodore, hCG turned out to be an indicator of testicular cancer.

Theodore wrote that he had amazing support from his teammates after the diagnosis and surgery.

He will donate to early-detection causes for every point he records this season and the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation will match that dollar for dollar.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W.Va. – Scott Harrington enjoyed his long-awaited debut as a PGA Tour member.

In his 17th year as a professional, the 38-year-old rookie shot a 6-under 64 on Thursday, leaving him two strokes behind first-round leader Robby Shelton in the A Military Tribute at The Greenbrier.

With all 21 tour rookies and other Korn Ferry Tour graduates in the field, the first round of the PGA Tour's season opener in West Virginia was a chance for the new guys and journeymen to make an impression.

Especially for Harrington.

I always did think I was going to get here," Harrington said. "Even though I'm 38 years old, I feel like I'm every bit as capable of winning out here as any 22 year old. Yeah, age is just a number."

Harrington turned pro in 2003 and played in four PGA Tour events over the next 12 years. He took time off last year to be with his wife, Jenn, who was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphoma. The disease is now in remission.

He locked up his first PGA Tour card with a runner-up finish last month at a Korn Ferry event in his hometown of Portland, Oregon.

In his debut Thursday, Harrington hit just nine fairways and 12 greens in regulation but made four birdies in a five-hole stretch around the turn.

"It was a lot of fun," Harrington said. I'll certainly remember this one for sure. I'll remember it even more if I can put a few more good ones together."

Shelton made eight starts on tour as a non-member in 2016-17. He has his tour card for the first time after winning two Korn Ferry events in May.

"I'm fired up," Shelton said. "Last night it was tough to sleep. I've been waiting for this moment all season."

Starting on the back nine on the Old White TPC, the 24-year-old Shelton made the turn at 3 under and birdied Nos. 1-3. The 8-under 62 is his lowest score on tour.

Defending champion Kevin Na, Lanto Griffin, Mark Hubbard and Zack Sucher matched Harrington at 64.

Na's putter won last year's tournament. On Thursday, his approach shots got him onto the first page of the leaderboard. He had four birdies over his final six holes. Three of his back-nine birdies were putts of under 10 feet.

"I have a lot of good memories here and I'm excited to be back defending," Na said. "Nice to see my picture up on the wall and have my own defending champion locker. It's pretty cool."

Hubbard, who won once in 23 Korn Ferry events last season, had a bogey-free round and is looking for his first top-10 finish since joining the PGA Tour in 2015.

"Finishing 40th every week isn't fun. Grinding to make cuts isn't fun," Hubbard said. "I feel like I needed to go back and get that experience and learn how to win again, and this time around I think I'll find myself in the mix a lot more."

Brian Harman, Sung Kang, Harold Varner III and Jimmy Walker topped the group at 65.

Hank Lebioda birdied seven of his first 11 holes in a 67.

Bryson DeChambeau, at No. 10 the highest-ranked player in the world in the field, had a 68.

Former Marshall player Davey Jude shot 70, two months after his father and caddie, David, was among seven people killed in a helicopter accident in the Bahamas.

LSU Tigers coach Ed Orgeron isn't a fan of the visiting locker room at Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium.

Apparently, he just needed to vent.

After Orgeron complained about the lack of air conditioning in the Tigers' locker room for Saturday's 45-38 victory over the Texas Longhorns in Austin, Texas, UT athletics director Chris Del Conte ordered an internal review to get to the bottom of it.

According to a spreadsheet provided to ESPN by the Texas athletics department on Thursday, the air conditioning was indeed working in LSU's locker room. The spreadsheet showed the thermostat was set to 68 degrees, and the temperature in the locker room averaged about 72-73 degrees. Texas also released charts and graphs showing air flow into the locker room.

The temperature peaked at 74.7 degrees when the game ended, according to UT, which is when LSU's players, coaches and other personnel were re-entering the locker room from the field. Texas' locker rooms are equipped with monitoring systems that measure their temperatures in various areas every 15 minutes.

Now, maybe cooler heads will prevail in the latest dispute between the schools.

Orgeron told reporters on Wednesday that LSU brought its own air conditioners and fans to Texas, after someone at Louisiana Tech notified the Tigers about the stuffy conditions. Texas beat the Bulldogs 45-14 at home in the Aug. 31 opener.

"I did talk to somebody on Louisiana's Tech staff, and they felt it was very hot," Orgeron said. "All I did was make sure we had air conditioners and blowers. We put air conditioners and blowers, I don't know about air conditioners but put blowers on the floor [of the locker room]. Saturday, it was fine, it was a little stuffy in there. Whether the air conditioner was on or not, I'm not sure."

Orgeron laughed when asked what LSU would do when Texas visits next year.

"I'm sure we have a plan or two to make them as comfortable as they can possibly be," Orgeron said.

The temperature at kickoff was upward of 95 degrees, and several LSU players had to leave the game due to cramping and other injuries. Texas had a 19-play, 86-yard touchdown drive on its first possession of the second half. Including timeouts for injuries, the Tigers defense was on the field for more than 16 real-time minutes.

Del Conte said earlier this week that it was the "first we've heard of any issues in that area."

"We provide one of the best visitor setups available and are proud of the efforts we put forth in hosting our guests," Del Conte said in a statement. "Our facilities staff did not receive any complaints from either Louisiana Tech or LSU, and we've confirmed that our air conditioning in the visiting locker room is in good working order."

Representatives for New England Patriots receiver Antonio Brown and Britney Taylor were in discussions over the past few months, but agreed their communication would remain confidential until the filing of Taylor's civil sexual assault lawsuit, sources told ESPN on Thursday.

This, the sources say, is why the Patriots and the Oakland Raiders, who released Brown last weekend, would not have known about the matter unless there was a breach in the confidentiality of those discussions.

Though the exact nature of the talks has not been confirmed, it is common practice for settlement talks to occur before a civil filing.

Taylor, Brown's former trainer, filed a lawsuit with the Southern District of Florida accusing Brown of sexually assaulting her on three occasions. The discussions help explain why Brown did not notify the Raiders or the Patriots about the matter.

Taylor has scheduled a meeting with the NFL for next week, according to a source. The league has the option to place Brown on the commissioner's exempt list -- which would remove him from the team's active list while still being paid -- but might not levy that decision this week.

Brown is expected to meet with the league at some point, and the Patriots -- who signed Brown on Monday, two days after his short-lived, messy tenure with Oakland ended -- have stated they take the matter seriously.

One high-ranking team source said players are not obligated to notify a team about a civil case before signing a free-agent contract. When it rises to a criminal case, he says, that dynamic obviously changes.