Allam British Open Squash: English duo lose in finals

(left to right) Allam, Gaultier, Matthew

Nick Matthew and Laura Massaro both lost their Allam British Open finals in Hull today as Gregory Gaultier and Nicol David overcame the English world champions.

Massaro lost 3-1 to a dominant David 8-11 11-5 11-7 11-8 who regained the British Open title after losing to Massaro in last year’s final.

David, claiming her fifth British Open title, was thrilled with the result: “To win the British Open means the world, Laura played a great match today and I really had to dig deep to win this title back.”

In the men’s final, a scintillating performance from world number one Gaultier saw off Matthew 11-3 11-6 11-2 in 45 minutes.

"Greg got off to a great start and that was key, he just carried it on. Sometimes you just have to say someone is too good, and I think that is the case today,” Matthew said.

The finals were watched by sponsor and Hull City owner Dr. Assem Allam who arrived from London following his side’s 3-2 FA Cup final defeat against Arsenal on Saturday.

“The finals were most enjoyable. I managed to come from London just in time, it was a rush. We had a late night last night because we had a party for the players and their families, but we managed to make it.

“Squash means a lot to me, that’s why I sponsored the tournament. It is a family interest, not just mine. It isn’t like a corporate sponsorship, it’s a family thing. My children play squash, my grandchildren play squash. It has been in the family for a long time,” Allam said.

Matthew and Massaro will now take some time off from training before their preparations for the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow begin.