1. James Willstrop was born on 15 August 1983 and is an English professional squash player from Yorkshire and formerly the highest ranked player in the world.
15 Facts About James Willstrop
1. 2.
James Willstrop became one of the youngest players to represent the senior England team, making his debut at both the European and World Team Squash Championships in 2003.
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James Willstrop won the bronze medal at the 2005 Men's World Open Squash Championship.
4.
In 2007, James Willstrop won the British National Squash Championships title, beating John White in the final, helped England retain the 2007 Men's World Team Squash Championships title in Chennai, India, and won the English Open, beating fellow Yorkshireman Nick Matthew in the final.
5.
James Willstrop retained his British National title in February 2008, beating fellow Pontefract player Lee Beachill in the final.
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James Willstrop finished runner-up at the British Open for the second time in May 2008, losing in a five-set final to David Palmer.
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In 2009, he reached the semi finals of the 2009 Men's World Open Squash Championship and in January 2010, James Willstrop won his first Tournament of Champions title in New York, defeating World Number 1 Ramy Ashour in the final and dropping only one game during the tournament.
8.
James Willstrop finished runner up to Nick Matthew during the final of the 2010 Men's World Open Squash Championship; it was the first time in the history of the competition that it was an all English final.
9.
In 2011, James Willstrop reached the semi finals of the 2011 Men's World Open Squash Championship and finished runner up with England in the 2011 Men's World Team Squash Championships.
10.
James Willstrop ended his 2011 season by winning 15 matches in a row en route to winning the Hong Kong Open, the Kuwait Open, and The Punj Lloyd PSA Masters.
11.
The rivalry with Matthew continued for many years as James Willstrop struggled to overcome his compatriot.
12.
In 2013, James Willstrop won his third World team title, after winning the 2013 Men's World Team Squash Championships in France.
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James Willstrop won two medals at the 2014 Commonwealth Games; a silver in the singles and a bronze in the doubles.
14.
James Willstrop continued to compete at the highest level into his thirties and won two silver medals in the 2017 Men's World Team Squash Championships and the 2019 Men's World Team Squash Championships.
15.
In 2019 and 2020, James Willstrop won the British National title, beating Daryl Selby and Joel Makin respectively in the finals.