Chris Simpson happy with British Championships performance

  • Published
Chris SimpsonImage source, Getty Images
Image caption,

Chris Simpson lost in the quarter-finals of the Commonwealth Games to Nick Matthew, who won gold

Chris Simpson is happy with how he fared against former world number one and Commonwealth Games champion Nick Matthew at the British Championships.

Guernsey's Simpson lost 11-9 11-8 11-6 to Matthew in the semi-finals, his best showing at the national event.

"I felt that I played really well," Simpson, who kept Matthew on court for 51 minutes, told BBC Radio Guernsey.

"I didn't manage to sneak a game, but, compared to any other player in the draw, I did much better against him."

Simpson has never beaten Matthew, who went on to win the title for a record seventh time, and lost to him at last year's Commonwealth Games and US Open.

"The main thing playing against someone like Nick is to try and concentrate on your own game and try and impose yourself," he said.

"I kept him on court longer and got closer to taking a game than anyone else, so I was quite happy with my performance.

"The difference in standards between myself and someone like Nick, I don't think is that huge, but to make those changes, it's very difficult. They're very small, but very difficult."

Simpson's next event is the Windy City Open in Chicago where he will face Egypt's four-time world champion Amr Shabana in the first round.

Related internet links

The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.