The English hope lost in four games to Egypt's world number one Ramy Ashour.

"He's got my number at the minute," admitted a dejected Willstrop after going down 7-11, 11-3, 3-11, 5-11 in a final lasting 40 minutes.

The climax of the $92,500 (£59,357) PSA Super Series event was the 11th meeting of the pair's careers, and their fourth this year - Yorkshireman Willstrop winning the first in the Tournament of Champions final in New York to take the first PSA Super Series title of the year, and Ashour twice gaining his revenge in his home town Cairo and last month in Hong Kong.

Willstrop, the world number six,had claimed an unexpected place in the final after outlasting France's world world number five, Gregory Gaultier, in a 100-minute semi-final marathon.

He led 7-3 in the opening game, but Ashour, the 22-year-old from Cairo who reclaimed the world's top ranking this month from Willstrop's England team-mate Nick Matthew, immediately turned things round by taking the next eight points in a row to win the game.

In a remarkable reversal of fortunes, it was crowd favourite Willstrop who then came out firing - racing to game ball at 10-0 before Ashour picked up a couple of points to prevent a whitewash.

At one game apiece, a more assured Ashour returned for the third and Willstrop seemed unable to match the speed and accuracy of Egypt's latest squash star. 

"It's such a letdown when you can't produce," said the distraught runner-up afterwards. 

"It was too physical - he was just too good.

"I wasn't physically good enough today - I don't know why,"

explained 27-year-old Willstrop, from Leeds. 

"I expected to come out stronger.

"I gave it everything I could."

A jubilant Ashour expressed his delight at competing in the event - and winning his 17th PSA Tour title.

"I'm really glad I came here and really glad to win," he said. 

"I think it was a really good match, but I think we were both tired - James had a very long game yesterday for more than 100 minutes.

"I was a bit stuffed mentally when I arrived here - I was okay physically - but I really pushed myself during the week. James is a great player - I played him in Hong Kong last month, but this was tougher. 

"He has a special kind of game - a mixture of Egyptian and English. 

"It's always great to play him."

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