British Squash Open: Nick Matthew begins title defence in thunderous style at London's O2 Of course, the inclement weather failed to hamper the scheduling of this indoor tournament - the British Open back on the world calendar after a three-year gap - while Nick Matthew, the world No 2, did his very best to lift the gloom with a resounding first round victory. The Englishman, bidding for a hat-trick of titles, looked every bit the defending champion, too, as Max Lee, Hong Kong's up and coming star, found to his cost in exiting 11-8, 11-4, 11-6. The cold and testing conditions were perfectly summed up in the closing stages of the third. With Matthew ordering a video replay over a let call, the one-minute wait was enough for the ball to lose its heat and land soft at the back wall on Matthew's next serve, much to Lee's chagrin. Matthew's 45-minute win set up an enticing encounter against compatriot Tom Richards, who overcame a stiff test against Malaysian Ong Beng Hee. Richards, 25, is another from the stable of rising stars in the sport, having recently made his England debut at the European Team Championships. "He will believe he can win against me," said Matthew. He is at that stage of his career where he is ready for that big scalp so I'll have to be aware. Meanwhile, Alan Clyne, Scotland's No 1, crashed out at the first hurdle. The Inverness qualifier, who has risen 40 places to world No 28 in two years, lost 11-9 11-13 11-6, 11-3 to South Africa's Steve Coppinger at the O2 Arena. World No 1 James Willstrop plays Alister Walker, of Botswana, in the second round on Wednesday.