Within days of switching to the new Prince Speedport Black racquet - the latest advance in the brand's revolutionary new O³ technology - James Willstrop progressed beyond his seeding to reach the final of the prestigious Tournament of Champions in New York.

Since signing a worldwide agreement with Prince last August and adopting the O³ Black racquet, Willstrop enjoyed a highly successful remainder of the year by winning the Prince English Grand Prix and Mamut English Open Tour titles, as well as reaching the final of the US Open in New York.  Furthermore, he led England to a successful defence of the World Team Championship title in India in December.

After launching its revolutionary new O³ racquet series in tennis in 2005 - a hugely-successful technology breakthrough which produced an expanded sweetspot (up to 54%) and increased racquet speed, a combination only possible with O³ technology - Prince is now attacking the next frontier in racquet equipment innovation by delivering a line that brings a critical component to a player’s game: Extra Speed.

"The core premise of O³ revolves around oversize string holes (O-Ports), which are ideally suited to improve aerodynamics,” said Roberto Gazzara, director of research and development at Prince.  “By refining the size, location and shape of these ports, we've been able to increase racquet speed dramatically, which improves the ability for players to get their racquet in position, making better ball contact and hitting more clean and precise shots.”

The Speedport Black squash racquet - up to 24% faster through the air than traditional frames - is ideal for players wanting more power and control in an extremely aerodynamic and lightweight frame.

"I do love this racquet - it really is spot on!" said Willstrop after his unexpected success in New York last month.  "It feels so good in the hand and the weight distribution is excellent."

Willstrop follows his PSA Super Series final success in New York by competing in this month's Swedish Open, a 5-star PSA Tour event in Linköping.  The 24-year-old Yorkshireman then returns to England next week where he will defend his British National Championship title at the National Squash Centre in Sportcity, Manchester.

About Prince Sports

Prince Sports, Inc., based in New Jersey, is a recognised leader in game-improvement technologies and engineering-based high-performance sports equipment. Since 1970, Prince and Ektelon have revolutionised tennis, squash and racquetball with innovations including “Oversize,” “Longbody” and “Extender” racquet technologies, Natural Foot Shape footwear technology, Synthetic Gut String and Electronic Ball Machines. Prince gives players speed, stability and a larger sweet spot with O³ racquet technology, building the brand with O³ Original Series (2005), O³ Hybrid (2006), O³ Speedport and Ozone (2007). In 2006, Prince introduced M Series footwear with Precision Tube Technology, an innovation that gives players maximum cushioning, stability and ventilation. Prince Sports has operations on three continents and distribution in over 100 countries.

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