Experienced New Zealander Martin Knight captured successive PSA World
Tour titles for the third time in his career after axing home hope
Michael McCue in the final of the Black Knight Canada White Oaks Court
Classic in Niagara on the Lake, Canada.
The 32-year-old took the plaudits at the BDO Northfield Cup in Waterloo
at the beginning of the month and his fine form continued in Canada as
he fought against home support to defeat Canadians Nick Sachvie and
David Baillargeon to secure a 24th PSA World Tour final berth.
McCue, meanwhile, had home support behind him all tournament and
followed up routine 3-0 wins over Babatunde Ajagbe and Micah Franklin to
set up a semi-final clash with Jamaica’s Lewis Walters, who he defeated
in a gladiatorial 3-2 battle.
The final saw Knight start the strongest and he surged to a one-game
lead with a flourish, dropping a solitary point, before McCue finally
established himself on the fixture in the second to restore parity to
proceedings.
A crucial third game went all the way to a tie-break, with Knight
triumphing, and the World No.78 broke McCue’s resistance in the fourth
game as he lost just two points en route to victory, earning an 11th PSA
World Tour title in the process.
Tournament wildcard Fernando Magdaleno came up with a huge shock on the
opening day of action at the Black Knight Canada White Oaks Court
Classic, PSA M5 tournament after the World No.342 overcame third seed
Joe Chapman to reach the next round.
Magdaleno, a 22-year-old from Mexico, is ranked a mammoth 227 places
below Chapman in the World Rankings, but came up with a magnificent
performance to take the win in four games and advance to only the second
quarter-final of his career.
Canadian David Baillargeon lies in wait for Magdaleno in the last eight
after he defeated United States player Dylan Cunningham by the same
scoreline on home soil.
The experienced number one seed Martin Knight also progressed to the
next round as he hunts down an 11th career PSA World Tour title. The
32-year-old from New Zealand won the BDO Northfield Cup earlier this
month and looks to have maintained his fine form after a devastating
display against Kale Wilson saw him set up a quarter-final meeting with
local favourite Nick Sachvie.
Elsewhere, second seed Michael McCue, the highest-ranked Canadian in the
draw at World No.110, moved to within one win of matching his semi-final
finish at last year’s tournament after beating Nigeria’s Babatunde
Ajagbe. He will face Micah Franklin, who received a walkover against
Bryan Cueto, in the next round.
The other quarter-final fixture will be contested by England’s Anthony
Graham and Jamaica’s Lewis Walters after they prevailed over Norway’s
Adrian Ostbye and Canadian Albert Shoihet, respectively.
