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PSA Challenger
5 Fairmount AC Open,
King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, USA
Balbo Battles
To Fairmount Success
After ending
his first final appearance of the year as runner-up, Frenchman Julien Balbo
fared better in the second when he won the Fairmount AC Open, the PSA
World Tour Challenger 5 squash event in its first year at the Fairmount
Athletic Club in King of Prussia in the US state of Pennsylvania.
Balbo, the
Grenoble-born top seed, avoided meeting any seeded opponents until the final -
where he faced Shaun le Roux, the second seed from England.
The
31-year-old Frenchman dropped the opening game - his first of the tournament -
but bounced back to take the next two before Le Roux, ranked 12 places lower in
the world, retired injured midway through the fourth game, with the score
standing at 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 5-3.
Balbo, the
world No70 who celebrated his first final appearance of 2011 at the Rocafort
Open in Spain, celebrated the 10th of his career in Pennsylvania by notching
up his third PSA World Tour title.
1st round:
[1] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt [Q] Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) 11-4, 11-3,
11-2
Lewis Walters (ENG) bt Maxym Leclair (CAN) 11-4, 11-5, 11-7
[Q] Jamie MacAulay (SCO) bt Lyall Paterson (SCO) 11-7, 7-11, 7-11,
11-9, 13-11
Thomas Brinkman (CAN) bt [3] Wade Johnstone (AUS) 11-9, 9-11,
11-9, 11-8
[4] Tyler Hamilton (CAN) bt Josh Cardwell (AUS) 13-11, 11-4, 14-12
Alex Grayson (NZL) bt [Q] Adam Murrills (ENG) 11-8, 11-9, 11-6
Chris Truswell (ENG) bt [Q] Fernando Lopez (MEX) 11-1, 11-4, 11-5
[2] Shaun le Roux (ENG) bt Rory Pennell (ENG) 11-6, 11-5, 11-9
Quarter-finals:
[1] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt Lewis Walters (ENG) 11-7, 15-13, 11-6
Thomas Brinkman (CAN) bt [Q] Jamie MacAulay (SCO) 9-11, 11-8,
11-9, 11-9
[4] Tyler Hamilton (CAN) bt Alex Grayson (NZL) 11-4, 11-7, 15-13
[2] Shaun le Roux (ENG) bt Chris Truswell (ENG) 11-7, 11-7, 11-5
Semi-finals:
[1] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt Thomas Brinkman (CAN) 11-7, 11-6, 11-6
[2] Shaun le Roux (ENG) bt [4] Tyler Hamilton (CAN) 11-6, 11-6,
11-7
Final:
[1] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt [2] Shaun le Roux (ENG) 9-11, 11-9,
11-8, 5-3 ret.
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