Le Roux Lifts
Cape Town Crown
An all-South
African final brought the Keith Grainger Memorial UCT Open Championship
to an appropriate climax in Cape Town where favourite Shaun le Roux
prevailed over second seed Clinton Leeuw in 106 minutes to win the
inaugural PSA World Tour Challenger 5 squash event at the University
of Cape Town.
Le Roux, the
Cape Town-born world No51, reached the 13th Tour final of his career after
overcoming fellow countryman Thoboki Mohohlo, a qualifier, in the
semi-finals.
Leeuw, the
world No79 who was also born in the host city, took out Englishman Michael
Harris in the other semi to reach his second Tour final on home soil within
a month.
And after Le
Roux took the opening two games in the final, Leeuw battled back to draw level -
and then forced the decider to a tie-break.
But the
higher-ranked top seed held his nerve as Le Roux closed out the match 11-7,
11-7, 9-11, 4-11, 12-10 to earn the eighth PSA World Tour title of his career -
and his second in South Africa.
1st round:
[1] Shaun le Roux (RSA) bt Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) 11-4, 12-10,
12-10 (50m)
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt Alex Ingham (ENG) 10-12, 13-11,
11-3, 11-6 (52m)
[Q] Thoboki Mohohlo (RSA) bt Robert Downer (ENG) 5-11, 7-11, 11-8,
11-1, 11-7 (55m)
[3] Nathan Lake (ENG) bt [WC] Zuko Kubukeli (RSA) 11-8, 11-4, 11-3
(38m)
[Q] Kelvin Ndhlovu (ZAM) bt [4] Joan Lezaud (FRA) 9-11, 3-11,
11-6, 11-4, 11-3 (71m)
Michael Harris (ENG) bt Cameron Stafford (CAY) 13-15, 11-9, 11-6,
11-7 (45m)
[Q] Rodney Durbach (RSA) bt Steven London (ENG) 11-7, 11-7, 11-2
(41m)
[2] Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt [Q] Gary Wheadon (RSA) 12-10, 11-6,
11-3 (34m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Shaun le Roux (RSA) bt Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 11-5,
11-8, 11-7 (48m)
[Q] Thoboki Mohohlo (RSA) bt [3] Nathan Lake (ENG) 11-9, 5-11,
11-5, 11-8 (61m)
Michael Harris (ENG) bt [Q] Kelvin Ndhlovu (ZAM) 11-8, 7-11, 11-7,
11-5 (50m)
[2] Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt [Q] Rodney Durbach (RSA) 11-8, 11-4,
11-4 (35m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Shaun le Roux (RSA) bt [Q] Thoboki Mohohlo (RSA) 11-7, 12-10,
11-4 (52m)
[2] Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt Michael Harris (ENG) 11-9, 11-6, 11-6
(47m)
Final:
[1] Shaun le Roux (RSA) bt [2] Clinton Leeuw (RSA) 11-7, 11-7,
9-11, 4-11, 12-10 (106m)
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