Home hero Max Lee has successfully retained the Buler
Challenge Cup in Hong Kong after beating unseeded
Australian Steven Finitsis in today's final of the PSA
World Tour Challenger 15 squash event in its ninth year at the
Hong Kong Squash Centre.
The 25-year-old Hong Kong number one battled through to the final -
his 10th on the PSA World Tour - without dropping a game.
His 30-year-old opponent was marking his 20th final on the PSA Tour
- and achieved this notable milestone after despatching Malaysia's
Ivan Yuen in straight games.
But
Lee,
spurred on by the home crowd, clinched the seventh title of his
career - but his first since the 2012 Buler success - by overcoming
Finitsis 12-10, 11-3, 11-7.
(both pictured in action left, click image for larger view)
Finitsis Finishes Off No2 Seed Adnan
Unseeded Australian Steven Finitsis produced the biggest
shock in today's quarter-finals of the Buler Challenge Cup in
Hong Kong when he ousted second-seeded Malaysian Mohd
Nafiizwan Adnan to claim a surprise place in the semi-finals of
the PSA World Tour Challenger 15 squash event in its ninth
year at the Hong Kong Squash Centre.
But the 30-year-old Queenslander had to fight back from 2/1 down
before overcoming the world No30 from Terengganu 11-9, 6-11, 8-11,
11-5, 11-5 in 72 minutes. (both
pictured in action right, click image for larger view)
Bidding to become the second Australian to win the title,
Netherlands-based Finitsis now faces a further Malaysian, Ivan
Yuen. The 22-year-old from Kuala Lumpur survived 46-minutes
clash with fellow national Elvinn Keo, beating the
lower-ranked 25-year-old, also from KL, 11-9, 4-11, 11-7, 11-8.
Defending champion Max Lee seems determined to keep the
trophy in local hands. The top seed from Hong Kong scored his second
successive straight games win in the event as he brushed aside
Australian Rex Hedrick 11-4, 11-3, 11-4 in just 28 minutes.
The country's top-ranked player will now face surprise Indian
opponent Harinder Pal Sandhu. The 24-year-old from Chennai
took the surprise scalp of newly-crowned Hong Kong champion Leo
Au in the opening round - then held off a spirited challenge
from fellow countryman Mahesh Mangaonkar before beating the
19-year-old qualifier 11-3, 11-6, 5-11, 2-11, 11-6 in 70 minutes.
