RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 Chicago Open, Vernon Hills,
Illinois, USA
Farhan Fightback Reaps Chicago Glory
From two games down in the final of
the Chicago Open, Pakistan's Farhan Zaman staged the
biggest fight-back of his career to win the PSA World Tour
Challenger 10 squash event at Life Time Athletic in
Vernon Hills, Illinois.
Third see Zaman, from Peshawar, faced
30-year-old Mexican Eric Galvez, the No4 seed.
Galvez, who survived three
consecutive tie-break games to see off unseeded Frenchman Joan
Lezaud in the semi-finals, took the opening two games.
But 20-year-old Zaman came back to
draw level - and was leading 8-4 in the fifth when Galvez shook his
hand, unable to compete after suffering a hamstring injury in the
previous round.
"It was 55 minutes of gruelling
squash and Farhan looked delighted to win his second title of the
year - and is looking forward to playing the Phoenix Open, the fifth
tournament of the Life Time Grand Prix Series," said Life Time
Squash Tour Director Andre Maur.
"What a great moment for Farhan as he
had the great Legend Jahangir Khan watching the final and
winning the Chicago Open," added Maur.
The 9-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-2, 8-4
(ret.) triumph marks the third Tour title of Zaman's career.
Zaman, kneeling right, and Galvez are pictured with (standing) Franz
Schwerer (Tournament Director), Tuey Connell, Anil Gidwaney
(Sponsor), Jahangir Khan, Danielle Maur (National Squash
Director for Life Time Fitness) and Andre Maur.
Zaman & Galvez Make Chicago Final
Pakistan's Farhan Zaman and Mexican Eric Galvez will
line up in a surprise Chicago Open final after surviving
tough semi-finals in the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 squash
event at Life Time Athletic in Vernon Hills, Illinois.
Zaman, the third seed from Peshawar, dashed New Zealander Martin
Knight's hopes of a fourth PSA Tour final appearance in two
months when he fought back from a game down to upset the top seed
10-12, 11-7, 11-8, 11-8.
The 20-year-old world No71 is marking the sixth Tour final of his
career.
Fourth seed Galvez ended unseeded Frenchman Joan Lezaud's
impressive run in the event - but the seasoned 30-year-old from
Puebla was taken to tie-breaks in all three games before emerging a
12-10, 12-10, 12-10 victor.
Galvez, a two-time Pan American champion and a former PanAm Games
gold medallist, is celebrating the 24th of final of his career - and
both he and Zaman will be appearing in the second finals of the
year.
But whilst Zaman won the long-established CAS International
on home soil last month, world No91 Galvez will be looking to pick
up his first Tour title in more than two years.
Schnells
Lose Chicago Shootouts
It
was the end of the road for Andrew and Graeme Schnell
in the Chicago Open in the USA when the Canadian brothers
both fell in the quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour Challenger
10 squash event at Life Time Athletic in Vernon Hills,
Illinois.
Qualifier Graeme took a game from Frenchman Joan Lezaud but
was unable to stop the 27-year-old from Aix-en-Provence winning
11-9, 13-11, 4-11, 11-6 to become the only unseeded player to make
the semi-finals.
Lezaud goes on to face fourth seed Eric Galvez after the
30-year-old Mexican battled to a 14-12, 5-11, 11-9, 15-13 victory
over higher-ranked South African Clinton Leeuw.
Andrew Schnell,
the younger but higher-ranked of the Calgary siblings, met his match
in top-seeded New Zealander Martin Knight. The world No47
from Auckland recorded his second straight games win in the event
when he despatched 21-year-old Schnell 11-5, 11-9, 11-7.
Graeme Schnell
(left) and Andrew Schnell pictured with Extended Stay Manager
Beth Mikoley and Hotel sponsor Ashley
Knight will face Farhan Zaman for a place in the final after
the third-seeded Pakistani ended qualifier Karim El Hammamy's
run when he beat the 17-year-old Egyptian 11-7, 8-11, 11-9, 8-11,
11-7.
Lezaud Licks Danish In Chicago
Shake-Up
Unseeded Frenchman Joan Lezaud produced a significant upset
in the first round of the Chicago Open when he upset second
seed Danish Atlas Khan in straight games to secure an
unexpected place in the quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour
Challenger 10 squash event at Life Time Athletic in
Vernon Hills, Illinois, USA.
The 27-year-old from Aix-en-Provence, ranked 114 in the world
(pictured above with tournament organiser Franz Schwerer),
defeated Khan, the world No75 from Pakistan, 11-6, 13-11, 11-7 to
set up a last eight encounter with Canadian Graeme Schnell.
Qualifier Schnell, a 25-year-old from Calgary, booked a surprise
place in the quarter-finals - alongside his younger brother
Andrew Schnell - when he battled back from 2/1 down to overcome
higher-ranked Englishman Lewis Walters 11-7, 4-11, 6-11,
11-9, 11-6.
Schnell junior, aged 21, claimed his anticipated place in the next
round after seeing off fellow countryman David Letourneau
12-10, 11-6, 11-4.
"Pleased to get by Dave Letourneau 3-0 today," tweeted the world
No98 later. "Now for the quarters against Martin (Knight)!"
New Zealander Martin Knight is the event's top seed. The
world No47 from Auckland despatched Pakistan qualifier Muhammad
Saqib Yousaf 11-6, 11-7, 11-8.
A
notable upset took place in the top half of the draw where
17-year-old Egyptian qualifier Karim El Hammamy - the
youngest and lowest-ranked player in the draw - defeated Canadian
hope Michael McCue 11-5, 9-11, 11-3, 11-9.
Playing in only his second PSA Tour event since becoming the
surprise winner of the World Junior Championship title in
Poland in July, Cairo-based teenager El Hammamy now faces Pakistan's
No3 seed Farhan Zaman for a place in the semi-finals.
