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HSC Open 2022
Men's Draw
29 Jun - 03 Jul
Texas, USA, $3k |
Final:
[1] Arturo Salazar (MEX) bt [2] Alfredo Avila (MEX) 3-0: 11-8, 11-8,
11-9 (35m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Arturo Salazar (MEX) bt [4] Alejandro Reyes (MEX) 11-3, 11-3,
11-5 (25m)
[2] Alfredo Avila (MEX) bt [3] Abhishek Agarwal (IND) 11-6, 9-11, 11-4,
11-7 (60m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Arturo Salazar (MEX) bt [7] Waqas Mehboob (PAK) 11-2, 11-8, 11-9
(26m)
[4] Alejandro Reyes (MEX) bt [6] Allan Nuñez (MEX) 11-9, 10-12, 6-11,
11-6, 11-4 (73m)
[3] Abhishek Agarwal (IND) bt [9/16] Muhammad Huzaifa Ibrahim (PAK)
11-7, 4-11, 11-7, 15-13 (73m)
[2] Alfredo Avila (MEX) bt [9/16] Jeremías Azaña (ARG) 13-11, 11-3, 11-1
(21m)
2nd round:
[1] Arturo Salazar (MEX) bt [9/16] Salah Eltorgman (CAN) 11-6, 11-7,
11-8 (33m)
[7] Waqas Mehboob (PAK) bt [9/16] Vandrick Inman-Benavente (USA) 11-3,
11-3, 11-4 (20m)
[6] Allan Nuñez (MEX) bt [9/16] Jamie Ruggiero (USA) 11-8, 10-12, 12-10,
11-9 (45m)
[4] Alejandro Reyes (MEX) bt [9/16] Alister Walker (BOT) 11-3, 13-15,
11-9, 4-11, 11-4 (55m)
[3] Abhishek Agarwal (IND) bt [9/16] Muhammad Farhan Hashmi (PAK) 12-10,
11-8, 6-11, 11-4 (48m)
[9/16] Muhammad Huzaifa Ibrahim (PAK) bt [5] Hamza Sharif (PAK) 11-6,
11-7, 7-11, 11-9 (41m)
[9/16] Jeremías Azaña (ARG) bt [8] Asyraf Azan (MAS) 11-6, 11-7, 8-11,
11-8 (38m)
[2] Alfredo Avila (MEX) bt [9/16] Mehran Javed (PAK) 11-6, 11-4, 11-3
(24m)
First Round:
Salah Eltorgman (CAN) bt Muhammad Ibrahim Noorani (PAK) 3-0: 11-1,
11-2, 11-7 (16m)
Vandrick Inman-Benavente (USA) bt Salman Rafique (USA) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5,
11-2 (18m)
Jamie Ruggiero (USA) bt [WC] Karamatullah Khan (PAK) 3-0: 11-6, 13-11,
11-6 (40m)
Alister Walker (BOT) bt Faisal Riaz (USA) 3-0: 11-3, 11-2, 11-2 (18m)
Muhammad Farhan Hashmi (PAK) bt [WC] Waleed Khalil (USA) 3-1: 9-11,
13-11, 11-6, 11-5 (43m)
Muhammad Hufaiza Ibrahim (PAK) bt Qadeer Gul (PAK) 3-0: 11-2, 11-2, 11-4
(18m)
Jeremias Azana (ARG) bt Wajiullah Nasim (USA) 3-0: 11-2, 11-5, 11-1
(17m)
Mehran Javed (PAK) bt [WC] Muhammad Sami Ullah (UAE) 3-2: 7-11, 11-6,
11-4, 9-11, 11-7 (54m)
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Salazar Claims First Tour Title In Five Years
Mexico’s Arturo Salazar took the victory at the HSC Open – presented by
Cotidie after defeating compatriot Alfredo Avila to win for the first
time on Tour since his victory at the Manitoba Open back in 2017.
Salazar came into the Challenger 5 level competition as the top seed,
and after receiving a bye through the opening day’s action, the Mexican
got the better of Canadian Salah Eltorgman in straight games to get his
campaign underway.
The World No.63 then defeated Pakistan’s No.7 seed Waqas Mehboob, also
in straight games to move through to the semi-finals where he took on
No.4 seed and compatriot Alejandro Reyes. In the first of two
all-Mexican clashes for Salazar, he dropped just 11 points to win in 25
minutes, advancing to the final.
The final saw Salazar take on fellow Mexican Alfredo Avila, the No.2
seed, and he was able to continue his incredible run through the event
without dropping a game, beating his compatriot in straight games in
just 35 minutes, securing his first title since 2017, and the twelfth
overall of his career.
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Salazar
And Avilla To Meet In Final
After the shocks and spoils of the early rounds at the HSC Open –
presented by Cotidie, the final will see the top two seeds, in Mexico’s
Arturo Salazar and Alfredo Avila, do battle for the Challenger 5 level
title on Sunday afternoon at the Houston Squash Club in the United
States.
Salazar, the top seed for the competition, came through his semi-final
with ease, as he dropped just 11 points against compatriot and No.4 seed
Alejandro Reyes to reach the final. The former World No.36 won out 11-3,
11-3, 11-5 in just 25 minutes to guarantee a spot in the final.
He will now face fellow Mexican Alfredo Avila in that final on Sunday in
Houston, after the World No.81 downed India’s Abhishek Agarwal in the
last four. The pair were level after two games, with Agarwal recovering
from a one-game deficit, but he could not keep that momentum, with Avila
fighting back to win in four, and to move through to yet another final
on Tour.
The final of the HSC Open – presented by Cotidie will take place on
Sunday, July 3, with Mexico’s Arturo Salazar and Alfredo Avila doing
battle for the crown. You can follow the live scores for the event on
the PSA World Tour’s website. |
Agarwal
Joins Mexican Trio In Semis
The semi-finals of the HSC Open – presented by Cotidie are set, with
India’s Abhishek Agarwal joining a trio of Mexicans in the last four, as
the top four seeds all safely made it through to the semis of the
Challenger 5 level competition.
Agarwal is the No.3 seed for the tournament, and the Indian took on the
local favourite Muhammad Hufaiza Ibrahim in the quarter finals, after
the Pakistani had already knocked out a higher-ranked player to make it
through to the last four. The pair were level after two games, but
Agarwal then showed his class, and following a tie-break win in the
fourth game 15-13, he wrapped the victory up, to advance to the semis.
He will now face No.2 seed Alfredo Avila in the last four of the
competition after the Mexican defeated Argentina’s Jeremias Azana in an
all-Americas clash, with the first game being crucial to his victory.
Avila took it 13-11, before dropping just four points across the next
two games as he clinched the victory in three.
The other semi-final will see top seed Arturo Salazar take on compatriot
Alejandro Reyes for a place in the final of the Challenger 5 level event
in Houston. Salazar got the better of Waqas Mehboob in straight games to
reach the last four, while Reyes needed to go the distance against
another Mexican, in No.6 seed Allan Nunez.
The semi-finals of the HSC Open – presented by Cotidie will take place
on Saturday, July 2 at Houston Squash Club, and you can keep up to dat
with the live scores from the event on the PSA World Tour’s website. |
Ibrahim And Azana Break Into Quarters
The second round of the HSC Open – presented by Cotidie threw up two
more surprises, with local youngster Muhammad Hufaiza Ibrahim and
Argentina’s Jeremias Azana making it into the quarter finals of the
competition.
Ibrahim had already caused an upset on the opening day of the
competition, and he took on No.5 seed Hamza Sharif, also of Pakistan,
for a spot in the last eight. The pair did battle for 41 minutes, with
Ibrahim coming out on top in four games, delighting the home crowd in
Houston.
He will be joined in the last eight by Argentina’s Jeremias Azana, who
overcame No.8 seed Asyraf Azan, also in four games. The South American
took the first two games to hold a commanding lead in the contest,
before the Malaysian fought back to win the third. However, Azana
regrouped to win the fourth 11-9, advancing to the quarters in Houston.
The top four seeds all safely made their way into the quarters, with a
trio of Mexicans amongst them. Arturo Salazar, Alfredo Avila and
Alejandro Reyes are all into the last eight, with India’s Abhishek
Agarwal also safely into the quarter finals.
The quarter finals of the HSC Open – presented by Cotidie will take
place on Friday, July 1, with Ibrahim and Azana aiming to continue their
knockout runs in the tournament. |
Seeds Advance On Opening Day In Houston
There were no surprises in the opening round of the HSC Open – presented
by Cotidie, with the eight players in the 9/16 seeding bracket making
their way into the second round at the Houston Squash Club.
The local pairing of Vandrick Inman-Benavente and Muhammad Hufaiza
Ibrahim both secured victories on the opening day of competition, with
the former being one of two Americans to make it into the second round,
along with Jamie Ruggiero.
Ibrahim was one of three Pakistanis to advance to the last 16 in
Houston, with Muhammad Farhan Hashmi and Mehran Javed among those also
making it through. Argentina’s Jeremias Azana, Canadian Salah Eltorgman
and Botswana’s Alister Walker also joined them in the second round.
The second round of the HSC Open – presented by Cotidie will see the
seeded eight players get their campaigns underway at the Houston Squash
Club,
follow
PSA Challenger Events on Twitter or Facebook. |
Preview
The only event taking place in North America this week will be the HSC
Open – presented by Cotidie, which will take place from Wednesday, June
29 to Sunday, July 3 at the Houston Squash Club in Texas, United States.
The Challenger 5 level will feature two of the world’s top 100, with a
pair of Mexicans seeded to meet in the final on Sunday afternoon.
Mexico’s Arturo Salazar will be the top seed for the competition, with
Alfredo Avila as his nearest competitor for the crown.
India’s Abhishek Agarwal and Mexico’s Alejandro Reyes make up the rest
of the top four seeds, with Pakistan’s Hamza Sharif and Waqas Mehboob
among those who are seeded for the competition.
Botswana’s lister Walker, Canada’s Salah Eltorgman, Argentina’s Jeremias
Azana and the United Arab Emirates’ Muhammad Sami Ullah will all be
their nation’s only representatives. There will also be six Americans in
action on home soil, with Jamie Ruggiero as the highest-ranked player.
Both he and Vandrick Inman-Benavente will be among the 9/16 seeds for
the tournament.
The event takes place from Wednesday, June 29 to Sunday, July 3 at the
Houston Squash Club in Texas. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter
and Facebook for daily updates from the event.
For more information on the event, visit the tournament
website or follow
PSA Challenger Events on Twitter or Facebook. |
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