Edmonton Squash Club Open: Byrtus Secures Maiden Tour Title

Czech Republic’s Viktor Byrtus claimed his maiden Tour title this weekend, beating India’s Veer Chotrani in the final of the Edmonton Squash Club Open.

The Czech player came into the Challenger 5 level event in Canada as the top seed, and the only member of the world’s top 100 in action. He started his week with a confident performance to see off Egypt’s Abdelrahman Nassar, winning in straight games.

That was followed by a pair of 3-1 victories to reach the final. In the quarter finals, he defeated No.8 seed Matthew Lai, fighting back after losing the first game 11-5 to win in four. He then overcame the challenge of Brazil’s Diego Gobbi in the last four, recovering after losing the second to win 3-1.

The final saw the Czech player take on India’s Veer Chotrani, who had defeated three seeds to make it this far in the competition. It looked like another surprise could be on the cards, as the Indian won the opening game comfortably. However, a quick-fire 11-1 win for Byrtus in the second turned the momentum in his favour, and he went on to win in four games to claim his maiden Tour title.

Results: Edmonton Squash Club Open
Final
[1] Viktor Byrtus (CZE) bt Veer Chotrani (IND) 3-1: 4-11, 11-1, 11-5, 11-8

Semi-Finals
[1] Viktor Byrtus (CZE) bt [3] Diego Gobbi (BRA) 3-1: 12-10, 7-11, 11-5, 11-5 (43m)
Veer Chotrani (IND) bt [2] Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) 3-1: 11-8, 11-5, 12-14, 11-4 (47m)

Quarter Finals
[1] Viktor Byrtus (CZE) bt [8] Matthew Lai (HKG) 3-1: 5-11, 15-13, 11-4, 11-4 (45m)
[3] Diego Gobbi (BRA) bt [5] Liam Marrison (CAN) 3-2: 8-11, 11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6 (55m)
Veer Chotrani (IND) bt [6] Connor Turk (CAN) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-4 (27m)
[2] Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) bt [7] Harley Lam (HKG) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-8 (35m)

First Round
[1] Viktor Byrtus (CZE) bt Abdelrahman Nassar (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-4, 11-7 (25m)
[8] Matthew Lai (HKG) bt Amaad Fareed (PAK) 3-1: 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-9 (35m)
[5] Liam Marrison (CAN) bt Lewis Doughty (ENG) 3-0: 11-1, 11-3, 11-5 (23m)
[3] Diego Gobbi (BRA) bt Chung Yat Long (HKG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-5, 11-9 (26m)
Veer Chotrani (IND) bt [4] Joseph White (AUS) 3-1: 11-5, 11-2, 12-14, 11-6
[6] Connor Turk (CAN) bt Cory McCartney (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-9
[7] Harley Lam (HKG) bt [WC] Abdul-Rahman Elnady (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-5
[2] Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) bt Salah Eltorgman (CAN) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-3