Challenger Tour Round-Up: Lwamba beats Temwa in Battle of the Brothers; Maqsood Continues Fairytale Week

Skillzea Open 2024 

Lwamba Chileshe got the better of his younger brother Temwa in a five-game marathon to reach the final of the Skillzea Open, where he will play fellow Kiwi Elijah Thomas. 

New Zealand duo Lwamba and Temwa – who both now train in England – were meeting for the ninth time on the PSA Tour, with 25-year-old Lwamba having won six of their previous eight encounters, including each of the last three. 

Lwamba also beat his younger sibling in the recent Oceania Championships final, but lost game one on a tiebreak here, firing a high overhand forehand into the tin on game ball. 

He turned things in his favour by winning the next two games 11-6, 11-9, but 23-year-old Temwa was not done there, forcing a decider which took the game past the two-hour mark. 

Ultimately, though, it would be Lwamba who came out on top, gluing a backhand drive to the left-hand wall on match ball, with Temwa unable to return it. 

Both players acknowledged the small but vocal crowd as they headed off court, with Lwamba turning his attentions to tomorrow’s final. 

Standing in his way there will be fourth seed Thomas, who ended the run of 15-year-old Egyptian star Adam Hawal. 

Hawal had beaten the first and eighth seeds in rounds two and three, both in five games, but another upset would prove to be one step too far. 

He did take the first game 11-8, but home favourite Thomas made his superior experience count from there, taking the next three games 11-4, 11-7, 11-7, closing out victory when a Hawal backhand found the tin. 

Gibraltar Open 2024 

Kara Lincou continued her impressive run at the Gibraltar Open, fighting back from two games down to beat seventh seed Sofía Mateos on quarter-finals day.

Lincou has been in good form of late, headlined by an upset win over top seed Kiera Marshall in round two here, but she quickly fell 2-0 behind the her Spanish opponent in this one. 

The young Frenchwoman then appeared to shift the momentum in her favour by easing through games three and four, but Mateos was not about go give in, taking game five all the way to a tiebreak, saving a match ball at 10-9 down. 

But saving another would prove to be a step too far as she clipped the top of the tin on a backhand drop at 11-10 down, albeit so closely that there some confusion as to whether the ball was good. 

Lincou’s win was followed by victory for Egypt’s Barb Sameh over Amelie Haworth in the top half’s other quarter-final, while the bottom half of the draw will pit eighth seed Breanne Flynn against second seed Katerina Tycova in the semis, after both players won 3-1. 

In the men’s draw, top seed Moustafa Elsirty continued his dominance with a straight-games win over Jan Wipperfürth, setting up a semi-final against third seed Rhys Evans, while David Maier and Yuri Farneti upset the Nilo Vidal and Jose Gallegos respectively. 

Open International Vendée Squash 2024 

Top seed Mohamed Nasser remains on course for a second straight PSA Tour title after booking his spot in the Open International Vendée Squash final. 

The young Egyptian was playing fourth seed Laszlo Godde in the second semi-final, and after coming through a tight first couple of games, he cruised to victory in game three, losing only one point to reach the final. 

Nasser’s victory denied the home crowd an all-French final after fifth seed Joshua Phinera had beaten Mohamed Gohar earlier in the day. 

Gohar was targeting just his second PSA Tour final, but went down 11-7, 11-8, 9-11, 14-12 to the 22-year-old Frenchman, who is into his second Challenger Tour final, and his first since 2021. 

Life Time Mississauga Cafe de Khan Challenger presented by Jilani Place 

Local favourite Wasey Maqsood continued his fairytale week at the Life Time Mississauga Cafe de Khan Challenger presented by Jilani Place, cruising past Amin Khan to reach the final four. 

18-year-old Maqsood is playing in just his second ever Challenger Tour event, with this tournament taking place at his home club, but he continued to delight the home crowd, beating fellow Canadian Khan 11-5, 11-7, 11-6. 

He will now play third seed Mohamed Nabil, with the other semi-final set to see top seed Liam Marrison play fourth seed Babatunde Ajagbe. 

The University Of Warwick Open 2024 

Seventh seed Heston Malik fought back from a game down to beat third seed Lewis Doughty and reach the semi-finals of the University Of Warwick Open. 

18-year-old Malik – the younger brother of established PSA Tour players Curtis, Perry and Torrie – was playing in the quarter-finals of a Challenger Tour event for the first time, and fell behind to the experience Doughty after losing a first-game tiebreak 13-11. 

But he controlled proceedings from there, not losing more than six points in any of the next three games to wrap up victory just inside the hour mark, setting up a semi-final matchup with top seed Sam Buckley. 

Buckley saw off the threat of England’s Lewis Anderson 3-0, with the other two quarter-finals also finishing 3-0, as Samuel Osborne-Wylde beat Anthony Rogal, and Miles Jenkins overcame Rory Richmond. 

You can stay up to date with all the results on the PSA Challenger Tour here.