Burnt Open QF: Jeeva Gatecrashes Last Four

Malaysia’s Sanjay Jeeva has gatecrashed the semi-finals of the Burnt Squash Open after getting the better of the tournament’s No.3 seed in the last eight in Lakeville, Connecticut.

The Malaysian, who sits nine places below quarter final opponent Abhishek Agarwal in the World Rankings, took a crucial first game in their match on Saturday evening. He won it 12-10, and from there, was in cruise control. He dropped just eight more points en route to a straight games victory, advancing to the last four. Jeeva will now face No.2 seed Seif Shenawy in the semi-finals.

There were no surprises in the top half of the draw, but both top seed Spencer Lovejoy and Nigeria’s Babatunde Ajagbe had to go the distance to advance. The Nigerian took a two-game lead against Muhammad Farhan Hashmi, but the Pakistani forced the match into a fifth game. Ajagbe regrouped to win it 11-9 to advance. Meanwhile, found himself 2-1 down against No.6 seed Abdelrahman Nassar of Egypt. Buoyed on by the home crowd, the American fought back to win the last two games to close out the match in five.

The semi-finals of the Burnt Squash Open will take place on Sunday, October 16, with the last four doing battle in an attempt to reach Monday’s final in Lakeville.

Quarter Final Results: Burnt Squash Open
[1] Spencer Lovejoy (USA) bt [6] Abdelrahman Nassar (EGY) 3-2: 4-11, 11-9, 10-12, 11-6, 11-4 (69m)
[4] Babatunde Ajagbe (NGR) bt [8] Muhammad Farhan Hashmi (PAK) 3-2: 11-8, 11-8, 7-11, 6-11, 11-9 (57m)
[5] Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) bt [3] Abhishek Agarwal (IND) 3-0: 12-10, 11-6, 11-2 (36m)
[2] Seif Shenawy (EGY) bt [7] Hamza Sharif (PAK) 3-1: 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-6 (44m)

Semi-Final Draw: To Be Played Sunday, October 16
[1] Spencer Lovejoy (USA) v [4] Babatunde Ajagbe (NGR)
[5] Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) v [2] Seif Shenawy (EGY)