Challenger Tour Round-Up: Dowling and Turnbull Complete Aussie Double, Malik Wins 7th Title

Local World LA Open 

Egyptian teenager Mohamad Zakaria reached the first PSA Tour final of his career, beating Colombia’s Matias Knudsen in the Local World LA Open semi-finals. 

Leading 2-0 after winning the first 11-8 and the second 11-3, Zakaria was then assured of his place in the final when Knudsen retired without a point being scored in game three. 

The 16-year-old – runner-up at the World Junior Championships earlier this year – will now play the USA’s Andrew Douglas for the title. 

The No.2 seed enjoyed a relatively comfortable day in the semi-finals himself, seeing off Daniel Poleshchuk 3-0 in just half an hour. 

The 25-year-old will now compete in his fifth final, having won three of the previous four, most recently winning the 2022 Life Time Dallas Open. 

1er Open PSA Féminin de Couzeix/Limoges 

Torrie Malik claimed her seventh PSA Tour title, coming through two epic tie breaks en route to beating Marta Dominguez Fernandez in the 1er Open PSA Féminin de Couzeix/Limoges final. 

Seeded at No.1 and 2 respectively, Ferandez and Malik split the opening two games, each 11-7, before the Spaniard edged in front at 5-3 in the third. 

Malik responded well by winning seven of the next 10 points to give herself games ball at 10-8 up. 

Fernandez saved them both, as she did with the following four, but Malik eventually took her seventh opportunity, closing out a 16-minute game 17-15. 

The fourth game was filled with even more drama, as Fernandez saved match balls at 9-10, 10-11, 11-12 and 12-13, then had a game ball herself at 14-13 up. 

Malik won that rally to avoid going into a decider, and wrapped up victory by winning the two points that followed, ending a back-and-forth match that lasted nearly an hour. 

PVD Squash RI Open 

Veer Chotrani remains on course for back-to-back PSA Tour titles after beating No.2 seed Alfredo Avila in the PVD Squash RI Open semi-finals. 

Chotrani came into this event as a top-100 player for the first time, a feat he achieved by winning the Greenwich Open last week, and now has a shot at further glory, after Avila was forced to retire from their matchup. 

The Indian player would have been sensing glory, anyway, being just one game from victory at the time of the Mexican’s withdrawal, but will no doubt be grateful of the rest ahead of today’s final. 

There, he will take on Australia’s Joseph White, who came through a five-game marathon with Ireland’s Sam Buckley in the last four. 

Logan City Queensland Open 

Jessica Turnbull and Rhys Dowling completed an Australia double at the Logan City Queensland Open, winning their respective finals to lift the trophies. 

Playing Korea’s Mingyeong Heo, Turnbull made life hard for herself by dropping the opening game, but grew into the match as proceedings progressed. 

She took the second 11-8 and the third 11-5 but saved her best for last, storming through the final game without dropping a point. 

Dowling’s win over Ong Sai Hung was a similar tale, in that the Australian improved as the match went on, though unlike Turnbull, he never fell behind in games. 

He took the first on a tie break, 12-10, won the second 11-6, and then cruised to victory in game three, taking it 11-4. 

Swiss Open 

No.1 seed Yannick Wilhelmi lived up to the billing in the Swiss Open, beating second seed and fellow Swiss player Robin Gadola in the men’s final. 

Wilhelmi was the overwhelming favourite coming into the final, but dropped the first game 13-11 to leave himself much to do. 

He levelled by winning the second 11-7 and went on to take the next two to claim the trophy, although he was made to work hard by Gadola, with both games finishing 11-9. 

The women’s final took place the following day, when Egypt’s Amina El Rihany secured her first ever PSA Tour title. 

The unseeded 20-year-old had already beaten three seeded players to reach the final, including No.1 seed Nadia Pfister, and went one better in the final, overcoming England’s Asia Harris 3-1 in a 44-minute final. 

Burnt Squash Open 

The semi-final line-ups were confirmed on day three of the Burnt Squash Open, where rising star Caroline Fouts kept US hopes alive in Lakeville. 

The No.2 seed dropped just 11 points across her 3-0 win over Bruna Marchesi Petrillo, and will now play unseeded Egyptian Malak Taha for a spot in the final. 

In the men’s draw, Abdelrahman Nassar is the highest-remaining seed in the hat, but only after scraping through a 75-minute, five-game battle with fellow Egyptian Mohamed Sharaf. 

Nassar will play Nigeria’s Babatunde Ajagbe for a spot in the final, with the first semi-final being an all-Pakistani affair between Abdul Malik Khan and Ahsan Ayaz. 

Oban Open

Top seed Stuart Macgregor claimed the Oban Open, beating second seed Noah Meredith 3-0 in 37 minutes.

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