Challenger Tour Round-Up: Khan and Irfan Set for Rematch, Fouts and Nivani to Meet in Semis

Chronicle Wealth Guilfoyle PSA Squash Classic 2024 

Stuart Macgregor and Diego Gobbi will go head-to-head for the 9K Chronicle Wealth Guilfoyle PSA Squash Classic title, after both players came through their respective semi-finals in Toronto. 

Whoever wins will claim the biggest crown of their PSA Tour career so far, with Macgregor’s previous two titles coming in 3K events, while Gobbi’s success at the 6K RGSA Open De Squash earlier this season his biggest success. 

The two players are split by only four places in the world rankings, and both spent just under an hour on court in their semi-final wins. 

Macgregor beat Colombia’s Juan Torres 3-1, coming out on top of a lengthy fourth-game tie break to clinch victory, while Gobbi staged a stunning fightback to beat Wales’ Elliott Morris Devred. 

The Brazilian was 10-5 down in the fifth but reeled off seven points on the bounce – saving five match balls in the process – to claim a dramatic win. 

PSA Poznan Open 2024 

The PSA Poznan Open final will pit the No.2 seed against the No.3 seed, with Jakub Solnicky set to play Alasdair Prott for the title. 

No.3 seed Prott had recorded an impressive win over former World No.22 Moustafa Elsirty in the quarter-finals, and followed that up by knocking out top seed Daniel Mekbib in the last four, albeit not in the way he’d have wanted. 

The Czech player was forced to retired at 9-8 up in the second game, having lost the first 11-6, ending the chances of an all-Czech final with Solnicky. 

The No.2 seed had earlier booked his spot in the final with a relatively comfortable 3-0 win over Sohail El Shenawy, taking 46 minutes to record an 11-7, 11-9, 11-8 victory. 

Squash Inspire – Men’s Pro Challenger Tour 2024 presented by Play Squash Academy 

Pakistani duo Muhammad Asim Khan and Muhammad Ashab Irfan will go head-to-head in a Challenger Tour final for the second time in the space of a few weeks, this time at the Squash Inspire – Men’s Pro Challenger Tour presented by Play Squash Academy. 

The pair met in the title decider at the Squash On Fire Open Wild Card Challenge just three weeks ago, with Khan winning 3-2 to book his spot in the Bronze level Squash on Fire Open. 

Irfan will now have his shot at revenge, though, after sinking world junior champion and fellow Pakistani player Hamza Khan 3-0 in the second semi-final. 

That result followed an epic win for Khan over Alejandro Enriquez in the first semi-final. The No.1 seed had to save a match ball at 10-9 down in the fourth, but took control of the fifth after forcing a decider, eventually wrapping up victory in 108 minutes. 

PSA Club Euro Sport 2024 

Hugo Varela and Ivan Perez kept hopes alive of an all-Spanish final at the PSA Club Euro Sport, setting up semi-final matchups with Mohamed Nasser and Owain Taylor respectively. 

No.2 seed Parez is the highest-ranked player remaining in the competition after Varela’s upset over top seed Martin Svec earlier this week, and he will play Welsh No.3 seed Taylor for a spot in the final. 

That semi-final will follow Varela’s matchup with Egyptian No.4 seed Nasser, who will be looking to put an end to what has been somewhat of a fairytale week so far on home soil for the World No.382. 

Underhill Geomatics Sport Central Open 2024 

Two of the USA’s most talented young squash prospects will go head-to-head for a place in the Underhill Geomatics Sport Central Open final, with Caroline Fouts and Riya Navani squaring off in the first semi-final. 

The American pair – just 18 and 17 years of age respectively – are both inside the world’s top 100 and have both made a splash as wildcards on the World Tour already this season. 

They will now meet in British Colombia, Canada, with both players targeting a first PSA Tour title. 

The other semi-final will see Austria’s Jacqueline Peychär play Egyptian No.2 seed Rana Ismail, after they won their respective quarter-finals 3-1 against Lucia Bautista an Ching Hei Fung. 

WR Sturricks Design and Build Lexden RFC Open 2024 

40 matches took place on an action-packed first day at the WR Sturricks Design and Build Lexden RFC Open, with the first three rounds all taking place in one day. 

England’s Olivia Besant was among the big winners of the day, as she knocked out two seeded players en route to her first ever Challenger Tour semi-final. 

The 19-year-old lefty beat French No.3 seed Ana Munos in round two and then Scotland’s Katriona Ross in a five-game thriller later in the day, setting up a semi-final clash with Australia’s No.6 seed Erin Classen. 

The winner of that match will play either in-form Hana Ismail or Malaysia’s Yu Ng Chen for a place in the women’s final, while the men’s final could also feature an unseeded player. 

The Netherlands’ Sam Gerrits knocked out No.3 seed Mitchell Kahnert in round two before beating Scotland’s Martin Ross in the last eight, with England’s Jared Carter now standing between him and a place in the final. 

Top seed Darren Pragasam and No.4 seed Will Salter will contest the other semi-final. 

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