Challenger Tour Round-Up: Silva & Seelan Win Maiden Titles; Fourth Time Lucky for Laksiri

Clube de Campo Figueiras Porto Ferreira Squash Open 2024 

16-year-old Laura Silva became the first Brazilian woman to win a PSA Tour title for 13 years, beating fellow 16-year-old Fiorella Gatti in the Clube de Campo Figueiras Porto Ferreira Squash Open final. 

Home favourite and No.1 seed Silva had fallen at the final hurdle in her quest for a maiden PSA trophy just a few days ago, losing in the final of last week’s ECP Open to Sarahi Lopez, but had not dropped a game coming into this final. 

The same could be said for Paraguay’s Gatti, though, with the fourth seed winning nine games from nine en route to this showdown, playing a match more than Silva having not had a first-round bye. 

It was, however, the No.1 seed who took game one 11-7, though she soon found herself on the back foot in game two, facing three game balls at 10-7 down. 

She saved all three and then another at 11-10, before squandering three game balls of her own in a tension-filled tiebreak, which she eventually took at the fourth time of asking, 16-14. 

It would perhaps have been easy for Gatti to be deflated by that opportunity gone begging, but instead she showed maturity beyond her years, dominating game three to win it 11-4, before forcing a decider by closing out the fourth 11-8. 

She then carried that momentum into the fifth by opening up a 3-0 lead, but Silva showcased her own mental steel, winning six of the next seven points to move 6-4 up. 

Once again, Gatti hit back to level at 7-7, but completing the comeback would be one step too far, as Silva closed out victory 11-8, ending a breathtaking final which showed plenty of promise for the future of South American squash. 

That match brought the curtain down on an entertaining finals day in Porto Ferreira, with the men’s matchup having also gone the distance earlier in the session. 

Brazilian duo Pedro Mometto and Guilherme Melo – seeded No.1 and No.4 respectively – went toe-to-toe over 84 minutes on court, in a match that swung one way and then the other. 

Ultimately, though, it was the top-seeded Mometto who came out on top, winning games four and five 11-5 to overturn a 2-1 deficit and get his hands on a third Challenger Tour crown. 

HCL Squash Tour – Indore 2024 

Ravindu Laksiri made it fourth time lucky this season, beating fifth seed Om Semwal to win the HCL Squash Tour – Indore. 

The Sri Lankan had finished as runner-up in each of his last three Challenger Tour finals, but finally got over the line this time around, capping a dominant week in Indore. 

Coming into this final, Laksiri had dropped only one game, that being in his quarter-final win over wildcard Diwakar Singh, but he looked otherwise untroubled throughout the week, and carried that form into the final. 

In contrast, Semwal had needed 76 minutes to complete an epic five-game comeback in his semi-final, and that workload perhaps took its toll in the end, as Laksiri cruised to victory in just 32 minutes, winning 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 to clinch his third PSA Tour crown. 

The women’s final was also won by the No.1 seed, as Rathika Suthanthira Seelan scooped her maiden Tour title. 

The 23-year-old was playing sixth seed Pooja Arthi Raghu, who won the JSW 9th Sunil Verma Memorial Open in December, but the 19-year-old was unable to add another trophy to her cabinet, falling 11-4, 11-6, 113.

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