Challenger Tour Round-Up: Wilhelmi sets up Mueller Clash, Khan into Oregon Semis

Czech Open 

Yannick Wilhelmi set up an all-Swiss second-round clash with Nicolas Mueller at the Czech Open, easing past Austria’s Aqeel Rehman in round one. 

The 23-year-old, who is at a career-high ranking of No.68 in the world after winning the Swiss Open last week, needed just 29 minutes to see off Rehman 3-0, and will now play No.1 seed and two-time defending champion Mueller for a place in the quarter-finals. 

Also into the second round is New Zealand’s Lwamba Chileshe, who came out on top in a brotherly battle with his younger sibling Temwa, winning 11-4, 11-7, 11-4 in half an hour. 

Home hopefuls Viktor Byrtus and Daniel Mekbib also made it through to keep Czech hopes alive, but there is no place in day two’s schedule for Czech No.1 Martin Svec, who lost out to Wales’ Owain Taylor 3-0.

Oregon Open 

The top four seeds are all through to the semi-finals at the Oregon Open, meaning the USA’s Faraz Khan and Spencer Lovejoy remain on a collision course for the final. 

Khan opened proceedings on quarter-finals day against fellow American Dillon Huang, and raced out to a two-game lead inside 20 minutes. 

Huang responded well to take game three on a tie break, but only after saving two match balls at 10-9 and 11-10 down. 

He then found himself 9-8 up in the fourth, just two points away from forcing a decider, but Khan showed his class when it mattered most, winning the next three points to wrap up victory. 

Khan’s semi-final opponent will be No.3 seed Emyr Evans, who also needed four games to get past New Zealand’s Anthony Lepper. 

After taking game one 11-5, Evans lost game two 11-9 but regained control from there, dropping just nine points across the next two games to close out victory. 

The bottom half of the draw featured the only quarter-final to go five games, with Muhammad Ashab Irfan and Edgar Ramirez Bautista going toe-to-toe for close to an hour. 

Irfan twice took a one-game lead but was twice pegged back, before eventually securing his semi-final spot with an 11-5 win in the decisive fifth. 

The day’s final match saw Lovejoy overcome a tricky test in the form of rising star Salah Eltorgman. 

The Canadian is currently at a career-high ranking of 117, more than 50 places higher than he was in April, and matched Lovejoy in the opening two games, dropping the first 12-10 before levelling in the second. 

He was unable to stay with the more experienced American from there, though, with Lovejoy running away with victory in the end, taking games three and four 11-5, 11-3.

Photo credit: Brandon Davis

PSA Gradignan 

Ammar Altamimi produced one of two big upsets on day two of the PSA Gradignan, beating No.6 seed Elijah Thomas in a five-game thriller. 

The experienced Altamimi won the first two games with relative ease, losing just nine points in total, but found himself heading to a decider after losing the next two, only to take it 11-9 to book a spot in the quarter-finals. 

His opponent in the last eight will be Edwin Clain, one of four Frenchmen still in contention. 

Brice Nicolas and Macéo Levy also recorded wins, as did wild card Joshua Phinera, who caused the other big upset on day two, coming from a game down to beat German No.8 seed Valentin Rapp. 

Phinera will now play No.1 seed Curtis Malik, who is targeting a second straight title after winning The St Louis Open 2023 presented by The King Family in October.

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

Photo credit: Brandon Davis