Challenger Tour Round-Up: Zakaria Stars Again in LA, Malik to Meet Fernandez in France Final

Local World LA Open 

16-year-old Egyptian Mohamad Zakaria continued his impressive run at the Local World LA Open, beating Mexico’s Sebastian Salazar to reach the semi-finals. 

Zakaria, who reached the final four in St Louis last week, had already seen off No.1 seed Faraz Khan in round two, and will now play his second straight semi-final after beating the Mexican 3-0. 

His opponent will be Colombia’s Matias Knudsen, who outlasted compatriot Edgar Ramirez Bautista 3-1, in a match that lasted 75 minutes. 

The fourth game alone took nearly half an hour, with Knudsen wasting four match balls before eventually closing it out 17-15. 

The win continues Knudsen’s extraordinary 2023 so far. The 24-year-old has played in six tournaments, including this one, reaching the semi-finals in five of them, and going on to win three. 

In the bottom half of the draw, No.2 seed Andrew Douglas will take on fourth seed Daniel Poleshchuk in the other semi-final. 

Poleshchuk eased past Omar ElKattan 3-0, while Douglas – the only American left in the draw – beat Salah Eltorgman 3-1. 

1er Open PSA Féminin de Couzeix/Limoges 

The top two seeds will meet in the 1er Open PSA Féminin de Couzeix/Limoges final, with Marta Dominguez Fernandez and Torrie Malik both progressing through the last four. 

Going up against rising French star Lauren Baltayan, Fernandez was made to work hard for victory, needing 40 minutes to win 3-0, with the third and final game going to a tie break. 

Malik, meanwhile, saw off Egypt’s Hana Ismail to reach her sixth final of 2023. 

The 19-year-old took the first two games 10-12, 7-11, and while Ismail hit back to take the third, Malik won game four 12-10 to book her spot in the final. 

PVD Squash RI Open 

Ireland’s Sam Buckley upset the USA’s Spencer Lovejoy in the PVD Squash RI Open quarter-finals. 

Buckley, seeded at No.8, came back from a game down to win 3-1, setting up a semi-final clash with Australia’s Joseph White. 

In the bottom half, India’s Veer Chotrani continued his good form by beating Christopher Gordon, ending US hopes in the process following Lovejoy’s exit earlier in the day. 

Chotrani won the Greenwich Open last week to move inside the world’s top 100, and, like Buckley, overcame a one-game deficit to move into the semi-finals, where he will play Alfredo Avila.  

Logan City Queensland Open 

An Australian double remains on the cards at the Logan City Queensland Open, with Jessica Turnbull and Rhys Dowling set to contest the respective men’s and women’s finals. 

No.1 seed Turnbull came through a topsy-turvy semi-final against Sehveetrraa Kumar, taking a one-game lead before losing the next two. She responded well by taking the fourth 11-3, edging the deciding fifth 11-9 to reach the final. 

She will play Mingyeong Heo, who denied the Logan City crowd an all-Australian women’s final by beating Sarah Cardwell in the semi-finals. 

In the men’s draw, No.2 seed Rhys Dowling will be eyeing glory after beating compatriot Nicholas Calvert. 

Dowling has beaten three fellow Australians in his three matches so far, but will have to get past Malaysia’s Ong Sai Hung if he wants to lift the trophy. 

Swiss Open 

No.1 seed Yannick Wilhelmi remains on course for glory on home soil in the Swiss Open, booking his spot in the final with a 3-0 win over Miguel Mathis. 

All three games finished 11-7, and Wilhelmi will now have his sights set on glory in Zurich. 

Standing in his way is fellow Swiss player and No.2 seed Robin Gadola, who beat David Bernet in the last four. Wilhelmi is ranked more than 100 places above Gadola in the world, but Gadola won their only previous matchup this year. 

The women’s draw is a day behind the men’s meaning the finalists will be deicded today. 

The first semi-final sees Amina El Rihany take on Alison Thomson, before Asia Harris and Ambre Allinckx meet later in the day. 

Oban Open 

The Oban Open kicked off yesterday, with rounds one and two both taking place in one day. 

The standout match of the day was the second-round clash between Scotland’s Rory Richmond and English No.7 seed Paul Broadberry. Richmond was two games down but staged a remarkable fightback, taking the next three games 11-8, 14-12, 11-9, to set up a quarter-final clash with No.2 seed Noah Meredith. 

In the top half of the draw, No.1 seed Stuart Macgregor beat Omar El Torkey 3-1, while No.3 seed Lewis Doughty suffered an upset at the hands of Jordan Warne. 

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