Christianson Classic RD1: Rehman Downs No.4 Seed In Opening Round

The Christianson Classic kicked off on Thursday, and Pakistan’s Naveed Rehman caused an upset by knocking out the No.4 seed Leo Vargas of Mexico.

Unseeded Rehman, who is 117 places lower in the World Rankings than Vargas, came out on top following a 3-1 victory, winning 11-13, 13-11, 8-11, 9-11 in 65 minutes.

Rehman will take on Miled Zarazua in the next round, who secured his quarter-final place with a straight sets win against Aaron Allpress, taking the match 5-11, 12-14, 5-11.

Colombia’s Nicolas Serna also struck an upset when he dispatched Canada’s Cory McCartney 3-0, sealing the match with 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 wins in just 29 minutes.

Elsewhere, top seed Alfredo Avila clinched his last eight spot after beating Rohan Paliwal 3-0, while home favourite and No.3 seed Liam Marrison progressed having overcome his compatriot Muhammed Faraz convincingly in straight games in only 15 minutes.

The quarter-finals of the Christianson Classic will take place on Friday, January 27 at the Medicine Hat Downtown YMCA, Medicine Hat, AB, Canada. You can keep up to date with daily updates from the tournament on the PSA Challenger Tour’s Twitter and Facebook. 

First Round results: Christianson Classic

[1] Alfredo Avila (MEX) v Rohan Paliwal (CAN) 3-0: 11-2, 11-4, 11-2
Nicolas Serna (COL) bt [6] Cory McCartney (CAN) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-4 (29m)
[8] Carlos Vargas (MEX) bt Mahmoud Abouelleil (EGY) 3-0: 11-4, 11-2, 11-4 (16m)
[3] Liam Marrison (CAN) bt Muhammad Faraz (CAN) 3-0: 4-11, 1-11, 2-11 (15m)
Naveed Rehman (PAK) bt [4] Leo Vargas (MEX)3-1: 11-13, 13-11, 8-11, 9-11 (65m)
[5] Connor Turk (CAN) bt Darosham Khan (CAN) 3-0: 11-8, 11-4, 11-5 (26m)
[7] Miled Zarazúa (MEX) bt Aaron Allpress (ENG) 3-0: 5-11, 12-14, 5-11
[2] Emyr Evans (WAL) bt Brock Janzer (CAN) 3-0: 5-11, 2-11, 0-11 (20m)

Quarter-Final draw: To Be Played Friday, January 27

[1] Alfredo Avila (MEX) v Nicolas Serna (COL)
[8] Carlos Vargas (MEX) v [3] Liam Marrison (CAN)
Naveed Rehman (PAK) v [7] Miled Zarazúa (MEX)
[5] Connor Turk (CAN) v [2] Emyr Evans (WAL)