Edmonton Squash Club Open RD1: Chotrani Takes Opening Day Upset

India’s Veer Chotrani took the day’s only surprise victory, as the Edmonton Squash Club Open got underway on Thursday evening in Canada.

The Indian came into the Challenger 5 level competition, which is being played at the Edmonton Squash Club, as one of the eight unseeded players. In the opening round, he took on Australia’s Joseph White, the tournament’s No.4 seed.

The first two games were quite comfortable for Chotrani, as he took a 2-0 lead, losing just seven points in the process. The third was the longest game of the match, with 26 points being played. White won it 14-12, but the Indian fought back to win the fourth, and to book his quarter final spot.

He will now face Connor Turk, one of two Canadians through to the last eight. Turk won an all-Canadian clash with Cory McCartney, taking the victory in straight games. Liam Marrison is the second home hope into the quarters, after beating England’s Lewis Doughty in a match where dropped just nine points.

The tournament’s top three seeds all safely made it through with straight games wins. Viktor Byrtus got the better of Egypt’s Abdelrahman Nassar to book his place in the quarter finals. Meanwhile, Malaysia’s Sanjay Jeeva and Brazilian Diego Gobbi also won in three to advance to the last eight of the competition.

The quarter finals of the Edmonton Squash Club Open will take place on Friday, March 31. You can keep up to date with daily updates from the tournament on the PSA Challenger Tour’s Twitter and Facebook. Live scores are available on the PSA World Tour website here.

First Round Results: Edmonton Squash Club Open
[1] Viktor Byrtus (CZE) bt Abdelrahman Nassar (EGY) 3-0: 11-3, 11-4, 11-7 (25m)
[8] Matthew Lai (HKG) bt Amaad Fareed (PAK) 3-1: 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-9 (35m)
[5] Liam Marrison (CAN) bt Lewis Doughty (ENG) 3-0: 11-1, 11-3, 11-5 (23m)
[3] Diego Gobbi (BRA) bt Chung Yat Long (HKG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-5, 11-9 (26m)
Veer Chotrani (IND) bt [4] Joseph White (AUS) 3-1: 11-5, 11-2, 12-14, 11-6
[6] Connor Turk (CAN) bt Cory McCartney (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-9
[7] Harley Lam (HKG) bt [WC] Abdul-Rahman Elnady (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-5
[2] Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) bt Salah Eltorgman (CAN) 3-0: 11-8, 11-5, 11-3

Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Friday, March 31
[1] Viktor Byrtus (CZE) v [8] Matthew Lai (HKG)
[5] Liam Marrison (CAN) v [3] Diego Gobbi (BRA)
Veer Chotrani (IND) v [6] Connor Turk (CAN)
[7] Harley Lam (HKG) v [2] Sanjay Jeeva (MAS)