Georgia Open Preview: Stewart and Khan Top Atlanta Draw

Rory Stewart and Faraz Khan headline the seedings at the Georgia Open, which gets underway this week at the Concourse Athletic Club in Atlanta. 

Stewart comes in as the No.1 seed having reached the second round of the ongoing U.S. Open Presented by Truist, beating Yahya Elnawasany in round one. 

Khan also enters this event on the back of playing in Philadelphia, losing out to Ramit Tandon in his opening match, but had been in good form prior to that. 

The American reached the final of his previous two events, the Nash Cup in Canada and then the Louisville Open, and will be hoping to go one better in the Peach State. 

His path to the final includes a potential second-round matchup with another player who reached a recent final – Ronald Palomino. 

The Colombian finished as runner-up to Alfredo Avila in the Copa Mexico Temazcal – his first event of 2023 – and enters this competition on his pegged ranking after missing most of the year through injury. 

Elsewhere in the draw, Christopher Gordon is the only other American player among the seeds. 

Gordon’s No.5 seeding gives him a bye through to round two, where he could face rising English star Finnlay Withington. 

The 19-year-old reigning British junior champion is currently at a career-high ranking of No.90 in the world and reached the quarter-finals of his last event, the Nash Cup. 

He will take on Canada’s Cory McCartney in round one, and could face Stewart in the quarter-finals, should he get past both McCartney and Gordon. 

Draw: Round One

Saeed Abdul (PAK) v [9/16] Emyr Evans (WAL)
[9/16] Finnlay Withington (ENG) v Cory McCartney (CAN)
[WC] Matias Lacroix (CHI) v [9/16] Veer Chotrani (IND)
[9/16] Edgar Ramirez Bautista (COL) v Jamie Ruggiero (USA)
[WC] Henrik Mustonen (FIN) v [9/16] Muhammad Ashab Irfan (PAK)
[9/16] Viktor Byrtus (CZE) v [WC] Fletcher Cline (USA)
Mark Broekman (ENG) v [9/16] Sanjay Jeeva (MAS)
[9/16] Ronald Palomino (COL) v Salman Khalil (EGY)