Guilfoyle Squash Classic RD1: Seeds Fall On Opening Day

The opening day of the Guilfoyle PSA Squash Classic saw four of the eight seeded players beaten at the Challenger 10 level competition.

In the all-American clash on day one in Toronto, Christopher Gordon downed compatriot and No.3 seed Faraz Khan. The two Americans played a couple of tight games, with the second going to a tie-break, but it was Gordon that won both. He then cruised to an 11-5 scoreline in the third game to win in three and to move through to the last eight.

Mexico’s Alfredo Avila also got the better of American opposition on Wednesday. The unseeded Mexican defeated No.5 seed Timothy Brownell to book his place in the quarter finals. A second game tie-break went all the way to 17-15, with Avila coming out on top, and he carried that momentum into the third game to win in straight games.

England’s Charlie Lee moved through to the quarter finals thanks to a four-game win over Canadian No.1 David Baillargeon. The home favourite won the opening game on a tie-break 13-11, but from there, the Englishman was in control. Lee came through to win the next three games to advance to the last eight.

India’s Abhay Singh, who has already won five times on Tour this season, overcame No.8 seed Leandro Romiglio. The Indian won the opening two games of their contest, and although the Argentine No.1 won the third on a tie-break, he was able to regain control in the fourth, winning it 11-4 to book his quarter final spot.

Elsewhere, top seed Todd Harrity comfortably took a straight games win over England’s Ben Smith, while the English duo of Curtis Malik and Nathan Lake both also won in three. Hong Kong’s Tsz Kwan Lau completes the quarter final line-up in Toronto.

The quarter finals of the Guilfoyle PSA Squash Classic will take place on Thursday, March 2. 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: Guilfoyle PSA Squash Classic
[1] Todd Harrity (USA) bt Ben Smith (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-6, 11-5 (33m)
Alfredo Avila (MEX) bt [5] Timothy Brownell (USA) 3-0: 11-3, 17-15, 11-6 (39m)
[7] Curtis Malik (ENG) bt [WC] Liam Marrison (CAN) 3-0: 13-11, 11-5, 11-9 (34m)
Christopher Gordon (USA) bt [3] Faraz Khan (USA) 3-0: 11-9, 12-10, 11-5 (37m)
[4] Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) bt Spencer Lovejoy (USA) 3-1: 12-10, 11-6, 3-11, 11-5 (42m)
Charlie Lee (ENG) bt [6] David Baillargeon (CAN) 3-1: 11-13, 11-7, 11-9, 11-3 (60m)
Abhay Singh (IND) bt [8] Leandro Romiglio (ARG) 3-1: 11-9, 11-8, 13-15, 11-4 (50m)
[2] Nathan Lake (ENG) bt Joseph White (AUS) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-0 (31m)

Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Thursday, March 2
[1] Todd Harrity (USA) v Alfredo Avila (MEX)
[7] Curtis Malik (ENG) v Christopher Gordon (USA)
[4] Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) v Charlie Lee (ENG)
Abhay Singh (IND) v [2] Nathan Lake (ENG)