Kinetic Men’s Challenger QF: Unseeded Lepper Into Last Four

New Zealand’s Anthony Lepper caused a second straight upset to make his way into the semi-finals of the men’s event at the Kinetic 5k Challenger.

The Kiwi took on No.4 seed Ricardo Toscano in the quarter finals on Wednesday, and fell behind early on. The Guatemalan won the first game 11-8, and the second then went to a tie-break, where he could have doubled his lead. However, Lepper took it 12-10, and then went on to win both the third and fourth games 11-6 to book his spot in the semis.

He will now face England’s Tom Walsh, who defeated Malaysia’s Sanjay Jeeva in straight games. Argentina’s Jeremias Azana overcame top seed David Baillargeon, who only put up six points before having to retire through injury. The Argentine will now face Guatemala’s No.3 seed Alejandro Enriquez. He came through a tough five-gamer against Malaysia’s Asyraf Azan, which included a 17-15 scoreline that went his way in the second game.

The Kinetic 5k Challenger continues on Thursday, November 17, with the semi-finals of the Challenger 5 level event. You can keep up to date with live scores from Florida here.

Quarter Final Results: Kinetic 5k Challenger (Men’s)
[6] Jeremias Azana (ARG) bt [1] David Baillargeon (CAN) 3-0: 11-6, 11-0, 0-0 rtd (15m)
[3] Alejandro Enriquez (GUA) bt Asyraf Azan (MAS) 3-2: 8-11, 17-15, 11-3, 6-11, 11-6 (75m)
Anthony Lepper (NZL) bt [4] Ricardo Toscano (GUA) 3-1: 8-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-6 (49m)
[2] Tom Walsh (ENG) bt [5] Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) 3-0: 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 (41m)

Semi-Final Draw: To Be Played Thursday, November 17
[6] Jeremias Azana (ARG) v [3] Alejandro Enriquez (GUA)
Anthony Lepper (NZL) v [2] Tom Walsh (ENG)