UCNY Classic: Trio Cause Upsets On Opening Day

The opening day of the UCNY PSA Classic saw a trio of surprise results, as Nasir Iqbal, Matthew Lai and Abhishek Agarwal knocked out seeded opposition.

Iqbal took on compatriot Muhammad Ashab Irfan in his opening match of the week, and he defeated the No.4 seed in four games. Iqbal, the World No.161, took a two-game lead, before seeing his fellow Pakistani bring a game back. The fourth went to a tie-break, where the unseeded 29-year-old fought through, winning it 14-12 to book his quarter final berth.

He will now take on Hong Kong’s Matthew Lai, in an all-unseeded clash. The Hongkonger defeated Malaysia’s Sanjay Jeeva in four games, with his match following the same pattern as Iqbal’s. Lai lost the third, but fought back to win the fourth to advance to the last eight.

India’s Abhishek Agarwal makes it three unseeded players in the last eight in New York. He defeated Pakistan’s Israr Ahmed in straight games. The second game was the crucial one, with the Indian winning it on a tie-break 12-10. He only dropped three points across the other two games, as he booked his last eight spot.

Elsewhere, the top three seeds all made their way into the quarter finals. Top seed Yassin ElShafei downed Brazil’s Diego Gobbi, while Aly Hussein and Noor Zaman both safely made their way through.

The quarters of the UCNY PSA Classic will take place on Tuesday, April 11. You can keep up to date with daily updates from the tournament on the PSA Challenger Tour’s Twitter and Facebook. 

First Round Results: UCNY PSA Classic
[1] Yassin Elshafei (EGY) bt Diego Gobbi (BRA) 3-2: 11-7, 6-11, 11-7, 4-11, 11-3
[7] Alejandro Reyes (MEX) bt Harley Lam (HKG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-7
[5] Jeremias Azana (ARG) bt Mohamed Nabil (EGY) 3-1: 11-6, 11-9, 6-11, 11-8
[3] Noor Zaman (PAK) bt Mark Broekman (ENG) 3-2: 11-4, 9-11, 11-4, 4-11, 11-3
Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt [4] Muhammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) 3-1: 11-4, 11-7, 7-11, 14-12
Matthew Lai (HKG) bt Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) 3-1: 11-8, 11-9, 7-11, 11-9
Abhishek Agarwal (IND) bt [6] Israr Ahmed (PAK) 3-0: 11-2, 12-10, 11-1
[2] Aly Hussein (EGY) bt [WC] Lyell Fuller (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-2, 11-7

Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Tuesday, April 11
[1] Yassin Elshafei (EGY) v [7] Alejandro Reyes (MEX)
[5] Jeremias Azana (ARG) v [3] Noor Zaman (PAK)
Nasir Iqbal (PAK) v Matthew Lai (HKG)
Abhishek Agarwal (IND) v [2] Aly Hussein (EGY)