Wakefield PSA QF: Jeeva Gatecrashes Last Four

Malaysia’s Sanjay Jeeva is through to the last four of the Wakefield PSA, getting the better of No.6 seed Abdelrahman Nassar in the quarter finals.

The Malaysian received a walkover through his opening round match after top seed Nathan Lake had to withdraw with a late injury. On Wednesday, Jeeva then took on Egypt’s Nassar, the tournament’s No.6 seed, for a place in the semi-finals of the Challenger 10 level competition.

It was a quick start for the unseeded 23-year-old, as he won both of the opening two games by an 11-6 scoreline. However, Nassar fought back to level the match after winning both the third and fourth games comfortably. That sent the match into a decider, and a relatively quick-fire contest went the way of Jeeva. He won it after just 50 minutes, taking the fifth on a tie-break 13-11.

The World No.153 will now take on Canadian No.1 David Baillargeon in the semis on Thursday afternoon in The Plains. The World No.65 downed Pakistan’s Muhammad Ashab Irfan in a four-game contest, battling back from losing the second game won a tie-break 12-10.

The other semi-final will see the Czech Republic’s Daniel Mekbib, the No.4 seed for the competition, take on Pakistan’s Muhammad Asim Khan, the No.2 seed. The pair both won in four, with Khan coming back from losing the first game of his last eight tie with England’s Mark Broekman, the No.8 seed and tournament promoter.

The semi-finals of the Wakefield PSA will take place on Thursday, December 15 at Wakefield School in The Plains, VA. The last four will do battle in their attempts to reach the final on Friday.

Quarter Final Results: Wakefield PSA
Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) bt [6] Abdelrahman Nassar (EGY) 3-2: 11-6, 11-6, 6-11, 4-11, 13-11 (50m)
[3] David Baillargeon (CAN) bt [5] Muhammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) 3-1: 11-7, 10-12, 11-5, 11-4 (51m)
[4] Daniel Mekbib (CZE) bt [7] Dewald van Niekerk (RSA) 3-1: 11-9, 6-11, 11-3, 11-6 (45m)
[2] Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) bt [8] Mark Broekman (ENG) 3-1: 8-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-8 (47m)

Semi-Final Draw: To Be Played Thursday, December 15
Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) v [3] David Baillargeon (CAN)
[4] Daniel Mekbib (CZE) v [2] Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK)