Charlottesville Open Day 1: Pakistan Duo Progress as Jeeva Wins in Five Again

Pakistani duo Muhammad Ashab Irfan and Muhammad Asim Khan enjoyed successful starts to their seasons as action got underway at the Charlottesville Open in Virginia. 

Taking place at the impressive Boar’s Head Resort, play was due to be split across the main glass court and court number four, but a floorboard issue on the glass court led to all eight round-one matches being played on the traditional courts. 

The change did not affect 20-year-old Ashab Irfan, who was scheduled to be on court four anyway, taking on Guatemala’s Alejandro Enriquez in what was his season debut. 

The match also represented Ashab Irfan’s first World event match outside of Pakistan, with his only previous experience at this level being as a wild card in the 2022 Karachi Open Squash Championships. 

Just seven places separate Ashab Irfan and Enriquez in the world rankings, but the Pakistani player – who trains at the Houston Squash Club – put in a performance to be proud of, negating his opponent’s impressive speed around the court. 

Having controlled game one 11-6, Ashab Irfan looked be heading for defeat in the second, facing three game balls at 10-7 down, only to save all three on his way to reeling off five points in a row, taking the tiebreak 12-10. 

That missed opportunity perhaps took the wind out of Enriquez’s sails, and Ashab Irfan took advantage, racing from 4-4 to 11-4 in the blink of an eye in game three, recording his first ever win at the World events level. 

The World No.86 then turned supporter in the final session of the day, watching compatriot Asim Khan stage an impressive fightback to beat Brazil’s Diego Gobbi 3-2. 

The Pakistan No.1 found himself in a tricky situation after throwing away a 9-6 lead in game two, losing it 11-9 having dropped the first 11-5. 

But from there, he regained his focus and found his range, displaying the skillfull hands his game is built on, winning games three and four both 11-8. 

He then lost the first point of game five, but that would be the only stage at which he’d trail in the game, going on to take his second match ball when Gobbi found the tin with a backhand drop. 

In beating the Brazilian, Asim Khan became the second player to win in five on day one in Charlottesville, after Sanjay Jeeva’s victory over Finnlay Withington earlier in the day. 

Jeeva enjoyed a successful run to the semi-finals of last week’s NASH Cup – NASH Family Wealth Management, recording a pair of 3-2 wins along the way, and he continued that trend here, overturning a 2-1 deficit to deny the young Englishman a spot in round two. 

Jeeva’s reward will be a rematch with Ryunosuke Tsukue, who he beat 3-1 at the NASH Cup, the only one of Jeeva’s three wins that didn’t go the distance last week. 

Elsewhere, there was an unusual ending to the all-American encounter between Spencer Lovejoy and wildcard Nick Spizzirri. 

Spizzirri is ranked No.161 in the world, but that ranking owes more to the fact that he’s put his college career first in recent years, with his level of play considerably higher than his ranking would suggest. 

Facing World No.71 Lovejoy, the 22-year-old threatened an upset for much of their encounter, taking game one 11-7 before forcing a tiebreak in the fourth, having lost games two and three. 

That tiebreak would ultimately be where the match ended, though, as Lovejoy was awarded a stroke in the front-right corner at 10-10, bringing up match ball. 

That was followed by Spizzirri dropping his racket in frustration, which – not being the first time the American had shown his frustration at a decision – prompted the referee to award a conduct stroke, ending the match. 

Lovejoy will now face Egypt’s Karim El Hammamy in round two. 

Results: Charlottesville Open Men’s Round 1 

Ben Smith (ENG) bt Joseph White (AUS) 3-0: 11-4, 11-7, 11-8 (44m) 
Sanjay Jeeva (MAS) bt Finnlay Withington (ENG) 3-2: 15-13, 5-11, 9-11, 11-9, 11-5 (61m) 
Moustafa Elsirty (EGY) bt Karim Elbarbary (EGY) 3-0: 11-7, 13-11, 11-7 (35m) 
Muhammad Ashab Irfan (PAK) bt Alejandro Enriquez (GUA) 3-0: 11-6, 12-10, 11-4 (36m) 
Spencer Lovejoy (USA) bt Nicholas Spizzirri (USA) 3-1: 7-11, 11-8, 11-7, 12-10 (52m) 
Tom Walsh (ENG) bt Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) 3-0: 11-4, 11-6, 11-5 (70m) 
Addeen Idrakie (MAS) bt Salah Eltorgman (CAN) 3-1: 11-9, 8-11, 11-7, 12-10 (4m) 
Muhammad Asim Khan (PAK) bt Diego Gobbi (BRA) 3-2: 5-11, 9-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 (67m)