Competing in his first PSA World Tour event since August last year, Egypt’s Ali Farag claimed the Layer 3 Telecom & Hazlow Electronics Rochester Pro-Am title in the USA after stopping unseeded South African Clinton Leeuw in the final of the PSA Challenger 5 event in its eighth year at the University of Rochester in Rochester, New York.
After surviving an 81-minute five-game marathon against experienced Australian Scott Arnold in the quarter-finals, the 20-year-old Harvard student made his breakthrough in the semis, overcoming Mexico’s No2 seed Erik Tepos Valtierra in four games to earn his fifth appearance in a Tour final.
But Leeuw was enjoying a sensational run in his third event of the month, which began when he dismissed Pakistan’s top seed Yasir Butt in the opening round.
A straight games victory over third-seeded Australian Wade Johnstone in the semi-finals took the Cape Town-born 30-year-old into the fourth Tour final of his career.
Leeuw raced to an 8-3 lead in the opening game of the final, and stemmed a fightback by the young Egyptian to nine-all before taking a one-love lead.
From six-all in the second, fourth seed Ali moved on to draw level before taking a positive lead after conceding just two points in a quick-fire eight-minute third game.
In a tight fourth, the South African briefly led in the early stages, but Farag reclaimed the lead before clinching his 9-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-8 victory after 50 minutes.
The win marks the world No 131 from Cairo’s fifth PSA World Tour title.
Final:
[4] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Clinton Leeuw (RSA) 9-11, 11-8, 11-2, 11-8 (50m)
Semi-finals:
Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt [3] Wade Johnstone (AUS) 11-8, 11-1, 11-8 (46m)
[4] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [2] Erik Tepos Valtierra (MEX) 14-12, 8-11, 12-10, 11-8 (65m)
Quarter-finals:
Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt Hernan D’Arcangelo (ARG) 11-4, 11-9, 11-2 (26m)
[3] Wade Johnstone (AUS) bt Matthew Serediak (CAN) 11-9, 12-10, 11-6 (42m)
[4] Ali Farag (EGY) bt Scott Arnold (AUS) 11-9, 9-11, 12-10, 10-12, 11-5 (81m)
[2] Erik Tepos Valtierra (MEX) bt Josh Cardwell (AUS) 11-9, 8-11, 11-4, 11-1 (50m)
1st round:
Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt [1] Yasir Butt (PAK) 11-7, 11-7, 8-11, 11-6 (53m)
Hernan D’Arcangelo (ARG) bt Thomas Brinkman (CAN) 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (47m)
Matthew Serediak (CAN) bt Benjamin Fischer (SUI) 12-10, 10-12, 11-4, 11-8 (49m)
[3] Wade Johnstone (AUS) bt [Q] Andres Duany (PER) 11-6, 11-7, 11-8 (35m)
[4] Ali Farag (EGY) bt [Q] Joe Chapman (IVB) 7-11, 11-7, 11-3, 11-7 (45m)
Scott Arnold (AUS) bt Adrian Dudzicki (CAN) 9-11, 11-7, 11-5, 11-3 (55m)
Josh Cardwell (AUS) bt [Q] Christopher Binnie (JAM) 11-8, 7-11, 11-8, 11-7 (59m)
[2] Erik Tepos Valtierra (MEX) bt [Q] Graham Bassett (USA) 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (43m)
Qualifying finals:
Joe Chapman (IVB) bt Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) 11-4, 6-11, 11-8, 11-3 (50m)
Andres Duany (PER) bt Gerardo de Paul Garcia (MEX) 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 (38m)
Graham Bassett (USA) bt Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) 7-11 ret. (14m)
Christopher Binnie (JAM) bt Aurangzeb Mehmund (PAK) 11-6, 9-11, 14-12, 11-9 (79m)
1st qualifying round:
Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) bye
Joe Chapman (IVB) bt Shahjahan Khan (PAK) 12-10, 11-6, 14-12 (55m)
Andres Duany (PER) bt Luke Butterworth (ENG) 11-2, 11-8, 7-11, 11-4 (69m)
Gerardo de Paul Garcia (MEX) bt Adam Perkiomaki (USA) 14-12, 11-5, 10-12, 15-13 (43m)
Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) bye
Graham Bassett (USA) bt Rory Pennell (ENG) 11-7, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7 (36m)
Christopher Binnie (JAM) bt Michael McCue (CAN) 11-9, 11-7, 10-12, 11-3 (49m)
Aurangzeb Mehmund (PAK) bye
