B&R Open RD1: Walsh Dispatches Top Seed Khan

The B&R Open got underway on Thursday in Toronto, with England’s Tom Walsh knocking out the tournament’s top seed in emphatic fashion.

The Challenger 10 level competition is taking place at the Badminton & Racquet Club in Toronto, Canada and features a strong 24-man draw, with all bar two players currently in the world’s top 100.

The big upset on the opening day came as England’s Tom Walsh got the better of top seed Faraz Khan. The Englishman sits 47 places below the American in the world rankings, but that did not show on Thursday. After winning a tie-break 12-10 in the opening game, Walsh only dropped five more points in the entirety of the match to round out an impressive straight games win.

He will now take on the in-form Charlie Lee, a fellow Englishman, in the quarter finals. Lee, who has already won the E.M. Noll Classic and the Guilfoyle PSA Squash Classic in 2023, downed Hong Kong’s Wong Chi Him in straight games to move through to the last eight, and to take his unbeaten run on Tour to nine matches.

Spaniard Ivan Perez is the only other unseeded player into the last eight. He defeated American Christopher Gordon in straight games to book his place in the quarters. Perez will now take on another American, in No.3 seed Timothy Brownell on Friday evening in Toronto.

Brownell came through the only five-gamer of the day, as he beat compatriot and training partner Spencer Lovejoy. He found himself behind after three games, but a 12-10 tie-break win in the fourth turned the momentum in his favour. The No.3 seed went on to win the fifth comfortably to book his place in the quarter finals.

Andrew Douglas makes it two Americans in the last eight, and he will take on Canadian No.1 David Baillargeon in the quarter finals. The other match on Friday evening will see Argentinian No.1 Leandro Romiglio face Hong Kong’s Tsz Kwan Lau for a place in the semi-finals.

The quarter finals of the B&R Open will take place in Toronto on Friday, March 10. You can keep up to date with daily updates from the tournament on the PSA Challenger Tour’s Twitter and Facebook. 

First Round Results: The B&R Open
Tom Walsh (ENG) bt [1] Faraz Khan (USA) 3-0: 12-10, 11-3, 11-2
[7] Charlie Lee (ENG) bt Wong Chi Him (HKG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-5
[5] Andrew Douglas (USA) bt [WC] Liam Marrison (CAN) 3-1: 12-10, 11-7, 7-11, 11-5
[4] David Baillargeon (CAN) bt Ben Smith (ENG) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-8
[3] Timothy Brownell (USA) bt Spencer Lovejoy (USA) 3-2: 10-12, 11-8, 6-11, 12-10, 11-4 (74m)
Ivan Perez (ESP) bt [8] Christopher Gordon (USA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 (46m)
[6] Leandro Romiglio (ARG) bt Joseph White (AUS) 3-1: 11-5, 11-3, 4-11, 11-5 (44m)
[2] Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG) bt Nick Sachvie (CAN) 3-0: 11-8, 11-6, 11-6 (28m)

Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Friday, March 10
Tom Walsh (ENG) v [7] Charlie Lee (ENG)
[5] Andrew Douglas (USA) v [4] David Baillargeon (CAN)
[3] Timothy Brownell (USA) v Ivan Perez (ESP)
[6] Leandro Romiglio (ARG) v [2] Tsz Kwan Lau (HKG)