Challenger Tour Round-Up: Eltorgman Advances In Canada, Bernabeu & Stewart Set For Final In France

Richardson Wealth Van Lawn Open

Salah Eltorgman kept home hopes alive on day three of the Richardson Wealth Van Lawn Open as the Canadian defeated Chung Yat Long to progress to the semi-finals.

After defeating No.3 seed Tang Ming Hong in the previous round, Eltorgman continued his fine run of form to complete a straight games victory over the World No.162, 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 in 35 minutes.

Eltorgman will play No.1 seed Nathan Lake for a spot in the final, after the Englishman came through his match against Sebastian Salazar 11-6, 12-10, 11-4 in 35 minutes of action.

Elsewhere, No.2 seed Faraz Khan saw off the threat of No.6 seed Perry Malik in 42 minutes of hard-fought action. The American clinched a first game tie-break before Perry bounced back by taking the second 11-1. However, from there, Khan proved too strong, taking the final two games by 11-6 scorelines.

Jorge Gomez was the final player to book his spot in the last four after the Mexican downed No.8 seed Dillon Huang 11-9, 8-11, 11-8, 11-7 in just under an hour of play.

SACC Costa Rica Open

Seeds continued to tumble in the semi-finals of the SACC Costa Rica Open 2023, with men’s No.2 seed Jeremias Azana and women’s No.4 seed Alex Haydon both edged out in tight five-game encounters.

Ireland’s Hannah Craig scored the upset of the day by coming from 2-1 down to defeat Haydon in a 71-minute thriller and, in turn, set up a title decider against No.8 seed Habiba Hani.

Egyp’s Hani, who knocked out No.1 seed Ineta Mackevica in the quarter-finals, continued her rich vein of form to battle back from a game down to sink No.3 seed Caroline Fouts, 4-11, 11-8, 11-8, 11-8 in 48 minutes.

In the men’s draw, Sanjay Jeeva came through a marathon 81-minute encounter against No.2 Azana to progress to the final, while No.5 Alejandro Enriquez fought from behind to defeat fellow Guatemalan Josue Enriquez in four games.

Open International Niort Venise Verte

World No.21 Iker Pajares Bernabeu and World No.49 Rory Stewart will compete for the Open International Niort Venise Verte title after making their way through to the final on day four of action.

The top-seeded Spaniard cruised into the final after defeating No.5 seed Mazen Gamal 11-4, 11-3, 11-5 in 36 minutes of action.

Meanwhile, Stewart was awarded a walkover against Abhay Singh in his semi-final, with the Indian having to withdraw from the event after picking up an injury in his five-game victory against Viktor Byrtus in the previous round.

Stewart and Bernabeu have played two times before on tour, with both players picking up one victory a piece.

RGSA Open De Squash

No.1 seed Diego Gobbi’s quest for victory on home soil continued on day three of the RGSA Open De Squash as he safely progressed to the semi-finals with a comfortable victory over compatriot Vinicius Torres Berbel.

The Brazilian dropped just 10 points on his way to victory in just 26 minutes, setting up a semi-final against No.4 seed Pedro Mometto.

Elsewhere, there were victories for No.2 seed Maceo Levy and No.3 Francesco Marcantonio after they came through their respective matches against Lucas Perez and Rhuan Sousa in straight games.

You can stay up to date with all the results on the PSA Tour here.