Challenger Tour Round-Up: Gobbi Edges Brazilian Battle, Hayes & Chuah Record Big Wins

ECP Open 2024 

Diego Gobbi came out on top of an all-Brazilian battle at the ECP Open, beating Pedro Mometto 3-2 in the quarter-finals. 

Gobbi had lost to his countryman in their last encounter in November, snapping a three-game winning streak against the 33-year-old, but gained revenge in São Paulo, dominating games four and five to overturn a 2-1 deficit and book his spot in the semi-finals. 

There, he will face Colombian second seed Andres Herrera, who beat Matias Lacroix 3-1, while top seed Rowan Damming is also through to the final four. 

Damming dropped game one to French lefty Macéo Levy but turned things around from there, winning the next three games to set up a semi-final clash with Paraguay’s Francesco Marcantonio, who upset third seed Stuart MacGregor. 

In the women’s draw, unseeded 41-year-old Tatiana Damasio Borges will play 16-year-old Brazilian national champion Laura Silva for a spot in the final, after beating Giovanna Ambrosio 3-0. 

The other semi-final, meanwhile, will see top seed Catalina Pelaez face third seed Sarahi Lopez, with both players winning their quarter-final matchups in straight games. 

Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Open 2024 

Unseeded Australia Connor Hayes enjoyed a day to remember at the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Open, knocking out third seed William Donnelly and then Sion Wiggin to reach his first ever Challenger Tour semi-final. 

The 19-year-old had never even reached a quarter-final at this level before, but achieved that feat by seeing off Donnelley in a five-game thriller which ended 11-9 in the fifth, before returning to court later in the day to beat another Kiwi in Wiggin, this time 3-0. 

Hayes will now face No.2 seed Anthony Lepper, who played nine games in the day to reach the final four, with both round two and the quarter-finals taking place. 

The 23-year-old – who trains with Greg Gaultier in the Czech Republic – beat Ji Donghyun 3-1 in the first session, before beating Cameron Darton 3-2 in the day’s final match. 

Top seed Temwa Chileshe, meanwhile, enjoyed a more comfortable day, winning both of his matches 3-0. 

There was only one round played in the women’s draw – the quarter-finals – but that still contained its fair share of drama.

After watching Madison Lyon record a comfortable 3-0 win in the first women’s encounter, Sophie Hodges and Charlotte Galloway then went toe-to-toe in a breathtaking all-New Zealand matchup. 

Galloway looked to be heading for the final four having taken games one and two, and will perhaps be kicking herself for not getting over the line, with the next three games all separated by only two points, Hodges taking them 11-9, 12-10, 11-9. 

The other women’s semi-final will be an all-left-handed affair between second seed Ella Lash and third seed Winona-Jo Joyce, the only non-teenager left in the women’s draw. 

ACE Challenger 6K 2024 

Joachim Chuah underlined his credentials as one of the most exciting young stars of Malaysian squash, continuing his run as a wildcard at the ACE Challenger 6K. 

Chuah is ranked outside the world’s top 350 and was facing a player currently more than 200 places above him on quarter-finals day, in fifth seed Hafiz Zafri. 

The 19-year-old, though, ran out a 3-1 winner in 49 minutes of action, setting up a semi-final clash with unseeded Egyptian Yassin Shohdy. 

Those results, paired with a win for Wailok To over Lam Shing Fung, mean that top seed Mohamed Nasser is the only seeded player in the men’s semi-finals, while only one of the top four seeds remain in the women’s draw. 

That honour goes to second seed Nour Khafagy, who eased past Japan’s Akari Midorikawa after Sehveetrraa Kumar had earlier knocked out top seed Ching Hei Fung. 

Kumar reached the last 16 at least year’s WSF World Junior Squash Championships, where she pushed Amina Orfi hard, and has since gone on to win a Challenger Tour title. 

She will now be eyeing up another on home soil having taken just 24 minutes to knock out the top seed. 

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