Challenger Tour Roundup: Action in Hong Kong and Bangladesh

KCC PSA Challenge Cup 2

The unseeded Wailok To caused the only upset of the men’s KCC PSA Challenge Cup 2 second round as he defeated No.6 seed Lam Shing Fung to reach the quarter-finals of the PSA Challenger Tour 6 event.

World No.274 To is ranked 32 places behind Lam in the PSA World Rankings but took just 23 minutes to claim victory, powering to an 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 triumph.

He is rewarded with a last eight meeting against No.3 seed Chung Yat Long, who got the better of South Korea’s Lim Jaehyeon, also in straight games.

Top seed Matthew Lai is also through, beating wildcard Au Lap Man in just 18 minutes, including a first-game bagel, to ensure he will take on No.5 seed Andes Ling, who beat Anson Wong.

No.2 seed Harley Lam and No.7 seed Hafiz Zhafri are also set to square off in the quarter-finals. Lam beat South Korea’s Ryu Jeongmin in the longest match of the day, totalling 84 minutes of gripping action. Zhafri had a contrasting match against Law Arthur Pak Ki, requiring just 24 minutes to seal the win.

The other quarter-final fixture will pit No.4 seed Ho Ka Hei up against Rahul Baitha. They earned respective wins against Ahmed Sherif and Brandon Tan Jit Wei.

Japan’s Erisa Sano Herring was the most high-profile casualty in the women’s event as the No.4 seed fell to Hong Kong’s Chung Yee Ling Elaine in five games. 

Wai Sze Wing and Anjali Semwal were the other two seeded players to see their tournaments come to an end in round two. Wai lost out to Kwong Ena after retiring through injury during the second game, while Semwal fell to Malaysia’s Thanusaa Uthrian.

No.1 seed Cheng Nga Ching emerged unscathed from a nervy encounter with Wong Po Yui Kirstie, eventually taking a nail-biting fifth game by an 11-9 margin to advance.

3rd Bangabandhu Squash Tournament presented by Ispahani

The 3rd Bangabandhu Squash Tournament presented by Ispahani got under way with just a single first round match as Md Shohidul Islam got the better of MD Saimoon Islam by an 11-5, 11-1, 11-3 scoreline.

He will play No.7 seed Abdul-Rahman Elnady in the next round, with Elnady receiving a bye into the last 16.

You can see all the results from this week’s PSA Challenger Tour events here.