Frenchman Lucas Serme earned the distinction of winning the first PSA World Tour ranking title of the New Year when he beat fellow countryman Christophe Andre in the final of the Open du Gard, the PSA Challenger 5 event in its fifth year at Sun Squash de Arenes in Nimes, France.
Third seed Serme made his breakthrough in the semi-finals where he upset top-seeded Egyptian Zahed Mohamed in a 73-minute five-game marathon.
But Andre was arguably the star of the event: Only five days after turning professional and making his maiden appearance in the main draw of a PSA Tour event, the 25-year-old from Reunion Island despatched England’s second seed Joel Hinds in the quarter-finals, then ousted fourth-seeded compatriot Joan Lezaud in the semis to make a shock appearance in the final.
But Serme – a 20-year-old from Creteil, near Paris, who is studying at University in Bristol in the UK – was too strong for wild card Andre in the final.
With more than 300 ranking positions separating the pair, Serme (pictured, left, with Andre) stormed to an 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 victory in 42 minutes to win the second Tour title of his career, but his first for more than two years.
Final:
[3] Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Christophe Andre (FRA) 11-9, 11-7, 11-4 (42m)
Semi-finals:
[3] Lucas Serme (FRA) bt [1] Zahed Mohamed (EGY) 12-10, 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 11-5 (73m)
Christophe Andre (FRA) bt [4] Joan Lezaud (FRA) 11-7, 11-6, 11-6 (41m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Zahed Mohamed (EGY) bt Michael Harris (ENG) 11-7, 11-8, 11-6
[3] Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Adam Murrills (ENG) 11-9, 11-6, 11-8 (37m)
[4] Joan Lezaud (FRA) bt [Q] Antoine-Camille Petrucci (FRA) 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-9 (65m)
Christophe Andre (FRA) bt [2] Joel Hinds (ENG) 7-11, 11-4, 11-7, 8-11, 12-10 (78m)
1st round:
[1] Zahed Mohamed (EGY) bt Reiko Peter (SUI) 11-9, 11-9, 11-7 (32m)
Michael Harris (ENG) bt Johan Bouquet (FRA) 11-6, 6-11, 11-5, 11-9
Adam Murrills (ENG) bt [Q] Sebastiaan Weenink (NED) 12-10, 11-9, 2-11, 11-7
[3] Lucas Serme (FRA) bt Geoffrey Demont (FRA) 12-10, 11-7, 11-5 (46m)
[4] Joan Lezaud (FRA) bt [Q] Mark Fuller (ENG) 11-9, 11-9, 11-8
[Q] Antoine-Camille Petrucci (FRA) bt Muhammad Saqib Yousaf (PAK) 11-5, 11-8, 7-11, 16-18, 11-4 (98m)
Christophe Andre (FRA) bt Greg Lobban (SCO) 11-6, 11-1, 5-2 ret.
[2] Joel Hinds (ENG) bt [Q] Richard Birks (ENG) 11-8, 11-6, 11-2
Qualifying finals:
Antoine-Camille Petrucci (FRA) bt Hugo Varela (ESP) 12-10, 11-5, 11-7
Mark Fuller (ENG) bt Florent Pontiere (FRA) 11-8, 11-7, 11-8
Richard Birks (ENG) bt Jonas Daehler (SUI) 7-11, 6-5 ret.
Sebastiaan Weenink (NED) bt James Earles (ENG) 11-6, 6-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-8
1st qualifying round:
Hugo Varela (ESP) bt Alex Phillips (ENG) 10-12, 12-10, 11-7, 15-13
Antoine-Camille Petrucci (FRA) bt Jerome Dadot (FRA) 11-8, 11-4, 11-4
Mark Fuller (ENG) bt Kim Are Killingberg (NOR) 11-4, 11-2, 11-13, 11-4 (44m)
Florent Pontiere (FRA) bt Baptiste Masotti (FRA) 11-5, 11-6, 13-11
Richard Birks (ENG) bt Patrick Miescher (SUI) 11-9, 11-3, 9-11, 13-11
Jonas Daehler (SUI) bt Damien Volland (FRA) 4-11, 11-2 ret.
Sebastiaan Weenink (NED) bt Quint Mandil (FRA) 11-8, 11-3, 11-5
James Earles (ENG) bt Mohamed Elsherbiny (EGY) w/o
