Northern Joe Cup QF: Prott, Devred and Withington Continue Run Of Upsets

The surprises continued at the Northern Joe Cup on Sunday evening, with three of the men’s semi-finals spots being taken by unseeded players, as Alasdair Prott, Elliott Morris Devred and Finnlay Withington all advanced through to the last four of the competition.

Scotland’s Prott took on England’s Ben Smith, the tournament’s No.3 seed, for a place in the semi-finals of the Challenger 5 level competition in Manchester, and he was in complete control throughout. He dropped just ten points in the entire contest, winning 11-4, 11-1, 11-5 to move through to the last four. He will now face Elliott Morris Devred in the semis after the Welshman downed No.8 seed Stuart MacGregor.

In the clash between two unseeded players in the last eight, England’s Finnlay Withington got the better of Brazilian Vini Rodrigues, winning in straight games after 32 minutes. The Englishman will now face compatriot and top seed Curtis Malik in the last four, after the World No.75 overcame Czech Republic’s Marek Panacek in the quarter finals.

In the women’s draw, the top four seeds all safely made it through to the semis of the Challenger 5 competition, with England’s Millie Tomlinson and Torrie Malik to meet on Monday. Scotland’s Alison Thomson, the No.2 seed, will take on England’s Saran Nghiem in the other semi-final.

The semi-finals of the Northern Joe Cup will take place at Fairways Lodge in Manchester on Monday, August 1, with all of the action being shown live and free on the PSA Challenger Tour YouTube channel. You can also keep up to date with live scores from the tournament on the PSA World Tour’s website.

*Men’s Quarter Final Results: Northern Joe Cup*
[1] Curtis Malik (ENG) bt [6] Marek Panacek (CZE) 3-0: 11-8, 11-7, 11-8 (44m)
Finnlay Withington (ENG) bt Vini Rodrigues (BRA) 3-0: 11-6, 11-5, 11-6 (32m)
Alasdair Prott (SCO) bt [3] Ben Smith (ENG) 3-0: 11-4, 11-1, 11-5 (16m)
Elliott Morris Devred (WAL) bt [8] Stuart MacGregor (ENG) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-8 (36m)

*Men’s Semi-Final Draw: To Be Played Monday, August 1*
[1] Curtis Malik (ENG) v Finnlay Withington (ENG)
Alasdair Prott (SCO) v Elliott Morris Devred (WAL)

*Women’s Quarter Final Results: Northern Joe Cup*
[1] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) bt [7] Asia Harris (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-4, 11-5 (27m)
[3] Torrie Malik (ENG) bt [8] Polly Clark (ENG) 3-0: 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 (20m)
[4] Saran Nghiem (ENG) bt [5] Katie Wells (ENG) 3-0: 11-2, 11-7, 11-8 (22m)
[2] Alison Thomson (SCO) bt Lowri Roberts (WAL) 3-1: 11-9, 11-5, 7-11, 11-6 (37m)

*Women’s Semi-Final Draw: To Be Played Monday, August 1*
[1] Millie Tomlinson (ENG) v [3] Torrie Malik (ENG)
[4] Saran Nghiem (ENG) v [2] Alison Thomson (SCO)