Weekend Round-Up: Ford, Cardenas, Malhotra Lift Titles Over Weekend

There were three titles on offer on the Challenger Tour over the weekend, with players from three different nationalities taking the victories.

The first of two tournaments of the weekend was held in Boca Raton, with Vikram Malhotra lifting the Life Time Betty Griffin Memorial Florida Open.

The Indian took just thirty minutes to defeat Mexico’s Jesus Camacho in the final, winning in straight games to take home the 11th title of his career.

To make the final, Malhotra had to beat No.3 seed Mazen Gamal in a tough four-game battle that lasted 84 minutes. He also defeated Leandro Romiglio and Anthony Rogal in the earlier rounds of the event.

At the Cognac Open in France, it was the unseeded Tom Ford that took the title, having defeated three of the top five seeds on his way to the trophy.

The final saw the Englishman win a four-gamer in just 45 minutes, as he downed the tournament’s No.1 seed Farkas Balazs, who was looking for a second title in three months.

Instead, it was Ford who took the win, claiming victory in only his second tournament back after two years away. The Englishman has now won seven titles on the PSA World Tour.

Prior to beating the No.1 seed in the final, the World No.281 had also overcome the No.5 seed Sam Todd in the last eight, before downing No.2 seed Fabien Verseille in the semis.

At the Securian Open in St. Paul, Minnesota, there was an all-North American final, with Mexico’s Leonel Cardenas getting the better of Canada’s Michael McCue.

Cardenas was the tournament’s No.2 seed, and he defeated the Canadian in straight games in the final to lift the eighth PSA Tour title of his career.

Earlier on in the tournament, the Mexican had two other Canadians in Cory McCartney and No.7 seed David Baillargeon, before receiving a walkover in the semis.

Result – Final: Cognac Open
Tom Ford (ENG) bt [1] Farkas Balazs (HUN) 3-1: 11-4, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10 (45m)

Result – Final: Securian Open
[2] Leonel Cardenas (MEX) bt [4] Michael McCue (CAN) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-5 (47m)

Result – Final: Life Time Betty Griffin Memorial Florida Open
[1] Vikram Malhotra (IND) bt [6] Jesus Camacho (MEX) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-4 (30m)