Canary Wharf: Charles looks sharp

ISS Canary Wharf Squash Classic, qualifying competition first round at Wimbledon Rackets and Fitness Club.

Results:

Robbie Temple (England) beat Rory Pennell (England) 11-5, 11-8, 12-10 (48 mins)

Davide Bianchetti (Italy) beat Ben Ford (England) 11-5, 11-6, 11-8 (44 mins)

Henrik Mustonen (Finland) beat Adrian Waller (England) 6-11, 11-9, 11-8, 9-11, 11-6 (63 mins)

British Under-19 champion Charles Sharpes is desperately keen to reach the first round of the ISS Canary Wharf Classic.

The 19-year-old from Surrey overcame Yorkshire’s Laurence Delasaux to reach the qualifying finals against the stylish Max Lee from Hong Kong.

Sharpes said: “Laurence has been in the world top 60 so that has to be the best win of my career. He is such a good mate but you’ve got to forget about that on court and do the business.

“I was pleased that I managed to keep him in the back corners for a lot of the game as he is so dangerous at the front.

“I feel like I am getting stronger. I won my second PSA tournament last week and am learning all the time.”

Sharpes faces a tough time against the stylish Lee, who produced a narray of dazzling winners to beat Guernsey’s Chris Simpson in straight games

On a day when eight English players were knocked out of the competition, the only other home player to reach the qualifying finals was London-based Robbie Temple. He meets the hugely talented 19-year-old Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad, who hit back after losing the first game to beat the more experienced Eddie Charlton.

Alongside a draw full of promising youth, Italy’s 34-year-old Davide Bianchetti overcame Kent’s 35-year-old Silver Fox Ben Ford in straight games. Bianchetti now meets Finland’s Henrik Mustonen, who won a marathon match against tall left-hander Adrian Waller.

New Zealand’s Campbell Grayson beat Jonny Harford in the longest match of the day, a 67-minute battle featuring two tough tiebreaks, and his prize is a clash with Australian Matthew Karwalski, who beat Jamie Haycocks in the shortest match of the competition.

Only a handful of tickets are available for the first round of the main event on Monday. The rest of the week is sold out for a second year running in this highly-prized PSA World Tour event.

Sunday, qualifying finals:
3pm: Gawad v Temple
4pm: Bianchetti v Mustonen
5pm: Grayson v Karwalski
6pm: Sharpes v Lee.