RESULTS: PSA Challenger 5 Le Sport Open, Rhos-on-Sea, Wales
1st round:
[1] Joe Lee (ENG) bt [Q] Steven London (ENG) 11-5, 11-7, 11-7 (33m)
Alex Ingham (ENG) bt Mark Fuller (ENG) 12-10, 11-5, 11-5 (30m)
Anthony Graham (ENG) bt Andrew Birks (ENG) 8-11, 11-7, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8 (70m)
[Q] Charles Sharpes (ENG) bt [3] Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) 11-7, 11-3, 12-10 (31m)
Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) bt [4] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 5-11, 6-11, 11-6, 11-3, 11-9 (51m)
Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) bt [Q] Michael Harris (ENG) 11-6, 11-5, 11-5 (30m)
Chris Fuller (ENG) bt [Q] Declan James (ENG) 11-8, 11-7, 11-3 (40m)
[2] Eddie Charlton (ENG) bt Rory Pennell (ENG) 11-6, 9-11, 11-9, 11-6 (35m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Joe Lee (ENG) bt Alex Ingham (ENG) 11-8, 11-6, 13-11 (40m)
[Q] Charles Sharpes (ENG) bt Anthony Graham (ENG) 11-7, 11-8, 1-11, 11-5 (50m)
Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) bt Marwan El Shorbagy (EGY) 12-10, 3-11, 11-8, 11-7 (60m)
Chris Fuller (ENG) bt [2] Eddie Charlton (ENG) w/o
Semi-finals:
[1] Joe Lee (ENG) bt [Q] Charles Sharpes (ENG) 11-6, 11-8, 11-8 (40m)
Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) bt Chris Fuller (ENG) 12-10, 9-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-6 (95m)
Final:
[1] Joe Lee (ENG) bt Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) 11-5, 11-6, 11-1 (30m)
Lee Cruises To Le Sport Success
England’s Joe Lee dominated the field of the Le Sport Open in Wales, winning the PSA World Tour Challenger 5 squash event at Le Sport Health & Fitness in Rhos-on-Sea without dropping a game.
The 21-year-old from Walton-on-Thames overcame fellow countrymen all the way through to the final. Lee beat qualifier Charles Sharpes, a life-long friend and the reigning British National Junior champion, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8 in the semi-finals to reach the fifth Tour final of his career.
His surprise opponent in the final was local star Karim Ali Fathi, a 17-year-old Egyptian coached by club proprietor and former England international Philip Whitlock, who was making his PSA Tour debut.
Wildcard Fathi battled to a four-game win over compatriot Marwan El Shorbagy, a former British Junior Open U17 champion, before taking out England’s 20-year-old Chris Fuller to make his maiden final.
But Lee, ranked 75 in the world, was too strong for the Cairo teenager, beating Fathi 11-5, 11-6, 11-1 in 30 minutes.
The triumph marks the first PSA Tour title of Lee’s career.