RESULTS: PSA Challenger 5 Tasmanian Open, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
Semi-finals:
[1] Bradley Hindle (MLT) bt [5] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 11-9, 11-9, 11-4 (40m)
[2] Leo Au (HKG) bt [3] Lewis Walters (ENG) 11-8, 10-12, 11-4, 11-6 (60m)
Final:
[2] Leo Au (HKG) bt [1] Bradley Hindle (MLT) 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 (34m)
Hong Kong’s Leo Au scored his second PSA World Tour title success in Australia this month when he upset favouriteBradley Hindle in the final of the Tasmanian Open in Hobart, Tasmania.
It was after dropping his first game of the tournament in the semi-finals against England’s No3 seed Lewis Walters that Au faced Hindle, the top seed from Malta, in the final of the PSA Challenger 5 squash event at Eastside Squash.
The 21-year-old from Hong Kong came from behind in the first two games to overcome Australian-born Hindle 11-6, 11-8, 11-3 in 34 minutes.
“I should have won the first two games and then in the third he got away from me, I think I was a bit deflated,” Hindle said.
“But I’m not too disappointed. It was a good match – he was just a bit better than me on the day.”
The title marks Au’s third on the PSA Tour, and immediately follws his success in the Victorian Open in Melbourne.
2nd round:
[1] Bradley Hindle (MLT) bt Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-5, 11-4, 7-11, 11-8 (42m)
[6] Anthony Graham (ENG) bt Kevin Moran (SCO) 11-7, 5-11, 13-11, 11-3 (62m)
[5] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) bt [Q] Norman Junge (GER) 11-8, 2-11, 11-6, 5-11, 11-5 (45m)
[4] Nathan Stevenson (AUS) bt Luke Sims (AUS) 11-7, 9-11, 11-4, 11-6 (36m)
[3] Lewis Walters (ENG) bt Chris Ferguson (SCO) 11-6, 1-0 ret. (10m)
[Q] Tsukue Shinnosuke (JPN) bt Jonas Daehler (SUI) 11-9, 7-11, 11-7, 11-1 (35m) Roman Svec (CZE) bt Owais Khan (PAK) 11-2, 2-11, 11-6, 6-11, 13-11 (54m)
[2] Leo Au (HKG) bt Ondrej Ertl (CZE) 11-7, 11-5, 11-4 (26m)
Quarter-finals:
[1] Bradley Hindle (MLT) bt [6] Anthony Graham (ENG) 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6 (74m)
[5] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) bt [4] Nathan Stevenson (AUS) 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 (37m)
[3] Lewis Walters (ENG) bt [Q] Tsukue Shinnosuke (JPN) 11-7, 11-2, 11-6 (29m)
[2] Leo Au (HKG) bt Roman Svec (CZE) 11-5, 11-6, 11-4 (25m)
Home hopes for success in the Tasmanian Open were dashed today when Austrian Aqeel Rehman upset fourth-seeded Australian Nathan Stevenson in straight games to reach the semi-finals of the PSA Challenger 5 squash event atEastside Squash in Hobart, Tasmania.
The fifth seed from Salzburg, ranked 17 places below last year’s runner-up Stevenson, defeated the lone Aussie left in the draw 11-4, 11-7, 11-6 in 37 minutes.
Rehman, aged 25, will now face top seed Bradley Hindle for a place in the final. The Maltese favourite was stretched to four games – and 74 minutes – by Englishman Anthony Graham before overcoming the No6 seed 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-6.
There will be English interest in the other semi, however, when third seed Lewis Walters takes on Leo Au, the No2 seed from Hong Kong.
Walters, a 23-year-old from Nottingham, ended the brave run of Japanese qualifier Tsukue Shinnosuke – beating the 21-year-old from Tokyo 11-7, 11-2, 11-6. Shinnosuke, ranked just inside the world top 300, made his breakthrough in the opening round with a straight games defeat of Australia’s No7 seed Josh Cardwell.
Au cruised to his third straight straight games win in the tournament, overcoming unseeded Czech Roman Svec 11-5, 11-6, 11-4.
