Le Roux Leaps Over Lee In PSA Santiago Surprise
by Howard Harding
18 October 2012 - South African Shaun le Roux became the only qualifier to claim a place in the quarter-finals of the Santiago Open in Spain when he upset England's Joe Lee in the first round of the PSA World Tour International 25 squash event staged on an all-glass court at the Central Area Shopping Center in Santiago de Compostela.
Lee, who celebrated a career-high world No53 ranking this month and went on to qualify for his first PSA World Series event this year at the US Open, took the opening game.
But Le Roux, winner of the recent Central Gauteng Open in his home country and ranked almost 30 places lower, recovered the initiative to take the next three to win 5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3 in 50 minutes.
The Cape Town-born 26-year-old will now face third seed Simon Rosner after the German number one despatched England's Chris Ryder 11-7, 11-7, 11-5.
Local hero Borja Golan, the defending champion, swept into the quarter-finals after taking out Indian number one Saurav Ghosal, the highest-ranked unseeded player in the draw.
Second seed Golan, born and raised in Santiago de Compostela and twice a winner of the event, brushed aside the world No23 11-7, 11-4, 11-6.
Golan, ranked 16 in the world, is expected to face England's top seed Adrian Grant in a repeat of last year's final. Londoner Grant, the 2010 champion, successfully embarked on his bid to make the final for the fourth year in a row by beating top-ranked Hungarian Mark Krajcsak 12-10, 11-3, 11-2.
Grant will face Malaysian Ivan Yuen for a place in the semi-finals, while Golan takes on Englishman Adrian Waller.
RESULTS: PSA International 25 Santiago Open, Santiago de Compostela, Spain
1st round:
[1] Adrian Grant (ENG) bt Mark Krajcsak (HUN) 12-10, 11-3, 11-2 (37m)
Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt [Q] Yann Perrin (FRA) 4-11, 5-11, 12-10, 11-3, 11-6 (54m)
Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) bt [Q] Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-7, 7-11, 9-11, 11-3, 11-7 (51m)
[4] Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Carlos Cornes Ribadas (ESP) 11-4, 11-6, 11-4 (22m)
[3] Simon Rosner (GER) bt Chris Ryder (ENG) 11-7, 11-7, 11-5 (25m)
[Q] Shaun le Roux (RSA) bt Joe Lee (ENG) 5-11, 11-8, 11-4, 11-3 (50m)
Adrian Waller (ENG) bt [Q] Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) 11-8, 11-3, 10-12, 12-10 (53m)
[2] Borja Golan (ESP) bt Saurav Ghosal (IND) 11-7, 11-4, 11-6 (39m)
Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Adrian Grant (ENG) v Ivan Yuen (MAS)
[4] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY)
[3] Simon Rosner (GER) v [Q] Shaun le Roux (RSA)
[2] Borja Golan (ESP) v Adrian Waller (ENG)
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