Mighty Max Downs Simpson In Valencia
by Howard Harding
6 October 2011 - Max Lee of Hong Kong earned an unexpected place in the quarter-finals of the inaugural Valencia Open when he ousted third seed Chris Simpson in the opening round of the PSA World Tour Challenger 15 squash event at Maestro Serrano in Valencia, Spain.
In his second successive upset over the higher-ranked Englishman this year, Lee recovered from a game down to beat Simpson 9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-5.
The unseeded 23-year-old, ranked 58 in the world, will now face Campbell Grayson after the New Zealander defeated South African qualifier Shaun le Roux 4-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-1.
Top-ranked Spaniard Borja Golan eased his way into the last eight after overcoming compatriot Alejandro Garbi Caro 11-6, 11-5, 11-4. The top seed from Santiago de Compostela will face qualifier Olivier Pett for a place in the semi-finals.
Englishman Pett, ranked 87 in the world, scored a notable upset when he beat Frenchman Yann Perrin, the world No68 from Aix-en-Provence, 11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 11-3.
France's Gregoire Marche survived the longest match of the day, overcoming Dane Kristian Frost Olesen 2-11, 11-7, 11-2, 7-11, 11-1 in 80 minutes.
The 21-year-old from Aix-en-Provence will now take on second seed Omar Abdel Aziz. The Egyptian also took more than an hour to see off his first round opponent Davide Bianchetti, beating the former world No24 from Italy 11-9, 11-8, 11-13, 12-10 in 70 minutes.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 15 Valencia Open, Valencia, Spain
1st round:
[1] Borja Golan (ESP) bt Alejandro Garbi Caro (ESP) 11-6, 11-5, 11-4 (35m)
[Q] Olivier Pett (ENG) bt Yann Perrin (FRA) 11-9, 8-11, 11-5, 11-3 (43m)
Bradley Hindle (MLT) bt [Q] Leandro Romiglio Fernandez (ESP) 13-11, 11-5, 12-10 (40m)
[4] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) bt [Q] Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-5, 7-11, 11-2, 11-8 (46m)
Max Lee (HKG) bt [3] Chris Simpson (ENG) 9-11, 12-10, 11-6, 11-5 (45m)
Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt [Q] Shaun le Roux (RSA) 4-11, 11-2, 11-6, 11-1 (35m)
Gregoire Marche (FRA) bt Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) 2-11, 11-7, 11-2, 7-11, 11-1 (80m)
[2] Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) bt Davide Bianchetti (ITA) 11-9, 11-8, 11-13, 12-10 (70m)
Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Borja Golan (ESP) v [Q] Olivier Pett (ENG)
[4] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) v Bradley Hindle (MLT)
Max Lee (HKG) v Campbell Grayson (NZL)
[2] Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) v Gregoire Marche (FRA)
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