Galvez Boasts Saskatoon Marathon Upset
by Howard Harding
23 November 2012 - Mexican qualifier Eric Galvez survived one of the longest matches of his career in the Prairie AutoHaus Saskatoon Boast Open in Canada when he upset third-seeded Australian Rex Hedrick to secure a place in the quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 squash event in its 11th successive year at the Saskatoon YMCA in Saskatoon.
A former Pan American champion and world No33, Galvez has slipped down the rankings over the past five years and currently languishes just outside the top 100. But the 29-year-old from Puebla has clearly rediscovered his former touch and, after coming through two rounds of qualifying, battled for 126 minutes to see off Hedrick, the 24-year-old world No69 from Melbourne, 6-11, 11-8, 11-9, 3-11, 11-5.
"This match had it all," said tournament organiser Brad Birnie. "Long, punishing rallies, four injury time-outs, bleeding, neither player making many mistakes. Really a titanic battle between two evenly matched players. Galvez gathered himself several times through injury breaks to upset the third seed."
Now leading Mexican interest single-handedly, Galvez will next face South African Shaun le Roux, who also defeated an Australian, qualifier Scott Arnold, 11-3, 11-7, 11-5.
And the Mexican is joined by a second qualifier who is now also bidding for a place in the last four. England's Ben Coleman - the lowest-ranked qualifier in the field - beat Pakistan's 18-year-old Danish Atlas Khan 13-11, 9-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-4 in 94 minutes.
"In the first major upset of the evening, a marathon of lets, long rallies, conduct warnings and an injury time-out when Khan hit himself in the face with a front court drive," explained Birnie. "Coleman won out as Khan seemed to be injured in the fifth, although he played on gamely."
The top two seeds both put out Canadians to stake their claim on quarter-final berths. Australian favourite Zac Alexander beat wildcard Matthew Serediak 11-4, 11-4, 11-9, while second-seeded New Zealander Campbell Grayson ousted Calgary's Andrew Schnell 11-2, 11-3, 11-7.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 Prairie AutoHaus Saskatoon Boast Open, Saskatoon, Canada
1st round:
[1] Zac Alexander (AUS) bt Matthew Serediak (CAN) 11-4, 11-4, 11-9 (29m)
[Q] Ben Coleman (ENG) bt Danish Atlas Khan (PAK) 13-11, 9-11, 6-11, 12-10, 11-4 (94m)
Shaun le Roux (RSA) bt [Q] Scott Arnold (AUS) 11-3, 11-7, 11-5 (43m)
[Q] Eric Galvez (MEX) bt [3] Rex Hedrick (AUS) 6-11, 11-8, 11-9, 3-11, 11-5 (126m)
[4] Steven Finitsis (AUS) bt [Q] Farhan Zaman (PAK) 11-2, 11-6, 11-9 (36m)
Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) bt Dane Sharp (CAN) 11-9, 11-7, 11-5 (38m)
Gonzalo Miranda (ARG) bt Alfredo Avila (MEX) 11-9, 11-8, 13-11 (57m)
[2] Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt Andrew Schnell (CAN) 11-2, 11-3, 11-7 (31m)
Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Zac Alexander (AUS) v [Q] Ben Coleman (ENG)
[Q] Eric Galvez (MEX) v Shaun le Roux (RSA)
[4] Steven Finitsis (AUS) v Jaymie Haycocks (ENG)
[2] Campbell Grayson (NZL) v Gonzalo Miranda (ARG)
Back To Main
