Charlton Takes Out Temple In London Upset
by Howard Harding
2 December 2011 - English qualifier Eddie Charlton produced the only upset on the opening day of main draw action in the Coronation London Open when he ousted fellow countryman Robbie Temple to reach the quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour Challenger 15 squash event in its fourth year at the Cumberland Lawn Tennis Club in London.
Temple, ranked 37 world ranking places above his opponent, started the match well - and a shaky start from Charlton eased him into a first game lead. But 23-year-old Charlton, from Nottingham, steadied his resolve and played a consistent game to fight back and take the next three to claim a surprise 6-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-5 win.
"I played Robbie in the qualifiers here last year and won 3/0, so it's good to get another win against him," said the world No99. "He's a useful player, and he did well in the first. I just had to try and nullify his shots and limit what he could do on the ball."
Charlton will now face young Egyptian Karim Abdel Gawad, the 20-year-old No4 seed who saw off French qualifier Fabien Verseille 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 in 42 minutes.
Chris Simpson leads home interest in the capital event. The Guernsey-born world No51 took on Steven Finitsis. The Australian qualifier started well, hitting powerful lengths that Simpson struggled to combat.
At 5-0 down in the first game, the Englishman found some consistency and hit back to set up a two-game lead. A lapse in concentration allowed Finitsis back into the match in the third game and he duly took the opportunity to reduce the deficit. But Simpson returned to the court refocused to finish off the match 11-9, 14-12, 3-11, 11-1 after 75 minutes.
Harrogate-based Simpson will now line up against Aamir Atlas Khan, the top seed from Pakistan. The 21-year-old from Peshawar combined powerful attacking shots and explosive movement to limit New Zealand opponent Campbell Grayson's early opportunities to score points.
Khan took the first two games - but, despite the mountain to climb, the Kiwi refused to give up and a after a lapse in concentration from the favourite, leapt in to claim the third game.
Clearly buoyed by the third game, Grayson was on fire from then on with Khan struggling to finish off a rally. Numerous back-wall boasts from the New Zealand international kept the rallies going and his retrieval at the front was just as good.
But Khan dug deep to salvage the match from game-ball down in the fourth, ultimately winning 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 12-10.
Borja Golan, the third seed from Spain making his debut in the event, took on London-born Joe Lee, a quarter-finalist in the 2010 event. The former world No10 from Santiago made short of work his English opponent, winning 11-9, 11-6, 11-6.
"It's not always easy to play very well in the first round," said the Spaniard. "But I'm pleased with the win today, as Joe is a good player and he's always improving."
A striking all-Egyptian clash saw 21-year-old Andrew Wagih Shoukry take on 18-year-old qualifier Mohamed Abouelghar, the world junior championship runner-up. Both players favoured an aggressive and attacking tactic, and both outright winners and tins were in ample supply.
Shoukry was always the more consistent of the pair, however, and had to dig deep in the third game, coming from four points behind to close out the match 12-10, 11-9, 11-9.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 15 Coronation London Open, London, England
1st round:
[1] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) bt Campbell Grayson (NZL) 11-7, 11-4, 9-11, 12-10
Chris Simpson (ENG) bt [Q] Steven Finitsis (AUS) 11-9, 14-12, 3-11, 11-1 (75m)
Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY) bt [Q] Mohamed Abouelghar (EGY) 12-10, 11-9, 11-9 (45m)
[3] Borja Golan (ESP) bt Joe Lee (ENG) 11-9, 11-6, 11-6
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) bt [Q] Fabien Verseille (FRA) 11-7, 11-9, 11-5 (42m)
[Q] Eddie Charlton (ENG) bt Robbie Temple (ENG) 6-11, 12-10, 11-7, 11-5
Mark Krajcsak (HUN) bt Reuben Phillips (ENG) 11-5, 11-4, 11-2
[2] Stephen Coppinger (RSA) bt Davide Bianchetti (ITA) 11-4, 9-11, 11-4, 13-11
Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Aamir Atlas Khan (PAK) v Chris Simpson (ENG)
[3] Borja Golan (ESP) v Andrew Wagih Shoukry (EGY)
[4] Karim Abdel Gawad (EGY) v [Q] Eddie Charlton (ENG)
[2] Stephen Coppinger (RSA) v Mark Krajcsak (HUN)
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