Quality Qualifiers Excel In London
by Howard Harding
23 November 2012 - In a dramatic night of first round upsets in the England capital, all but one of the qualifiers competing in the London Open made it through to the quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 squash event in its fifth year at Cumberland Lawn Tennis Club.
Joel Hinds gave home interest an unexpected boost when he beat Danish champion Kristian Frost Olesen 11-8, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9. Birmingham-based Hinds, the lowest-ranked qualifier, now faces Eddie Charlton in an all-English quarter-final.
Unseeded Charlton, 24, from Nottingham, also pulled off a notable upset - beating Kamran Khan, the No4 seed from Malaysia, 7-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-8.
Pakistan qualifier Nasir Iqbal put paid to a second all-English last eight clash when he upset rising Surrey star Charles Sharpes 9-11, 12-14, 11-1, 11-5, 11-4. The 18-year-old from Peshawar now takes on Robbie Temple after the London-based third seed despatched Germany's Raphael Kandra 11-5, 11-6, 11-5.
It also took five games to resolve the match between Scotland's Greg Lobban and Dane Rasmus Nielsen - and again it ended in an upset when qualifier Lobban triumphed 4-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5, 11-6. The Inverness-born 20-year-old now faces England's second seed Chris Ryder, who defeated German Jens Schoor 11-5, 11-4, 3-11, 11-9.
English favourite Jonathan Kemp denied a full house of qualifying successes when he beat UK-based Austrian qualifier Aqeel Rehman 11-5, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8. The world No29 from Ipswich will now take on rapidly-improving Egyptian teenager Karim Ali Fathi.
Based in the UK and coached by former England international Phil Whitlock, 19-year-old Ali Fathi despatched Pakistan's Abid Ak Khan 11-4, 11-2, 11-2.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 London Open, London, England
1st round:
[1] Jonathan Kemp (ENG) bt [Q] Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 11-5, 5-11, 11-4, 11-8
Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) bt Abid Ak Khan (PAK) 11-4, 11-2, 11-2
[Q] Joel Hinds (ENG) bt Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) 11-8, 7-11, 11-5, 11-9
Eddie Charlton (ENG) bt [4] Kamran Khan (MAS) 7-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-8
[3] Robbie Temple (ENG) bt Raphael Kandra (GER) 11-5, 11-6, 11-5
[Q] Nasir Iqbal (PAK) bt Charles Sharpes (ENG) 9-11, 12-14, 11-1, 11-5, 11-4
[Q] Greg Lobban (SCO) bt Rasmus Nielsen (DEN) 4-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-5, 11-6
[2] Chris Ryder (ENG) bt Jens Schoor (GER) 11-5, 11-4, 3-11, 11-9
Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Jonathan Kemp (ENG) v Karim Ali Fathi (EGY)
Eddie Charlton (ENG) v [Q] Joel Hinds (ENG)
[3] Robbie Temple (ENG) v [Q] Nasir Iqbal (PAK)
[2] Chris Ryder (ENG) v [Q] Greg Lobban (SCO)
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