Fifth For Fathi In London
by Howard Harding
26 November 2012 - Egyptian teenager Karim Ali Fathi celebrated his fifth PSA World Tour title of the year - and his second upset in the event - when he beat second seed Chris Ryder in the final of the London Open, the PSA Challenger 10 squash event in its fifth year at Cumberland Lawn Tennis Club in the England capital.
Less than 48 hours earlier, unseeded Ali Fathi made his London Open breakthrough by removing top seed Jonathan Kemp, the world No29 from England.
In the final, the 19-year-old from Cairo faced another experienced Englishman Chris Ryder, the 32-year-old world No48 from Leamington Spa.
At 2/1 down and 4-7 behind in the fourth, Ryder called up his experience to draw level and force the match into a fifth game decider.
But world No70 Ali Fathi, based in the UK and coached by former England international Phil Whitlock, regained the upper hand before closing out the match 8-11, 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6 after 90 minutes.
The triumph marks the fifth, and biggest, Tour title of Ali Fathi's career - all of which he has gained in 2012.
"Hopefully this will move Karim into the top 60," commented the Egyptian's jubilant coach.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 London Open, London, England
Final:
Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) bt [2] Chris Ryder (ENG) 8-11, 11-8, 11-4, 9-11, 11-6 (90m)
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