Home Hero Yuen Wins PSA Kuala Lumpur Crown
by Howard Harding
15 March 2013 - Ivan Yuen provided a popular home win in today's final of the NSC SRAM Series No1 in Malaysia - but for the second day in a row the top seed from Kuala Lumpur had to fight back from two games down before clinching the PSA World Tour Challenger 5 squash title at the Bukit Jalil National Squash Centre in the Malaysian capital.
It was after surviving a 73-minute five-game semi-final marathon against fellow countryman Elvinn Keo that 22-year-old Yuen reached the fifth Tour final of his career.
His surprise opponent was Ahmed Atef Abdel-Fattah, an unseeded Egyptian who enjoyed a sensational run of form in only his fifth appearance in a Tour event - making his debut final after overcoming India's No3 seed Mahesh Mangaonkar in a semi-final which lasted only five minutes short of two hours!
And the 19-year-old outsider from Cairo - ranked 291 in the world - took the opening two games against Yuen as a major shock looked on the cards.
But Yuen, the world No73, held his nerve and rallied to a 10-12, 6-11, 11-5, 11-1, 11-8 victory after 66 minutes to claim the second Tour title of his career.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 5 SRAM NSC Series No1, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
1st round:
[1] Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt Chaudhary Nasir Anwar (PAK) 11-1, 11-2, 11-0
[Q] Muhammad Tarmidi (MAS) bt Muhammad Jehangir Khan (PAK) 11-4, 12-10, 11-8
[WC] Addeen Idrakie (MAS) bt James Skiffington (NZL) 11-8, 11-4, 11-5
[6] Ravi Dixit (IND) bt Sanjay Singh (MAS) 8-11, 11-8, 8-11, 11-9, 11-6
[5] James Huang (TPE) bt Gurshan Singh (MAS) 11-5, 11-7, 11-7
Thomas Ford (ENG) bt [Q] Mohamed El Tabaa (EGY) 11-9, 11-7, 11-8
Cheuk Yan Tang (HKG) bt SeungYong Yoo Yoo (KOR) 11-8, 16-14, 8-11, 13-11
[4] Elvinn Keo (MAS) bt [Q] Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) 11-9, 11-3, 11-7
[3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt Phillip John Bull (ENG) 11-4, 14-12, 11-2
Jonathan Maloney (ENG) bt [Q] Mohamed Mosaad (EGY) 11-5, 10-12, 11-3, 10-12, 11-3
Tarek Salah Shehata (EGY) bt [Q] Andrew Lee (MAS) 11-8, 11-9, 3-11, 11-8
Jean-Pierre Brits (RSA) bt [8] Kim Are Killingberg (NOR) 11-7, 11-9, 11-7
[7] Hon Fung Wong (HKG) bt [Q] Yovineshan AL Ramathash (MAS) 13-11, 11-6, 7-11, 11-8
Ahmed Atef Abdel-Fattah (EGY) bt [Q] Ahmed Hussein (EGY) 11-4, 11-9, 3-11, 3-11, 11-4
Christophe Andre (FRA) bt [Q] Darren Chan (MAS) 11-7, 11-3, 9-11, 11-7
[2] Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) bt Amir Farhan (MAS) 11-6, 11-9, 9-11, 11-7
2nd round:
[1] Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt [Q] Muhammad Tarmidi (MAS) 11-7, 11-7, 11-9
[6] Ravi Dixit (IND) bt [WC] Addeen Idrakie (MAS) 11-8, 10-12, 6-11, 11-9, 11-2
Thomas Ford (ENG) bt [5] James Huang (TPE) 11-8, 5-11, 11-7, 11-5
[4] Elvinn Keo (MAS) bt Cheuk Yan Tang (HKG) 11-3, 11-7, 11-7
[3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt Jonathan Maloney (ENG) 11-2, 11-4, 11-2
Jean-Pierre Brits (RSA) bt Tarek Salah Shehata (EGY) 11-1, 11-7, 6-11, 9-11, 11-8
Ahmed Atef Abdel-Fattah (EGY) bt [7] Hon Fung Wong (HKG) 11-6, 11-2, 11-1
Christophe Andre (FRA) bt [2] Harinder Pal Sandhu (IND) 11-8, 11-7, 6-11, 8-11, 11-6
Quarter-finals:
[1] Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt [6] Ravi Dixit (IND) 11-7, 4-11, 11-8, 11-2
[4] Elvinn Keo (MAS) bt Thomas Ford (ENG) 7-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-5 (32m)
[3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) bt Jean-Pierre Brits (RSA) 11-5, 11-5, 11-8 (49m)
Ahmed Atef Abdel-Fattah (EGY) bt Christophe Andre (FRA) 11-5, 11-8, 4-11, 11-2 (31m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt [4] Elvinn Keo (MAS) 11-13, 11-13, 11-8, 11-3, 11-6 (73m)
Ahmed Atef Abdel-Fattah (EGY) bt [3] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) 11-9, 8-11, 11-9, 6-11, 11-5 (115m)
Final:
[1] Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt Ahmed Atef Abdel-Fattah (EGY) 10-12, 6-11, 11-5, 11-1, 11-8 (66m)
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