Gaskin goes out in the semis in Charlottesville
23 September 2013
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 ilex construction Charlottesville Challenger, Charlottesville, Virginia, USA
Final: [2] Martin Knight (NZL) bt [3] Charles Sharpes (ENG) 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7 (98m)
After reaching his third PSA World Tour final this month, New Zealand’s Martin Knight finally celebrated a first win when he beat England’s Charles Sharpes in the final of the ilex construction Charlottesville Challenger, the inaugural PSA Challenger 10 squash event at McArthur Squash Center in Charlottesville in the US state of Virginia.
The No2 seed from Auckland dropped only one game en-route to the final – and immediately had to play catch-up as third seed Sharpes took the opener.
Knight, who arrived in Charlottesville after finishing as runner-up in PSA Tour events in New Zealand and Brazil earlier in the month, won the next two games to take the lead – but 21-year-old Sharpes fought back to force a decider.
It took 98 minutes for the title to be decided – 29-year-old Knight emerging the 10-12, 11-6, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7 victor to claim the fourth Tour title of his career.
“Get in!!! Just won the Charlottesville Open,” the jubilant Knight told his friends on Facebook. “My third final in 3 weeks, it was great to convert this time around!!”
22 September 2013
England’s Charles Sharpes and New Zealander Martin Knight will contest the final of the ilex construction Charlottesville Challenger after surviving contrasting semi-finals in the inaugural PSA World Tour Challenger 10 squash event at McArthur Squash Center in Charlottesville in the US state of Virginia.
Second seed Knight, the New Zealand champion from Auckland, also faced an unseeded opponent. Ireland’s Arthur Gaskin earned his surprise place in the last four after upsetting fourth-seeded Canadian Dane Sharp in the previous round.
But the 29-year-old Kiwi, ranked 53 in the world, was too strong for the Irishman, winning 12-10, 11-7, 11-3 to claim his third successive Tour final appearance this month – and the 11th of his career.
Third seed Sharpes faced Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi, the unseeded Qatari teenager who upset US favourite Julian Illingworth in the first round.
The 18-year-old from Doha took the opening two games before the London-born 21-year-old Sharpes asserted his authority on the encounter to take the next three to secure a 7-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-8 victory.
The win moves Sharpes into his second PSA Tour final of the year and the seventh of his career.
Semi-finals: [3] Charles Sharpes (ENG) bt Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) 7-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-8 [2] Martin Knight (NZL) bt Arthur Gaskin (IRL) 12-10, 11-7, 11-3
21 September 2013
Irish No.1 Arthur Gaskin grabbed a
place in the semi-finals of the ilex construction Charlottesville Challenger after upsetting fourth seed Dane Sharp in the inaugural PSA World Tour Challenger 10 event at McArthur Squash Center in Charlottesville in the US state of Virginia.
The unseeded 28-year-old from Carlow came from two games down to beat Sharp, ranked 12 places higher in the world, 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5.
Gaskin now faces Martin Knight, the No2 seed from New Zealand who ended Pakistani Syed Ali Mujtaba Shah Bokhari’s run, beating the 17-year-old 9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-3.
Qatari teenager Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi continued his mighty run by beating South Africa’s Clinton Leeuw 11-7, 11-9, 2-11, 11-9.
The 18-year-old from Doha, who produced a major first round shock when he ousted top seed Julian Illingworth, now takes on third seed Charles Sharpes after the Englishman defeated Kiwi Paul Coll 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 12-10.
Quarter-finals:
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) bt Clinton Leeuw (RSA) 11-7, 11-9, 2-11, 11-9
[3] Charles Sharpes (ENG) bt Paul Coll (NZL) 11-8, 11-6, 9-11, 12-10
Arthur Gaskin (IRL) bt [4] Dane Sharp (CAN) 8-11, 9-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-5
[2] Martin Knight (NZL) bt Syed Ali Mujtaba Shah Bokhari (PAK) 9-11, 11-7, 11-6, 11-3
Semi-final line-up:
Abdulla Mohd Al Tamimi (QAT) v [3] Charles Sharpes (ENG)
[2] Martin Knight (NZL) v Arthur Gaskin (IRL)
