Gibraltar PSA Challenger Tour write up – Day 2

Day 2 of the tournament ushered in the top 8 players in both the men’s and women’s draws. The women’s draw started with France’s Kara Lincou causing a shock defeat for number 1 seed , England’s Kiera Marshall. Marshall started well taking a convincing first game lead but Lincou recovered to take the second game 11-8, powering on to win the final two games convincingly to book her place in the quarter-finals.
Barb Sameh (EGY), Amelie Haworth (ENG), Ona Blaoco (SPA) and Karolina Sramkova (CZE) also joined in the seed bashing with Sameh knocking out last year’s finalist Hana Ismail (EGY) (3) whilst Blasco dispatched Welsh 4th seed Ali Loke in 3 games. British and European junior champion Haworth knocked out Lea Barbeau in 4 games. Sramkova recovered from a game down to beat Swiss 6 seed Ambre Allinckx 3-1.
In the top half of the draw the only seed remaining was Spain’s 7th seed Sofia Mateos who had beaten upcoming 15 year old Marian Eissa. Whilst the bottom half kept second seed Katerina Tycova (GER) and Bryanne Flynn (IRE). Tycova dropped the initial game before recovering to a 3-1 victory whilst Flynn had to come back from a 2-0 deficit to claim her spot in the quarter finals.
Meanwhile in the men’s tournament it was Italy’s Yuri Farneti that caused the biggest shock, taking down number 2 seed Robert Downer in 4 games. Farneti convincingly took the first two games 11-3, 11-4 before Downer upped his game to take the third (11-8), but Farneti again dominated the 4th (11-5) to take the match.
Only two other seeds dropped out with Liechtenstein’s David Maier overcoming number four seed Laucuenan Loaec (FRA) in a 5 set thriller. Meanwhile, Mateo Restrepo (COL) took down Ireland’s 7th seed Aaron Allpress in 4 games, only dropping the third before recovering in the fourth to win the match.
Moustafa Elsirty (EGY) , Rhys Evans (WAL), Jose Gallegos (CHI), Nido Vidal(SPA) and Jan Wipperfurth (GER) all had straightforward 3-0 victories to complete tomorrow’s quarter final line up.