RESULTS: Fairmount Squash Open, Philadelphia, USA
1st round:
[1] Gilly Lane (USA) bt Lewis Walters (ENG) 11-0, 11-7, 11-6
[5] Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) bt Fernando Lopez (MEX) 11-6, 6-11, 12-10, 11-5
[3] Wade Johnstone (AUS) bt Miled Zarazua (MEX) 11-6, 11-1, 12-10
[Q] Lekgotla Mosope (BOT) bt [6] Erik Tepos Valtierra (MEX) 11-9, 6-11, 11-3, 12-10
[8] Stuart Crawford (SCO) bt [Q] Ryan Thompson (RSA) 11-9, 11-4, 11-7
[4] Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) bt Lyall Paterson (SCO) 11-6, 11-4, 11-8
[7] Chris Truswell (ENG) bt [Q] Paul Frank (SCO) 11-4, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8
[2] Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt [Q] Omar El Kashef (EGY) 12-10, 9-11, 11-6, 11-6
Quarter-finals:
[1] Gilly Lane (USA) bt [5] Patrick Chifunda (ZAM) 11-5, 11-9, 11-3
[3] Wade Johnstone (AUS) bt [Q] Lekgotla Mosope (BOT) 11-3, 11-9, 11-6
[4] Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) bt [8] Stuart Crawford (SCO) 11-6, 11-4, 13-11
[2] Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt [7] Chris Truswell (ENG) 11-9, 3-11, 11-4, 6-11, 11-3
Semi-finals:
[1] Gilly Lane (USA) bt [3] Wade Johnstone (AUS) 11-8, 11-9, 9-11, 11-8
[2] Cesar Salazar (MEX) bt [4] Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) 5-11, 11-5, 11-1, 11-9
Final:
[1] Gilly Lane (USA) bt [2] Cesar Salazar (MEX) 11-4, 4-11, 15-13, 11-5
Home town boy Gilly Lane celebrated his anticipated success in the inaugural Fairmount Open when he beat second seed Cesar Salazar in the final of the $6,000 PSA World Tour squash event at Fairmount Athletic Club in Philadelphia, USA.
The 24-year-old from Philadelphia had to overcome an Englishman, a Zambian and an Australian before coming against 21-year-old Mexican Cesar Salazar in the climax.
The two top seeds had travelled through the draw with comparative ease, and although both dropped games in the semi-finals, they appeared to be at the top of their games.
The final started nervously enough, with Salazar unable to cope with the high tempo enforced by his Amsterdam-based opponent. Lane was four points to nil up before Salazar troubled the marker – going on to close it out with relative ease.
To the disappointment of the pro-Gilly crowd, the second game saw the Mexican return the favour and easily run away with the game to draw level.
The third told the tale of the final and delighted the spectators with its intensity. Both players displayed both remarkable physical resiliency and attacking stroke-making – with local boy Lane finally taking the game on his third game ball after thirty five minutes.
The fourth game saw Salazar fade, and the US favourite tenaciously grab the title with a run of seven straight points from 4-5 – much to the delight of a packed and knowledgeable Philadelphia crowd.
The 11-4, 4-11, 15-13, 11-5 victory takes Lane's PSA Tour tally to three titles from seven final appearances.