Harrity and Khan Qualify for Oregon Open Main Draw

Harrity TOCImage courtesy of Steve Line/squashpics.com

Qualifying for the 2014 Oregon Open is complete as American Todd Harrity and Seattle-based eighteen-year-old Shahjahan Khan join the sixteen-player main draw at the Multnomah Athletic Club in Portland.

With four main draw qualifying positions on the line, two rounds of play involved a number of club members—including tournament promoter Anders Gilvedt—up against professionals in the first round.

One month after reaching the semifinals of the Seattle Open, former Collegiate individual champion and world No. 119 Harrity (pictured above at the 2014 Tournament of Champions) continued his success in the pacific northwest. Harrity first defeated fellow ivy-league graduate and American international Adrian Leanza in three games, followed by a four-game upset against Australian world No. 93 Zac Alexander. The twenty-three-year-old from Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania faces Scottish world No. 38 Alan Clyne in first round action.

Pakistani world No. 164 Khan recorded two victories over higher-seeded opposition earning a spot in his second PSA main draw of 2014. Khan took advantage of travel-fatigued Canadian Fred Reid winning in three games after the Squash Doubles Association world No. 18 endured flight delays the previous night. Khan continued his run eliminating British Virgin Islands international Joe Chapman, also in three games, to reach the main draw where he faces top seed Omar Abdel Meguid.

The $16,000 Oregon Open is celebrating its first iteration since 2008 when Egyptian Karim Darwish defeated Thierry Lincou in the final of the $50,000 main draw.

Among the returning cast of characters from 2008 are Americans Christopher Gordon and seventh-seeded Portland-native Julian Illingworth as the top two in the U.S. face Campbell Grayson and Alfredo Avila respectively. Illingworth makes the adjustment to softball singles after becoming the U.S. Hardball singles champion this past weekend in New York City.

Portland native and former Rochester University player Adam Perkiomaki slots in as the Wild Card in hopes of his first main draw success on home soil against English world No. 34 Joe Lee.

First qualifying round:
Joe Chapman (BVI) bt Sean Ryan (USA) 11-4, 11-5, 11-1 (20m)
Shahjahan Khan (PAK) bt Fred Reid (CAN) 11-9, 11-9, 13-11 (40m)
Reuben Phillips (ENG) bt Charlie Wagner (USA) 11-4, 11-6, 11-3 (33m)
Andrew Schnell (CAN) bt Anders Gilvedt (NOR) 11-4, 11-5, 11-5 (28m)
Zac Alexander (AUS) bt Ahmad Alzabidi (JOR) 11-4, 11-7, 11-8 (40m)
Todd Harrity (USA) bt Adrian Leanza (USA) 11-3, 11-4, 11-7 (38m)
Karamatullah Khan (PAK) bt Atticus Jones (USA) 11-3, 11-1, 11-9 (25m)
Alfredo Avila (MEX) bt Bradbury Tompson USA) 11-8, 11-5, 11-7 (31m)

Qualifying finals:
Shahjahan Khan (PAK) bt Joe Chapman (BVI) 12-10, 11-8, 11-5 (36m)
Andrew Schnell (CAN) bt Rueben Phillips (ENG) 11-9, 9-11, 11-2, 11-6 (48m)
Todd Harrity (USA) bt Zac Alexander (AUS) 7-11, 11-3, 11-7, 11-3 (44m)
Alfredo Avila (MEX) bt Karamatullah Khan (PAK) 11-6, 11-1, 11-5 (30m)

Main draw:
[1] Omar Abdel Meguid (EGY) v [Q] Shahjahan Khan (PAK)
[5] Mazen Hesham Ga Sabry (EGY) v [Q] Andrew Schnell (CAN)
[8] Karim Ali Fathi (EGY) v Mohd Ali Anwar Reda (EGY)
[3] Alan Clyne (SCO) v [Q] Todd Harrity (USA)
[4] Joe Lee (ENG) v [WC] Adam Perkiomaki (USA)
[6] Campbell Grayson (NZL) v Christopher Gordon (USA)
[7] Julian Illingworth (USA) v [Q] Alfredo Avila (MEX)
[2] Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) v Shawn Delierre (CAN)