Team USA’s Chris Gordon and Todd Harrity reached the qualifying finals of the $70,000 U.S. Pro Series Motor City Open Wednesday night at the Birmingham Athletic Club in Detroit, Michigan.
After going 2-0 behind against world No. 29 Cesar Salazar, Gordon fought off four match balls in the third game to extend the match to four games. Gordon earned a 7-2 lead in the fourth, at which point Salazar suffered a thigh injury and was forced to retire, handing the match to the American world No. 58.
Team USA’s world No. 75 Chris Hanson lost a heart-breaking five-gamer against Finnish world No. 46 Olli Tuominen. The Dartmouth graduate squandered two match balls in the third game, allowing the thirty-six-year-old veteran to come back and advance to the qualifying finals in five, where he will take on Gordon.
World No. 52 Todd Harrity eased through his opening match against twenty-year-old Englishman Ben Coates 11-3, 11-3, 11-6.
Harrity will contest his qualifying final against Hong Kong’s world No. 30 Leo Au. Harrity and Au have never met in the PSA Tour, but played against each other twice in the 2010 world university championships, with each player winning one match.
Friday’s qualifying finals begin at 5:30pm ET Thursday. Follow live scores on U.S. Pro Series Live and the official tournament website.