RESULTS: Roma Est Squash Open, Rome, Italy
1st round:
Stephen Coppinger (RSA) bt [1] Dylan Bennett (NED) 11-1, 11-8, 7-11, 11-7 (64m)
[Q] Joe Lee (ENG) bt [5] Bernardo Samper (COL) 10-11 (0-2), 11-8, 11-9, 11-9 (62m)
Tom Hoevenaars (NED) bt [4] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 11-7, 11-3, 8-11, 11-4 (55m)
[Q] Joan Lezaud (FRA) bt [7] Tony James (AUS) 8-11, 11-9, 11-8, 8-11, 11-8 (90m)
[Q] Siddharth Suchde (IND) bt [8] Luca Mastrostefano (ITA) 11-3, 11-2, 11-5 (20m)
[3] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) bt [Q] Mark Rogers (RSA) 11-9, 11-7, 11-6 (42m)
Badr Abdel Aziz (SWE) bt [6] Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan (MAS) 11-1, 11-6, 3-11, 11-10 (2-0) (50m)
Jose Facchini (ITA) bt [2] Stacey Ross (ENG) 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-7 (52m)
Quarter-finals:
[Q] Joe Lee (ENG) bt Stephen Coppinger (RSA) 11-7, 3-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-10 (7-5) (92m)
Tom Hoevenaars (NED) bt [Q] Joan Lezaud (FRA) 10-11 (1-3), 11-10 (4-2), 8-11, 11-9, 11-2 (81m)
[3] Mark Krajcsak (HUN) bt [Q] Siddharth Suchde (IND) 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (60m)
Badr Abdel Aziz (SWE) bt Jose Facchini (ITA) 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 (50m)
After - incredibly - becoming the sole seed to survive the first round of the Roma Est Squash Open, Hungary's Mark Krajcsak continued his exclusive form in the $10,000 PSA Tour squash event in Italy's capital city Rome to win his quarter-final clash at the Shopping Centre Roma Est in straight games.
The 24-year-old third seed from Budapest beat Indian qualifier Siddharth Suchde 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 in exactly one hour - and will now face unseeded Swede Badr Abdel Aziz for a place in the final.
Aziz ended local interest in the event with an 11-6, 11-7, 11-5 win over fellow non-seed Jose Facchini, the 36-year-old world No 365 from Lucca who despatched England's No2 seed Stacey Ross in the first round.
But English teenager Joe Lee produced the grittiest performance of the day to become the only qualifier to reach the last four. The 18-year-old British Junior champion from Surrey battled for 92 minutes to overcome Stephen Coppinger 11-7, 3-11, 11-7, 5-11, 11-10 (7-5). The unseeded South African had earlier ousted Dutch favourite Dylan Bennett.
Lee will now take on Tom Hoevenaars after the unseeded Dutchman beat French qualifier Joan Lezaud 10-11 (1-3), 11-10 (4-2), 8-11, 11-9, 11-2 in 81 minutes.
Semi-final line-up:
[Q] Joe Lee (ENG) v Tom Hoevenaars (NED)
Badr Abdel Aziz (SWE) v [3] Mark Krajcsak (HUN)