The Kent Open semi-finals will feature two battles between England and Hong Kong after a night of thrilling squash in the quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 event at The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone in the English country of Kent.
Max Lee, the third seed from Hong Kong, ended local involvement in the event as he battered Kent professional Ben Ford in straight games, winning 11-7, 11-2, 11-9 in 36 minutes.
The 35-year-old Ford admitted that he made too many mistakes as he struggled to devise an effective strategy against a super-fit opponent who was 12 years his junior.
Lee meets Joel Hinds in the semi-finals after the fourth seed beat fellow Englishman Olivier Pett in the longest and most entertaining match of the night.
Both players were committed to full-on attacking squash throughout the match and the 22-year-old Pett, from Sussex, was on the verge of causing a major upset as he led 4-1 in the fifth game.
But Pett's flamboyant style, which had produced so many spectacular shots, suddenly dried up and the winners that flowed from his racket turned into errors. Hinds tightened up and gained control to win eight points in a row.
Pett rallied briefly but the gap was too wide to bridge and the World University champion from Derby closed out the match after 76 minutes, winning 11-8, 11-13, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7 in front of a packed and enthusiastic gallery at The Mote.
In another all-English battle, top seed Chris Ryder overcame Nottingham-based Eddie Charlton in straight games, winning 13-11, 11-3, 11-2 in 52 minutes of gruelling combat.
Charlton led for most of the opening game but the 30-year-old Ryder, from Leamington Spa, won the tiebreak and then dominated the next two games to book his place in the last four against Hong Kong qualifier Leo Au.
The 5ft 2in Au continued his giant-killing run by beating compatriot Dick Lau 12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10 in 70 minutes of dynamic, intelligent squash. Once again the world No 117 Au's superb touch was the decisive factor as he chopped in a succession of winning drop shots to overcome an opponent 35 places above him in the world rankings.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 Kent Open, Maidstone, England
Quarter-finals:
[2] Max Lee (HKG) bt Ben Ford (ENG) 11-7, 11-2, 11-9 (36m)
[4] Joel Hinds (ENG) bt Olivier Pett (ENG) 11-8, 11-13, 12-10, 8-11, 11-7 (76m)
[Q] Leo Au (HKG) bt Dick Lau (HKG) 12-10, 9-11, 11-4, 12-10 (70m)
[1] Chris Ryder (ENG) bt Eddie Charlton (ENG) 13-11, 11-3, 11-2 (52m)
Semi-final line-up:
[2] Max Lee (HKG) v [4] Joel Hinds (ENG)
[1] Chris Ryder (ENG) v [Q] Leo Au (HKG)