Home heroes Max Lee and Dick Lau ensured that there will be Hong Kong interest in the Crocodile Challenge Cup final for the sixth successive year when they both eased through today's quarter-finals of the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 squash event at the Hong Kong Squash Centre.
Favourite Lee, the defending champion, was taken to four games by Mahesh Mangaonkar before beating the qualifier from India 11-8, 11-2, 10-12, 11-7 in 47 minutes.
Lee will now meet Lau, the Hong Kong number two, for a place in the final. The 25-year-old fourth seed, winner of the title in 2009, recorded his second successive straight games win in the event by beating Malaysian Elvinn Keo 11-9, 11-6, 11-7.
But there was a substantial upset contrived by a Malaysian in the other half of the draw when Ivan Yuen ousted Matthew Karwalski, the second seed from Australia.
The 21-year-old from Kuala Lumpur became the only unseeded player to make the last four after battling for 60 minutes to defeat Karwalski, ranked almost 20 places higher, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 4-11, 11-5.
In an all-Malaysian semi, Yuen will face Muhd Asyraf Azan, the Selangor-born third seed who beat Kuwait's Bader Al Hussaini 5-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8.
RESULTS: PSA Challenger 10 Crocodile Challenge Cup, Hong Kong China
Quarter-finals:
[1] Max Lee (HKG) bt [Q] Mahesh Mangaonkar (IND) 11-8, 11-2, 10-12, 11-7 (47m)
[4] Dick Lau (HKG) bt Elvinn Keo (MAS) 11-9, 11-6, 11-7 (37m)
[3] Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS) bt Bader Al Hussaini (KUW) 5-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-8 (42m)
Ivan Yuen (MAS) bt [2] Matthew Karwalski (AUS) 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 4-11, 11-5 (60m)
Semi-final line-up:
[1] Max Lee (HKG) v [4] Dick Lau (HKG)
Ivan Yuen (MAS) v [3] Muhd Asyraf Azan (MAS)
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