Local Hero Sorensen Scores Popular Danish Open Upset

Unseeded Dane Morten W Sorensen delighted the local crowds on the opening day of the Squashlife Danish Open when he upset seventh seed Ben Ford to take an unexpected place in the quarter-finals of the $10,000 PSA Tour squash event at the Skinderskovhallen in Herlev, Denmark.

The 28-year-old from Copenhagen battled for 45 minutes to defeat Englishman Ford 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-3 and will now face fellow Scandinavian Badr Abdel Aziz for a place in the semis. Aziz, the fourth seed from Sweden, survived an 85-minute marathon against Clinton Leeuw before prevailing against the unseeded South African 11-8, 9-11, 10-11 (0-2), 11-7, 11-4.

US qualifier Gilly Lane also had cause for celebration: The 22-year-old from Philadelphia recovered from a game down to beat eighth-seeded Frenchman Romain Tenant 9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 to set up a further French clash with third seed Mathieu Castagnet.

1st round:
[1] Daryl Selby (ENG) bt [Q] Jens Schoor (GER) 11-9, 11-4, 11-6 (28m)
[6] Tom Hoevenaars (NED) bt Jonas Laursen (DEN) 11-10 (4-2), 11-4, 11-8 (32m)
[4] Badr Abdel Aziz (SWE) bt Clinton Leeuw (RSA) 11-8, 9-11, 10-11 (0-2), 11-7, 11-4 (85m)
Morten W Sorensen (DEN) bt [7] Ben Ford (ENG) 11-7, 7-11, 11-8, 11-3 (45m)
[Q] Gilly Lane (USA) bt [8] Romain Tenant (FRA) 9-11, 11-6, 11-6, 11-5 (41m)
[3] Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) bt Yann Perrin (FRA) 11-6, 11-9, 3-11, 7-11, 11-2 (58m)
[5] Stephen Coppinger (RSA) bt [Q] Rasmus Nielsen (DEN) 11-5, 11-8, 11-7 (32m)
[2] Simon Rosner (GER) bt [Q] Jaymie Haycocks (ENG) 11-6, 11-5, 11-8 (27m)