Balbo Battles To Fairmount Success
1 Feb 2011
After ending his first final appearance of the year as runner-up, Frenchman Julien Balbo fared better in the second when he won the Fairmount AC Open, the PSA World Tour Challenger 5 squash event in its first year at the Fairmount Athletic Club in King of Prussia in the US state of Pennsylvania.
Balbo, the Grenoble-born top seed, avoided meeting any seeded opponents until the final - where he faced Shaun le Roux, the second seed from England.
The 31-year-old Frenchman dropped the opening game - his first of the tournament - but bounced back to take the next two before Le Roux, ranked 12 places lower in the world, retired injured midway through the fourth game, with the score standing at 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 5-3.
Balbo, the world No70 who celebrated his first final appearance of 2011 at the Rocafort Open in Spain, celebrated the 10th of his career in Pennsylvania by notching up his third PSA World Tour title.
1st round:
[1] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt [Q] Arshad Iqbal Burki (PAK) 11-4, 11-3, 11-2
Lewis Walters (ENG) bt Maxym Leclair (CAN) 11-4, 11-5, 11-7
[Q] Jamie MacAulay (SCO) bt Lyall Paterson (SCO) 11-7, 7-11, 7-11, 11-9, 13-11
Thomas Brinkman (CAN) bt [3] Wade Johnstone (AUS) 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 11-8
[4] Tyler Hamilton (CAN) bt Josh Cardwell (AUS) 13-11, 11-4, 14-12
Alex Grayson (NZL) bt [Q] Adam Murrills (ENG) 11-8, 11-9, 11-6
Chris Truswell (ENG) bt [Q] Fernando Lopez (MEX) 11-1, 11-4, 11-5
[2] Shaun le Roux (ENG) bt Rory Pennell (ENG) 11-6, 11-5, 11-9
Quarter-finals:
[1] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt Lewis Walters (ENG) 11-7, 15-13, 11-6
Thomas Brinkman (CAN) bt [Q] Jamie MacAulay (SCO) 9-11, 11-8, 11-9, 11-9
[4] Tyler Hamilton (CAN) bt Alex Grayson (NZL) 11-4, 11-7, 15-13
[2] Shaun le Roux (ENG) bt Chris Truswell (ENG) 11-7, 11-7, 11-5
Semi-finals:
[1] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt Thomas Brinkman (CAN) 11-7, 11-6, 11-6
[2] Shaun le Roux (ENG) bt [4] Tyler Hamilton (CAN) 11-6, 11-6, 11-7
Final:
[1] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt [2] Shaun le Roux (ENG) 9-11, 11-9, 11-8, 5-3 ret.
