Graham Sinks Seed At Kent Open

England's Anthony Graham overcame No3 seed Mark Krajcsak to reach the quarter-finals of the SE Leisure Kent Open after a pulsating battle in the first round of the PSA World Tour Challenger 10 event at The Mote Squash Club in Maidstone, England.

Graham wasted a match ball at 10-9 in the fourth and survived one himself in the fifth before triumphing 7-11, 11-6, 11-9, 10-12, 12-10 after 76 minutes of brutal squash.

The 22-year-old from Gloucestershire, ranked 103 in the world, matched the Hungarian number one throughout the match for inventiveness and power, gaining great dividends from some deft drop shots on both sides of the court.

The experienced 28-year-old Krajcsak, ranked almost 50 places higher than the Englishman, led throughout the fifth game and finally reached match ball at 10-8, but Graham refused to give in and reeled off the final four points to book a quarter-final clash against talented Egyptian Karim Ali Fathi, who beat Birmingham-based Jaymie Haycocks in straight games.

Top-seeded Englishman Chris Simpson meets Malaysian Elvinn Keo in the quarter-finals.

Simpson, the 25-year-old world No43 based in Harrogate, Yorkshire, finished strongly to beat a tiring French qualifier Antoine-Camille Petrucci. Simpson completed his victory with an 11-2 scoreline in the third game as his opponent's energy levels dropped in the heat.

The first two games were close but Petrucci hit the tin too many times when set up for a drop shot.

Simpson looked comfortable throughout and his colourful shorts added a Beach Boys feeling to the opening match.

Keo overcame England's Alex Phillips in a very entertaining match, with the Malaysian squeezing home 13-11 on a tie-break after four close games.

Lucas Serme of France overcame Khawaja Adil Maqbool in straight games to clinch a quarter-final place against Danish No1 Kristian Frost Olesen. The Dubai-based Pakistani was left reflecting on a moment of sportsmanship that backfired when he refused to take a penalty point at game ball in the second game after striking his opponent.

Qualifier Maqbool had fought back from 5-2 down to lead 11-10 but a relieved and grateful Serme, who studies at University in Bristol in the UK, edged home 13-11.

Magbool led 4-1 in the third game but Serme stepped up the pressure and played tighter squash as Maqbool's challenge faded in the heat of a balmy Kentish evening.

There was plenty of barmy squash next on Court One as Frost overcame wild card Robert Downer in a hard-hitting contest that posed plenty of challenging questions for referee Ian McKenzie.

From 3-3 in the first, Frost moved ahead to 7-4 and maintained his advantage to close out the game.

Downer hit back in the second but squandered an 8-4 lead as Frost fought back in determined fashion after both players disputed the legality of a boast from the Dane.

Frost won six points in a row and although Downer grabbed another point he had lost the decisive momentum. Frost clinched the game 11-9 and from 3-2 down in the third he regained the same control to win the third 11-4.

Declan James, the English and European Under-19 champion, battled bravely against No2 seed Henrik Mustonen. James, from Nottingham, lost two close tie-breaks in the first and third games as the Finnish world No52 triumped 12-10, 11-4, 14-12 in 44 minutes.

Mustonen meets Julien Balbo, the third French player in the main draw, who beat Kent's Steven London 14-12, 11-7, 11-7 in 48 minutes.

Quarter-final line-up:
[1] Chris Simpson (ENG) v Elvinn Keo (MAS)
[4] Kristian Frost Olesen (DEN) v Lucas Serme (FRA)
Anthony Graham (ENG) v Karim Ali Fathi (EGY)
[2] Henrik Mustonen (FIN) v Julien Balbo (FRA)

Tournament website: www.motesquash.co.uk

For all the latest Tour news: www.psaworldtour.com