Avila Maintains Mexican Might In Manitoba
17 Mar 2015
Alfredo Avila successfully maintained Mexico's hold on the Qualico Manitoba Open title when he beat New Zealander Campbell Grayson in the final of the PSA Challenger 15[.b] squash event at Winnipeg Squash Racquet Club in Winnipeg, Canada.
Seventh seed Avila, the Mexican No.2 from Mexico City, made his breakthrough in the quarter-finals when he downed top seed Adrian Grant, the former World No.9 from England who won the title in 2011.
Boosted by his first victory over the current World No.29, Avila went on to defeat eighth seed Reiko Peter in a five-game semi. The Swiss star began his Manitoba campaign by beating Mexican qualifier Arturo Salazar, the twin brother of 2014 champion Cesar Salazar.
Third seed Grayson had to see off a trio of Canadians to reach the final, beating unseeded Shahier Razik, the Toronto-based former World No.20, in the other semi.
The final was a close-fought affair with honours shared after the first two games. But it was 23-year-old Avila, the World No.66, ranked 18 places lower than the Kiwi, who ultimately prevailed 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7 to claim his first PSA World Tour title for more than a year.
The triumph marked the sixth Tour title of Avila's career.
Final:
[7] Alfredo Avila (MEX) bt [3] Campbell Grayson (NZL) 11-6, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7