Team USA’s Todd Harrity pulled off one of the highest-ranked upsets of his career in the first round of the $35, 000 Montreal Open Thursday night, defeating world No. 39 Alfredo Avila in three games to reach Friday’s quarterfinals at Club Sportif MAA in Quebec.
Harrity, who rose to a career high ranking of No. 49 this month, had lost his only previous PSA encounter against the Mexican eight seed—a five-game loss in the 2014 Las Vegas Open.
The twenty-five-year old Princeton graduate followed up two, three-game victories in qualifying with another over Avila, advancing 11-9, 11-9, 11-6 in forty minutes.
Harrity now faces England’s three seed Tom Richards in Friday’s quarterfinals at 5:30om ET. Richards, world No. 23, defeated Harrity in their only previous PSA match during the 2013 Tournament of Champions.
Harrity’s U.S. teammate Chris Gordon also reached the main draw through qualifying, but had the daunting task of facing top seed and world No. 7 Karim Abdel Gawad in the first round.
Gordon started strong against the Egyptian, taking the first game 11-7. But Gawad came back to win the match in four 7-11, 11-6, 11-1, 11-6 in forty-two minutes.
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