Kemp Crowned Atlanta Open Champion
England's Jonathan Kemp celebrated his fourth
successive PSA World Tour final appearance in North
America in grand style when he defeated defending
champion Eric Galvez in four games to claim the
Atlanta Open crown.
The in-form left-hander from Halifax in Yorkshire
reached the final of the event in its tenth year
without dropping a game.
Kemp, currently ranked 31 in the world, was in full
control in the first two games and soon reached
match-ball at 10-8 in the third. But second seed
Galvez, who became the first Mexican to win the
title last year, came back with some big winners to
take the game 15-13.
But the top-seeded Englishman got off to a good
start in the fourth and Galvez, still feeling the
effects of the previous game, was unable to keep the
momentum going.
Kemp conceded just three further points before
claiming the match 11-4, 11-5, 13-15, 11-3 after 50
minutes to become the third Englishman (after Nick
Matthew in 2001 and Bradley Ball the following year)
win the Atlanta Open title.
The win marks Kemp's second successive PSA title
triumph in the USA, his third of the year and the
eighth of his career.