Men’s $15 Women’s $6k PSA Challengers, 03-08 Dec, Portugal
Patrick Rooney claimed his first PSA Tour title since 2023, beating Rory Stewart in the Madeira International Tournament final, while 17-year-old Farida Walid won the women’s event with victory over fellow Egyptian and namesake Menna Walid.
England’s Rooney arrived to the Madeira capital of Funchal as the No.1 seed, and got the better of rising star Bailey Malik 3-0 in round two.
He was then pushed hard by Argentina’s Jeremias Azana in the quarter-finals, needing all five games and more than an hour to progress, eventually winning the deciding game 11-5 to reach the semi-finals.
A comfortably straight-games win over the energetic Brice Nicolas then set up a finals day showdown with Scotland’s Stewart, a third PSA Tour meeting between the two Brits.
Rooney had won their previous two encounters, but both had come way back in 2018 and 2019, offering little indication as to how this final would play out.
Ultimately, though, Rooney would prove too strong for his opponent on the day once more, dominating the first two games – losing just five points in total – before closing out the win with an 11-9 success in the third.
Victory for Rooney represented a sixth PSA Tour title and followed glory for talented teenager Walid in the women’s event.
The 17-year-old won the title in her first two Challenger events earlier this year – matching a feat achieved by Amina Orfi in the process – and kicked off her quest for trophy number three with a 3-1 comeback win over Denmark’s Caroline Lyng here on the Atlantic island.
Another 3-1 win – this time over Erisa Sano Herring – secured her a spot in the semi-finals, where No.1 seed and 2023 champion Rana Ismail awaited.
Ismail was looking to reclaim the crown she won in Madeira two years ago having not played the event in 2024, but she would see her quest for glory ended by Walid, who fought back from 2-1 down to win in five, in 61 minutes.
The other women’s semi-finals saw Menna Walid beat Breanne Flynn 3-1, setting up an all-Egyptian Walid vs. Walid showdown, though the two players are not related.
Menna Walid was appearing in a third final in her last four events, and had both experience and a higher ranking on her side.
She could not have come any closer to wrapping up victory, either, bringing up a match ball at 11-10 in the fourth, holding a 2-1 lead.
But she was unable to convert, losing the next three points to see the contest go to a decider, where the 17-year-old ran away with things, needing only nine minutes to close it out 11-2 and get her hands on the trophy.
