Nursing an ankle injury, Lloyd-Walter had been unable to train before landing in Iceland - and thus her expectations were low.

However, her defeat of top seed Jaclyn Hawkes in the semi-finals had taken her through to an unexpected final - where she faced compatriot Sarah Kippax, the No4 seed. 

Kippax started brightly and took the opening game.  But Lloyd-Walter, the 26-year-old world No22 from Harrow, fought back to clinch a notable 2-9, 9-6, 9-6, 9-5 victory in a minute short of an hour.

Having come through the disappointment of pulling out of the British Open earlier in the month, Lloyd-Walter was elated with her Reykjavik win:  "I have never won a tournament this big so I am really, really pleased.  I put in a lot of work this summer with Steve Townsend, Steve Evans and Jenny Tranfield.  All three have given me so much support and I am glad that I have now given something back to them."

Asked about her foot issue, the new champion explained:  "It wasn't so much the blister but the taping restricting my movement a little and it was slipping until I fixed it.  I was thinking more about that than my game early on."

Lloyd-Walter maintains a distinctive record - having won all three WISPA World Tour final in which she has competed!

Kippax had mixed emotions:  "I am delighted to have got to the final but disappointed to have lost.  I started well and felt I was playing decisively.  But once I had taken the first and was up in the second I seemed to lose some momentum and she picked up the pace.

"But I gave it my best shot and I am happy as I have picked up some things to go away and work on," added the 24-year-old from Chester.

English Pair To Contest Reykjavik Final
The inaugural Women's Icelandair Group Squash Classic, the first ever WISPA Premiere Series event, will climax in an all-English final after Dominique Lloyd-Walter and Sarah Kippax overcame their semi-final opponents in contrasting styles at Veggsport Squash Club in the Iceland capital Reykjavik.

In their third clash this year, third seed Dominique Lloyd-Walter faced New Zealander Jaclyn Hawkes, the top seed. Hawkes sped to a 2/0 lead, but the 26-year-old from Harrow fought back to clinch an impressive upset 3-9, 3-9, 9-0, 9-6, 9-4 after 89 minutes.

"Even in the fifth, I didn't think I had a chance," said a delighted Lloyd-Walter afterwards. "I hadn't trained for a week because of my ankle and I wasn't confident at all. It was only at 7/4 in the decider that I began to believe I might win."

Now in her third WISPA World Tour final - though her first for more than two years - Lloyd-Walter will face Sarah Kippax, the 24-year-old from Chester who is celebrating her sixth final.

The fourth seed faced surprise opponent Tenille Swartz, the fifth seed from South Africa who defeated second seed Sharon Wee in a major first round upset.

Kippax took the first two games and soon reached match-ball at 8-4 in the third. But the gritty 20-year-old from Parys bravely fought back to move to 9/8 in a single hand to claim an unlikely game-ball.

Kippax regained the advantage and, after 47 minutes, secured her 9-5, 10-8, 10-9 victory.

"I thought I played pretty well, trying to keep the pace up as I thought she may be a little bit tired from her match yesterday," said Kippax.

Rising star Swartz was not too downhearted: "My legs felt quite heavy and Sarah is such a physical player and I couldn't keep up. She took me short and I struggled a bit. But I'm happy as my squash was good and coming to Iceland was a great experience."

Swartz Swats Stoehr In Reykjavik Upset
Avenging her loss just a week ago in the British Open, South Africa's Tenille Swartz secured one of the biggest wins of her career when she upset second seed Isabelle Stoehr in a five-game marathon in the quarter-finals of the Women's Icelandair Group Squash Classic, the first ever WISPA Premiere Series event, at Veggsport Squash Club in the Iceland capital Reykjavik

Swartz, a 20-year-old from Parys who made her WISPA World Tour debut less than a year ago, took the opening two games, before the world number 18 from France fought back to force the match into a fifth-game decider.

Fifth seed Swartz raced 4-0 ahead, but Stoehr again fought back to take the lead - then saved the first match-ball against the South African at 8-7. But, after one of the longest rallies of the clash, Swartz finally clinched her confidence-boosting 9-7, 9-7, 1-9, 6-9, 9-7 victory after 72 minutes.

"I played her a week ago. It gave me an idea of what I needed to do to beat her. I knew it would be hard but I had a game plan," said the ebullient Swartz later.

"When I was down in the fifth, I did start panicking a bit but then I thought that I had got this far so I wasn't ever going to give up.

"Thank goodness I got here," added the surprise semi-finalist, referring to her difficulty in acquiring a visa to enter the country.

Swartz will now face Sarah Kippax after the fourth seed from England beat France's unseeded Camille Serme 9-5, 9-6, 9-7.