Willstrop's Swedish Open Win Caps Best Ever Tour Run
England's James Willstrop beat compatriot Peter Barker in the final of the Case Swedish Open Squash Championship to cap the best ever PSA Tour run of his career in Linköping.

Winner of the Mamut English Open in Sheffield in December, the 24-year-old world No6 from Pontefract in Yorkshire went on to reach the Bear Stearns Tournament of Champions final in New York last month, before - in his third Tour event in a row - he clinched the $55,000 title at the Linköping Sporthallen.

It was after triumphs over fellow Englishmen Joey Barrington and Adrian Grant, the eighth and sixth seeds, respectively, that Willstrop faced England team-mate Barker in the Swedish Open climax. 

The first game in front of a packed house at Linköping Sporthallen was one of high quality - in which the English pair were neck and neck until a run of points gave Willstrop the early advantage.  The Yorkshireman took the second game comfortably and had an answer for everything that Barker threw at him in the third to win 11-7, 11-4, 11-4 in 38 minutes.

"The first game was all-important with Peter having played so well all week," Willstrop told WWW.PSALIVE.TV later.  "We both raised our games very early and I just managed to nick it.  I've been working on a few parts of my game and feel that things are coming together well.

"I'm very happy to win here in front of a big knowledgeable crowd and in a tournament which has a great feel about it with so many age groups players coming here to watch in the last few days.  That really makes a difference.

"I think this gives me a really good platform for retaining my British National title next week which will be tough in itself with such a strong field," added the British champion.

There was also English success in the women's Zack-sponsored Tour 4 WISPA World Tour final, when Sarah Kippax, the top seed from Cheshire, beat Pakistan's No2 seed Carla Khan 9-0, 4-1 (ret.)

Tuominen Stops English Invasion In Sweden
Flying Finn Olli Tuominen put paid to an all-English semi-final line-up in the Case Swedish Open after upsetting second seed Lee Beachill in the quarter-finals of the men's $55,000 PSA Tour squash event in Linköping.

The fifth seed from Helsinki twice rallied from behind to topple the former world number one from Pontefract in Yorkshire 3-11, 11-9, 3-11, 11-4, 11-1 in 52 minutes. It was Beachill's first Tour test since undergoing hernia surgery early in the New Year.

Tuominen now takes on Beachill's England team-mate Peter Barker, the third seed from Essex who despatched Welshman Alex Gough, runner-up twelve months ago, 11-3, 11-10 (2-0), 11-4 in 42 minutes.

Adrian Grant also sprung an upset in the top half of the draw to set up a surprise all-English semi. The sixth seed from London, who arrived in Sweden fresh from his New Year victory in the Comfort Inn Open in Vancouver, beat fourth seed Stewart Boswell - the Australian who won the Linköping title in 2003 - 9-11, 11-3, 11-9, 11-6 in 72 minutes.

Left-hander Grant now faces top seed James Willstrop, the Yorkshireman who defeated compatriot Joey Barrington, the eighth seed, 11-5, 11-3, 11-7.

In the women's Zack-sponsored Tour 4 WISPA World Tour event, unseeded Carrie Hastings fought back from two games down to beat English compatriot Fiona Moverley 9-10, 3-9, 9-3, 9-6, 9-0 to claim a surprise place in the semi-finals.

The 21-year-old from Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire will now face fellow Englishwoman Sarah Kippax, the 24-year-old top seed from Halifax who beat seventh seed Lauren Selby 9-4, 9-2, 2-9, 9-3.

English Dominate Swedish Exchanges In Linköping
English players dominated the action on the opening day of the Swedish Open Squash Championships, with top two seeds James Willstrop and Lee Beachill earning comfortable straight-game wins in the Case-sponsored men's $55,000 PSA Tour event, and English presence already guaranteed in the final of the women's Zack-sponsored Tour 4 WISPA World Tour event in Linköping.

James Willstrop, the 24-year-old event favourite from Pontefract in Yorkshire, took just 28 minutes to overcome Egypt's former world No14 Omar Elborolossy 11-4, 11-9, 11-2 to set up a quarter-final clash with compatriot Joey Barrington, the No8 seed who beat English qualifier Chris Ryder 11-9, 10-11 (1-3), 11-10 (2-0), 11-7.

Second seed Lee Beachill, making his PSA Tour comeback after hernia surgery early in the New Year, removed German qualifier Simon Rosner 11-8, 11-4, 11-10 (2-0). Also from Pontefract, Beachill will now face Finland's fifth seed Olli Tuominen for a place in the last four.

Welshman Alex Gough, the No7 seed hoping to reach the final for the second successive year, battled for 66 minutes to overcome English qualifier Jonathan Harford 10-11 (0-2), 11-4, 11-7, 8-11, 11-7.

Unseeded English players Fiona Moverley and Carrie Hastings pulled off notable upsets over fourth seed Dagmar Vermeulen and fifth seed Milou van der Heijden, respectively, in the women's event. Wins by top seed Sarah Kippax and seventh seed Lauren Selby higher in the top half of the draw ensures English presence in the final.

English Pair Qualify For Swedish Open
Englishmen Chris Ryder and Jonathan Harford grabbed two of the qualifying slots in the Case Swedish Open after four-game victories in the qualifying finals of the $55,000 PSA Tour event in Linköping, Sweden.

Ryder, the World University champion from Wolverhampton, beat Egyptian Mohd Ali Anwar Reda 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-5, while Harford, from Leeds, defeated compatriot Stacey Ross 4-11, 11-9, 11-4, 11-5.

England's James Willstrop is favourite to win the 5-star title for the first time. The world No6 from Yorkshire faces Egyptian Omar Elborolossy in the first round.

Local interest in the women's Zack Swedish Open qualifying event ended when Finland's Elina Kononen beat Swede Lovisa Forstadius 9-1, 9-0, 9-2. Kononen will face Austria's Birgit Coufal in the fist round.

Case Swedish Open 2008.

Official website is:
www.swedishopensquash.se

PSA Event.

5 star event, $55000

Qualification:
5th- 6th of February

Main draw:
7th-10th of February

At the same time the Zack Swedish Ladies Open will be played.
WISPA event.

Around 8000 US dollars.

The matches in the Swedish Open will be played on the four glass courts owned by the Swedish SRA in Linköping Sport Hall and we are awaiting a lot of spectators.

At the moment the Swedish Open is biggest PSA tournament this season in Europe outside of England.

Alongside the Swedish Open for professionals we are also presenting a full programme for Masters and

Juniors and also different ranking classes. Here we are awaiting more than 250 entries.

The Organisers are ActiPro Event Marketing who are owned by former squash professional Fredrik Johnson,

Swedish SRA and Linköping Squash Club.

This is the fifth time the same organisers are presenting the Swedish Open at the same arena in Sweden.

2007 years final for men David Palmer from Australia won and the ladies event was won by Margriet Huismann from Holland.

World number five Nick Matthew has already confirmed his entry for the 2008 event.

The winner in the PSA tournament will also receive a watch worth around 6000 US dollars.

For further information please see below for contact info.

Fredrik Johnson

fredrik@actipro.se

www.swedishopensquash.se