Tuominen Retains Finnish Open Title In Mikkeli

Local hero Olli Tuominen delighted the partisan crowd at the Mikkeli Squash Club in Mikkeli when he successfully defended his Savcor Finnish Open title after beating Australia's top seed Stewart Boswell in the final of the established $25,000 PSA Tour squash event in Finland.

For two seasoned players on the PSA Tour for at least the last ten years, it was - remarkably - their first meeting.  Boswell started well, keeping the ball close to the wall and hitting good length.  Rallies were long, but they mostly ended in Boswell's favour.

At two games down, however, flying Finn Tuominen came back strongly and began to take control of the match.

At 6-4, the 29-year-old from Helsinki managed to win the longest rally of the match - and that seemed to change the game.  Early in the fourth game, the Australian took a three-minute injury break for a back problem - and returned to court only to retire four points later.

Second seed Tuominen was delighted with his 4-11, 5-11, 11-9, 6-1 (ret.) win - but disappointed with the manner of the achievement.

The Finnish Open triumph takes Touminen's Tour title tally to eight.

Boswell & Tuominen Set Up Maiden Tour Meeting In Mikkeli

The top two seeds Stewart Boswell and local hero Olli Tuominen will meet in the final of the Savcor Finnish Open after overcoming Egyptian opposition in the semi-finals of the established $25,000 PSA Tour squash event at Mikkeli Squash Club in Mikkeli, Finland.

Remarkably, for two players who have been on the Tour for more than 10 years - both of whom have been regulars in the world top 20 for much of that period - it will be the pair's maiden meeting!

In the first semi, Australian favourite Boswell got off to a good start and took an early 6-2 lead against Omar Abdel Aziz.  But the No7 seed from Cairo fought back to draw level at eight-all, then reached his first game ball at 10-8 before clinching the opener 14-12.

The Egyptian led 5-3 in the second - but thereafter it was all Boswell.  Abdel Aziz only managed a further three points in the match as the 30-year-old from Canberra cruised to a 12-14, 11-6, 11-0, 11-2 victory in 60 minutes - and his 31st appearance in a PSA Tour final.

Rallies were short in the later semi-final where Omar Mosaad, the fourth seed from Cairo, managed to hit a variety of winners to take a two-game lead over the defending champion from Helsinki.

But the 20-year-old's five-game matches in the previous two rounds began to take their toll as Tuominen regained the initiative.

The 29-year-old second seed delighted the packed crowd by taking the next three games to win 8-11, 7-11, 11-5, 11-4, 11-4 in 44 minutes - and earn himself a place in his 13th Tour final.

Abdel Aziz Shocks Ashour In Mikkeli

Seventh seed Omar Abdel Aziz stunned Egyptian compatriot Hisham Mohd Ashour, the third seed, in straight games in the quarter-finals of the Savcor Finnish Open to reach the last four of the established $25,000 PSA Tour squash event at Mikkeli Squash Club in Mikkeli, Finland.

The 25-year-old from Cairo never let his opponent into the match, winning 11-9, 11-5, 11-5 to set up a surprise semi against top seed Stewart Boswell.

The 30-year-old from Canberra, bidding to become the first Australian to win the title since Rodney Eyles in 1991, beat last year's runner-up Davide Bianchetti.  Boswell led throughout, keeping the ball to a good length and controlling the pace before winning 11-6, 11-7, 11-9.

The much-awaited match between Omar Mosaad and Mohamed El Shorbagy - Egyptians seeded four and five, respectively - proved to be as exiting as expected.  The first three games were as even as can be, and 18-year-old Shorbagy took two of them.  In the fourth, the more experienced 20-year-old Mosaad was at his strongest and gave away only one point.

The fourth seed's dominance continued in the fifth game, but El Shorbagy staged a late fight back to move from 3-7 down, to lead 8-7.

But fortunes changed and Mosaad took the next four points to win the match 11-13, 11-8, 10-12, 11-1, 11-8 after 76 minutes.

Mosaad will face local hero Olli Tuominen, the second seed and defending champion from Helsinki who beat Hungarian Mark Krajcsak 11-1, 8-11, 11-6, 11-4.

Mosaad knows he has a tough challenge ahead:  "Olli is very strong and I have had two hard five games matches," said the 20-year-old.

Tuominen Tested In Finnish First Round

For the second year in a row, local hero and defending champion Olli Tuominen overcame stiff resistance from German opponent Simon Rosner in his opening match in the Savcor Finnish Open before proceeding through to the quarter-finals of the established $25,000 PSA Tour squash event at Mikkeli Squash Club in Mikkeli, Finland.

The 29-year-old from Helsinki - the country's top player for the past decade - battled for 36 minutes before beating 21-year-old Rosner 11-7, 8-11, 11-2, 11-3.

Second seed Tuominen now goes on to face Mark Krajcsak for a place in the semi-finals after the eighth-seeded Hungarian ousted South African Jesse Engelbrecht 11-6, 11-3, 11-6.

Last year's runner-up Davide Bianchetti was too strong for Finland and Europe's number one junior Henrik Mustonen.  The Italian won in straight games and now plays event favourite Stewart Boswell in the next round.

Boswell, bidding to become the first Australian to win the title since Rodney Eyles in 1991, needed four games to quash US qualifier Gilly Lane 11-8, 10-12, 11-6, 11-6 in 56 minutes.