Finitsis claims first title, Camilleri upsets Urquhart

Steve Finitsis and Lisa Camilleri made it a North Queensland double when they took out the men’s and women’s titles at the Top End Open squash tournament in Darwin on Sunday.

Finitsis, from Innisfail, beat Brisbane’s Zac Alexander 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 to claim his maiden title on the main professional tour, while Tully’s Camilleri upset top seed Donna Urquhart 4-9, 9-7, 9-7, 9-4 to win the fourth title of her career and the third of the year.

Finitsis was in top form throughout the tournament, not dropping a game on the way to the title and although Alexander pushed him in the first and third games, Finitsis said he always felt in control.

The 25-year-old has seen his world ranking slide over the past few months to its current position of 95, but said this was a result of opting to play fewer tournaments so he could have an extended training period.

“The last time I played was at the Hong Kong Open in November,” he said. “I’ve been training solidly for the last four or five months since then and it has paid off.”

He said he felt some nerves before the final, knowing he had yet to win a PSA title, but said he told himself he had done the hard work.

Finitsis, a finalist at the Top End Open two years ago, said there was no reason why he couldn’t add to his tally when the tour heads to Western Australia over the next month.

“I won a few local tournaments in Brisbane and the Gold Coast so I knew I was coming into some good form coming here,” he said.

“I now want to win some more tournaments and get my ranking back up where it should be so I can enter some of the bigger tournaments overseas.”

His next tournament is the Merredin International in WA, where he will once again be top seed.
Earlier, Camilleri upset Urquhart in a closely fought final to cement her place in the world’s top 50.
The 25-year-old also gained some revenge after losing to Urquhart in a challenger tournament on the Gold Coast last week, at the same time showing she would be a serious contender for this year’s Australian Open in late July.

Camilleri said she had been suffering from injury concerns over the past few weeks, but had seen a physio during the week and had had lingering back and hip problems sorted out.

“I felt heaps better – I felt like I had much more spring in my step,” she said. “I was able to get really good length throughout the match.

“We were both very tired at the end. There were a lot of rallies and a lot of hand-outs – I was able to stay strong and concentrate.”

Camilleri said that after winning three titles and making the top 50 in the world she was well ahead of the goals she had set herself at the beginning of the year.

“I’m definitely feeling a lot stronger and I’m feeling a lot more confident with my game,” she said.
The win should move Camilleri into the 40s when the next world rankings are released at the beginning of June.

A disappointed Urquhart, who has been off the court for a long period with a calf injury, said she had simply been outplayed.

“My leg felt okay – I’m obviously not back to full match fitness, but Lisa just played better on the day,” she said.

Both women will now head to Brisbane to train, before competing in the Central Open in the New Zealand city of New Plymouth in three weeks.

Results (prefix denotes seeding):

Men
Semi-finals
1-Steve Finitsis (Qld) bt Luke Forster (Qld) 11-3, 11-8, 11-4
2-Zac Alexander (Qld) bt 7-Anson Kwong (HKG) 11-10 (4-2), 11-5, 11-5

Final
1-Steve Finitsis (Qld) bt 2-Zac Alexander (Qld) 11-7, 11-4, 11-8

Women
Semi-finals
1-Donna Urquhart (NSW) bt 5-Melody Francis (Vic) 9-0, 9-3, 9-0
2-Lisa Camilleri (Qld) bt 8-Sarah Cardwell (Vic) 9-0, 9-1, 9-2

Final
2-Lisa Camilleri (Qld) bt 1-Donna Urquhart (NSW) 4-9, 9-7, 9-7, 9-4

 

	Enter your search terms Submit search form
	Web www.squashtalk.com