Weekend Round-Up: Aijanan Wins In Austria; Hedrick, Lai, Mohamed Claim Titles

Finland’s Miko Aijanan took victory at the 2019 Austrian Open this weekend, as he beat defending champion Lyell Fuller in the final in Salzburg.

Fuller took the crown last year, and was the No.1 seed going into this year’s tournament, but Aijanan, the No.2 seed, would end up victorious this time round.

To get into the final, Aijanen had not dropped a game, beating Amadeo Costa, Vladislav Titov and Valentin Rapp. Fuller had got past Chua Man Chin, tournament organiser Aqeel Rehman and Scotland’s Angus Gillams.

The Englishman took the first game in the final on a tie-break, but from there on, Aijanan controlled the match. He won the next three games, dropping just nine points in the process, to become the Austrian Open champion, his third tournament win since the turn of the year.

Elsewhere, a pair of No.1 seeds took the titles at the Inspirenet International Squash Classic in Palmerston North, New Zealand.

Australia’s Rex Hedrick took the men’s title after beating home favourite Evan Williams in the final. The Aussie lost the first game, but battled back to win the next three to claim the crown, his third this season.

The women’s final saw Malaysia’s Wen Li Lai also beat Kiwi opposition to win the first title of her fledgling career. She overcame No.6 seed Emma Millar in a five-game thriller.

It was also a No.1 seed that took victory in Armenia this weekend. Egypt’s Farida Mohamed overcame Poland’s Karina Tyma in four games to claim her fourth title on the PSA World Tour.

Result – Final: Austrian Open
[2] Miko Aijanan (FIN) bt [1] Lyell Fuller (ENG) 3-1: 11-13, 11-2, 11-4, 11-3 (45m)

Result – Men’s Final: Inspirenet International Squash Classic
[1] Rex Hedrick (AUS) bt [2] Evan Williams (NZL) 3-1: 7-11, 11-6, 12-10, 11-7

Result – Women’s Final: Inspirenet International Squash Classic
[1] Wen Li Lai (MAS) bt [6] Emma Millar (NZL) 3-2: 11-9, 5-11, 11-4, 8-11, 11-8

Result – Final: Grand Sport Armenian W5 Challenger III
[1] Farida Mohamed (EGY) bt [5] Karina Tyma (POL) 3-1: 9-11, 11-3, 11-8, 13-11 (37m)