History Made As Qualifiers Quash Salzburg Opponents

Salzburg, the Austrian city famed as the birthplace of Mozart, struck a historical note in squash on Saturday when all four qualifiers in the Salzburg Open made it through to the semi-finals of the PSA Tour event in its second year.

Welshman Ricky Davies and Denmark's Morten W Sorensen both survived marathon five-game thrillers to reach the last four - Davies, from Caldicot, fighting back from 1/2 down to beat New Zealand's third seed Campbell Grayson 11-10 (2-0), 8-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-9 in 85 minutes, and the 27-year-old Dane from Copenhagen toiling for 64 minutes to upset second-seeded Frenchman Romain Tenant 8-11, 11-5, 11-4, 9-11, 11-7.

The pair then met in the semi-final, with 25-year-old Davies prevailing 11-8, 11-3, 8-11, 11-9 in 55 minutes to reach his first PSA Tour final.

Irishman John Rooney is the only qualifier to have come through the event without dropping a game. After beating unseeded South African Regardt Schonborn in the quarters, the Galway-born 27-year-old faced English Premier League St George's Hill team-mate Joe Lee in the semi-finals.

Lee, 17, reached his first Tour semi-final after a 60-minute triumph over unseeded compatriot Neil Hitchens, surviving a two-game deficit to win 7-11, 6-11, 11-1, 11-7, 11-2.

But it was the fresher Rooney who claimed the other place in the rare all-qualifier final, beating Lee 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 to also record his maiden appearance in a PSA Tour climax.

Semi-finals:
[Q] John Rooney (IRL) bt [Q] Joe Lee (ENG) 11-6, 11-7, 11-3 (34m)
[Q] Ricky Davies (WAL) bt [Q] Morten W Sorensen (DEN) 11-8, 11-3, 8-11, 11-9 (55m)