James & Handley Reach Mega Final In Brescia

England's Scott Handley and Australian Tony James claimed unexpected places in the final of the Mega Italia Open after beating higher-ranked opponents in the semi-finals of the PSA Tour event at the Millennium Sport & Fitness Centre in Brescia, Italy.

Unseeded James ended local interest in the event when he defeated eighth seed Luca Mastrostefano 11-3, 11-3, 11-10 (2-0). The US-based 29-year-old from Subiaco is celebrating his second PSA Tour final appearance - but his first since finishing as runner-up in the Santiago Open in October 2002.

Third seed Handley, from Oxfordshire, battled for 71 minutes to overcome second-seeded Brazilian Rafael F Alarcon 11-6, 11-4, 9-11, 11-9 to mark his 13th appearance in a Tour final.

Semi-finals:
Tony James (AUS) bt [8] Luca Mastrostefano (ITA) 11-3, 11-3, 11-10 (2-0) (36m)
[3] Scott Handley (ENG) bt [2] Rafael F Alarcon (BRA) 11-6, 11-4, 9-11, 11-9 (71m)