Troubled Tuominen Makes Mikkeli Semis

For the second time in 24 hours, top-seeded Finn Olli Tuominen was taken to five games by a lower-ranked opponent before claiming a place in the semi-finals of the Savcor Finnish Open in Mikkeli.

The 28-year-old from Helsinki came from 1/2 down to beat Germany's fifth seed Simon Rosner 9-11, 11-4, 10-11 (1-3), 11-5, 11-7 in a marathon 70-minute quarter-final of the $20,000 PSA Tour event at Mikkeli Squash Club.

Tuominen will take on eighth seed Jesse Engelbrecht for a place in the final. The South African was too strong for Badr Abdel Aziz, the unseeded Swede who beat the third seed Scott Arnold in the first round, winning 11-8, 10-11 (0-2), 11-6, 11-5.

Qualifier Clinton Leeuw surprised the crowd and himself by reaching the semi-finals. After a tough first round match, French opponent Mathieu Castagnet was unable to keep up with the pace of Leeuw - who won 11-4, 11-9, 8-11, 11-5 in 62 minutes.

Leeuw will meet second seed Davide Bianchetti, a semi-finalist in 2000 when the previous Finnish Open was played. The Italian was in commanding form, beating Bradley Hindle, the No7 seed from Australia, 11-5, 11-7, 11-2.

Quarter-finals:
[1] Olli Tuominen (FIN) bt [5] Simon Rosner (GER) 9-11, 11-4, 10-11 (1-3), 11-5, 11-7 (70m)
[8] Jesse Engelbrecht (RSA) bt Badr Abdel Aziz (SWE) 11-8, 10-11 (0-2), 11-6, 11-5 (47m)
[Q] Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt Mathieu Castagnet (FRA) 11-4, 11-9, 8-11, 11-5 (62m)
[2] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) bt [7] Bradley Hindle (AUS) 11-5, 11-7, 11-2 (45m)