Swelim Celebrates First 'Italian' Success In Baltimore

Cairo-based Amr Swelim celebrated his first international squash circuit success since switching his national allegiance to Italy in July when he won the Baltimore Cup, the $10,000 PSA Tour event at Baltimore Country Club in Baltimore, USA.

The 25-year-old second seed reached the final after beating third-seeded Egyptian Mohammed Abbas, the former world No13, in the semi-finals.

In the final, the world No51 faced fourth seed Scott Arnold - the Australian who upset top-seeded Mexican Arturo Salazar in the other semi.

Arnold started off strongly and raced into a 5-1 lead, but Swelim's greater consistency saw him claw back the deficit and take the first game.

"From then on, Swelim looked very solid, moving the ball around the court well and retrieving Arnold's best shots, frustrating the tall Australian into making too many mistakes," explained tournament organiser Ben Garner, the club's Head Squash Professional. "From 4-6 down in the third, Swelim won six straight points before clinching the title with his second match ball.

"The victory looked highly unlikely in the early rounds as the Italian had faced match balls in his first two rounds," added Garner.

The success marks the fourth PSA Tour title of Swelim's career.

Final:
[2] Amr Swelim (ITA) bt [4] Scott Arnold (AUS) 11-7, 11-6, 11-7 (40m)