Salazar Banks Second Bankers Hall Club Crown In Calgary

Mexican Arturo Salazar successfully retained his title in the Talisman Energy Bankers Hall Club Pro Am - but had to survive two successive battles lasting more than an hour before winning the $10,000 PSA World Tour squash title in its seventh year at Bankers Hall Club in Calgary in the Canadian province of Alberta.

The 22-year-old third seed from San Luis Potosi accounted for the top seed in the semi-finals when he beat England's Chris Simpson 11-5, 9-11, 11-4, 8-11, 13-11 in a 95-minute marathon.

His final opponent Jan Koukal had an even harder battle before earning his place in the climax: The No4 seed from the Czech Republic saw off top-seeded New Zealander Martin Knight 8-11, 11-8, 16-14, 6-11, 11-2 in exactly 100 minutes.

Both players surely felt the effects of the previous day's toils in the final - but it was Salazar who suffered the least as he prevailed 11-4, 7-11, 11-7, 12-10 to beat the Czech number one in 65 minutes.

The win takes Salazar's career PSA Tour tally to four titles from four final appearances.

Final:
[3] Arturo Salazar (MEX) bt [4] Jan Koukal (CZE) 11-4, 7-11, 11-7, 12-10 (65m)