Galifi & Martin Claim Tour Title Debuts

France's Stephane Galifi and Australia's Melissa Martin both claimed their maiden Tour titles in the Mortgage Choice South Australian Open in Somerton Park.

Unseeded Galifi, who also upset the seedings in last month's PNG International in Papua New Guinea to reach the semi-finals, despatched favourite Cameron White in the semi-finals, then beat second-seeded Australian Raj Nanda 15-11 12-15 15-14 15-2 in the final.

It was only the 25-year-old from Rouen's second ever appearance in a PSA Tour final after finishing as runner-up in the Rocafort Open in Spain in January 2000. Whilst Galifi first joined the PSA in 1997, he spent more than two years away from the international circuit before rejoining in May this year.

Like the Frenchman, Melissa Martin is discovering a new vein of form after first joining the WISPA World Tour in 1993. The second-seeded former Miss Vacca, now married to ex-international Brett Martin and based in the US, swept through to the final, only dropping a game in the semi-finals against Japan's Mami Nishio. In the final, the 28-year-old from Adelaide crushed fourth-seeded compatriot Kasey Brown 9-7 9-0 9-0 to secure her first WISPA Tour title in her third final.