French Duo Dussourd & Scianimanico Gatecrash Australian Open Quarters

French duo Auguste Dussourd and Melvil Scianimanico booked their spots in the quarter-finals of the Squash Australian Open 2026 after claiming dramatic upset victories over No.6 seed Dimitri Steinmann and No.7 seed Curtis Malik on day two of the Gold-level event in Brisbane.

Unseeded Dussourd had won just one PSA Squash Tour match in the 12 months since gatecrashing the semi-finals of this very event last year.

However, the 30-year-old followed up his opening-round five-game win over Sanjay Jeeva with another brutal five-game triumph over world No.18 Dimitri Steinmann on the stifling traditional courts at Sandgate Squash Club.

In a match fraught with disruptions and constant discussions with the match referee, it was world No.35 Dussourd who managed to rally from 2/1 down to eventually defeat the Swiss No.1 by an 11-6, 5-11, 7-11, 11-1, 11-7 scoreline.

"I haven't had that winning feeling for a while. So winning yesterday and backing it up today, it feels so good," Dussourd said after setting up a quarter-final tie with top seed Paul Coll.

"It's nice, we're all really close with Melvil," Dussourd added on his countryman's impressive win. "He is such a good player and a future French No.1, I guess! So I was so happy for both of us. He played two matches before me, so I coached him. I was there to help him, and then he stayed there for me and supported me all through my match."

Scianimanico was also at the heart of the drama on day two, with the in-form 20-year-old battling through a heavy elbow to the eye to book a quarter-final meeting with No.4 seed Jonah Bryant.

After colliding with Malik's elbow while chasing a drop shot at 10-8 up in the third, world No.34 Scianimanico was forced into an extended stoppage to treat the bleeding beneath his eye.

Undeterred upon his return, however, the Frenchman refocused and managed to close out a well-deserved 9-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-3 win after 79 minutes of play.

Meanwhile, at the stunning showpiece all-glass court at South Bank Piazza, top seeds Paul Coll and Sivasangari Subramaniam sent out statements of intent to the rest of the draw after breezing into the last eight with dominant wins over Henry Leung and Grace Gear, respectively.

No.2 seeds Joel Makin and Tinne Gilis were given stern tests by Iker Pajares and Torrie Malik, but managed to hold off their challengers in four games apiece.