25th Anniversary Squash Club Santiago Open, Santiago de Compostela, Spain

Men's final:

[5] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) bt [Q] Julien Balbo (FRA)          11-7, 6-11, 11-6, 11-4 (54m)

Women's final:

[2] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [1] Aisling Blake (IRL)                 9-2, 2-0 ret.

Bianchetti & Serme Celebrate Santiago Success

Italian Davide Bianchetti and France's Camille Serme celebrated title successes in the 25th Anniversary Squash Club Santiago Open in Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Fifth seed Bianchetti battled to an 11-7, 6-11, 11-6, 11-4 victory in 54 minutes over French qualifier Julien Balbo in the climax of the $30,000 3-star PSA Tour event.

The triumph marks the 30-year-old from Brescia's seventh PSA Tour title, but his first for more than a year.

By contrast, Serme scored her maiden WISPA World Tour title in disappointing circumstances.  The second seed from Creteil took the first game against Aisling Blake and was only two points into the second game when the Irish favourite was forced to concede the match through injury.

It was the 18-year-old European Junior Champion's ninth appearance in a Tour event and third in a final - but Serme's first title success.

Men's semi-finals:

[Q] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt [3] Renan Lavigne (FRA)      4-11, 7-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-8, 11-8 (55m)

[5] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) bt [2] Alex Gough (WAL)   4-11, 11-7, 10-11 (0-2), 11-5, 11-4 (102m)

Women's semi-finals:

[1] Aisling Blake (IRL) bt [Q] Faustine Gilles (FRA)      9-4, 9-3, 9-2 (21m)

[2] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [Q] Nour El Tayeb (EGY)   9-2, 9-5, 9-7 (31m)

Balbo & Bianchetti In Surprise Santiago Final

French qualifier Julien Balbo and fifth-seeded Italian Davide Bianchetti will meet in a surprise men's final of the 25th Anniversary Squash Club Santiago Open, the $30,000 3-star PSA Tour event in Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

By contrast, the women's WISPA World Tour 4 event will climax in a match between the top two seeds - with second seed Camille Serme providing further French interest in a match against Irish favourite Aisling Blake.

With upsets over local hero and top seed Borja Golan and sixth seed Liam Kenny behind him, Julien Balbo faced compatriot Renan Lavigne, the third seed, in the semi-finals.  The experienced 33-year-old took the first two games and reached match ball in the third.

But Balbo, the 28-year-old world No70 from Chambery, saved a total of six match balls before taking the game - then went on to clinch the next two to record a notable 4-11, 7-11, 11-10 (2-0), 11-8, 11-8 victory in 55 minutes over his fellow countryman ranked more than 40 places higher in the world.

In the fifth - and biggest - PSA Tour final of his career, Balbo will face Davide Bianchetti.  In a match which lasted almost twice as long as the other semi-final, Bianchetti twice came from behind to beat Welshman Alex Gough, the No2 seed, 4-11, 11-7, 10-11 (0-2), 11-5, 11-4 in 102 minutes.

The 30-year-old from Brescia is celebrating the 15^th Tour final of his career.

After taking surprise places in the women's semi-finals, qualifiers Faustine Gilles and Nour El Tayeb were unable to progress further.  Gilles, from France, went down 9-4, 9-3, 9-2 to top seed Aisling Blake while 14-year-old Egyptian Nour El Tayeb extended second seed Camille Serme for 31 minutes before losing 9-2, 9-5, 9-7.

"I knew that if I wanted to survive that one, I had to give it my best from the start," Serme told www.squashsite.co.uk afterwards. 

The 18-year-old European Junior Champion from Creteil is celebrating her third appearance in a WISPA Tour final, while Blake is marking her fourth.

Men's quarter-finals:

[Q] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt [6] Liam Kenny (IRL)             11-5, 10-11 (1-3), 9-11, 11-3, 11-8 (70m)

[3] Renan Lavigne (FRA) bt [8] Dylan Bennett (NED)     11-10 (3-1), 11-5, 8-11, 11-6 (54m)

[5] Davide Bianchetti (ITA) bt [4] Joey Barrington (ENG)     11-9, 11-9, 11-5 (55m)

[2] Alex Gough (WAL) bt [7] Stacey Ross (ENG)            11-5, 11-6, 11-5 (27m)

Women's quarter-finals:

[1] Aisling Blake (IRL) bt [7] Emma Chorley (ENG)              9-0, 9-3, 9-0 (23m)

[Q] Faustine Gilles (FRA) bt [3] Dagmar Vermeulen (NED)    9-4, 9-7, 9-5 (22m)

[Q] Nour El Tayeb (EGY) bt [Q] Lucie Fialova (CZE)             5-9, 9-5, 9-3, 9-3 (37m)

[2] Camille Serme (FRA) bt [6] Kylie Lindsay (NZL)             9-0, 9-3, 9-4 (14m)

Qualifiers Surprise In Santiago

Qualifiers continued to excel in the 25th Anniversary Squash Club Santiago Open in Santiago de Compostela in Spain.

Julien Balbo, the French qualifier who claimed an unexpected place in the quarter-finals of the men's $30,000 3-star PSA Tour event after local hero Borja Golan retired injured during their first round match, fought back from 1/2 down to beat sixth seed Liam Kenny. 

The 28-year-old from Chambery beat the Irishman 11-5, 10-11 (1-3), 9-11, 11-3, 11-8 in 70 minutes and now faces compatriot Renan Lavigne for a place in the final.  Third seed Lavigne beat Dutchman Dylan Bennett 11-10 (3-1), 11-5, 8-11, 11-6.

There was a further upset in the men's event when Davide Bianchetti, the fifth seed, defeated fourth-seeded Englishman Joey Barrington 11-9, 11-9, 11-5.   The Italian now meets Welshman Alex Gough, the No2 seed who despatched fellow Briton Stacey Ross, the No7 seed from England, 11-5, 11-6, 11-5.

Third seed Dagmar Vermeulen was the biggest casualty in the quarter-finals of the women's WISPA World Tour 4 event.  French qualifier Faustine Gilles prevailed 9-4, 9-7, 9-5 in the 22-minute clash with the Dutch player - and will now face Ireland's top seed Aisling Blake in the semi-finals.

Teenager Nour El Tayeb extended her giant-killing run in the event.  The 14-year-old qualifier from Cairo recovered from a game down to beat Czech qualifier Lucie Fialova 5-9, 9-5, 9-3, 9-3, and will now line up against France's No2 seed Camille Serme.