PETALING JAYA: Mohd Azlan Iskandar bagged his second Professional Squash Association (PSA) of the year, the 13th of his career, when he beat Spaniard Borja Golan in the final of the Irish Open on Saturday.
The world No. 14 won 11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 13-11, 11-5 in a match against the 2006 champion that lasted for 100 minutes.
After winning the first set, the Malaysian Open champion found himself on the back foot when he trailed Golan 1-5 in the opening minutes of the second set.
Although the Sarawakian managed to level 8-8, Golan, a former world No. 10 now ranked in 83rd spot after a knee surgery hampered his career last year, proved to be too strong and took the set.
On a roll: Mohd Azlan Iskandar bagged his second PSA title of the year after he beat Borja Golan in Irish Open final on Saturday. Azlan was again unlucky in the third set and failed to stop Golan from drawing level at 8-8 and then allowing the Spaniard to win it at 11-9 win.
“I was a bit unlucky in the second and third sets. A few bad tactical shots got me in trouble against Golan,” he said in a telephone interview. “But my luck was better in the fourth set.”
Golan had the match point at 10-9 in the fourth set but Azlan refused to let slip and stretched the game to 11-11. Two errors from Golan gave away the set at 13-11 and the match went into a decider.
Seemingly tired from the toils of the match, Golan was unable to stave off challenges from Azlan, who remained strong to take the set convincingly at 11-5.
In the women’s competition, Madeline Perry of Ireland defeated Vanessa Atkinson of Holland 13-11, 11-7, 11-6 in 44 minutes. It was her first victory against Atkinson in seven meetings.
The win on Saturday marked the fourth Irish Open title for Perry, having won in three consecutive tournaments from 2005.
The world No. 14 won 11-9, 8-11, 9-11, 13-11, 11-5 in a match against the 2006 champion that lasted for 100 minutes.
After winning the first set, the Malaysian Open champion found himself on the back foot when he trailed Golan 1-5 in the opening minutes of the second set.
Although the Sarawakian managed to level 8-8, Golan, a former world No. 10 now ranked in 83rd spot after a knee surgery hampered his career last year, proved to be too strong and took the set.
On a roll: Mohd Azlan Iskandar bagged his second PSA title of the year after he beat Borja Golan in Irish Open final on Saturday.“I was a bit unlucky in the second and third sets. A few bad tactical shots got me in trouble against Golan,” he said in a telephone interview. “But my luck was better in the fourth set.”
Golan had the match point at 10-9 in the fourth set but Azlan refused to let slip and stretched the game to 11-11. Two errors from Golan gave away the set at 13-11 and the match went into a decider.
Seemingly tired from the toils of the match, Golan was unable to stave off challenges from Azlan, who remained strong to take the set convincingly at 11-5.
In the women’s competition, Madeline Perry of Ireland defeated Vanessa Atkinson of Holland 13-11, 11-7, 11-6 in 44 minutes. It was her first victory against Atkinson in seven meetings.
The win on Saturday marked the fourth Irish Open title for Perry, having won in three consecutive tournaments from 2005.
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