Thomas Scott & James Lloyd question the match referee’s call in the final of the Men’s Open. Photos: Greg Symes.
Queenslander James Lloyd won the PSA Mens Open at the Lucky Bay Brewing Esperance Squash tournament held last weekend.
Lloyd (22), from the Carrara Squash Club, lived up to his ranking as the number 12 male player in Australia defeating New South Welshman Thomas Scott three sets to one 13-11,11-9,6-11,11-6.
The match featured extended rallies in the first two sets, where Lloyd was more clinical in the important points of the early sets between the competition’s second and fourth seeds.
Scott (18), the 2024 Australian Junior Under 19 Boys champion, caused a minor upset defeating WA’s top seed Remi Young three sets to two in their semi-final on the Saturday.
The winner of the PSA Ladies Open was Australia’s number ten-ranked female player Pascale Louka, who prevailed over Victoria Park’s Lisa Christou three sets to nil 11-2,11-7,11-4 in the final match of the round robin competition.
Both undefeated coming into the final match, Louka, who had not dropped a set all weekend, totally outclassed Christou as Esperance Squash Club’s Jacqui Tonkin finished third overall in the Ladies Open.
Hailing from the Blue Gum Squash Club in Brentwood, it was Louka’s second Ladies Open title win after being triumphant in 2023.
Esperance teenager and top seed for the Junior Open, Aiden Finlay-Mulligan, defeated number 2 seed Alvaro Blackall 11-5, 12-10, 11-2 in the final played Sunday morning.
Finlay-Mulligan is a rising star in the squash world after finishing third at the Australian Junior Championships Under 17 Boys division held in New South Wales last year.
