WORLD SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: Mega Italia Squash Open, Brescia, Italy

Final:
[2] Stacey Ross (ENG) bt [3] Scott Handley (ENG) 11-5, 11-10 (2-0), 11-6 (51m)

Stacey Ross Secures First PSA Title

England's Stacey Ross claimed his first title on the PSA Tour when he beat fellow countryman Scott Handley in the final of the Mega Italia Squash Open in Brescia, Italy.

Ross, the second seed from Sutton in Surrey who has recently been troubled by an eye infection, reached the final in confident style.  His opponent, the third seed from Oxfordshire, upset local star and top seed Davide Bianchetti in the semi-finals.  Handley extended the higher-ranked player for 51 minutes, but Ross prevailed to win 11-5 11-10 11-6.

The triumph marks a major breakthrough for the 31-year-old who had a nine-year layoff from the sport after a highly successful junior career which included several British National and Open titles.

After working in the City of London, as a money broker - not touching a squash racket or going near a squash court for nine years - Ross joined the Professional Squash Association some three years ago, and began the slow climb up the world rankings.

After reaching his first PSA final in February, where he lost to Bianchetti in the climax of the Belgium Open in Brussels, Ross has now tasted his first international title success - and is sure to be rewarded by a first appearance in the world's top fifty.