EUROPEAN SQUASH NEWS

RESULTS: European Individual Squash Championships, Prague, Czech Republic.

Men's semi-finals:
[1] Gregory Gaultier (FRA) bt [3/4] Peter Barker (ENG) 9-4, 9-2, 9-0
[3/4] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [2] Bradley Ball (ENG) 9-5, 6-9, 9-3, 9-6 (80m)

Women's semi-finals:
[1] Vanessa Atkinson (NED) bt [3/4] Rebecca Botwright (ENG) 9-1, 9-2, 9-1
[2] Linda Elriani (ENG) bt [3/4] Pamela Nimmo (SCO) 9-3, 10-8, 9-5

Koukal Czechs Into European Final

Czech squash star Jan Koukal took 80 minutes to overcome England's No2 seed Bradley Ball to pull off the biggest upset on semi-finals day in the European Individual Championships to reach the men's final of the European Squash Federation event in his home city of Prague.

Koukal, who celebrates his 22nd birthday on Monday, is clearly inspired when he plays on home soil.  Winner of the last three PSA Tour events in the Czech Republic - the Prague Open, Czech Open and Czech Classic - Koukal recovered from losing the second game to defeat Ball, the world No24, 9-5 6-9 9-3 9-6.

The 3/4 seed now faces defending champion and top seed Gregory Gaultier in the final after the Frenchman brushed aside England's Peter Barker, also a 3/4 seed, 9-4 9-2 9-0.

The women's final will be the climax predicted by the seedings:  Favourite Vanessa Atkinson, the world champion from the Netherlands, ended the 2004 champion's run in the event when she beat England's Rebecca Botwright 9-1 9-2 9-1.

The other women's semi-final, an all-British affair between England's Linda Elriani and Scotland's Pamela Nimmo, was a closer battle - but second seed Elriani ultimately prevailed 9-3 10-8 9-5 to set up her first meeting with Atkinson since the final of the European Team Championships in the Netherlands in April.