RESULTS: Salzburg Squash Open, Salzburg, Austria
Semi-finals:
[Q] Jonathan Harford (ENG) bt Aqeel Rehman (AUT) 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 (57m)
[4] Omar Abdel Aziz (EGY) bt [6] Andre Haschker (GER) 10-11 (1-3), 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 (67m)
Harford Takes Out Tournament Director To Celebrate Debut PSA Final
England's Jonathan Harford emerged triumphant in the unexpected semi-final battle between two non-seeds in the Salzburg Squash Open in Austria when he beat local star Aqeel Rehman, the tournament organiser, in four games to claim his first appearance in a PSA Tour final.
Harford, a qualifier from Gloucestershire, raced to a 5-1 lead against Rehman, but the 20-year-old Austrian fought back to take the opening game. Rehman had reached the last four after stunning upsets over England's top seed Sam Miller and Germany's fifth seed Friedrich Scheel – but his concentration wavered in the next games as Harford moved 2/1 ahead.
More unforced errors from the Austrian in the fourth game saw the Englishman race to a 5-0 lead. Plucky Rehman later saved four match balls before Harford finally secured his 8-11, 11-5, 11-8, 11-8 victory in 57 minutes.
Harford will meet Egypt's fourth seed Omar Abdel Aziz who beat Germany's sixth seed Andre Haschker 10-11 (1-3), 11-7, 11-8, 11-8 in 67 minutes to reach his second PSA final in a week. The 22-year-old from Cairo won his maiden PSA title at the Swiss Open in Geneva.