Balbo Blossoms In Turin Gallery
Final:
[4] Julien Balbo (FRA) bt [3] Lee Drew (ENG) 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 (65m)
France's fourth seed Julien Balbo ended his squash year on a high at the 8 Gallery Shopping Mall in the Italian city of Turin when he beat Englishman Lee Drew, the No3 seed, in the final of the 8 Gallery Open to secure his maiden PSA Tour title.
Balbo, the French national champion in 1998, fought back from a game down to topple his 30-year-old opponent, from Colchester in Essex, 7-11, 11-7, 11-7, 11-7 in 65 minutes.
It was the perfect reward for the 27-year-old from Grenoble who finished as runner-up in the Ciutat de Barcelona Open in September in his first PSA final appearance – before going one better at his second attempt in Turin.