RESULTS:    Clare Valley Australian Open Squash Championships, Clare, South Australia

Men's Final:
[1] David Palmer (AUS) bt [3] Kashif Shuja (NZL)     11-7, 14-12, 11-8 (40m)

Women's Final:
[7] Annie Au (HKG) bt [1] Kasey Brown (AUS)     6-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6, 12-10 (80m)


While Australian favourite David Palmer delighted the local crowds by winning the men's title in the Clare Valley Australian Open Championship for the first time, Hong Kong's Annie Au pulled off a sensational performance - saving two match balls - to upset favourite Kasey Brown in the women's final of Australia’s most prestigious squash tournament in its second year at the Valleys Lifestyle Centre in Clare in South Australia.

Palmer had won four British Open and two World Open titles heading into the tournament - but had never managed to win his home championship in what has been a glittering career.

But in a highly entertaining final he beat New Zealand's Kashif Shuja 11-7, 14-12, 11-8 to put his name on the trophy alongside players such as Geoff Hunt, Chris Dittmar and Rodney and Brett Martin.

"I was pretty confident coming in, but rankings aside you obviously still have to win," the world number five said.  "I was much higher-ranked than the other guys here and I wasn’t at my best because I’m in my off-season.  But at the end of the day I’m happy to win and finally get my name on the trophy with those other great Australian players."

The triumph brings Palmer's PSA Tour title haul to 23 - extending his lead ahead of Egypt's world number one Amr Shabana as the current player with the most titles

Seventh seed Annie Au came from two games down, then saved two match balls to beat Australian favourite Kasey Brown in a thrilling women’s final.

The Hong Kong teenager looked headed for defeat when Brown took the opening two games, but fought back magnificently to overcome the world number 13 in 80 minutes, winning 6-11, 7-11, 11-6, 11-6, 12-10 to become the first Hong Kong player to win the Australian Open.

Brown, who won the title in 2006, had match balls at 10-8 in the fifth, but Au refused to concede and won the next four points to close out the match.

Au said she had trouble adapting to the pace of Brown in the opening games.  "In the first two games, I couldn’t match her speed in the back court and I kept thinking I could not play my favourite shots," said the 19-year-old left-hander who now boasts three WISPA World Tour titles.

"In the third game, I think she slowed down and I was able to go on the attack, and it was the same in the fourth."

A disappointed Brown said Au had just played too well over the closing stages:  "She hit some amazing shots – I just couldn’t do anything with them," she said.

Seeded seventh heading into the tournament, Au claimed the scalps of the top three seeds on three consecutive days to become a worthy champion.

"This summer I didn’t have any school so I was able to do more training and today I didn’t feel tired," she said.

She said getting her name on a trophy that also featured some of the greatest names in the history of women’s squash would give her enormous confidence going forward.  "I think I will get a lot of momentum for my career," Au added.  "I also think it will get our sport a lot of publicity in Hong Kong and encourage more people to start playing."