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

Men's qualifying finals:
Bradley Hindle (AUS) bt Luke Forster (AUS) 11-7, 11-3, 11-3 (29m)
Wade Johnstone (AUS) bt Nathan Stevenson (AUS) 11-5, 3-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-7 (49m)
Matthew Karwalski (AUS) bt Zac Alexander (AUS) 11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 13-15, 11-8 (54m)
Steve Finitsis (AUS) bt Khawaja Adil Maqbool (PAK) 14-12, 11-8, 11-1 (27m)

Women's qualifying finals:
Tamika Saxby (AUS) bt Bonny Wu (AUS) 11-5, 11-5, 11-6 (19m)
Jane Kennedy (ENG) bt Alma Kushartanti (AUS) 11-7, 5-11, 11-3, 12-10 (31m)


Queensland’s Steve Finitsis downed Pakistan’s highly-rated Khawaja Adil Maqbool in straight games in today's (Wednesday) men's qualifying finals of the Clare Valley Australian Open to lead a surprise all-Australian quartet through to the main draw of the $30,000 PSA World Tour squash event at Valleys Lifestyle Centre in Clare in South Australia.

Finitsis won two tight games before steamrolling Maqbool in the third to win 14-12, 11-8, 11-1 and move into the first round proper, where he will play second seed and three-time champion Stewart Boswell.

Other men's qualifiers were Mackay’s Bradley Hindle, New South Welshman Matthew Karwalski and US-based Victorian Wade Johnstone.

Hindle ended Luke Forster’s run with a straightforward 11-7, 11-3, 11-3 win.  However, Johnstone and Karwalski were both taken the distance by their compatriot opponents - Johnstone beating Nathan Stevenson 11-5, 3-11, 11-7, 11-13, 11-7 and Karwalski holding off Zac Alexander 11-13, 11-7, 11-8, 13-15, 11-8.

In the qualifying finals for the women's $18,700 WISPA World Tour event, England’s Jane Kennedy prevented further local domination in the event by beating South Australian Alma Kushartanti 11-7, 5-11, 11-3, 12-10 – while Tamika Saxby, the 17-year-old from Coffs Harbour in Australia, ousted Adelaide’s Bonnie Wu 11-5, 11-5, 11-6.

Nathan Stevenson gained a welcome reprieve, however, when seventh-seeded Frenchman Stephane Galifi withdrew injured at the last minute, handing the Queenslander a place in the main draw as a lucky loser.

Finitsis said he was mentally tougher than Maqbool, and that was the difference between the two men.

“I was down in the first two games but I stayed strong and got the big points,” he said.  “Once I got the first two games, he didn’t seem to want to do the hard yards in the third.”

The Amsterdam-based 26-year-old will play Tasmania’s Aaron Frankcomb in the first round and said anything was possible this week.

“As the score shows, I pretty well just played my match and didn’t make too many mistakes today,” he said.  “Everyone is wary of everyone this year -- it could be a tournament where any one of the qualifiers could win it, and so could any of the main draw players.”

Johnstone, playing his first tournament in Australia in four years, said he was suffering from a lack of match fitness.

“I was very tired – I’ve been off for a couple of months with a hamstring injury and I just started training again a few weeks ago, so match fitness isn’t quite what it should be,” he said.  “It’s too hard to be consistent when you can’t move to the ball.”

Updated men's 1st round draw:
[1] Ong Beng Hee (MAS) v [Q] Wade Johnstone (AUS)
[7] Martin Knight (NZL) v Nathan Stevenson (AUS)
[3] Cameron Pilley (AUS) v Justin Beard (AUS)
[6] Aaron Frankcomb (AUS) v [Q] Bradley Hindle (AUS)
[5] Kashif Shuja (NZL) v Scott Arnold (AUS)
[4] Tarek Momen (EGY) v [Q] Matthew Karwalski (AUS)
[8] Campbell Grayson (NZL) v Ryan Cuskelly (AUS)
[2] Stewart Boswell (AUS) v [Q] Steve Finitsis (AUS)

Updated women's 1st round draw:
[1] Kasey Brown (AUS) v [Q] Jane Kennedy (ENG)
[8] Olga Ertlova (CZE) v Melody Francis (AUS)
[4] Lisa Camilleri (AUS) v Sarah Cardwell (AUS)
[6] Joelle King (NZL) v [Q] Tamika Saxby (AUS)
[5] Elise Ng (HKG) v Josefa Bertilsson (SWE)
[3] Donna Urquhart (AUS) v Zoe Petrovansky (AUS)
[7] Amelia Pittock (AUS) v Amanda Cranston (NZL)
[2] Annie Au (HKG) v Jackie Laurenson (NZL)