There’s a first time for everything. Oslo, Norway, hosted the first Grays Norwegian Open Squash Championships. England’s Lauren Siddall celebrated her first WISPA World Tour title at the Championships. But getting that title was no easy matter for the 22-year-old. First she dispatched No. 2 seed Line Hansen of Denmark in the semis, and then she survived a five-game battle against her Pontefract teammate and No. 1 seed, Rebecca Botwright, to clinch the win.
When asked what her immediate reaction was after winning the final—which was also her first ever win against Botwright on the Tour—Siddall said she was “shocked. The last few points went past in a blur. I thought I’d lost it after the fourth because she (Botwright) turned the match around using her speed. I had to slow it down a little, and she made a few errors and my fitness was good enough to last in the fifth. We’ll have a few beers now!”
The winner of the men’s event also hails from England. Daryl Selby claimed his second PSA Tour title of 2007, and his third overall—the first coming at the LA Sporteque Pro-Am in April 2005. On the PSA website, Selby listed his goal for 2007 as “to win two PSA titles.” He is currently ranked World No. 38 and is enjoying a steady climb up the rankings. His first title of the year came at the Talisman Energy Bankers Hall Club Pro-Am in January in Alberta, Canada.
“It feels great to have achieved my ambition for the year so early, but now that I have achieved it, I want to keep improving and working hard on my game to try and win another one before the year is up,” Selby said. “It’s always great to win a PSA title, so I am very proud of both of them.”
