Kempsell Wins Down Under!

World No.122 Douglas Kempsell lifted his second PSA World Tour title with an emphatic 3-0 victory over unseeded Englishman Joshua Masters in the final of the Greater Shepparton City Council International, PSA M5 tournament.

The number five seed participated in the fifth longest professional squash match ever recorded when he defeated Joshua Larkin in a gruelling 149 minute semi-final while Masters’ surprise victory over top seed Jaymie Haycocks was more straightforward.

Kempsell displayed no ill effects from his mammoth tie and started well with Masters struggling to keep up with the Scot’s speed around court as Kempsell stormed into a 2-0 lead.

The pair went toe-to-toe in the opening stages of the third game with both players delighting the gathered spectators with some sublime squash.

Kempsell pulled away though after a tight opening to steer to an 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 victory, doubling his PSA World Tour title tally in the process.

“I’m delighted to win my 2^nd PSA title. I had a tough draw in my first two events in Australia but winning the title in Shepparton certainly makes it worthwhile coming over here. The quarter-final result against Tayyab Aslam was pleasing because he’s ranked above me and is a top 100 player. The semi-final was physically one of the toughest matches I’ve ever played. I started cramping and had to dig deep but somehow the adrenaline kept me going in the end. Heading into the final after such a brutal match was obviously tough but I knew it was a great opportunity so I just tried to block out how tired I was feeling and concentrate on what I needed to do. I played positive squash right from the start and was delighted to win 3-0.”

“Unfortunately the toll of last week finally caught up with me in Bendigo this week, where I lost to Josh 3-2 in the second round. Hopefully I can use the extra time off to recover for my last 2 events and finish the tour with some more good results and performances and possibly even another title.”

Result – Final: Greater Shepparton City Council International 2015
[5] Douglas Kempsell (SCO) bt Joshua Masters (ENG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-8, 11-5 (34m)