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