Tough battle in Southern Open squash final

Fourth seeded New Zealander Evan Williams faced top seed Henry Leung from Hong Kong in his first NZ Southern Open PSA final in Invercargill after travelling south for the past five years to compete in this event.

The final of the Invercargill Licensing Trust and Community Trust South-sponsored event was a first for both players, as well as their first meeting on the tour, and this was set to be a tough battle.

Williams had his game face on from the start, playing with precision in the first half before Leung came back into the set with a run of points.

It was not quite enough from Leung, with Williams taking the first set 11-8.

The second set saw Williams still focused, composed and determined, gaining and maintaining a lead to give himself a 2-0 advantage.

Both players showed great patience in the third set, keeping the rallies going in the hope of forcing an error.

Leung took the early lead but it was Williams who reached match-ball before Leung came back again to take the set to a tie-break and get game-ball.

Williams dug deep and took the next two points to win the match and his first PSA title in 3 years.

Full Results:

(4) Evan Willliams (NZL) bt (1) Henry Leung (HKG) 11-8, 11-8, 13-11 (44 minutes)