Kiwi squash ace Paul Coll has returned to the winner's circle with victory at the US Open tournament at Philadelphia.
Coll, 31, needed five games to overcome Egyptian world No.1 and four-time world champion Ali Farag 11-7 11-7 8-11 8-11 12-10, seizing back momentum in the final stanza, as his rival seemed to have grabbed the initiative.
He became the first Kiwi to win the title, since Stu Davenport in 1986, as the two-time British Open champion claimed his fourth platinum tournament and 20th on the PSA circuit, but first in 18 months.
"Very happy, far out," he said. "I'm absolutely stoked with that win and this whole week's been amazing for me. "I've always dreamed of winning the US Open, so this is pretty special."
Coll had dethroned defending champion and world No.2 Diego Elias in the semi-finals and began the final in dominant form, converting six errors from Farag into a first-game advantage.
The Egyptian, who ousted Coll from the Paris Open semis two weeks ago, surged back into contention, levelling the contest at 2-2 and forcing a deciding game, which the Kiwi won with his second matchball.
"I got a bit nervous in the third and fourth," said Coll. "He pushed me out of my rhyth,m but I'm really pleased with the way my squash has gone overall this week and I’m physically feeling really good, so I’m looking forward to the season ahead."
The next event on the calendar is the Grasshopper Cup at Zurich, Switerland this week.
