Koukal Marks Aussie Hat-Trick In Mackay
by Howard Harding

10 November 2013 - Czech squash star Jan Koukal rounded off a highly successful southern hemisphere tour by winning his third successive PSA World Tour title in Australia at the Mackay Open, the PSA Challenger 5 event at the Mackay Leisure Centre in Mackay in Queensland.

The top seed from Prague survived a testing semi, stemming a fight-back by Lukas Burkhart to beat the No 4 seed from Switzerland in five games.

And Koukal's opponent in the final - for the third successive time - was unseeded Dutchman Sebastiaan Weenink!

Weenink, the rapidly-improving world No 118 from The Hague, was also unseeded in the earlier Queensland Open and Caboolture Open - but outplayed a succession of higher-ranked opponents on both occasions to set up Koukal confrontations in the climax.

In the Mackay final, 27-year-old Weenink stretched the 13-time Czech champion to five games for the first time - after leading 2/1.

But world No 74 Koukal - celebrating the 47th PSA Tour final of his career - dug deep to overcome the Dutchman 11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6 after 67 minutes to notch up the 27th title of his career.

RESULTS: PSA Challenger 5 Mackay Open, Mackay, Queensland, Australia

1st round:
[1] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [Q] Ben Courtice (AUS) 11-4, 11-4, 11-5 (22m)
Rohan Toole (AUS) bt Daniel Wright (AUS) 11-8, 11-3, 11-9 (28m)
Rhys Dowling (AUS) bt Andrew Fraser (AUS) 13-11, 11-7, 3-11, 11-8 (38m)
[5] Ondrej Ertl (CZE) bt Pablo Rawden (ENG) 11-8, 13-11, 11-8 (36m)
[7] Jonathan Geekie (SCO) bt [WC] Alex Eustace (AUS) 11-8, 11-8, 11-13, 13-15, 11-9 (61m)
Thomas Calvert (AUS) bt [Q] Matthew Muller (AUS) 11-4, 11-8, 11-5 (36m)
T J Rarere (AUS) bt Aidan Parkes (AUS) 11-3, 11-3, 11-3 (26m)
[4] Lukas Burkhart (SUI) bt Jaakko Vahamaa (FIN) 11-9, 11-7, 11-5 (28m)
[3] Adam Murrills (ENG) bt Courtney West (AUS) 11-9, 7-11, 12-10, 11-5 (38m)
Ollie Holland (ENG) bt [Q] Matthew Hopkin (AUS) 11-8, 20-18, 11-6 (42m)
Nathan Stevenson (AUS) bt [Q] Hannan Tarmidi (MAS) 11-8, 11-4, 11-7 (26m)
Thoboki Mohohlo (RSA) bt [6] Sunil Seth (GUY) 11-3, 11-3, 7-11, 11-6 (30m)
[8] Addeen Idrakie (MAS) bt [Q] Gurshan Singh (MAS) 6-11, 11-3, 11-2, 11-9 (38m)
[Q] Hesham Mohamed Aly (EGY) bt Kwon Hyeon-Jun (KOR) 11-9, 11-5, 12-10 (34m)
Sebastiaan Weenink (NED) bt [Q] Yeshan Ekanayake (AUS) 11-2, 11-0, 11-8 (21m)
[2] Evan Williams (NZL) bt [Q] Joel Luca (AUS) 11-6, 11-6, 11-7 (28m)
2nd round:
[1] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt Rohan Toole (AUS) 11-5, 11-7, 11-6 (21m)
[5] Ondrej Ertl (CZE) bt Rhys Dowling (AUS) 11-6, 11-9, 11-5 (32m)
Thomas Calvert (AUS) bt [7] Jonathan Geekie (SCO) 7-11, 9-11, 11-8, 13-11, 11-7 (56m)
[4] Lukas Burkhart (SUI) bt T J Rarere (AUS) 11-4, 11-6, 11-6 (26m)
Ollie Holland (ENG) bt [3] Adam Murrills (ENG) 11-6, 11-9, 11-9 (34m)
Thoboki Mohohlo (RSA) bt Nathan Stevenson (AUS) 11-6, 11-8, 11-4 (30m)
[8] Addeen Idrakie (MAS) bt [Q] Hesham Mohamed Aly (EGY) 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-9 (38m)
Sebastiaan Weenink (NED) bt [2] Evan Williams (NZL) 11-9, 11-8, 11-7
Quarter-finals:
[1] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [5] Ondrej Ertl (CZE) 11-5, 11-3, 11-2 (31m)
[4] Lukas Burkhart (SUI) bt Thomas Calvert (AUS) 11-8, 11-3, 11-3 (29m)
Thoboki Mohohlo (RSA) bt Ollie Holland (ENG) 11-8, 11-5, 11-3 (31m)
Sebastiaan Weenink (NED) bt [8] Addeen Idrakie (MAS) 12-10, 11-2, 15-13 (38m)
Semi-finals:
[1] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt [4] Lukas Burkhart (SUI) 11-9, 11-2, 8-11, 8-11, 11-3 (44m)
Sebastiaan Weenink (NED) bt Thoboki Mohohlo (RSA) 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 (37m)
Final:
[1] Jan Koukal (CZE) bt Sebastiaan Weenink (NED) 11-6, 7-11, 9-11, 11-5, 11-6 (67m)