Auguste Dussourd upset defending champion and No.2 seed Nicolas Mueller of Switzerland as he led a French charge on semi-finals day of the ESF European Individual Closed Championship in Wroclaw, Poland.
The 3/4 seed took a valuable 1-0 lead after edging a tight opening game 12-10 against ‘the Swiss Rocket’.
Mueller fired back with a hard-fought victory of his own, restoring parity with an 11-9 win in the second game.
In another even contest, Dussourd regained the lead with a second 12-10 win in game three, before pushing on to the final with a fourth-game 11-5 victory.
Dussourd will take on compatriot Victor Crouin after the top seed – a beaten finalist in 2022 – overcame Swiss 3/4 seed Dimitri Steinmann 11-7, 11-7, 13-11.
France will be represented in the women’s final, too, by Enora Villard after the 29-year-old twice came from behind to eke out a victory against Finland’s Emilia Soini.
The No.2 seed’s bid for the final got off to the worst possible start as a dominant Soini took the opening game 11-3.
Villard pulled a game back with an 11-7 win in game two, only to fall behind once more when the 3/4 seed won the third game 11-9.
In a close fourth game, the 29-year-old dragged herself level with a 12-10 victory, before holding her nerve in the fifth with another 11-7 win to reach the final for the first time.
France missed out on a clean sweep after World No.7 Nele Gilis of Belgium – a champion in 2019 and runner up in 2022 – dispatched 3/4 seed Marie Stephan in straight games to reach the final without dropping a game throughout the tournament.
The ESF European Individual Closed Squash Championship finals take place from 14:00 (CEST) at Hasta La Vista, Wroclaw.
Watch the finals live on the European Squash Federation YouTube Channel.
Results: ESF European Individual Closed Squash Championship 2023 Women’s Semi-Finals
[1] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [3/4] Marie Stephan (FRA) 3-0: 11-9, 11-9, 11-3
[2] Enora Villard (FRA) bt [3/4] Emilia Soini (FIN) 3-2: 3-11, 11-7, 9-11, 12-10, 11-7
Results: ESF European Individual Closed Squash Championship 2023 Men’s Semi-Finals
[1] Victor Crouin (FRA) bt [3/4] Dimitri Steinmann (SUI) 3-0: 11-7, 11-7, 13-11
[3/4] Auguste Dussourd (FRA) bt [2] Nicolas Mueller (SUI) 3-1: 12-10, 9-11, 12-10, 11-5
Draw: ESF European Individual Closed Squash Championship 2023 Women’s Final
[1] Nele Gilis (BEL) v [2] Enora Villard (FRA)
Draw: ESF European Individual Closed Squash Championship 2023 Men’s Final
[1] Victor Crouin (FRA) v [3/4] Auguste Dussourd (FRA)
