Jan Koukal (CZE) beat Kashif Shuja (NZL) 11-7, 12-10, 13-11 in the Final of the SynotTip Open 2011 (photo: Steve Cubbins, SquashSite) Czech squash star Jan Koukal has completed an historic year on the PSA World Tour in the best possible style – by winning the inaugural SynotTip Open. It was after competing in his 25th PSA Tour event of the year that the 28-year-old world No52 then reached the climax in his home city of Prague to clock up his 10th final appearance of 2011.
Top seed Koukal battled for 47 minutes against 3rd seed Kashif Shuja before clinching an 11-7, 12-10, 13-11 victory over the New Zealander to record the 19th Tour title triumph of his career.
Koukal began his remarkable 2011 campaign in January in New York at the JP Morgan Tournament of Champions, the first PSA World Series event of the year. He went on to play in five further Tour events in the USA over the next two months before moving on to Canada, Hong Kong, Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Colombia, Spain, Netherlands, Kuwait and Slovakia before returning home to round off the year in the city of his birth.
“I won in three – but it was a very close and tough match,” said the jubilant Koukal at the end of his remarkable Tour journey. “Kashif played very well, but I managed to stay cool at the crucial points and play them a little better. I’m so happy to end this incredible and long year with a win, especially here in Prague at home in front of my friends and family!”
