Semis: Makin Axes Top Seed Elias

Welsh World No.4 Joel Makin has reached the final of the London Squash Classic presented by Bassim Haidar after toppling No.1 seed Diego Elias in four games at Alexandra Palace.

Makin beat Elias en route to securing his first major title at the PSA Squash Tour Finals in June and has now won three of his last four matches against the World No.2 seed, following an 11-6, 11-4, 6-11, 14-12 triumph.

It was a tightly-contested beginning to the match as Makin kept the ball alive and forced Elias into some punishing rallies, but the Peruvian came right off the boil the longer the first game went on.

The second game was a one-sided affair, with Elias not entirely happy with the court floor and he looked disinterested as Makin charged ahead to double his lead.

Elias let his emotions get the better of him last time these two players met in Toronto, but this time around he kept his composure and returned to court displaying his usual impeccable ball control.

The Peruvian dragged Makin into all four corners and picked him off at will to halve the deficit.

The fourth game was an epic battle between two contrasting styles with Makin taking the ball off the side wall and using height and weight to nullify Elias’s racket skills.

The Welshman faced four game balls but fought back each time and held his nerve to seal the win, reaching back-to-back PSA finals for the first time since 2017. He can go to World No.3 if he wins the tournament.

“He’s done this quite a few times, where he can look disinterested and then turn it on,” said Makin afterwards.

“He’s that good at squash, I wasn’t really that interested in what he was doing, I was just trying to close down the lines and get positions around the middle whilst keeping him behind me for periods. He’s always in and out, but that’s the level he can play. I’ve seen him beat World No.1s doing that and then turn the match around. I didn’t suddenly think that he wasn’t interested today, I was well aware of what could happen.

“I shifted the tactics a little bit. He came back really well in the third and I just nicked a tight fourth. The squash I’m playing is tidier and I’m enjoying the way I’m playing.

“I’ve tweaked a couple of things and I’m happy with it, but it’s an ongoing process for me, I want to see how many tournaments I can win this year and I’m still trying to get better. There’s still a few things to tidy up, but the level is getting there.

“I’ve come close before, I played Paul in the final at Canary Wharf a couple of years ago, so hopefully it’s him [in the final] and I can get a good win there. He’s three in the world at moment, I’m four, and if I beat him tomorrow I think that might change it. That stuff aside, I’m just aiming to win as many tournaments as I can.”

Result

[3] Joel Makin (WAL) bt [1] Diego Elias (PER) 3-1: 11-6, 11-4, 6-11, 14-12 (80m)

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