Shepparton International 2018
23-26 Aug, Australia, $5k

The Swiss star justified his number one seeding at the event with a determined display, which saw the 21-year-old come from a game down to secure his first PSA World Tour title in almost 12 months.

With the head-to-head scoreline between the combatants sitting at 2-1 in Steinmann’s favour prior to the decider, Williams was out to even the ledger. Coincidentally, Williams' last PSA World Tour title came in a final against Steinmann at the 2016 Bendigo International, and the Kiwi's chances of replicating that performance looked promising when he burst out of the blocks in the first game.

A sluggish start from Steinmann saw Williams pile on the first six points of the match and subsequently wrap up the opening game. Mirroring his blistering stroke play from the first game, Williams had an equally impressive start to the second game and at one stage led 5-2, before the top seed awoke from his slumber.

Realising the need to slow down the frenetic tempo of the match, Steinmann started to find his groove by engaging in long rallies that had his more experienced opponent moving around the court. A number of contentious calls that went in Steinmann’s favour midway through the game left Williams visibly frustrated, and the Swiss man was able to capitalise on the Kiwi's break in concentration to even up the match at 1-1.

That swung the contest in Steinmann’s favour, as he moved to a 7-2 lead in the third before the two players collided mid-point. This resulted in Williams leaving the court to have his lower leg assessed, and while he returned seemingly unhindered in his movement after a lengthy injury time out, Williams wasn’t able to prevent Steinmann from taking a 2-1 lead.

While the fourth was largely a shootout with both players going point-for-point, the four-point buffer created by the top seed early in the game proved to be the decisive blow. Steinmann closed out the fourth to take out a 3-11, 11-9, 11-5, 11-7 victory, and in the process secured his third professional circuit title.
 

* = 9/16 seed

In a scenario many expected heading into the event, the tournament’s top two seeds booked their spots in Sunday afternoon’s final with straight-game victories at the Shepparton Squash Centre.

Williams was the first to progress after he defeated Naoki Hayashi, and will now turn his attention to securing his sixth PSA World Tour title. The Kiwi entered the Semi Final encounter fresh off two dominant performances in his previous matches, which had seen him spend just 37 minutes in total on court.

Williams took control of the match from the outset and denied his Japanese opponent any chance to grab the momentum. Despite Hayashi’s best efforts, the World No. 110 proved too strong with an 11-7, 11-8, 11-6 victory.

In the other Semi Final, Steinmann entered as the red-hot favourite against Robin Gadola, but was made to weather some early pressure from his Swiss compatriot. After a tight first game, Steinmann steadily gained the ascendancy in the contest and eventually secured a passage through to the final with a 12-10, 11-4, 11-3 win.

The results from Saturday night set up a mouth-watering clash between the number one and two seeds in the draw. Both players have experienced a drought of sorts when it comes to PSA World Tour success, with Steinmann finishing runner-up in the last three finals he has contested, while Williams has been on the wrong end of the last four PSA World Tour deciders he has featured in.

The head-to-head standings between the two sit at 2-1 in Steinmann’s favour, with the Swiss star winning the pair’s last two meetings. However, Williams’ only win between the duo came in the 2016 Bendigo International final, where he outlasted Steinmann to win a five-game marathon.

Coincidentally, that was the last time the Kiwi saluted at a PSA World Tour event, while for Steinmann, a win in Shepparton would be his first PSA World Tour title since the North Coast Open almost 12 months ago.
 

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