Squash Australian Open 2026 – It’s Paul and Siva !!

Top seeds Paul Coll and  Sivasangari Subramaniam have been crowned the 2026 Squash Australian Open champions after claiming wins over Joel Makin and Marina Stefanoni on finals night in Brisbane.

Playing in front of a packed house at the South Bank Piazza, Coll backed up his New Zealand Open triumph last week to claim his second Australian Open title, defeating British #1 Makin in a colossal 90-minute final.

Makin had spent 107 minutes on court getting past Mohamad Zakaria in their semi-final clash – over twice as long as Coll took to dispatch Jonah Bryant earlier on Saturday evening, but there were few signs of fatigue from Makin early the pair slugged out a 44-minute opening game, clinched 19-17 by Coll after saving seven game balls.

Coll dominated the second game, and went 10-7 up in the third. Makin eventually saved four match balls before finally succumbing.

“It was an unbelievable battle,” Coll said. “I didn’t even care about what he had yesterday, he’s just so tough, and I knew he was going to come out hard. I thought I played well, but I just let it be sloppy in a couple of patches, especially at 10-6 in the third.

“I respect Joel so much for his professionalism and the way he trains like a beast. It’s always fun playing him and it’s always a great battle when we get out on court.”

In the women’s final top seed Subramaniam powered her way through to her first title of the season,  defeating seventh seed Marina Stefanoni in straight games in just 28 minutes of play.

Quick starts in all three games aided the Malaysian’s title push as she collected the 16th PSA title of her career.

Sivasangari said: “I’m really happy with how I played. Obviously, I came in as the No.1 seed, which rarely happens at a Gold event. I guess there was a bit more pressure on me compared to the other girls. I just tried to stay as composed as I could this week. I enjoyed it – I was just trying to focus on my squash and I’m really happy to have won this event.

“When I won the London Classic, I beat all the top girls, and I felt like Marina was doing the same thing this week, upsetting all the players. She’s a great fighter and a great player, but I just tried to focus on myself.”

Semis :  Makin outlasts Zakaria as Stefanoni run continues, top seeds advance

World #6 Joel Makin avenged his 125-minute defeat to Mohamad Zakaria at last week’s New Zealand Open with an equally incredible 108-minute semi-final victory in Brisbane.

Exactly a week on from their blockbuster clash in Christchurch, the pair produced a sequel every bit as compelling, trading blows for nearly two hours in front of the 1,000+ crowd at the stunning South Bank Piazza.

Makin said: “I thought I played better than last week, to be honest. He stepped up as well, though.
“I thought I put some really good work in, especially in the second, although he nicked some points at the back end and levelled. I’ve got to give him credit, for an 18-year-old, he’s gutsy. He kept coming back even though I kept feeling I was playing better.

“His work down the backhand wall, he was slow-balling it nicely and getting back into rallies – credit to him, that was really tough, but I stuck to it, I was more aggressive tonight, and I took it to him a bit more.”

Makin will face World #2 Paul Coll in the final of the Gold-level event after the 2015 champion dispatched rising star Jonah Bryant in straight games. Top seed Coll entered his match with training partner Bryant with three wins from their three meetings on tour, and the Kiwi #1 continued this winning run thanks to a commanding 11-3, 11-9, 11-6 victory over the World No.11.

In the women’s draw World #19 Marina Stefanoni continued her giant-killing run, stunning second seed Tinne Gilis to advance to her maiden Gold-event final, defeating the World #10 by an 11-8, 4-11, 11-3, 11-8 scoreline.

Stefanoni said: “I’ve wanted to prove to myself that I can be in there with the top girls in the world. I’m incredibly happy right now. It feels amazing. It was exactly a week ago that I lost 3-0 to Tinne. That day, she was beating me in the back of the court, but I tried to turn it around and play fearlessly. I felt super good today.”

Stefanoni will take on top seed Sivasangari Subramaniam in the title decider after the Malaysian #1 produced a battling performance to defeat World #12 Nele Gilis in three games.

Day Four : Stefanoni downs Hany as semi-final lineups are settled

USA’s Marina Stefanoni moved into the semi-finals after toppling Salma Hany in a dramatic five-game encounter on the second day of Quarter-Final play in Brisbane, where Tinne Gilis, Joel Makin and Mohamad Zakaria also advanced

Seventh seed Stefanoni continued her rich vein of form with a back-and-forth 8-11, 15-13, 11-5, 9-11, 11-7 victory over the the seed to reach her third consecutive PSA semi-final.

“That win is definitely up there with my best!” said Stefanoni. “I played Salma a few weeks ago and she wasn’t quite at her best physically with an injury of some kind. She was in full form tonight and it’s great to be pushing these top girls in events such as this. It was very stop-start tonight. It was a big mental battle tonight. The support I got tonight, though, was incredible.”

Stefanoni will face a familiar foe in the last four of the Gold-level event, with the 23-year-old taking on second seed Gilis for the second time in as many weeks. World #10 Gilis continued her quest for back-to-back titles Down Under with an impressive straight games win over Egypt’s Sana Ibrahim, 11-8, 11-3, 14-12.

In the men’s draw World #9 Zakaria and World #6 Makin set up a rematch of their 125-minute marathon at last week’s New Zealand Open after coming through their matches with Eain Yow Ng and Nicolas Mueller.

Two-time World Junior Champion Zakaria was forced to dig deep before overcoming an impressive display from Malaysian #1 Ng by an 11-7, 9-11, 11-8, 11-5 scoreline.

“I didn’t play my best tonight, but that’s because of how well Yow played. I’m really happy to have found a way. I just told myself in the middle of the match, it’s not about how you do when playing your best, it counts when I’m not finding my game.”

Makin had to be on his mettle to withstand an early barrage of attacking squash from Nicolas Mueller before eventually advancing to the last four by an 11-9, 11-3, 11-9 scoreline.

Day Three : Bryant survives as quarter-finals begin in Brisbane

On a sweltering evening of play in which temperatures rose close to 30°C combined with 85% humidity, 20-year-old Jonah Bryant  joined Paul Coll, Nele Gilis and  Sivasangari Subramaniam in the semi-finals of the Gold-level event.

World #11 Jonah Bryant battled through the Brisbane heat to book his spot in the semi-finals, defeating fellow rising star Melvil Scianimanico in a brutal four-game duel at South Bank Piazza.

The Englishman, who lost to old junior rival Scianimanico from 2-0 up at the Irish Open last May, avenged his defeat from that day with a gutsy 11-1, 9-11, 11-8, 11-7 victory in 66 minutes.

“I’m really glad to get over the line today,” Bryant said. “It’s going to always be tough in those conditions, even if you’re leading by a long way – you’re always going to have to dig in physically. I was really pleased with the way I was able to stick in rallies and when my chances arrived to take them. There are some days when you’re not at your best, and it’s just about bouncing back the next time out!”

Bryant will face training partner and top seed Coll in the semi-finals, after the recent New Zealand Open champion proved too strong for unseeded Frenchman Auguste Dussourd.
The Kiwi #1 rarely looked in trouble and wrapped up the 11-5, 11-4, 11-5 win after just 40 minutes of play.

In the women’s draw Gilis secured a semi-final meeting with top seeded Malaysian  Subramaniam after impressing in her three-game victory over eighth seed Aifa Azman.
World No.12 Gilis, a runner-up at the New Zealand Open last week, continued her fine form with a commanding 11-5, 11-5, 11-3 win over the World #28.

“It’s so hot. Nothing can prepare you for this. It’s my first time on this glass court. I’ve played in hot conditions, but nothing like this, to be honest. It was brutal out there. We train on this court in the morning, which is ten times harder, so I guess that prepared me for it tonight.”

Subramaniam received a Walkover after her opponent Aira Azman withdrew from the event prior to the night’s play due to a hamstring injury.

Day Two : French duo Dussourd and Scianimanico upset the seedings

French duo Auguste Dussourd and Melvil Scianimanico booked their spots in the quarter-finals after claiming dramatic victories over sixth seed Dimitri Steinmann and seventh seed Curtis Malik on day two of the Gold-level event in Brisbane.

Unseeded Dussourd had won just one PSA match in the 12 months since gatecrashing the semi-finals of this event last year, and he followed up his opening-round five-game win over Sanjay Jeeva with another brutal five-game triumph over World #18 Dimitri Steinmann on the stifling traditional courts at Sangate Squash Club. In a match fraught with disruptions and constant discussions with the match referee, it was World #35 Dussourd who managed to rally from 2-1 down to eventually defeat the Swiss #1 11-6, 5-11, 7-11, 11-1, 11.

“I haven’t had that winning feeling for a while. So winning yesterday and backing it up today, it feels so good,” Dussourd said after setting up a quarter-final tie with top seed Paul Coll. “It’s nice, we’re all really close with Melvil,” Dussourd added on his countryman’s impressive win. “He is such a good player and a future French #1, I guess! So I was so happy for both of us. He played two matches before me, so I coached him. I was there to help him, and then he stayed there for me and supported me all through my match.”

Scianimanico was also at the heart of the drama on day two of play, with the in-form 20-year-old battling through a heavy elbow to the eye to book a quarter-final meeting with fourth seed Jonah Bryant. with a well-deserved 9-11, 12-10, 11-9, 11-3 win after 79 minutes of play.

At the showpiece all-glass court at South Bank Piazza, top seeds  Coll and Sivasangari Subramaniam sent out statements of intent to the rest of the draw after breezing into the last eight with dominant wins over Henry Leung and Grace Gear.

Second seeds Joel Makin and Tinne Gilis were given stern tests by Iker Pajares and Torrie Malik, but managed to hold off their challengers in four games.

Day One : Hong Kong duo star & home hopes fall on opening day

The 2026 Squash Australian Open got underway in Brisbane today with 32 players battling for places in the second round of the Gold-level event at the stunning all-glass show court at South Bank Piazza and at Sandgate Squash Club.

Day one of play saw a host of exciting five-game matches across the two venues, but proved a tough opening day for the home contingent, with all four Australian Wildcards falling to strong opposition.

In an evening session featuring all four Australian Wildcards on the South Bank Piazza showcourt, in-form duo Melvil Scianimanico and Iker Pajares held off spirited showings from Australian National Champion Joseph White and Melbourne-based Dylan Molinaro, while Hollie Naughton and Lee Ka Yi also overcame Brisbane locals Madison Lyon and Jessica van der Walt in three games.

Meanwhile, Hong Kong duo Henry Leung and Tomato Ho scored two of the wins of the day, after the pair both launched comebacks from 2-1 down to defeat Velavan Senthilkumar and Joelle King.

World #56 Leung once again showed his liking for the Australian Open stage, defeating World #49 Velavan Senthilkumar by a 5-11, 11-8, 11-13, 11-6, 11-2 after 75 minutes of play to record his first Gold-level event win on the PSA Squash Tour since this very event 12 months ago.

“I’m happy to win today,” Leung said. “I knew this would be a very tough match.”
“In the fourth, I started to get a rhythm and stay in the longer rallies. I felt him start to tire a bit at the end of the fourth game, which gave me more confidence to extend the rallies.
“I will play against Paul Coll tomorrow. I know he just won the New Zealand Open and he is a very strong and physical player. I just want to enjoy the stage.”

Elsewhere, Torrie Malik and Matias Knudsen carried over their fine form from last week’s New Zealand Open with wins over Cindy Merlo and Alex Lau, while Grace Gear came through a back-and-forth all-England battle with Alicia Mead in five games.

Day two of the Squash Australian Open will see top seeds Paul Coll and Sivasangari Subramaniam open up their title campaigns, while a host of other top-20 players, such as Tinne and Nele Gilis, Joel Makin and Mohamad Zakaria, will also feature.