Fernandes wins Greek Open title

Up against Egypt’s Farah Abdel Meguid in the final, the unseeded Fernandes capped a sequence of upset results and tough matches to emerge with the title, 11-7, 11-2, 6-11, 11-5.

The event was the first for Fernandes since being elevated to No.88 in the world rankings last week, her first appearance in four years among the top 100 players in the Women’s International Squash Players Association (WISPA) ratings.

Nearing the end of the comeback year from a career-threatening knee injury, the 26-year-old Fernandes toppled the fourth seed Adel Weir and the No.7 seed Laura Pomportes en route to the final.

Fernandes outgunned Pomportes, of France, 11-2, 11-4, 12-14, 11-4 in the round of 16 before facing South Africa Weir in the quarter-finals.

The Caribbean champion outgunned Weir, rated 63rd in the world, 11-4, 4-11, 11-5, 11-7.

Fernandes engaged Germany’s Sina Wall in a gruelling five-game semi-final before completing victory 11-13, 11-5, 11-3, 10-12, 11-6.

In the final, Fernandes swept into a comfortable lead 2-0 in games and rallied from a third game stutter to secure the title with an 11-5 triumph in the fourth game.

Absent from the WISPA pro circuit for almost two years – from April 2007 to March 2009 – with her knee problems, Fernandes had tumbled out of the WISPA top 100 in December 2007.

She returned to the pro circuit early this year to record several steady performances and was rewarded with a top 100 spot last week in the December ratings.

The men’s division at the Greek Open went the Egyptian youngster and top seed Karim Abdel Gawad, who overcame England’s Mark Fuller in four games in the final.