The Springfield Scottish Squash Open in Inverness finished on Sunday with victories for Spain’s Edmon Lopez and England’s Grace Gear.
The city’s tennis and squash club hosted five days of top action, with upsets along the way.
The men’s and women’s finals featured the second seed against an unseeded opponent.
First up, England’s Ben Smith, seeded two, faced unseeded 2019 Scottish Open champion Lopez.
Smith, 21, went into the showdown in dazzling form, having dropped just one game in his three matches, scoring a 3-1 semi-final win against Israel’s Daniel Poleshchuk on Saturday.
Lopez, 27, from Barcelona is hitting form again, having overcome a tough spell with injuries, and had won their only previous PSA encounter.
He knocked out Martin Ross from Inverness in the opening round as well as young Egyptian talent Kareem El Torkey in a thrilling semi-final.
Physical battle ends in 3-1 Lopez win
Smith, with a world ranking of 85, started slowly but roared back to win the first game 11-9, then – despite saving three game balls – was pegged level as Lopez won the next 11-8.
There was plenty at stake in a tense third game, but world ranked 145 player Lopez edged it 11-8 and held his nerve for an 11-6 last-game scoreline to win the final 3-1.
Top Gear sees off talented teenager
The women’s final followed hot on the heels, with an all-English match between second seed and 2021 finalist Gear, who beat three Egyptian opponents in a row this week, taking on 18-year-old Asia Harris in what was the biggest final of her career so far.
Gear, ranked 53rd in the world, who was runner-up last time, wasted no time in showing her class, wrapping up the first game 11-2.
Up-and-coming Harris, whose world ranking is 98, came more into it in the second game, but lost 11-6 and 25-year-old Grace secured a 3-0 overall triumph by closing out with an 11-6 game outcome. The entire final lasted just under half an hour.
The BBC, who covered finals weekend online, praised the host Highland venue for the welcome it had given to all involved in the competition.
