World No.2 Paul Coll’s Australasia swing finished in winning fashion on Sunday, the Kiwi proving a class apart in both tournament play, match control and fitness without miles in the tank.
Coll and Sivasangari Subramaniam were crowned Australian Open champions after claiming respective and contrasting wins over Joel Makin and Marina Stefanoni on finals night in Brisbane.
Playing in front of a packed house at the stunning South Bank Piazza, Coll backed up his New Zealand Open triumph last week to claim his second Australian Open title, defeating British No.1 Makin in a colossal 90-minute final.
He has now reached the finals in all five events he has played in 2026 and won three of them.
Coll and Makin came into the men’s title decider in starkly contrasting circumstances. Makin had spent 107 minutes on court getting past Mohamad Zakaria in their epic semi-final clash – over twice as long as Coll took to dispatch Jonah Bryant earlier on Saturday evening.
However, there were few signs of fatigue from Makin early on as he and Coll slugged out a seismic 44-minute opening game.
After fighting from 10-7 down to force a tie-break, and saving a further four game balls in a scrappy but equally enthralling tie-break, it was 2015 champion Coll who clinched the monstrous opener by a 19-17 scoreline.
The psychological and physical impact of the first-game defeat seemed to weigh heavily on Makin as the match moved into the second, with Coll powering into a 2-0 lead, losing just three points.
At 10-6 down in the subsequent third game, Makin looked to be staring down the barrel of defeat, but the Welshman showed incredible grit and determination to save all four championship balls. The No.2 seed then saw a pair of game balls slip through his own grasp, before Coll finally wrapped up the epic 14-12 win after 90 minutes of play.
“It was an unbelievable battle,” Coll said after the match. “I didn’t even care about what he had yesterday [a 107-minute battle]; 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.”
Meanwhile, in the women’s final, top seed Sivasangari powered her way through to her first title of the 2025/26 PSA Squash Tour season after defeating No.7 seed Marina Stefanoni in straight games.
The top seed ended the giant-killing run of the World No.19 Stefanoni with a commanding 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 victory after just 28 minutes of play.
Quick starts in all three games were central to Sivasangari’s victory, and despite Stefanoni sending a flurry of nerves through the Malaysian’s camp by saving four championship balls late on in the third, the 27-year-old held on to lift the 16th PSA Tour title of her career.
After the match, Sivasangari said: “Yeah, 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.”
Result – Men’s Final: Squash Australian Open 2026
[1] Paul Coll (NZL) bt [2] Joel Makin (WAL) 3-0: 19-17, 11-4, 14-12 (90m)
Result – Women’s Final: Squash Australian Open 2026
[1] Sivasangari Subramaniam (MAS) bt [7] Marina Stefanoni (USA) 3-0: 11-7, 11-4, 11-8 (28m)