DAYTON (USA), Jan 25: Welshman Alex Gough, the fifth seed, pulled off a upset when he beat fourth-seeded Australian Joseph Kneipp to reach the semifinals of the EBS Dayton Squash Open.

It was a confidence-boosting victory for Gough who, seeded to win, made a shock first round exit in the Apawamis Open in Rye, USA, earlier in the month.

The match was sure to be close - and the first two games were shared, with game one going 15-12 to Gough and the second 17-15 to the world No15.

RESULTS:

Quarterfinals: Thierry Lincou (FRA) bt Adrian Grant (ENG) 15-7, 15-13, 15-13; Lee Beachill (ENG) bt Rodney Durbach (RSA) 15-7, 15-7, 15-7; Alex Gough (WAL) bt Joseph Kneipp (AUS) 15-12, 15-17, 15-7, 6-1 ret. Anthony Ricketts (AUS) bt Graham Ryding (CAN) 15-7, 15-9, 15-9—WSF