|
Top End Open
Darwin, Australia
By Andrew Dent
The cream rose to the top after a day of upsets in the Top End Open squash tournament in Darwin on Saturday with the two top ranked players in the men’s and women’s events reaching the semi-finals.
Steve Finitsis and Zac Alexander remained on course for a final showdown in the men’s draw, while Donna Urquhart and Lisa Camilleri looked a class above the other players in the women’s event.
The men’s draw had earlier seen a flurry of upsets as five seeded players – including the third ranked Nathan Turnbull – were bundled out.
Joseph Desira (seeded four), Jacob Lohrisch (5), Josh Cardwell (6) and Justin Beard (8) all lost their matches in the steamy heat of far northern Australia.
Top seed Finitsis was the most impressive, racing through his first round match against Tim Cowell 11-0, 11-2, 11-6.
“I felt as if I was in control during the match, consistent throughout,” Finitsis said. “I don’t feel the pressure being the number one seed, it’s one match at a time. “I’m happy with how I’m playing at this stage. I was runner-up here two years ago, so it would be good to go one better this year.” Finitsis will play unseeded Queenslander Luke Forster in the semi-finals, while Alexander takes on Hong Kong’s Anson Kwong.
The seventh seeded Kwong accounted for qualifier Brent Dunkley in the first round then beat South African Carl Hampson, Turnbull’s conqueror in the quarters.
The women’s final is shaping as a clash between world number 36 Urquhart and Camilleri, the world number 50.
Urquhart cruised past Queensland’s Zoe Petrovansky in the first quarter-final and will play Melbourne’s Melody Francis, while Camilleri was just as impressive in her 9-2, 9-0, 9-2 win over Tamika Saxby.
Camilleri’s semi-final opponent will be 16-year-old Sarah Cardwell, the daughter of Australian Hall of Famer Vicky, after Cardwell upset third seed Joey Chan of Hong Kong 8-10, 9-4, 7-9, 9-1, 9-0.
Results (prefix denotes seeding):
Men
First round
1-Steve Finitsis (Qld) bt Tim Cowell (WA) 11-0, 11-2, 11-6
Cheng Yao Huang (TPE) bt 6-Josh Cardwell (Vic) 11-7, 11-2, 11-5
Luke Forster (Qld) bt 4-Joseph Desira (Vic) 11-6, 11-10 (3-1), 11-6
Aaron Fyfe (SA) bt 5-Jacob Lohrisch (Qld) 11-2, 11-6, 8-11, 6-11, 11-8
7-Anson Kwong (HKG) bt Brent Dunkley (SA) 8-11, 11-5, 11-3, 11-2
Carl Hampson (RSA) bt 3-Nathan Turnbull (Qld) 8-11, 11-6, 11-8, 11-10 (5-3)
Nathan Stevenson (Qld) bt 8-Justin Beard (SA) 9-11, 11-5, 11-7, 11-8
2-Zac Alexander (Qld) bt Peter Taylor (Qld) 11-8, 11-3, 5-11, 11-6
Quarter-finals
1-Steve Finitsis (Qld) bt Cheng Yao Huang (TPE) 11-5, 11-2, 11-9
Luke Forster (Qld) bt Aaron Fyfe (SA) 7-11, 11-6, 11-7, 11-8
7-Anson Kwong (HKG) bt Carl Hampson (RSA) 7-11, 11-3, 11-10 (3-1), 11-9
2-Zac Alexander (Qld) bt Nathan Stevenson (Qld) 11-9, 7-11, 11-9, 11-8
Women
First round
1-Donna Urquhart (NSW) (bye)
6-Zoe Petrovansky (Qld) bt Tansyn Noble (NT) 9-0, 9-4, 9-2
4-Maggy Marshall (Tas) bye
5-Melody Francis (Vic) bye
8-Sarah Cardwell (Vic) bt Dijo Sexton (Qld) 9-2, 9-1, 9-5
3-Joey Chan (HKG) bye
7-Tamika Saxby (NSW) bt Christine Nunn (ACT) 9-3, 9-4, 9-2
2-Lisa Camilleri (Qld) bye
Quarter-finals
1-Donna Urquhart (NSW) bt Zoe Petrovansky (Qld) 9-0, 9-1, 9-3
5-Melody Francis (Vic bt 4-Maggy Marshall (Tas) 9-4, 9-4, 9-1
8-Sarah Cardwell (Vic) bt 3-Joey Chan (HKG) 8-10, 9-4, 7-9, 9-1, 9-0
2-Lisa Camilleri (Qld) bt Tamika Saxby (NSW) 9-2, 9-0, 9-2
 |
Subscribe to this comment's feed
