NSW Squash Open RD1: Seeds All Through Opening Day’s Play

The opening day of the Alto Group Pennant Hills NSW Squash Open took place at the Thornleigh Squash Centre in Sydney, Australia on Thursday afternoon, with all of the top seeds making their way into the quarter finals of the competition.

14 matches were played on the opening day of the Challenger 3 level tournament, which features both a men’s and women’s draw, with the top two women’s seeds receiving byes through the opening day’s action.

The six women’s matches that took place on the opening day were all won in straight games by the seeded players. No.3 seed Aira Azman, who is actually the highest-ranked player in the tournament following her maiden win on Tour last month, came through her first match of the tournament against Pakistan’s Nour ul Huda with ease, dropping just six points in an 11-1, 11-2, 11-3 victory.

Elsewhere, there were comfortable wins for Azman’s compatriot Sehveetrraa Kumar, No.4 seed Celine Walser, Japan’s Akari Midorikawa, India’s Urwashi Joshi and Hong Kong’s No.7 seed Ching Hei Fung.

The men’s first round saw some closer fixtures, with top seed Yannick Wilhelmi being pushed all the way to five in his opening day clash with Australia’s Damon MacMillan. Wilhelmi took the lead on two occasions only to see the Aussie fight back to level the match. However, he was able to come through in the end, winning the deciding game 11-7 to book his place in the last eight.

Hong Kong’s Chung Yat Long, the No.8 seed for the men’s competition, also had to go the distance in his first round contest, as he defeated compatriot Wailok To in a fifth game. Filipino No.1 Robert Andrew Garcia was the only other member of the top eight seeds to drop a game on Thursday, in a four-game win over Malaysia’s Amir Amirul.

The quarter finals of the Alto Group Pennant Hills NSW Squash Open will take place on Friday, August 26, with the top eight seeds in both draws going head-to-head for places in the semi-finals of the Challenger 3 level tournament in Sydney, Australia.

Men’s First Round Results: Alto Group Pennant Hills NSW Squash Open
[1] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) bt Damon MacMillan (AUS) 3-2: 11-7, 10-12, 11-5, 4-11, 11-7
[7] Matthew Lai (HKG) bt Rohan Toole (AUS) 3-0: 11-2, 11-8, 11-6,
[8] Chung Yat Long (HKG) bt Wailok To (HKG) 3-2: 11-9, 4-11, 11-3, 9-11, 11-1
[3] Abhay Singh (IND) bt Joel Arscott (NZL) 3-0: 11-6, 11-9, 11-7
[4] Robert Andrew Garcia (PHI) bt Amir Amirul (MAS) 3-1: 11-7, 4-11, 11-5, 11-5
[5] Rhys Dowling (AUS) bt Manu Paquemar (FRA) 3-0: 13-11, 11-3, 11-6
[6] Harley Lam (HKG) bt James Lloyd (AUS) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-6
[2] Robin Gadola (SUI) bt Nicholas Calvert (AUS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-3

Men’s Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Friday, August 26
[1] Yannick Wilhelmi (SUI) v [7] Matthew Lai (HKG)
[8] Chung Yat Long (HKG) v [3] Abhay Singh (IND)
[4] Robert Andrew Garcia (PHI) v [5] Rhys Dowling (AUS)
[6] Harley Lam (HKG) v [2] Robin Gadola (SUI)

Women’s First Round Results: Alto Group Pennant Hills NSW Squash Open
[7] Ching Hei Fung (HKG) bt Maggie Goodman (AUS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-6
[5] Akari Midorikawa (JPN) bt Riffat Khan (PAK) 3-0: 11-3, 11-4, 11-2
[3] Aira Azman (MAS) bt Noor ul Huda (PAK) 3-0: 11-1, 11-2, 11-3
[4] Celine Walser (SUI) bt Jennifer Condie (AUS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-7
[8] Urwashi Joshi (IND) bt Sze Yu Lee (AUS) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-6
[6] Sehveetrraa Kumar (MAS) bt Aiman Shahbaz (PAK) 3-0: 11-0, 11-4, 11-3

Women’s Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Friday, August 26
[2] Xin Ying Yee (MAS) v [7] Ching Hei Fung (HKG)
[5] Akari Midorikawa (JPN) v [3] Aira Azman (MAS)
[4] Celine Walser (SUI) v [8] Urwashi Joshi (IND)
[6] Sehveetrraa Kumar (MAS) v [1] Cheng Nga Ching (HKG)