Auckland Open SF: White Downs Defending Champ Chileshe

Australia’s Joseph White got the better of defending champion Lwamba Chileshe to reach the final of this year’s Barfoot & Thompson Auckland/Oceania Open.

The Kiwi won this event last year, and came into the latest edition of the competition as the top seed. However, on semi-finals day, Australia’s White was too strong, and caused an upset.

White ran out into a two-game lead quite comfortably, but then saw Chileshe fight back to win the third game, dropping just two points in the process. The Aussie regrouped, though, and the fourth game went into a tie-break. Despite being ranked more than 30 places lower, White came through it 13-11 to book his place in the final.

He will now take on Lwamba’s younger brother, Temwa Chileshe, in the final. The tournament’s No.2 seed had to go the distance in his last four contest, eventually getting the better of Japan’s Tomotaka Endo. The Kiwi led twice, but saw Endo fight back on both occasions. Chileshe came out the winner in five, though, to reach the final for the second year in succession.

In the women’s event, defending champion Lana Harrison is through to the final for the second year in a row. She got the better of No.4 seed Abbie Palmer in a tight four-game contest on Saturday.

Harrison won the event as an unseeded player last year, and she is aiming to do it again this time round. The Kiwi won the opening two games with 11-7 and 11-9 scorelines, but then saw Palmer fight back to win the third game on a tie-break, 13-11. The fourth game was also tight, but it was the defending champ that took it 11-9 to reach the final once again.

She will face Australia’s Alex Haydon in the final on Sunday. The Aussie, who was the only non-New Zealander in the women’s draw at the start of the week, is the top seed for this week’s Challenger 3 level competition.

She took on No.6 seed Sophie Hodges in the semis, after the Kiwi had caused an upset to down No.3 seed Ella Lash in the last eight. There would be no repeat of those heroics, though. Haydon was in control throughout, dropping just 12 points in a confident 11-3, 11-2, 11-7 victory.

The finals of the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland/Oceania Open will take place on Sunday, May 21 at the North Shore Squash Club. The action will be streamed live on the Squash Auckland Facebook page. You can keep up to date with daily updates from the tournament on the PSA Challenger Tour’s Twitter and Facebook. 

Men’s Semi-Final Results: Barfoot & Thompson Auckland/Oceania Open
[3] Joseph White (AUS) bt [1] Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) 3-1: 11-8, 11-4, 2-11, 13-11
[2] Temwa Chileshe (NZL) bt [5] Tomotaka Endo (JPN) 3-2: 11-8, 8-11, 11-3, 8-11, 11-4

Men’s Final Draw: To Be Played Sunday, May 21
[3] Joseph White (AUS) v [2] Temwa Chileshe (NZL)

Women’s Semi-Final Results: Barfoot & Thompson Auckland/Oceania Open
[1] Alex Haydon (AUS) bt [6] Sophie Hodges (NZL) 3-0: 11-3, 11-2, 11-7
Lana Harrison (NZL) bt [4] Abbie Palmer (NZL) 3-1: 11-7, 11-9, 11-13, 11-9

Women’s Final Draw: To Be Played Sunday, May 21
[1] Alex Haydon (AUS) v Lana Harrison (NZL)