Eastside Open Day 2: Lai Downs Top Seed To Reach Quarters

The second day of the Eastside Open saw the women’s Challenger 3 level tournament get underway, while the second round of the men’s Challenger 5 level competition also took place, and that is where the surprises arose.

Hong Kong’s Matthew Lai caused the biggest upset of the day’s play, as he got the better of the men’s top seed, New Zealand’s Lwamba Chileshe, in a four-game contest at the Eastside Squash Centre in Hobart, Australia.

Lai started the first game strongly, and when he took the lead in it, he did not relinquish that advantage. After taking the first game, he saw Chileshe fight back, with the Kiwi securing the second game on a tie-break. However, the Hongkonger then won the third game without dropping a point, before taking the fourth 11-3 to secure his spot in the next round.

He will now face Malaysia’s Bryan Lim Tze Kang in the quarter finals, after the No.9 seed overcame No.5 seed Rhys Dowling in straight games. The first was comfortable for the Malaysian, but he then had to go deep into tie-break in game two, eventually taking it 19-17. That broke the back of the Aussie, with Kang taking the third 11-3 to advance.

Elsewhere, New Zealand’s Elijah Thomas also took down the higher-ranked Zahir Shah, and he will be joined in the last eight by fellow Kiwis Temwa Chileshe and Anthony Lepper, with the latter winning his battle against the unseeded James Lloyd in a fifth game tie-break.

Just three matches took place on the opening day of the women’s Challenger 3 level tournament in Hobart, with Australian Jennifer Condie causing a seeding upset, as she beat No.8 seed Maria Kalafatis in straight games. Pakistan’s Riffat Khan and Australian Maggy Marshall were the other two winners I the women’s draw on Thursday.

The quarter finals of the Eastside Open will take place on Friday, September 16 at the Eastside Squash Centre in Hobart, Australia, with the last eight in both draws aiming to advance to Saturday’s semi-finals.

Men’s Second Round Results: Eastside Open
[13] Matthew Lai (HKG) bt [1] Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) 3-1: 11-8, 11-13, 11-0, 11-3 (41m)
[9] Bryan Lim Tze Kang (MAS) bt [5] Rhys Dowling (AUS) 3-0: 11-1, 19-17, 11-3 (41m)
[14] Anthony Lepper (NZL) bt James Lloyd (AUS) 3-2: 11-4, 9-11, 18-16, 7-11, 12-10 (73m)
[3] Temwa Chileshe (NZL) bt [11] Chung Yat Long (HKG) 3-1: 11-5, 11-13, 11-2, 11-7 (50m)
[4] Robert Andrew Garcia (PHI) bt [15] Wailok To (HKG) 3-0: 11-7, 11-9, 11-7 (36m)
[16] Elijah Thomas (NZL) bt [7] Zahir Shah (PAK) 3-0: 12-10, 11-6, 11-1 (26m)
[8] Nicholas Calvert (AUS) bt [12] William Donnelly (NZL) 3-0: 11-5, 11-4, 11-1 (25m)
[2] Robin Gadola (SUI) bt [10] Joel Arscott (NZL) 3-1: 11-8, 11-4, 12-14, 11-9 (59m)

Men’s Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Friday, September 16
[13] Matthew Lai (HKG) v [9] Bryan Lim Tze Kang (MAS)
[14] Anthony Lepper (NZL) v [3] Temwa Chileshe (NZL)
[4] Robert Andrew Garcia (PHI) v [16] Elijah Thomas (NZL)
[8] Nicholas Calvert (AUS) v [2] Robin Gadola (SUI)

Women’s First Round Results: Eastside Open
[6] Riffat Khan (PAK) bt Caitlin Purvis (AUS) 3-2: 8-11, 11-7, 11-3, 5-11, 11-9 (35m)
Jennifer Condie (AUS) bt [8] Maria Kalafatis (AUS) 3-0: 11-2, 11-0, 11-1 (22m)
[7] Maggy Marshall (AUS) bt Grace Pattison (AUS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-7, 11-7 (18m)

Women’s Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Friday, September 16
[1] Cheng Nga Ching (HKG) v [5] Colette Sultana (MLT)
[6] Riffat Khan (PAK) v [4] Aiman Shahbaz (PAK)
[3] Ching Hei Fung (HKG) v Jennifer Condie (AUS)
[7] Maggy Marshall (AUS) v [2] Noor ul Huda (PAK)