Eastside Open: Tournament Preview

The run of Australian events on the Challenger Tour continues this week with the Eastside Open in Tasmania, with the event taking place from Wednesday, September 14 to Sunday, September 18 in Hobart.

The tournament will feature a 32-strong Challenger 5 level men’s event, and a 16-strong Challenger 3 level women’s draw, both of which will take place across the next five days in the Tasmanian capital.

New Zealand’s Lwamba Chileshe wil be the top seed for the men’s tournament, and he will be joined among the top four seeds by his younger brother Temwa, who will be aiming to claim his maiden Tour title. Switzerland’s Robin Gadola and Filipino No.1 Robert Andrew Garcia make up the rest of that seeding bracket.

Rys Dowling will be the leading Australian in the draw, as the No.5 seed, with compatriot Nicholas Calvert also seeded in the top eight. Hong Kong’s Harley Lam, Chung Yat Long, Matthew Lai and Wailok To will also be in the top 16 seeds for the draw, alongside the Kiwi quartet of Joel Arsoctt, Elijah Thomas, William Donnelly and Anthony Lepper.

Hong Kong’s Cheng Nga Ching will be the top seed in the women’s Challenger 3 level competition, with compatriot Ching Hei Fung, and the Pakistani duo of Noor ul Huda and Aiman Shahbaz alongside her in the top four seeds.

Maltese No.1 Colette Sultana will also be among the seeds for the event, as the only European in the female side of the draw. Maggy Marshall and Maria Kalafatis, two of the five Australians in action on home soil, will both be among the top eight seeds.

The event takes place from Wednesday, September 14 to Sunday, September 18 at the Eastside Squash Centre in Australia. Follow the PSA Challenger Tour on Twitter and Facebook for daily updates from the event.

Men’s First Round Draw: Eastside Open
[1] Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) v Muhammad Abdul Qadir (PAK)
[WC] Benjamin Hudson (AUS) v [13] Matthew Lai (HKG)
[9] Bryan Lim Tze Kang (MAS) v David Turner (AUS)
Cameron Darton (AUS) v [5] Rhys Dowling (AUS)
[6] Harley Lam (HKG) v James Lloyd (AUS)
[WC] Will Mooney (AUS) v [14] Anthony Lepper (NZL)
[11] Chung Yat Long (HKG) v Ravindu Laksiri (SRI)
Tate Zak Norris (AUS) v [3] Temwa Chileshe (NZL)
[4] Robert Andrew Garcia (PHI) v Benjamin Ratcliffe (AUS)
Reserve v [15] Wailok To (HKG)
[16] Elijah Thomas (NZL) v [WC} Harry Palfreyman (AUS)
Damon MacMillan (AUS) v [7] Zahir Shah (PAK)
[8] Nicholas Calvert (AUS) v Dylan Molinaro (AUS)
Jamie Pattison (AUS) v [12] William Donnelly (NZL)
[10] Joel Arscott (NZL) v [WC] Jack Hudson (AUS)
Reserve v [2] Robin Gadola (SUI)

Women’s First Round Draw: Eastside Open
[1] Cheng Nga Ching (HKG) – [Bye]
Jennifer Condie (AUS) v [5] Colette Sultana (MLT)
[6] Riffat Khan (PAK) v Caitlin Purvis (AUS)
[4] Aiman Shahbaz (PAK) – [Bye]
[3] Ching Hei Fung (HKG) – [Bye]
Kainat Amir (PAK) v [8] Maria Kalafatis (AUS)
[7] Maggy Marshall (AUS) v Grace Pattison (AUS)
[2] Noor ul Huda (PAK) – [Bye]