Nele Gilis Beats Sister Tinne To Win New Zealand Open Title

Nele Gilis is the 2023 Barfoot and Thompson New Zealand Open champion after a crushing performance against younger sister Tinne Gilis in the final in the Mercury Baypark Arena, Tauranga.

Ahead of the match, the head-to-head recorded suggested Nele would be the favourite: the sisters had met on seven previous occasions on tour, with Nele winning six of those contests, two of which came in World Tour finals.

The No.1 seed – considered an honorary Kiwi by many in the Tauranga crowd thanks to her engagement to local favourite Paul Coll – made a strong start to the match, edging a number of punishing rallies in a 17-minute 11-8 game one win.

Game two was a more straightforward affair for the 27-year-old, with Nele doubling her lead with an 11-3 win as Tinne appeared to struggle with an injury.

Tinne improved in game three as she looked to launch a comeback, but was unable to consistently beat her sister’s impeccable defences, with Nele sealing her second title of the year with an 11-8victory to bring the contest to a close.

Watch the men’s final live now on SQUASHTV.

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More to follow

Barfoot & Thompson New Zealand Open – Final

[1] Nele Gilis (BEL) bt [2] Tinne Gilis (BEL) 3-0: 11-8, 11-3, 11-8 (51m)