B&T Auckland Open RD1: Seeds Fall On Opening Day

It was a busy first day at the North Shore Squash Club, with 16 matches taking place in the first round of the Barfoot and Thompson and Auckland Open, and there were several shock results.

There were four seeding upsets in the women’s first round, with two of the top four seeds being dumped out of the tournament. Lana Harrison overcame No.2 seed Ella Lash in straight games, beating her fellow New Zealander in just half an hour, and dropping only eleven points in the process.

Anne Leakey got the better of No.3 seed Vinikashenie Kulasegaran in a pulsating five-game battle, coming back from 2-1 down to take the victory in her first ever match on the PSA Challenger Tour. The Kiwi found herself behind after a strong start from the Malaysian, but Leakey won the fourth game on a tie-break 12-10, before then going on to win the deciding game 11-8 to seal the win, to advance to the last eight.

She will now face Maiden-Lee Coe, another unseeded Kiwi teenager, after the New Zealander got the better of the other Malaysian sibling, Vitrikashenie Kulasegaran. The first was a lengthy tie-break, which went the way of the 16-year-old New Zealand 17-15. Kulasegaran then levelled the match with a win in the second, but Coe went on to win the next tow games to secure the win, to take her place in the last eight.

New Zealand’s Rachel McLeod was the other woman to cause a seeding upset on the opening day of the tournament, as she got the better of Hong Kong’s Wing Hei Jannis Lam in a four-game battle, coming from behind after losing the first game to win 3-1 and reach the quarter finals.

There were also a couple of surprise results in the men’s event, with Singapore’s Jerome Aw and New Zealand’s Chris van der Salm both overcoming higher-ranked opponents to reach the second round. Aw downed Glenn Templeton, while the Kiwi got the better of compatriot Elijah Thomas.

The second day of the Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Open will feature both the second round and quarter finals of the men’s event, along with the quarters of the women’s event, with action from North Shore Squash Club on Friday, May 20.

Men’s First Round Results: Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Open
Benjamin Ratcliffe (AUS) bt Allan Bailey (NZL) 3-0: 11-4, 11-8, 11-7 (35m)
Damon Macmillan (AUS) bt Oliver Dunbar (NZL) 3-0: 11-9, 11-2, 11-7 (35m)
Andrik Lim (MAS) bt Paul Moran (NZL) 3-0: 11-7, 11-1, 11-3 (30m)
Amir Amirul (MAS) bt Apa Fatialofa (NZL) 3-0: 11-3, 11-3, 11-5 (30m)
Jerome Aw (SGP) bt Glenn Templeton (NZL) 3-1: 11-3, 11-6, 8-11, 11-2 (40m)
Chris van der Salm (NZL) bt Elijah Thomas (NZL) 3-2: 10-12, 11-9, 5-11, 11-6, 11-8 (50m)
Mason Smales (NZL) bt Michael Shelton Agar (NZL) 3-0: 11-0, 9-11, 11-5, 6-11, 11-7 (50m)
Nicholas Calvert (AUS) bt Tom Marshall (NZL) 3-0: 11-9, 11-6, 11-0 (35m)

Men’s Second Round Draw: To Be Played Friday, May 20
[1] Lwamba Chileshe (NZL) v Benjamin Ratcliffe (AUS)
Damon Macmillan (AUS) v [6] Hafiz Zhafri (MAS)
[7] Anthony Lepper (NZL) v Andrik Lim (MAS)
Amir Amirul (MS) v [4] Wee Ming Hock (MAS)
[3] Zac Millar (NZL) v Jerome Aw (SGP)
Chris van der Salm (NZL) v [5] Duncan Lee (MAS)
[8] Sion Wiggin (NZL) v Mason Smales (NZL)
Nicholas Calvert (AUS) v [2] Temwa Chileshe (NZL)

Women’s First Round Results: Barfoot & Thompson Auckland Open
[1] Abbie Palmer (NZL) bt Sophie Fadaely (AUS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-4, 11-1 (30m)
[6] Katie Templeton (NZL) bt Darsyanaa Ravintharan (MAS) 3-2: 9-11, 14-12, 11-9, 10-12, 13-11 (45m)
Rachel McLeod (NZL) bt [8] Wing Hei Jannis Lam (HKG) 3-1: 7-11, 11-9, 11-8, 11-5 (35m)
[4] Shasmithaa Nityanandan (MAS) bt Jena Gregory (NZL) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-3 (30m)
Anne Leakey (NZL) bt [3] Vinikashenie Kulasegaran (MAS) 3-2: 11-9, 10-12, 6-11, 12-10, 11-8 (45m)
Maiden-Lee Coe (NZL) bt [5] Vitrikashenie Kulasegaran (MAS) 3-1: 17-15, 9-11, 11-7, 11-8 (40m)
[7] Winona-Jo Joyce (NZL) bt Diana Galloway (NZL) 3-0: 11-7, 11-5, 11-8 (30m)
Lana Harrison (NZL) bt [2] Ella Lash (NZL) 3-0: 11-5, 11-3, 11-3 (30m)

Women’s Quarter Final Draw: To Be Played Friday, May 20
[1] Abbie Palmer (NZL) v [6] Katie Templeton (NZL)
Rachel McLeod (NZL) v [4] Shasmithaa Nityanandan (MAS)
Anne Leakey (NZL) v Maiden-Lee Coe (NZL)
[7] Winona-Jo Joyce (NZL) v Lana Harrison (NZL)