31/05/2016
Perth Open 2016
Result - Final: City of Perth Squash Challenge Open 2016 |
Men’s
[1] Zac Alexander (AUS) bt [2] Lewis Walters (JAM) 3-0: 14-12, 11-5,
11-8 (50m)
Women’s
[4] Tamika Saxby (AUS) bt [1] Sarah Cardwell (AUS) 3-2: 11-9, 9-11,
11-9, 8-11, 11-5 (65m)
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Alexander and
Saxby Claim Perth Open Titles
Australian duo Zac Alexander and Tamika Saxby prevailed in the
finals of the City of Perth Squash Challenge Open, PSA M5 and W5
tournaments, respectively, to lift the titles on home soil.
World No.107 Alexander, whose last defeat in a PSA World Tour event
came in August 2015, lined up against last year’s semi-finalist
Lewis Walters in his final fixture, with the pair set to face off
for the first time.
Alexander had reached the final without dropping a single game,
while Walters had eliminated two home players, Thomas Calvert and
Rhys Dowling, on his way to the final at the Terrace Squash Centre.
The first game was the closest of the lot, with Alexander narrowly
taking it on a nail-biting tie-break to go a game ahead.
From there, Alexander moved up the gears and sailed to victory in
game two, before fending off a late rally from Walters in the third
to wrap up the win with a 14-12, 11-5, 11-8 margin of victory to
capture his fifth PSA World Tour title in a row and extend his
unbeaten run to an incredible 22 matches.
The Women’s event, meanwhile, saw Saxby go head-to-head with
compatriot and number one seed Sarah Cardwell in a thrilling
five-game contest.
Saxby twice took a one-game lead, before finding herself pegged back
on both occasions by a tenacious Cardwell, who was appearing in her
first PSA World Tour final of the year.
The deciding fifth game saw Saxby nudge back in front though, and
she held on to close out an 11-9, 9-11, 11-9, 8-11, 11-5 triumph to
lift her first PSA World Tour title of the season.
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