Australian top seed Zac Alexander lifted his seventh successive PSA
World Tour title after a dominant 3-0 win over South Korea’s Ko
Youngjo in the final of the Tasmanian Open, PSA M5 tournament saw
the World No.94 extend his unbeaten run to 30 matches.
Alexander, who has not lost on the PSA World Tour since August 2015,
stormed into the final without losing a game as he put Vivian
Rhamanan, Darcy Evans and Thomas Calvert to the sword in a series of
dominant displays.
Youngjo was making his first PSA World Tour appearance since he lost
out in the final of the City of Kalgoorlie & Boulder Golden Open to
veteran Mike Corren last month and achieved his place in a third
Tour final courtesy of victories over Solayman Nowrozi, Elliot Selby
and Sandeep Ramachandran.
The early stages of the final were closely-contested and played at a
fast pace as both players varied their shots in a bid to get on top.
Alexander’s pressure finally told as he narrowly took the first game
and he dominated from that point onwards to romp to his 21st PSA
World Tour title by an 11-8, 11-1, 11-4 scoreline.
Elsewhere, Hong Kong duo Tong Tsz-Wing and Vanessa Chu contested the
Women’s final, with the former coming through in four to capture the
title.
Each player took a game apiece before Tsz-Wing prevailed in a
dramatic third game tie-break, winning it 15-13 to take the lead for
the first time in the Devonport Sport & Recreation Centre.
With the match drawing to a close, Tsz-Wing again triumphed on the
tie-break in the fourth to seal a 2-11, 11-5, 15-13, 13-11 victory
to win her second successive PSA World Tour title.
Home hero Zac Alexander swept through to the last eight of the
Tasmanian Open, PSA M5 tournament after a fine display against
Singapore’s Vivian Rhamanan saw him extend his incredible unbeaten
run to 27 matches.
World No.94 Alexander, who has not lost on the PSA World Tour in 11
months, has won his last six tournaments and his hot streak showed
no signs of abating after a dominant performance against Rhamanan
saw him take the win by an 11-3, 11-5, 11-5 margin.
Alexander will face off with fellow Australian Darcy Evans in the
quarter-final after the 21-year-old qualifier claimed an impressive
victory over Jong Myoung Park, despite the South Korean being ranked
41 places above Evans in the World Rankings.
Second seed Rhys Dowling joins his countrymen in the next round
after he saw off Egyptian qualifier Mohamed Saeed. Both players took
a game apiece before World No.140 Dowling pulled away to take the
next two without reply and set up a quarter-final encounter with
India’s Sandeep Ramachandran, who dispatched Joel Luca.
Meanwhile, Thomas Calvert overcame Switzerland’s Luca Wilhelmi in
straight games and he will take on Chang Wook Woo, with Chang coming
back from a game down to progress past David Clegg.
The day’s other fixtures saw England’s Elliot Selby move through to
his first ever PSA World Tour quarter-final after a strong
performance saw him eliminate local player Rod Harker, while his
upcoming opponent, Ko Youngjo, saw off Solayman Nowrozi.
Number three seed Lisa Camilleri moved through to the quarter-final
of the Women’s Tasmanian Open, PSA W5 tournament on home soil after
dispatching fellow Australian Taylor Jones in straight games.
Camilleri, the top seeded Australian in the draw, dictated the tempo
of the match in the Devonport Sport & Recreation Centre and surged
to an 11-4, 11-4, 11-7 victory to reach the last eight.
The 33-year-old will take on Norway’s Lotte Eriksen in the
quarter-final after the World No.120 overcame Stephanie Wighton in a
3-1 win.
South Korea’s Yura Choi was the only seeded player to bow out on the
first day of action after the number eight seed succumbed to New
Zealand qualifier Emma Millar, who overturned a 44-place World
Rankings gap to seal the win in three. Millar will go up against top
seed Vanessa Chu of Hong Kong, who beat Melinda Shutt comfortably,
for a place in the semi-final.
Elsewhere, Tong Tsz-Wing dispatched Taylor Flavell 3-1 and will meet
seventh seed Selena Shaikh in the next round after Shaikh saw off
Jasmine Chan.
Lakeesha Rarere, 19, flirted with elimination against a dogged
challenge from Scotland’s Elspeth Young, but pulled through after
taking the deciding fifth game on the tie-break. Her reward is a
quarter-final clash with compatriot Jessica Turnbull, the number
four seed who beat Samantha Calvert.
The final qualifying round of the Women’s Tasmanian Open, PSA W5
tournament saw three local players move through to the main draw,
with Taylor Flavell, Melinda Shutt and Taylor Jones all progressing
in the Devonport Sport & Recreation Centre.
Flavell in particular was in fine form to see off the attentions of
compatriot Bethany Campbell, a win that culminated with her failing
to drop a single point in the third and final game.
Up next for Flavell is a difficult encounter with the main draw’s
number two seed Tong Tsz-Wing where a win would see her take part in
an all-Australian quarter-final fixture with either Selena Shaikh or
Jasmine Chan.
Meanwhile, Shutt was also victorious in straight games, beating Lisa
Gray, and she has the distinction of going up against title
favourite Vanessa Chu, with Chu looking for a first PSA World Tour
title of 2016.
Jones was the recipient of a bye through to the main draw and will
look to beat the experienced Lisa Camilleri as she bids to advance
past the opening round of a PSA World Tour event for the first time.
New Zealand’s Emma Millar prevented the crowd from celebrating a
quartet of Australian qualifying stage winners after she downed
Grace Pattison and the World No.162 will pit her wits against South
Korea’s Yura Choi in what is only her third PSA World Tour event.
Australia’s Rod Harker moved through to the main draw of the
Tasmanian Open after axing second qualifying seed Tyler Hawkins in a
thrilling five-game encounter to bring qualifying at the PSA M5
tournament to a close.
The lead changed hands multiple times throughout a dramatic match
that saw momentum shift on a number of occasions as the compatriots
traded a series of high-octane blows. After going 2-1 up, Harker was
hauled back by World No.398 Hawkins but engineered some breathing
space for himself in the decider to close out an 11-3, 5-11, 12-10,
10-12, 11-8 victory.
Harker, appearing at his first tournament since last year’s
Tasmanian Open, will line up against England’s Elliot Selby in the
first round of the main draw, with Selby looking to make it through
the opening round of a PSA World Tour event for the first time.
World No.312 Darcy Evans and New Zealand’s Zac Millar also engaged
in an exciting five-game affair, with the former advancing to the
main draw where he will take on South Korea’s Jong Myoung Park.
Top qualifying seed Sandeep Ramachandran and Mohamed Saeed will also
compete in the main draw action after they managed respective
triumphs over local duo Matthew McConnell and Matthew Creely.
Ramachandran is set to face Australian number eight seed Joe Luca in
the first round of the main draw, while Saeed will do battle with
Rhys Dowling.
