Kiwis Take out NT Open Titles

Paul Coll and Amanda Landers-Murphy have taken out the Northern Territories Open titles in Darwin over the weekend. With a number of great results from the weekend by our kiwis it was a good time to be in Australia.

Day 1 saw all of our Kiwis get off to great starts. Chris Van Der Salm had the battle of the day taking out 7th seed Muhammad Hannan of Malaysia in a nailing biting 5 setter. With both Amanda and Megan having byes in the first round they had convincing wins over their opponents in the second round. The Quarter Finals were starting to look very kiwi heavy.

However on Day 2 it was always going to be the case that not every kiwi could make it to the finals. Evan Williams was one of the first to go down with an epic five setter against James Huang. With Williams having the lead 2/1 he couldn't quite convert even with the fight back in the fifth Huang managed to scrape in the win. The next casualty was Ben Grindrod who went down in 3 to third seed Canadian Dane Sharp. There was always another guaranteed kiwi knocout when Paul Coll took on Chris Van Der Salm. Coll didn't show any mercy to fellow club mate and sent Van Der Salm packing in 3. In the Womens draw however Craig and Landers-Murphy both made light work of their opponents to progress to the semi-finals.

Paul Coll, Amanda Landers-Murphy and Megan Craig all showed they were wanting to take the titles out from the Australians and all respectively took out their competitors. This made for a healthy Trans-Tasman squash rivalry iwith New Zealanders filling three of the four finals spots. With Landers-Murphy has dropped just one game, against promising Australian teenager Lakeesha Rarere, en route to Sunday’s final and Craig also dropping just the one game against Australia’s Christine Nunn Craig had been made to work hard.

On finals day Amanda Landers-Murphy wasn't going to let Megan Craig take this title again and she made sure to take the win in 3. Landers-Murphy has enjoyed a long, close rivalry with Craig, so to win in three was a great relief for the 23-year-old. “I definitely got better as the tournament progressed,” she said. “These are the sorts of events I’m targeting now, so to get this win is very satisfying.” Landers-Murphy relocated to the UK late last year to try and develop her game and take it to the next level.It was tough, she said, being away from home for so long, but in the two months since her return she knows her game has improved. “You always learn new things about yourself,” she said. “It was hard being away, but I did learn new things. And now I can put them into practice.”

Paul Coll made it a double win for the Kiwi contingent taking out Zachary Alexander of Australia in 4. Coll had never seen Zac Alexander play before, but he knew of his solid reputation. “I was really happy to win the way I did, he’s an experienced player,” Coll said. “I’d had a really good month leading up to this. In Paris I beat four players who were seeded ahead of me, and then Ireland was a great result.” Coll won the event in Paris, and made the semi-finals of the Irish Open. Add to this his win over Alexander, and the 23-year-old is understandably reassessing his goals. ‘I think I’ll try and play a few bigger tournaments,” he said. “I’d like to have a go at some events in the United States, and some of the World Series events. I’m happy with where I’m at, my games in a really good place.”

Also on the horizon for both Landers-Murphy and Coll is this year’s Australian Open, with both players voicing their excitement for the event’s return. “It’s always been a great tournament, and it’s great that it’s back on,” Landers-Murphy said. “It’s even better that it’s on in Melbourne. I love it there. Plus we’ve got some big events coming up in New Zealand. It’s great for squash in our region.”

For more information on the PSA/WSA events coming up in New Zealand click here

Day 1

Round 1

Evan Williams bt Joseph White (Aus) - 11/5, 11/5, 11/7

Ben Grindrod (8) bt Muhammad Haroon Raheed (Aus) - 11/7, 11/9, 11/7

Chris Van Der Salm bt Tyler Hawkins(Aus) - 11/4, 11/2, 11/4

Paul Coll (2) bt Jessie Yep (Aus) - 11/2, 11/3, 11/2

Amanda Landers-Murphy (1) - Bye

Megan Craig (3) - Bye

Round 2

Evan Williams bt Matt Hopkin (Aus) - 11/4, 11/2, 10/12, 11/9

Ben Grindrod (8) bt Mark Broekman (Eng) - 11/6, 11/7, 11/7

Chris Van Der Salm bt Muhammad Hannan (7) (MYS) - 9/11, 4/11, 11/4, 11/3, 12/10

Paul Coll (2) bt Nicolas Massenet - 11/2, 11/3, 11/5

Amanda Landers-Murphy (1) bt Samantha Calvert (Aus) - 11/3, 11/1, 11/3

Megan Craig (3) bt Madeleine Gill (USA) - 9/11, 11/6, 11/7, 11/1

Day 2

Quarter Finals

Evan Williams lost James Huang - 11/9, 10/12, 8/11, 11/7, 14/12

Ben Grindrod (8) lost Dane Sharp (3) (Can) - 11/6, 11/7, 11/9

Paul Coll (2) bt Chris Van Der Salm - 11/3, 11/3, 11/6

Amanda Landers-Murphy (1) bt Lakeesha Rarere (Aus) - 6/11, 11/2, 11/2, 11/7

Megan Craig (3) bt Zulhijjah Binti Azan (6) (MYS) - 11/5, 11/4, 11/7

Semi Finals

Paul Coll (2) bt Dane Sharp (3) (Can) - 11/4, 11/5, 12/10

Amanda Landers-Murphy (1) bt Sarah Cardwell (4) (Aus) - 13/11, 11/7, 11/8

Megan Craig (3) bt Christine Nunn - 12/10, 11/9, 11/9

Day 3

Finals

Paul Coll (2) bt Zachary Alexander (1) - 8/11, 13/11, 11/9, 11/6

Amanda Landers-Murphy (1) bt Megan Craig (3) - 12/10, 11/3, 11/4