11 Mar 2009

Four Australian players have progressed to the quarter-finals of the Malaysian International squash tournament in Kuala Lumpur after winning their first round matches on Tuesday.

New South Wales pair Ryan Cuskelly and Matthew Karwalski made it through in the men’s draw while Donna Urquhart and Lisa Camilleri won their opening women’s matches.

Cuskelly, the second seed, was too good for Malaysian wildcard Le Roy Leong 11-6, 11-8, 11-5 and will now play eighth seeded Pakistani Aqib Hanif, who won a tough battle against Queensland qualifier Nathan Stevenson 9-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4.

Karwalski ended the run of Ipswich qualifier Peter Taylor with a straight games win 11-7, 11-5, 11-6.

Urquhart beat rising Indian star Dipika Pallikal 11-3, 7-11, 3-11, 11-4, 11-7 and  now faces another Indian, seventh seed Joshna Chinappa.

Camilleri breezed past Korea’s Song Sun Mi 11-3, 11-9, 11-6 but will find the going a bit tougher in the final eight as she takes on top seeded Englishwoman Lauren Briggs.

Meanwhile, Queensland’s Zac Alexander crashed out when he was upset by Malaysia’s Ivan Yuen 11-9, 11-6, 11-3.

Ryan Cuskelly, Zac Alexander and Lisa Camilleri are all current  AIS – SQUASH Scholarship recipients

First round results (prefix denotes seeding):

Men

1-Shahid Zaman (PAK) bt Graeme Wilson (NZL) 11-7, 11-5, 0-11, 11-7

7-Waqar Mehboob (PAK) bt Piedro Schweertman (NED) 9-11, 11-6, 11-4, 11-3

4-Shamsul Islam Khan (PAK) bt Kashif Khan (PAK) 11-5, 10-12, 3-11, 11-1, 11-7

Ivan Yuen (MAS bt 6-Zac Alexander (AUS) 11-9, 11-6, 11-3

5-Matthew Karwalski (AUS) bt Peter Taylor (AUS) 11-7, 11-5, 11-6

Elvinn Keo (MAS) bt 3-Asyraf Azan (MAS) 11-7, 9-11, 13-11, 11-8

8-Aqib Hanif (PAK) bt Nathan Stevenson (AUS) 9-11, 11-4, 9-11, 11-4, 11-4

2-Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) bt Le Roy Leong (MAS) 11-6, 11-8, 11-5

Women

1-Lauren Briggs (ENG) bt Misaki Kobayashi (JPN) 11-3, 11-6, 9-11, 11-5

5-Lisa Camilleri (AUS) bt Song Sun-Mi (KOR) 11-3, 11-9, 11-6

3-Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt Dipika Pallikal (IND) 11-3, 7-11, 3-11, 11-4, 11-7

7-Joshna Chinappa (IND) bt Joelle King (NZL) 12-10, 5-11, 11-8, 2-11, 11-5

8-Lauren Siddall (ENG) bt Siti Munirah Jusoh (MAS) 11-5, 11-3, 10-12, 11-8

4-Aisling Blake (IRL) bt Kylie Lindsay (NZL) 11-7, 11-3, 11-6

6-Alana Miller (CAN) bt Chinatsu Matsui (JPN) 11-5, 11-9, 11-6

2-Sharon Wee (MAS) bt Maria Toor Pakay (PAK) 11-8, 9-11, 8-11, 11-6, 11-5