Laser S A National Squash Championships
Wanderers Club, Johannesburg.
Defending champion Shaun le Roux, seeded 2, made his way to the quarterfinals of the Laser S A National Squash Championships being played at the Wanderers Club, Johannesburg when he accounted for Ruan Olivier in four games on Tuesday evening.
Ranked 17 in the world, top seed Steve Coppinger took his allotted place after defeating Jimmy Schlebusch (NW) in straight games.
3rd Seeded Thoboki Mohohlo (CG) after losing the first game 5-11 to national player Rodney Durbach (WP) gradually gained control in their encounter taking the next 3 games 11-7 11-7 11-3 while 4th seed North West’s Christo Potgieter also needed 4 games to get past Central Gautenger Kyle Maree.
The only upset in the men’s championship was caused by 9-16 seed Tristan Eysele of Border who in a 71 minute titanic struggle gained the better of 5-8 seed Gary Wheadon (KZN) winning 11-5 12-14 10-12 12-10 12-10.
In the women’s section the top three seeds Cheyna Tucker (CG), Alexandra Fuller (WP) and Milnay Louw (WP) had little trouble in moving through to the quarter finals dropping less than 20 points between them.
4th Seeded Elani Landman took her allotted place in the quarters after accounting for Western Province’s Danielle van Niekerk 13-11 11-8 11-6.
But it was 5th seed Lume Landman (CG), 6th seed Kacey Leigh Dodd (E), 7th seed Makgosi Peloakgosi (N) and 8th seeded Adel Weir (CG) who all tumbled out.
In a closely contested match Landman lost to fellow UJ Student 9-16 seed, Alexia Pienaar in 4 games. Former National champion, Farrah Sterne of Northerns, seeded 9-16, had too much experience for 2014 under 19 champion Dodd, a student at UJ, winning through 11-9 15-13 12-10. Sonica Fritz, another 9-16 seed subdued a determined fight by fellow Northerns team mate Peloakgosi edging through to the quarters in 4 games 11-8 12-10 10-12 11-8.
In the longest women’s quarterfinal last week’s newly crowned Wanderers Open champion, Michelle Kohne, a 9-16 seed, edged through in 5 games to upset 8th seeded Weir.
Line-up for Quarterfinals : Wednesday 10th June on Glass Court
16h00 Milnay Louw vs Alexia Pienaar: 16h30 : Michelle Kohne vs Elani Landman:
17h00 Sonica Fritz vs Alexandra Fuller: 17h30 Clinton Leeuw vs Thoboki Mohohlo: 18h15 Cheyna Tucker vs Farrah Sterne: 18h45 Christo Potgieter vs J P Brits: 19h15 Steven Coppinger vs Tristan Eysele: 20h00 Michael Wood vs Shaun le Roux.
