Australia’s Rhys Dowling scored a seeding upset in the semi-finals of the World Championship Oceania Qualifying Event after defeating No.2 seed Temwa Chileshe in a dramatic five-game encounter.
Dowling, the No.6 seed on the Gold Coast, survived a spirited comeback from the New Zealander to book his spot in the qualifying decider, where he will face top seed Joseph White.
After winning two tight opening games, Dowling looked to have one foot in the final, but Chileshe managed to force a deciding game after striking back by 11-4 and 11-9 scorelines. The back-and-forth nature of the match continued in the fifth, with Dowling managing to recapture his best squash to win the match after 64 minutes of entertaining action, taking the decider 11-5.
White, meanwhile, cruised into the final after defeating No.5 seed Nicholas Calvert in 35 minutes by an 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 scoreline.
In the women’s draw, the top two seeds, Alex Haydon and Sarah Cardwell, both advanced to the qualifying final after comfortable straight games victories.
Haydon started quickly in her encounter against No.5 seed Ella Lash, taking the opener 11-2, and never looked back from there, powering her way to victory after just 20 minutes on court. Haydon, who is yet to drop a game this week, continued to move from strength to strength as the match progressed, winning the following two games 11-4, 11-3 to book her spot in the final.
The second women’s semi-final saw Cardwell fight past No.4 seed Erin Classen to continue her impressive run at the Carrara Squash Centre. The Australian spent 25 minutes on court as she battled to an 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 victory.
Results: Men’s Semi-Finals
[1] Joseph White (AUS) bt [5] Nicholas Calvert (AUS) 3-0: 11-3, 11-6, 11-6 (35m) [6] Rhys Dowling (AUS) bt [2] Temwa Chileshe (NZL) 3-2: 12-10, 11-8, 4-11, 9-11, 11-5 (64m)Draw: Men’s Final
[1] Joseph White (AUS) v [6] Rhys Dowling (AUS)Results: Women’s Semi-Finals
[1] Alex Haydon (AUS) bt [5] Ella Lash (NZL) 3-0: 11-2, 11-4, 11-3 (20m) [2] Sarah Cardwell (AUS) bt [4] Erin Classen (AUS) 3-0: 11-6, 11-6, 11-8 (25m)Draw: Women’s Final
[1] Alex Haydon v [2] Sarah Cardwell (AUS)
