Price & Manning Lift Home Hopes In World Doubles Championships

Paul Price and Timothy Manning pulled off a significant upset in today's first qualifying round of the 3rd World Doubles Championships in Melbourne, Australia. The Australian pair defeated the 2004 silver medallists Ritwik Bhattacharya and Saurav Ghosal, from India, 9-4 9-6 5-9 9-6 in their second Men's Doubles match of the day in Pool C.

Top-seeded Australians Anthony Ricketts - winner of the Australian Open title last week - and Stewart Boswell opened proceedings at the Melbourne Sports & Aquatic Centre with a resounding 9-0 9-3 9-2 victory over German combination Martin Wissner and Gunal Gunsav. Later the pair beat 5/8 seeds John White and Harry Leitch, of Scotland, 9-4 9-6 (ret).

The second-seeded Australian pairing of Dan Jenson and Joseph Kneipp secured two victories in Pool B, first beating Malaysian brothers Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan & Nafzahizam Adnan 9-2 5-9 9-5 9-2, then South Africans Rodney Durbach & Adrian Hansen, seeded in the 5/8 group, 9-4 3-9 5-9 9-2 9-1.

In the Women's Doubles, two New Zealand pairs notched up two wins apiece on the opening day. Second seeds Lara Heta & Louise Crome beat home pair Kylie Doherty & Georgina Davis 9-3 9-4 9-3, then defeated experienced Australians Robyn Cooper & Sarah Fitz-Gerald, 5/8 seeds, 9-5 12-10 12-10.

In Pool D, Shelley Kitchen and Tamsyn Leevey also overcame a pair of Australian pairings - winning 8-10 9-3 9-2 9-2 against Peta Hughes & Rachel Smith before overcoming Lisa Camilleri & Kelly Fowler 12-10 4-9 9-5 9-6.

The World Doubles Championships have attracted capacity fields of 16 Teams in each of the three Doubles events, i.e. Men's, Women's and Mixed, with the current pools sections moving into the quarter-final stages on Wednesday, culminating with finals of all events this Friday.

Men's 1st qualifying rounds:
Pool A
[1] Anthony Ricketts & Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt Martin Wissner & Gunal Gunsav (GER)
9-0, 9-3, 9-2
[5/8] John White & Harry Leitch (SCO) bt Shane Doherty & Jeff Bond (AUS)
9-3, 9-5, 11-9
[1] Anthony Ricketts & Stewart Boswell (AUS) bt [5/8] John White & Harry Leitch (SCO)
9-4, 9-6 ret.
Shane Doherty & Jeff Bond (AUS) bt Martin Wissner & Gunal Gunsav (GER)
9-2, 9-1, 9-6
Pool B
[2] Dan Jenson & Joseph Kneipp (AUS) bt Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan & Nafzahizam Adnan (MAS)
9-2, 5-9, 9-5, 9-2
[5/8] Rodney Durbach & Adrian Hansen (RSA) bt Jamie Crombie & Michael Puertas (USA)
9-7, 5-9, 9-0, 6-9, 9-2
[2] Dan Jenson & Joseph Kneipp (AUS) bt [5/8] Rodney Durbach & Adrian Hansen (RSA)
9-4, 3-9, 5-9, 9-2, 9-1
Jamie Crombie & Michael Puertas (USA) bt Mohd Nafiizwan Adnan & Nafzahizam Adnan (MAS)
9-7, 7-9, 10-8, 8-10, 9-0
Pool C
[3/4] Ritwik Bhattacharya & Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt Craig Rowland & Bradley Freeme (AUS)
9-2, 11-13, 9-3, 8-10, 9-5
Campbell Grayson & Martin Knight (NZL) bt [5/8] Paul Price & Timothy Manning (AUS)
9-6, 6-9, 9-6, 6-9, 9-7
[5/8] Paul Price & Timothy Manning (AUS) bt [3/4] Ritwik Bhattacharya & Saurav Ghosal (IND)
9-4, 9-6, 5-9, 9-6
Campbell Grayson & Martin Knight (NZL) bt Craig Rowland & Bradley Freeme (AUS)
9-5, 11-9, 12-10
Pool D
[3/4] Cameron White & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt Neil Nesbit & Mike Burns (ZIM)
9-1, 9-4, 9-2
[5/8] Daniel Sharplin & Kashif Shuja (NZL) bt Craig van der Wath & Clinton Leeuw (RSA)
9-2, 9-6, 9-7
Craig van der Wath & Clinton Leeuw (RSA) bt Neil Nesbit & Mike Burns (ZIM)
9-5, 9-5, 5-9, 12-10

Women's:
Pool A
[5/8] Kasey Brown & Dianne Desira (AUS) bt Louise Philip & Frania Gillen-Buchert (SCO)
9-2, 7-9, 9-7, 10-8
[1] Rachael Grinham & Amanda Hopps (AUS) bt [5/8] Kasey Brown & Dianne Desira (AUS)
9-5, 5-9, 9-3, 9-4
Pool B
[5/8] Robyn Cooper & Sarah Fitz-Gerald (AUS) bt Kimberley Bessell & Skye Millar (AUS)
9-0, 9-6, 9-6
[2] Lara Heta & Louise Crome (NZL) bt Kylie Doherty & Georgina Davis (AUS)
9-3, 9-4, 9-3
[2] Lara Heta & Louise Crome (NZL) bt [5/8] Robyn Cooper & Sarah Fitz-Gerald (AUS)
9-5, 12-10, 12-10
Pool C
[3/4] Amelia Pittock & Melissa Martin (AUS) bt Vanessa Pickerd & Jemma Saxby (AUS)
9-0, 9-2, 9-3
Diana Argyle & Tenille Swartz (RSA) bt [5/8] Tricia Chuah & Delia Arnold (MAS)
9-7, 9-4, 7-9, 7-9, 9-3
[3/4] Amelia Pittock & Melissa Martin (AUS) bt [5/8] Tricia Chuah & Delia Arnold (MAS)
9-4, 9-5, 9-3
Pool D
Lisa Camilleri & Kelly Fowler (AUS) bt [5/8] Louisa Hall & Meredeth Quick (USA)
17-15, 9-5, 6-9, 9-6
[3/4] Shelley Kitchen & Tamsyn Leevey (NZL) bt Peta Hughes & Rachel Smith (AUS)
8-10, 9-3, 9-2, 9-2
[3/4] Shelley Kitchen & Tamsyn Leevey (NZL) bt Lisa Camilleri & Kelly Fowler (AUS)
12-10, 4-9, 9-5, 9-6