Kiwis Excel In Bay of Plenty Qualifiers

Kiwi players have grabbed three of the four qualifying spots available in the opening round of the Bay of Plenty Open in Whakatane, New Zealand.

After a first round bye, Sam Atkins has cruised through his qualifying finals match against Australian Jacob Lohrisch, winning 9-6 9-5 9-7 in just 20 minutes.

Fellow kiwis Joshua Greenfield and Graeme Wilson have also made it through to the main draw, joining Japan's Yasunori Ishiwata who beat New Zealand's Michael Bill 11-2 11-3 11-4.

Qualifying finals:
Sam Atkins (NZL) bt Jacob Lohrisch (AUS) 11-8, 11-7, 11-6 (24m)
Joshua Greenfield (NZL) bt Ryan Cuskelly (AUS) 11-5, 11-10 (2-0), 11-10 (4-2) (47m)
Yasunori Ishiwata (JPN) bt Michael Bill (NZL) 11-2, 11-3, 11-4 (20m)
Graeme Wilson (NZL) bt Joseph Desira (AUS) 6-11, 11-8, 11-6, 11-8 (41m)