11:48 am
15 Oct 2024

Hosts Dominate In World Doubles Openers

15 Aug 2016

Hosts Australia dominated action on the opening day of play in the WSF World Doubles Squash Championships in Darwin. All six home pairings recorded wins in the World Squash Federation event at the Darwin Squash Centre - with just one loss to the women's duo Sarah Cardwell & Christine Nunn overshadowing what would have been an undefeated day for Australia.

Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley gave the host nation a great start in the Men's Doubles - winning their opening match against Indian pair Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu & Ramit Tandon. Australia's second men's team followed suit with Zac Alexander & David Palmer also winning their opening match against Malaysia.

The women also got off to a great start with Cardwell & Nunn and Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart also victorious in their first encounters. It was later that Cardwell & Nunn were defeated in their second Pool A match by the top-seeded Indian pair Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik.

Rachael Grinham & Cameron Pilley, Australia's top seeds in the Mixed Doubles, defeated Malaysia - while the second team of David Palmer & Donna Urquhart also defeated New Zealand.

The remaining matches went with seeding - until Rachel Arnold & Mohd Syafiq Kamal, the No.10 seeds from Malaysia in the mixed event, pulled off the day's sole upset by beating sixth-seeded Colombians Catalina Pelaez & Miguel Angel Rodriguez 11-9, 11-10.

New Zealand's men's pairing of Paul Coll & Campbell Grayson won their match against Wales. The Kiwi women's team of Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy had two impressive victories over Colombia and Wales. There were strong results for the top mixed pairing of Coll and King, who won both their matches.

Chinappa & Pallikal are unbeaten in Pool A after two matches, while Scotland's top men's team Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban, the second seeds, also finished the day with two wins from two.

The first day was capped off by an opening ceremony function at the Territory Parliament House on the harbour of Darwin with the function celebrating the contribution of the Northern Territory Government.

1st qualifying rounds

Men's Doubles, Pool A
[4] David Palmer & Zac Alexander (AUS) bt [8] Sanjay Singh Chal & Ivan Yuen (MAS) 11-4, 11-6 (25m)
[1] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [9] Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu & Ramit Tandon (IND) 11-6, 11-6 (25m)
[1] Ryan Cuskelly & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [8] Sanjay Singh Chal & Ivan Yuen (MAS) 11-2, 11-8 (23m)
[5] Andrés Herrera & Juan Camilo Vargas (COL) bt [9] Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu & Ramit Tandon (IND) 8-11, 11-7, 11-10

Pool B
[2] Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [10] Douglas Kempsell & Kevin Moran (SCO) 11-4, 7-11, 11-7 (49m)
[3] Paul Coll & Campbell Grayson (NZL) bt [7] Peter Creed & Joel Makin (WAL) 3-11, 11-4, 11-6 (44m)
[6] Nafiizwan Adnan & Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) bt [10] Douglas Kempsell & Kevin Moran (SCO) 11-9, 11-10 (33m)
[2] Alan Clyne & Greg Lobban (SCO) bt [7] Peter Creed & Joel Makin (WAL) 11-5, 10-11, 11-7 (47m)

Women's Doubles, Pool A
[1] Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) bt [4] Delia Arnold & Rachel Arnold (MAS) 11-7, 11-10 (20m)
[5] Sarah Cardwell & Christine Nunn (AUS) bt [8] Aika Azman & Teh Min Jie (MAS) 11-8, 8-11, 11-10 (39m)
[4] Delia Arnold & Rachel Arnold (MAS) bt [8] Aika Azman & Teh Min Jie (MAS) 11-8, 11-4 (14m)
[1] Joshna Chinappa & Dipika Pallikal Karthik (IND) bt [5] Sarah Cardwell & Christine Nunn (AUS) 11-8, 11-8

Pool B
[2] Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [7] Tesni Evans & Jenny Haley (WAL) 11-4, 11-7
[3] Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) bt [6] Catalina Pelaez & Laura Tovar (COL) 11-8, 11-9 (17m)
[3] Joelle King & Amanda Landers-Murphy (NZL) bt [7] Tesni Evans & Jenny Haley (WAL) 11-5, 11-8 (19m)
[2] Rachael Grinham & Donna Urquhart (AUS) bt [6] Catalina Pelaez & Laura Tovar (COL) 10-11, 11-3, 11-4 (29m)

Mixed Doubles, Pool A:
[4] Donna Urquhart & David Palmer (AUS) bt [8] Amanda Landers-Murphy & Campbell Grayson (NZL) 11-8, 11-9
[1] Rachael Grinham & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [9] Delia Arnold & Sanjay Singh Chal (MAS) 11-8, 11-3 (33m)
[5] Joshna Chinappa & Harinder Pal Singh Sandhu (IND) bt [9] Delia Arnold & Sanjay Singh Chal (MAS) 11-9, 10-11, 11-10
[1] Rachael Grinham & Cameron Pilley (AUS) bt [8] Amanda Landers-Murphy & Campbell Grayson (NZL) 11-7, 11-7

Pool B
[3] Joelle King & Paul Coll (NZL) bt [7] Tesni Evans & Peter Creed (WAL) 11-4, 11-7 (37m)
[6] Catalina Pelaez & Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) bt [11] Jenny Haley & Joel Makin (WAL) 11-10, 11-10 (24m)
[2] Dipika Pallikal Karthik & Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt [10] Rachel Arnold & Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) 11-7, 11-4 (20m)
[2] Dipika Pallikal Karthik & Saurav Ghosal (IND) bt [7] Tesni Evans & Peter Creed (WAL) 11-8, 5-11, 11-5 (38m)
[10] Rachel Arnold & Mohd Syafiq Kamal (MAS) bt [6] Catalina Pelaez & Miguel Angel Rodriguez (COL) 11-9, 11-10 (25m)
[3] Joelle King & Paul Coll (NZL) bt [11] Jenny Haley & Joel Makin (WAL) 11-9, 11-9