South Africa have made a thrilling start overnight in the Women’s World Team Squash Championships, when they beat defending champions and 5th-ranked Australia 2-1 in their opening bout in Edmonton, Canada.
Australia’s No. 1 seed Kasey Brown started with a hard-fought four-game win over South Africa’s top-ranked Tenille Swartz, winning 9-5 5-9 9-7 9-4.
But Claire Nitch and Diana Argyle turned the tables on Melissa Martin and Amelia Pittock respectively, team captain Nitch winning in three 9-7 10-8 9-7, and Argyle even more ruthless, cleaning Pittock up 9-2 9-3 and 9-7.
The South African team consists of Nitch (ranked 4th in South Africa), squash heroine Swartz, number 2 seed Argyle, and Western Province’s Karen van der Westhuizen (5th-seed), who sat the first encounter out.
South Africa now face their next Pool D competitors the Netherlands, 5th-seeded for the championships, before taking on 13th-seeded Germany tomorrow evening.
The ladies from Holland toured South Africa recently in a closely contested 4-city tour, and the ladies would have picked up valuable experience in tackling such stern international competition.
Australia will have their backs against the wall following their opening defeat, and are preparing to conquer both Germany and 2nd-seed Holland to progress to the quarter-final stages.
Australian coach Michelle Martin was distraught following South Africa’s unexpected upset: “Australia are now in a position I can’t say we have ever been in.
“[It] is now crucial to beat both Germany and Netherlands for us to have any chance of competing for a top eight finish,” said Martin.
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