King and Knight take honours in Cambridge
30 Jun 2013The seedings have proved to be on the money at the North Island Championships in Cambridge
Top seeds Joelle King and Martin Knight have confirmed their pre-tournament title favouritism with comfortable victories in their respective finals at the North Island Squash Championships in Cambridge.
King, ranked fifth in the world, was too strong for 37th ranked Amanda Landers Murphy in the women's open final, winning 11-6, 11-5, 11-5.
Likewise, Knight was untroubled in the final of the men's open, downing second seed Christopher Lloyd 11-3, 11-1, 11-5.
Neither of the two top seeds dropped a game during the entire tournament.
The third place playoffs both went to rising stars of the game. 18-year-old Chris can der Salm finished third in the men's draw after a hard fought 11-6, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5 win over Ben Grindrod, while 15-year-old Ellie Epke claimed third place in the women's draw, with a 12-10, 11-3, 11-9 win over Joanna Shanks. It's perfect preparation for Epke who is one of four players in the New Zealand team for the upcoming World Junior Girls Squash Championships in Poland.
Results
Women
Final
1. Joelle King (Waikato) def 2. Amanda Landers-Murphy (Bay of Plenty) 11-6, 11-5, 11-5
Third place
3. Ellie Epke (Auckland) def Joanna Shanks (Auckland) 12-10, 11-3, 11-9
Men
Final
1. Martin Knight (Auckland) def 2. Christopher Lloyd (Auckland) 11-3, 11-1, 11-5
Third place
4. Chris van der Salm (Midlands) def Ben Grindrod (Bay of Plenty) 11-6, 7-11, 7-11, 11-7, 11-5
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