Alexander and Saxby Reign in NSW Open by Sean Reuthe July 4, 2016 -
Defending champion Zac Alexander made it 11 months unbeaten on the PSA
World Tour after retaining his title at the NSW Squash Open
Championships, PSA M5 tournament to lift his sixth successive Tour
title - while his compatriot, Tamika Saxby, lifted her third title in a
row after triumphing in the Women’s event in Sydney.
A fine display of strength from Alexander saw him power to the final
without dropping a single game, where he came up against surprise
finalist Aaron Frankcomb, who battled through qualifying to reach the
main draw.
Frankcomb then went on to defeat two seeded players en route to the
showpiece finale, including second seed Rhys Dowling, who succumbed to
injury during their encounter.
Alexander had the better of the final encounter as a series of
free-flowing rallies between two home players entertained a captivated
crowd at the Elanora Squash Centre.
After securing straightforward victories in the opening two games,
27-year-old Alexander narrowly saw off the intentions of his opponent
in a tightly-contested third game to secure an 11-6, 11-7, 11-9 win
which sees the World No.93 extend his unbeaten run to 26 matches, in
addition to claiming the 20th PSA World Tour title of his career.
Saxby, meanwhile, followed up her victory at last month’s Sandgate Open
by defeating fellow Australian Lisa Camilleri in straight games to win
the Women’s crown.
The talented 23-year-old played with poise and maturity against an
opponent 10 years her senior as she rattled off a number of perfectly
executed winners to build up a succession of points.
Saxby took the lead in a one-sided first game and remained consistent
in games two and three to wrap up the victory with an 11-3, 11-5, 11-8
scoreline which has yielded her third PSA World Tour title of 2016.
Results - Final: Men’s NSW Squash Open Championships 2016
