Australian teammates Kelsey Cottrell has endured contrasting fortunes on the opening day of the World Champion of Champions in Ayr.
Bidding to become the first Australian female to lift the coveted title, Cottrell, who entered the tournament as the player to beat, claimed back-to-back wins to commence her campaign in fine style, but the news was not as positive for Wilkie.
Earlier in the day, Cottrell, who claimed bronze for Australia in the World Championships in Christchurch last year, was given a scare when she dropped her opening set to Wales’ Denise Molan.
But as she has done on so many occasions during her short but decorated career, the teenage sensation fought her way back, taking the second by a solitary shot before clinching the tie-break.
In the afternoon game, Cottrell then fired an ominous warning to her rivals as she swept to a comfortable 11-1, 12-4 victory against Norfolk Island’s Christine Hore, indicating the 19-year-old may have already acclimatised to the tricky UK conditions.
Click here to see full results from the women’s draw of the World Champion of Champions.
Round one results:
Kelsey Cottrell (AUST) d Denise Molan (WAL) 7-12, 8-7, 3-1
Round two results:
Kelsey Cottrell (AUST) d Christine Hore (N.I) 11-1, 12-4
