Australian teammates Penny Landherr and Anne Johns have cast off any doubts about their compatibility by surging into the semi-finals of the New Zealand Open in Auckland.
Despite never having played pairs together, Landherr and Johns cannoned their way into the final four after accounting for Adele Greenfield and New Zealand international Jan Khan by a solitary shot late last night.
As a result, Landherr and Johns will now confront defending champions Kay Moran and Karen Murphy, with more than a little history between the combinations.
Last month, Landherr and Johns partnered Natasha Van Eldik and Murphy to capture the NSW Open fours title, while Moran, Johns and Murphy captured the Australian Open triples in February and are also playing together in New Zealand this week, adding an extra element to the contest.
In the opposite semi-final, Jan Shirley and Raelene Peters will confront Kathleen Morrison and Kimi Frances on either Wednesday or Thursday depending on playing commitments.
Click here for full results from the women’s pairs at the 2009 New Zealand Open.
In the women’s singles, a number of past and present Australian representatives are safely through to the second round, with the winners including Commonwealth Games representative Maria Rigby, 2007 New Zealand Open champion Sharyn Renshaw, world under-25 silver medallist Sam Shannahan and Van Eldik.
On the casualty list, however, was Landherr and Wray, with the South Australian pair going down to Janice McLean and Rima Strickland respectively.
Moran, who is now based at Cabramatta, was also a first up winner with a 21-5 hammering of Jeanette Scarrott.
Click here for full results from the women’s singles at the 2009 New Zealand Open.
