The big names have adopted a “take no prisoners” approach to the $30,000 Janome NSW Open after crashing their way into the quarter-finals of the women’s pairs.
The final eight reads like a who’s who of the grand prix circuit, with the prized title well and truly up for grabs.
In the first quarter-final, defending champions Lynsey Armitage and Julie Keegan will square off against Australian teammate Sharyn Renshaw and teenage sensation Natasha Van Eldik.
Having clinched last year’s final, Armitage and Keegan will start as favourites, but Renshaw, a six-time GP winner, and Van Eldik, a two-time finalist, will be more than confident after brushing aside giant killers Lucia Leon and Rachelle Matthias- Harkness 17-4, 15-3 in the second round.
Not to be outdone, Armitage and Keegan posted a hard fought 9-3, 3-8, 6-1 victory over Judy Craft and Jan Rolph.
In the second quarter-final, fellow Australian squad members Penny Landherr and Kelli Wray will face two of the circuit’s most accomplished players in Lisa Mitchell and Katrina Wright after the respective combinations posted contrasting wins.
While Mitchell and Wright blazed their way past Meg McClure and Gloria Clifton 12-6, 11-4, Landherr and Wray were made to fight tooth and nail against Queensland’s Yvonne Lovelock and Tasmania’s Bec Quail before prevailing 11-2, 6-13, 6-2.
On the opposite side of the draw, half of the reigning NSW Open fours champions Kay Moran and Therese Hastings have survived a nail-biter to set up a quarter-final clash with Anne Johns and Claire Duke.
Having teamed with Margie Smith and Corinne Crouche to capture last year’s fours title, Moran and Hastings were pushed to the limit by newly crowned Australian Junior Champions Sarah Boddington and Sarah Vesenjak.
With the young guns taking the first set 11-4 on the back of some impressive play, Hastings skipped the former Scottish international into a tie-break as the tension grew.
Claiming a double on the opening end it appeared experienced would get the better of youth, but when Boddington and Vesenjak secured back-to-back singles, a fourth end was required before Moran and Hastings prevailed 4-11, 9-4, 4-2.
There were no such problems for Johns and Duke, however, as they raced to an 11-8, 12-4 win over Jenni Woods and Leigh Grundy.
In the remaining quarter-final, 11-time grand prix winner Karen Murphy will lead one of the nation’s most promising teenagers, Kristina Krstic, against world number three Kelsey Cottrell and Australian teammate Sam Shannahan.
Having guided Krstic to a 13-4, 10-7 victory over Crouche and Smith, Murphy, the current Australian and New Zealand Open champion, will be hoping to add the Janome NSW Open crown to her list.
Standing in their way is Shannahan and Cottrell, last year’s Australian Open finalists, who looked at their clinical best with a 7-5, 11-4 victory over Barbara Hass and Kim Brough.
